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Day in Rock Report for 09/13/2016


Today's Day in Rock Stories


Aerosmith Star Shares Health Concerns As Band Ponder Tour

(Classic Rock) Aerosmith drummer Joey Kramer admits the band's health is a concern as veteran group consider whether to tour again - and whether it willll be their final trek.

Frontman Steven Tyler stated in June that they'd hit the road in 2017 and it would definitely be a farewell project. But guitarist Joe Perry later insisted that no final decision had been made. Kramer backed that position up earlier this month, adding that Tyler "has a habit of projecting on things that haven't been completed yet."

The discussion continues after Perry collapsed while on tour with the Hollywood Vampires in July, and although he's on the mend, Tyler suggested he'd tried to hard to keep to a schedule that was beyond him.

Asked about ending the band's live career, Kramer, 66, tells Rolling Stone: "Aerosmith is all our first loves - but I don't know many other people who've consistently done the same job for 45 years.

"As we're getting older we've been kicking the idea, but a final decision hasn't been made. "We're not 25-year-olds any more. We can't play as many shows as we used to. Steven can't sing two nights in a row, or three to four nights a week. It's physically impossible." Read more here.

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Rolling Stones Add Final U.S. Show Of 2016

The Rolling Stones have announced that they have added a second and final Las Vegas show on Saturday, October 22 at T-Mobile Arena due to heavy demand.

The new show will be legendary band's final U.S. concert of 2016 and will come on the heels of their performances at the Desert Trip festival in Indio, California on October 7 and 14, and their already-sold-out first show in Las Vegas on October 19.

Tickets for the new show will go on sale Friday, September 16 at 10am PT at AXS.com. The Stones last performed in Sin City in May 2013 as part of their 50 & Counting Tour.

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David Bowie's Final Recordings Set For Release

(Radio.com) It's been announced that David Bowie's final three studio recordings will be included on the upcoming two-disc soundtrack for the late music legend's musical Lazarus.

The songs, "No Plan," "Killing a Little Time" and "When I Met You, will be featured on the first disc as they appeared in the show. A second disc will include Bowie's versions of the tracks along with the previously released 'Lazarus."

The new songs were produced by the band that recorded Bowie's swan song, ★, and co-produced by Bowie and Tony Visconti. The accompanying album will be released on October 21. See the track details here.

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The Dillinger Escape Plan Breaking Up, Not Going On Hiatus

The Dillinger Escape Plan frontman Greg Puciato says in a new interview that the band is actually breaking up and not going on "extended hiatus" following their 'Dissociation' tour.

Puciato tells Metal Hammer (via Blabbermouth), "'Extended hiatus' would lead people to believe that we think we're gonna come back. We're breaking up. We're not going on an extended hiatus.

"This is a really weird thing to say, but we really still do love what we do; we don't love it any less, we don't love making records any less, we don't love being on stage any less. And that's the hard part - you're making a choice to stop doing something that you love, which sounds insane to people. But, really, what it's about is realizing that� Say if you're a painter, you don't just paint until you run out of paint, you don't just paint until your arm falls off; you make a decision that, at some point in time, you made the final brushstroke. Or if you make a movie, you don't just film until you run out of film or hard-drive space, you make a decision, artistically, to say, 'Even if I'm having the best time ever making this movie, this is the end.'"

He continued: "In the last few years, we've started to reach what felt like a thematic conclusion to our band, particularly Ben and I, where we realized that in our lives, psychologically, we were reaching a sort of a resolve and that we had used our relationship with one another and our artistic outlet together in The Dillinger Escape Plan to kind of work through a lot of things as people and as a couple of people on earth. And we started to reach this resolve, a thematic resolve, and it started to show itself in our music and in our lyrics, and I think we both just started to realize, like, 'Hey, if we're ever gonna draw a line and say that this is over, this seems like a good time.' And when we started to talk about it and the fear aspect of it went away - 'cause right away, there's this gut feeling of, 'Oh, sh*t! My safety net is being taken away' - once you got over that fear, I think we started to realize that this feels like a very empowering move, to be able to say, 'Hey, now you can look at The Dillinger Escape Plan as an artistic body, not just on an album-to-album basis.' You can look at the whole band artistically and say, 'This is what this was, and it had a beginning, and it had an end, and they did close the circle.' And it is this thing that you can look at as a whole instead of it just�

"I don't like TV shows that go on and on and on until the ratings die. I like a movie where someone says, 'Hey, this had an end, and I made it, and at the end of it, I don't need to do another one.' I don't wanna see 'Pirates Of The Caribbean 7', you know? And I feel like once we started to wrap our brains around that, we started to feel really confident about it. It feels correct. That's all I can say about it." Watch the full video clip here.

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Motorhead's Mikkey Dee Joins The Scorpions

(Classic Rock) Former Motorhead drummer Mikkey Dee has joined Scorpions on a permanent basis. Dee hooked up the German metal heroes for their run of tour dates earlier this year, standing in for James Kottak, who's had a turbulent recent history with the German outfit. He took a step back for medical reasons.

Now Scorpions report that Dee has taken Kottak's place in the lineup as a fully-fledged member of the band, and they've thanked their former sticksman for his service.

Scorpions say in a statement: "We would like to thank James for so many years of lasting participation in the band and personal friendship. We understand and respect his need for time as he makes his way through the final stages of his healing process.

"After our incredibly successful shows in the US, Europe and Asia, we are sure to have found a fantastic drummer with Mikkey Dee. He brings a fresh energy to the band and we look forward to the exciting time together that lies ahead." Read more here.

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Megadeth And Body Count To Team Up For World Tour

(Metal Hammer) Dave Mustaine has confirmed Megadeth will tour the world with Body Count next year. Megadeth's frontman Dave Mustaine and Body Count star Ice-T had teased an upcoming collaboration on social media and Mustaine now reveals it will take the form of a tour.

Mustaine says that, while he is not a hip-hop fan, he is an admirer of Body Count frontman Ice-T and that he can't wait to hit the road in 2017. Mustaine tells Metal Hammer: "We're talking about a very large tour next summer with five bands on it with us. It's going to be more of a guest appearance than a direct support kind of thing.

"We've been looking at a lot of interesting acts, but for me I don't always try and pick out the flavour of the month - I have loyalty to my friends. I always thoughts that Body Count, while if not for everybody, I thought it was great.

"It's not your normal metal band, it's cool to see somebody crossing over from the hip-hop world into the metal world. I think it's great to be open-minded about different people from different backgrounds." Read more here.

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Y&T's Leonard Haze Dead At 61

(Classic Rock) Original Y&T drummer Leonard Haze has died at the age of 61. Haze passed away at his home in Hayward, California, after a battle with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Y&T frontman Dave Meniketti confirmed the news, saying: "It is with shock and sadness that I type this. Leonard Haze, the legendary drummer, and a guy I spent decades with creating great music together, has passed away at 61.

"This, just a few days after his birthday. I just woke up to this news, as I'm in Germany, and immediately called his wife, Kelly. She confirmed that Leonard had passed away in his sleep sometime between noon and 7.30pm on Sunday, September 11.

"Leonard has been struggling with COPD for years, but Kelly said that although his health had recently declined, they felt he had a few years left, so this is unexpected." Read more here.

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Mike Portnoy To Play Dream Theater's Twelve-Step Suite At Festival

(Prog) Mike Portnoy has confirmed he'll perform Dream Theater's Twelve-Step Suite at next year's ProgPower USA. The two-day event in Atlanta, Georgia, on September 8-9, will see the drummer perform the material he wrote and recorded with his former band in full under the Mike Portnoy's Shattered Fortress banner.

Portnoy says: "I'm so excited to make my ProgPower debut in 2017. Between 2001 and 2009 I wrote five very personal interconnecting songs with Dream Theater and I never got to play them live� until now.

"I'm going to be playing this with an incredible band of some of the best musicians in prog today. We've got a lot of cool stuff in store and I can't wait to be doing this exclusively at ProgPower 2017. See you there." Read more here.

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Max and Igor Cavalera Kick Off Return To Roots Tour

(Metal Hammer) Founding Sepultura members Max and Igor Cavalera are planning to have a stress-free tour celebrating the 20th anniversary of the band's Roots album.

They hit the road yesterday (September 12) on the Return To Roots tour playing the landmark album in full - and they say having fellow Cavalera Conspiracy members Marc Rizzo and Johny Chow onboard will make for a enjoyable experience.

Igor Cavalera tells Rolling Stone: "For me and Max, it's about having people that we love on the road with us. Marc, he was a massive Sepultura fan from day one, so it's been easy for him, while Johny had to go deep into the record to learn everything. But really, it's about enjoying ourselves, and having a nice time - that's why we chose those two guys to do this with us.

Max adds that an important part of playing live is hooking up with "people we like, and that we can count on" and adds: "When we created Cavalera Conspiracy, that was one of the things we talked about - how can we eliminate the stress factor that was present so many times in our career before and kind of ruined stuff for us.

"I remember being on the road with Roots and being so stressed out, so when the time came to do Cavalera with Igor, I was like, 'Let's have fun. Let's take the stress out of it.'" Read more here.

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NOFX Team With Funny Or Die For 'Oxy Moronic' Video

(TeamRock) NOFX have released a video for their new single "Oxy Moronic." The punk heroes teamed up with the team at comedy site Funny Or Die for the video. Oxy Moronic is the third track to be released from the band's upcoming 13th album First Ditch Effort, which is released on October 7 via Fat Wreck Chords.

NOFX frontman Fat Mike says: "I thought it was a long shot, but I sent our new song Oxy Moronic to my friend at Funny Or Die to see if they wanted to use it for something.

"He played it for some people and next thing I know, they asked if they could make a video for it. Funny Or Die made a f***ing video for NOFX! How cool is that? Plus, they recruited a bunch of their comedian friends to be in it too."

Director Bradly Schulz adds: "I could go on and on about how fun it was to work with a band I've loved for over 20 years, but this is punk rock. So forget it.

"Instead I'm going to turn up the volume on this new single and ask my buddy Geoff to smash a beer bottle on my head." Watch the video and read more here.

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Ghost Premiere New Song 'Square Hammer'

(Metal Hammer) Ghost have premiered a new track called "Square Hammer" with Sirius XM. It's the first new music from the band since last year's Grammy Award-winning third album Meliora.

One of the band's Nameless Ghouls says: "We're very proud of it. We're obviously thrilled to be able to play something new. This is a short, to-the-point little gem right at the jugular."

It is not clear whether the track will appear on Ghost's upcoming fourth album. Last month, a Nameless Ghoul said the band are "too funny" to be taken seriously by metal purists.

The Ghoul said: "I do think to a certain degree that we are misunderstood. We started off doing this with the intention of becoming this small horror rock band. It was supposed to be entertaining.

"The more puritan sort of metal people think we're too funny, or too this or that. We want people to be happy." Read more and stream the song here.

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TesseracT Release 'Hexes' Music Video

(Prog) TesseracT have released a video for their track "Hexes", taken from fourth album Polaris. The follow-up to 2013's Altered States, featuring returned vocalist Dan Tompkins, was released in September last year.

Tompkins says: "Hexes represents a vivid dream and distant memory - one of holding onto the secrets between two people. "To maintain the intimate and personal nature of the concept, we knew we needed a video director who didn't simply understand the lyrics, but who could connect to the intensity of the music, and was willing to work closely together in creating the right visuals."

The result is the collaboration with George Laycock of Blacktide, shot on several locations including the replica International Space Station module at Leicester's National Space Centre.

Tompkins adds: "Without a doubt Hexes is the most cohesive and impactful video we have made to date, and we're extremely proud of the end result." Watch the video here.

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Former Fairport Convention Jerry Donahue Suffers Stroke

(Prog) Former Fairport Convention and Fotheringay guitarist Jerry Donahue is unlikely to ever play the guitar again after suffering a stroke. The 69-year-old has been left with a degree of paralysis on his right-side and is unable to talk properly due to aphasia brought on by the stroke.

Donahue's daughter Kristina Donahue Daly says: "Dad suffered an ischemic stroke with hemorrhagic conversion. Every doctor who's looked at his chart is amazed that he survived. So, for that, we're truly grateful.

"However, he has global aphasia, which makes it incredibly difficult to communicate and is, as you can imagine, very frustrating. His occupational therapist said she'd never before worked with someone with his level of aphasia.

"He also has right-side paralysis and his doctor said he will probably never play the guitar again. This being said, my dad has made progress regaining muscle control on the right-side and we are not giving up on him." Read more here.

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Vola Get Animated For 'Stray The Skies' Video

(Prog) Vola have released an animated video for their track "Stray The Skies." It features on the Danish outfit's upcoming debut album Inmazes, which is out on September 16 via Mascot Records.

The band say of the album: "It tries to capture this feeling of being trapped in mental mazes and not being able to fully experience happiness, basically. How is this struggle visualized in your own mind and how do your surroundings react to the behavior caused by it.

"Where the EP Monsters deals with strategies on how to escape the negative thought patterns, Inmazes is more about the distance these thoughts can create between people."

They'll head out on the road across Europe with Katatonia and Agent Fresco - a run of dates which kick off later this month. Vola say: "We are exceptionally excited about joining Katatonia and Agent Fresco on tour around Europe.

"These are two of our favorite bands, and it will be an absolute honor to share the stage with them. This is also a great opportunity to present Inmazes live and share something that we are very proud of, with all of you. Can't wait to meet you out there." Watch the video here.

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Eric Johnson Streams New Song 'The World Is Waiting For The Sunrise'

(TeamRock) Eric Johnson is streaming his new single 'The World Is Waiting For The Sunrise' exclusively with TeamRock. The song comes from the Texan guitarist's first all-acoustic album titled EJ, which is set for launch on October 7 via Provogue/Mascot Label Group.

Johnson says: "Ever since I was young, I've played piano and acoustic guitar in my private life. This type of music has always been a part of me, but I never showcased it on any kind of bigger level, like a full acoustic record.

"With EJ, I just decided to be more honest with myself and everybody, and show more of my personal side. Almost all of that material was cut live. Some of the songs I actually sang and played at the same time - live in the studio. Recording this way gave it more of an honest realism and organic emotion. Especially on the acoustic, you just have to get in there and play." Stream the song here.

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Extreme Have Written 17 Songs For New Album

(Classic Rock) Extreme have confirmed they've written "about 17 songs" for their upcoming album. They band reported in July that work on the follow-up to 2008's Saudades De Rock had begun. And guitarist Nuno Bettencourt says the material is beginning to take shape.

He tells Gearphoria: "We're about 17 songs into it. We're just wrapping them up. We've got to do vocals and some guitar - slowly but surely. We're going to release it early next year - whether that's February or early spring. This thing is coming out, even if I've got to leak this f***ing thing."

Asked how he feels about their 1990 single More Than Words, that went on to become a global hit, Bettencourt says: "I've always had a pretty good relationship with that song. People ask me all the time if I'm sick of it, is it a curse? I tell them, 'We put it out, it's a hit and it turned new fans on to the Pornograffiti album.'" Read more here.

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Metallica Reinvigorated Anthrax Says Bello

(Metal Hammer) Anthrax bassist Frank Bello has thanked Metallica for providing the "kick in the ass" his band needed to return to form. And he argues they're more energized now than they've ever been, even in the 1980s.

He believes the Big 4 of thrash shows in 2010, along with Slayer and Megadeth, was the focal point that led to a return to form with 2011 album Worship Music and this year's For All Kings.

Up until then, Anthrax had been struggling in the wilderness as they tried to secure a permanent frontman between John Bush, Joey Belladonna and Dan Nelson. Classic-era vocalist Belladonna returned full-time for Worship Music.

Bello tells Metal-Rules.com: "This band has new life. It's like a resurgence. Even before Worship Music it really started with the Big 4 tour.

"I have to credit Metallica, and I'll always be thankful to them for that. They didn't have to do the Big 4. That really gave us the kick in the ass to be a band again, and to be real with it. I swear there's been non-stop momentum since that tour." Read more here.

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Singled Out: Unconscious Disturbance's Let it Rain

Brazilian/American rockers Unconscious Disturbance just released their new EP "Let It Rain" and to celebrate we asked them to tell us the story behind the title track. Here is the story:

"Let it Rain" is a special track for us, which is why it also became the title of our EP. We wrote the track during a time where we were trying to figure out a lot of things. We were new as a band, and were trying to find our style and our chemistry. We all quit our day jobs and basically said, "screw everything, let's just make music. We'll figure out the rest." As much as that was amazing and we were writing music 12 hours a day, it was also pretty stressful since New York is expensive and a lot is required of you all the time.

The mix of 12-hour rehearsal/writing lockdowns, mixed with a lot of partying and 4:30 PM winter sunsets got into our heads a little, I think. It was one of those moments where you stop and ask yourself, "what am I doing with my life? Am I going to legitimately lose it and go crazy?" But deep inside, we all knew we were doing what we wanted to be doing, and pursuing our dream. And that's a big part of what "Let it Rain" is about: even if things are crazy and seem out of place, stick to what you're doing if you know deep down that it's what you want to be doing. It's not always easy to pursue who you are and what you want, and it's never what you imagined it would be. But for people like us, it's just not an option. It's just what we do. When you look at it without judgment and expectation, it's all beautiful.

The track has a bit of a critical angle as well as a motivational one. The message "let it rain" is about letting things be as they are: when life is messing with you, it can be like getting caught in a rainstorm. It doesn't help to get mad at the sky. You just gotta roll with it, let it rain. The song critiques people who get caught up with judgment, fear, expectations, and is a shout out to those who learn to love and accept harshness and challenges at face value. It was probably around 7 A.M when we started writing the track. Honestly, it could've been 5 P.M. and we wouldn't have known the difference in our jam space with no windows. We had nothing else to do, and nothing else we'd rather be doing. It was an amazing time.

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

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