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Day in Rock Report for 02/06/2017


Today's Day in Rock Stories


Black Sabbath Play Their Very Last Concert

(hennemusic) Black Sabbath performed the final concert of their farewell tour at the Genting Arena in their hometown of Birmingham, UK on February 4 and video from the show is available online.

The reunited trio of Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler delivered a 16-song set of classic 1970s tracks and fan favorites as they wrapped up a year-long world trek to wind down a legendary career that spans five decades.

Billed as "The End", the group first announced farewell tour plans in late 2015 before launching the run with the first of three North American legs in Omaha, NE on January 20, 2016.

"Well, the end of our final tour is here," posted Iommi on social media. "4 continents, 26 countries and 81 dates later we are back home in Birmingham for our final show."

The tour was not without controversy as the group were joined by Osbourne's solo drummer Tommy Clufetos in place of original member Bill Ward, who chose to sit out the Sabbath reunion in 2012 and the farewell run over contractual issues and a dispute with Osbourne over remarks in recent years. Check out videos from the show including the official clip the finale performance of "Paranoid" here.

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Door Open For Van Halen Reunion For 40th Anniversary Tour

(hennemusic) Former bassist Michael Anthony says that he is open to the idea of reuniting with the classic Van Halen lineup for a possible 40th anniversary tour in 2018.

"I'm always the guy that says never say never," Anthony told Sayaka Shiomi at the recent National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) show in Anaheim, CA where he was launching his new signature Schecter Limited Edition Flame Bass.

"But, you know, right now, I'm just having fun doing what I'm doing, and if it happens, it'll happen. I'm obviously open to it, if something happens with it. Next year, I guess, is the fortieth anniversary of our first album, so who knows?"

Van Halen have not revealed any plans for new music or another tour since the end of a 2015 North American run in support of "Tokyo Dome Live In Concert." Read more here.

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Video Of Ronnie James Dio Hologram's U.S. Debut Goes Online

(hennemusic) A hologram of the late Ronnie James Dio made its U.S. debut at the 28th annual Pollstar Awards in Los Angeles, CA on February 2 and official video from the event has been posted online.

The Dio hologram - which was first introduced at last year's Wacken Open Air festival in Germany - appeared at the music industry event to perform the 1984 classic, "We Rock", with Dio Disciples, a group of former collaborators including guitarist Craig Goldy, drummer Simon Wright and keyboardist Scott Warren; the band is rounded out by bassist Bjorn Englen and vocalists Tim "Ripper" Owens, Oni Logan and Joe Retta.

Created by Eyellusion with the full support of Dio's widow and manager, Wendy, the hologram will tour later this year with Dio Disciples. "We were thrilled to give this audience just a taste of the experience that we will start to tour globally later this year," said Eyellusion CEO Jeff Pezzuti. "This 'We Rock' performance is now being retired and production is underway on a full show. We are pulling out all the stops to create a live experience that is unlike anything Ronnie's fans have seen before." Watch the video here.

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Doctor Orders Metallica Frontman Not To Sing

(hennemusic) Metallica have postponed the second of four shows at the new Royal Arena in Copenhagen, Denmark on February 5 after frontman James Hetfield was put on vocal rest by doctor's due to an illness.

Hetfield struggled to perform during the group's opening night concert at the venue on February 3, asking fans if Metallica should complete or abandon the show entirely. "It's not fair to you guys, man," Hetfield told the crowd. "You paid a lot of good money to come and see your favorite band, and we don't sound good. I'm gonna leave it up to you, man. Would you rather hear us sound better another time? I wanna stop. What do you say?"

After the crowd said they wanted the band to continue, Hetfield said, "Okay. You asked for it. All right. I'll keep doing my best, all right? I appreciate you guys so much, man. Thank you for your support."

Metallica updated fans on Hetfield's status on February 4 with news that they needed to pull the plug on the February 5 concert. "We're very disappointed to have to share with you that unfortunately as Saturday has progressed, James' health, and specifically his throat, is not improving and he is under strict doctor's orders to not sing one single note," said the band. "So sadly we have to report that we will be postponing tomorrow's show at the Royal Arena until September 2, 2017.

"Our week here in Copenhagen is something we have had circled on the calendar for a very long time as a special event not only for our friends in Denmark but also for us and we were really looking forward to celebrating the new arena with you. To those of you who were there yesterday, we appreciate you encouraging us to carry on . . . that meant the world to us! We all felt really bummed that we were unable to give you the maximum Metallica experience; it was one of the most challenging shows we've ever played, but your love and support got us through."

"We know that many of you made travel plans to spend the weekend with us and we are very sorry for any inconvenience this will cause," Metallica continued. "We hope that you will be able to come back to Copenhagen in September and we'll do our best to make it up to everyone with something unique for you at the make-up gig, along with a kick ass show of course! And to Aphyxion, the band who won your votes to be Sunday's opening act, we hope you're available in September.

"Thank you again for all the support and care you've always shown us in Denmark. We will be back!" Read more and check out video from the show here.

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Eric Clapton Streams Tribute Song to Asia's John Wetton

(hennemusic) Eric Clapton has shared a song stream to pay tribute to the late Asia vocalist and bassist John Wetton following the rock icon's recent passing at the age of 67.

Clapton posted the acoustic instrumental, "For John W", just hours after Wetton passed on January 31st following a three-year battle with colon cancer.

The guitar icon previously shared a similar tribute to Cream bandmate Jack Bruce following his 2014 death from liver disease. Check out the stream of the song here.

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Dave Grohl Looks Back At Personal Historic First

(Radio.com) For all the hours of footage that comprised the Foo Fighters' 2014 HBO series Sonic Highways, there are cutting room floor moments that didn't make the final edit. One such moment surfaced recently involving Dave Grohl's first ever recorded song.

The clip shows Grohl listening to his song "Gods Look Down." Not only was "Gods Look Down" the first song Grohl wrote and recorded, it marked the first time he recorded with longtime Foos' producer Barrett Jones at Laundry Room Studio. In fact, it was Laundry Room that shared the clip.

In the video, Grohl and Jones sit at the soundboard listening to the 1990 track. Grohl isolates different channels, finally leaving out all instruments so he can hear his vocal track. He cringes as he listens to himself. "I sound like a girl," he says to Jones. "I don't think my balls had dropped yet." Watch the full video here.

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Styx Star Sued Over Alleged Concert Injury

Styx drummer Todd Sucherman is reportedly being sued by a fan that claims that she suffered facial injuries when he threw a drumstick into the crowd.

Lori Frederick claims in the reported lawsuit that she suffered "serious physical injuries" at the veteran band's concert at the Lakewood Amphitheatre in Atlanta on June 28, 2015, according to Classic Rock.

The local news outlet The Atlanta Journal-Constitution state that the lawsuit alleges that the drummer did not "timely and proper warning" to allow the woman "to fully protect herself from injury." .

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Tom DeLonge Directing Sci-Fi Movie 'Strange Times'

(Radio.com) Not only will former Blink-182 star Tom DeLonge direct the upcoming feature sci-film Strange Times, his band Angels & Airwaves will provide the soundtrack.

Set to start production this fall, the film will bring his Strange Times trilogy of young adult novels to the big screen. The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed the film will closely mirror the books by following a group San Diego skateboarders who find themselves in the midst of alien adventures.

DeLonge co-wrote the script with his Poet Anderson collaborator, Ben Kull. The two took home an award for the best animated short for their work on Poet Anderson: Dream Walker in 2014. Read more here.

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Linkin Park Tease New Piano Ballad

(Radio.com) Linkin Park took to social media to tease new music on Friday afternoon (Feb 3). The band tweeted a video clip that features Mike Shinoda playing the piano.

The vocals are barely audible, but the phrase "holding on" is repeated throughout the short clip. It remains to be seen if the track continues its sparse arrangement or if this is simply the intro to something grander.

If the track is indeed a preview of Linkin Park's new studio album, it stands in stark contrast to 2014's The Hunting Party, which featured a much heavier rock sound. Check out the new music preview here.

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Mastodon Streaming New Song 'Show Yourself'

Mastodon are streaming another new track from their forthcoming album. The new song is entitled "Show Yourself" and comes from the group's new album "Emperor Of Sand".

The album is set to be released on March 31st and the new track follows the premiere of the song "Sultan's Curse" from the record. Drummer Brann Dailor says that the songs from the effort from an overall concept.

"There is a tie, a concept that goes between them. The last couple of years have been not... there's been some illness within the bands' family, there's been a bunch of cancer.

"So the whole album is sort of all about cancer basically. Well, not literally. It's a big story that sort of roped to go along with it. It takes place in the desert." Stream the new song here.

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Adam Lambert and James Corden Do Queen Sing Off Battle

(hennemusic) Adam Lambert and James Corden performed a sing-off battle on CBS-TV's The Late Late Show to determine who would be the better frontman for legendary rockers Queen, and video from the program has been published online.

Corden was sharing news of Queen and Lambert's newly-announced summer tour of North America when he referenced lead singer Lambert's role with one his favorite bands.

"It's alright," said the late night television host Corden. "Should be a British man. I'm not saying I'd be a better frontman than him, I'm just saying I'd be a better frontman than him."

Lambert then suddenly appeared on the show to question Corden's claim before the two delivered a sing-off battle with some help from Queen guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor before an enthusiastic studio audience. Watch video here.

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Steve Hackett Streams New Song 'In The Skeleton Gallery'

Former Genesis guitarist Steve Hackett has released an online stream of his new track "In The Skeleton Gallery." The song comes from his forthcoming album "The Night Siren", which will hit stores on March 24th.

Hackett had this to say about the new song, "You know that ancient childhood night terror which creeps up on you in a dark moment when you're least expecting it...

"This track moves from a dream-like groove with a Middle Eastern tinged accompaniment through to a sinister march and on to an out-there nightmare ride, before the child's box of tricks reclaims it and the lid is finally closed."

He also had these comments about the new record, ""This latest waxing represents a bird's eye view of the world of a musical migrant ignoring borders and celebrating our common ancestry with a unity of spirit, featuring musicians, singers and instruments from all over the world.

"From territorial frontiers to walled-up gateways, boundaries often hold back the tide. But while the night siren wails, music breaches all defenses. To quote Plato, 'When the music changes, the walls of the city shake'."'" Stream the new song here.

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Steven Tyler Auctions His Super Car For Charity

(Radio.com) Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler auctioned off one of his cars for Janie's Fund, a philanthropic initiative with partner Youth Village that helps abused girls. The car brought in a high bid of $800,000.

The auction took place at Barrett-Jackson in Scottsdale, Arizona, where Tyler put his black 2012 Hennessey Venom GT up on the block. Joined by the car's creator, Tyler explained the car packs a whopping 1244hp, can accelerate from 0-200 in under 14 second and clocks in at a top speed of 265mph with the roof off.

"We raised enough tonight to provide 20,000 days of therapeutic support to abused girls across America," Tyler said in a statement. "I want to thank Barrett-Jackson and the thousands of my fans who have been drawn to this cause this year. As a father to three daughters, a son, and now a grandfather, it broke my heart to learn that each year in America alone, 700,000 children are victims of serious abuse or neglect, and 68,000 will be sexually abused. Together through Janie's Fund, we're helping girls rebuild their lives and overcome the trauma they experienced." Read more here.

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Dream Theater Release 'The Astonishing' Mobile Game

Dream Theater have released a new mobile game that based on their 2016 studio album "The Astonishing" which is now available on the iOS and Android platforms.

It appears that fans won't just be playing for a chance to win bragging rights. Prog reports that fans will have the opportunity to win concert tickets, after show passes and autographed albums.

The official announcement had these details: "The Astonishing game recites the original story from the album tuned to unique tactical gameplay, pitching rebels against oppressors, artists against totalitarians in epic battles to influence the minds and sway the will of the people in The Great Northern Empire of the Americas." Read the report for more details here.

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Phil Shouse Guests On AC/DC Inspired Lipstick Song

(GT) The theatrical rock band, Lipstick, have released a new free AC/DC inspired single featuring Phil Shouse, one of the guitarists from Gene Simmons' new solo band, as well as a member from the famous power-pop group Superdrag.

Phil Shouse is most famous for his cover band, Thee Rock N Roll Residency, which is a local Nashville bar act that has featured special guests like Alice Cooper, Robin Zander, and Lzzy Hale. Shouse has recently been hired as one of the guitarists on Gene Simmmons' newest solo tour and is featured as the lead guitarist on the new Lipstick track, while Tom Pappas from Superdrag handles the rhythm guitar duties.

The song, titled "You Can't Stop The Rock", comes from Lipstick's new album, "Lipstick II", which was released on January 25th. The track is heavily inspired by AC/DC, while Shouse's guitar style is a blend of styles that brings comparison to Kiss, Thin Lizzy and Queen. The song can be downloaded for free here.

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He Is Legend Announce New Album and Record Deal

(Freeman) He Is Legend have inked a new deal with Spinefarm Records and revealed that they will release their new album and label debut, entitled "few," on April 28.

"We're very excited to start a new relationship with people who truly understand this band as a whole," said frontman Schuylar Croom. "It was really important for us to find the proper home for this record after seeing the tremendous response from our fans during the crowdfunding campaign. We truly believe Spinefarm Records is the best possible partner to help us keep that momentum trending in the right direction.

"In our eyes, this is the most important He Is Legend record to date and we're happy that our friends at Spinefarm are going to help us get this album out to the masses."

The band will also embark on a slate of headline tour dates in March and will also support Norma Jean. See the dates
here.

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A Look Back At Fleetwood Mac's 'Rumours' 40 Years Later

(Radio.com) Fleetwood Mac's blockbuster 1977 album "Rumours" turned 40 this weekend (February 4). It's an album that has sold over 45 million copies worldwide, so it has strong legs, indeed.

Their prior album, 1975's Fleetwood Mac (also known as "The White Album") marked a new beginning for the band. It was their tenth album, but the first with new members Lindsey Buckingham (a singer/songwriter/guitarist) and Stevie Nicks (a singer/songwriter), who joined long-time singer/songwriter/keyboardist Christine McVie, and founding members Mick Fleetwood (drums) and John McVie (bass).

Fleetwood Mac was a great album: it had "Rhiannon," "Over My Head," "Say You Love Me" and "Landslide." It put the one-time blues rock band on the map as a major pop act, and has gone on to sell over five million copies.

But Rumours took Fleetwood Mac to a whole other level: it topped the Billboard album charts, spawning an onslaught of hits including "Dreams," "Don't Stop," "Go Your Own Way," "The Chain," "You Make Loving Fun" and "Gold Dust Woman." It has sold over 45 million copies.

How great was Rumours? So great that one of Nicks' finest songs, "Silver Springs," didn't make the cut. It was first released as the b-side to "Go Your Own Way," and the band later recorded it for their 1997 live reunion album The Dance, and today is considered a classic among fans. Read more here.

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Singled Out: Alex Dezen's When You Give Up

The Damnwells' Alex Dezen just released his brand new album "II" and to celebrate we asked him to tell us the story behind the song "When You Give Up". Here is the story:

Sometimes I'll find a phrase out there in the world, something usually pretty harmless, and feel like it's itching to be a song. "When You Give Up" is a play on the phrase "when you grow up" that I found in The New Yorker. It was from a comic by Joe Dator of these two kids playing together, and the phrase "what do you want to be when you give up?" written underneath them. It just seemed so poignantly simple and dark and all the things I love about art. It had a witty sadness that I just couldn't stop thinking about. The phrase became the conceptual center around which I wrote the song, creating stories and scenarios that are basically about broken dreams and all the lofty places from which we can fall.

On the arrangement side, I really wanted this song to be a kind of jam, but a tight jam. A jam with the bones of a song. And because I played everything, that was fairly easy to do. It's a long tune. A lot of the songs on this record are long. I'm not trying to write modern, cookie-cutter pop songs. But pop has been lots of things before the anemic, house of mirrors it has become today. Pop used to be sprawling and messy and jammy, full of convulsions and swing. Like Bowie and Prince. That's the stuff I grew up listening to. I like my pop a little dirty.

This was actually the first song I completed for this album, so in a lot of ways it was kind of the jumping off point for the whole album. I felt like being able to stretch out both lyrically and musically on the first song gave me permission to explore more of the "other" on this album, more of the things I never got to do when I was making records with The Damnwells. It was the linchpin to the whole thing for me.

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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