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Day in Rock Report for 11/28/2017


Today's Day in Rock Stories


AC/DC's Malcolm Young Laid To Rest Following Private Funeral

(hennemusic) AC/DC guitarist Malcolm Young was honored by family, friends and fans during a private funeral service at St Mary's Cathedral in Sydney, Australia on November 28.

ABC News reports Young - who passed away November 18 at the age of 64 following a lengthy battle with dementia - was remembered as both a legendary guitarist and humble friend by those in attendance.

The guitarist's longtime AC/DC bandmates Brian Johnson and Phil Rudd were on hand alongside members of the Australian rock community, including Jimmy Barnes and Rose Tattoo vocalist Angry Anderson as fans lined the streets outside the cathedral.

Young's beloved Gretsch guitar, nicknamed "the beast", rested on top of his coffin during the service. Members from Young's family did not speak, but thanked mourners for their support with a statement in a program that included a customized guitar pick as a tribute.

"Malcom's family thank you for your love, support and overwhelming outpouring of kindness during this time," read the program insert. "They ask that you remember Malcolm as a man who was generous and had immense talent. His enormous legacy to his family and the music industry worldwide will never be forgotten." The service was followed by a private family burial. Read more here.

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Judas Priest Preview Title Song To New Album 'Firepower'

(hennemusic) Judas Priest are streaming a snippet of the title track to their forthcoming album, "Firepower", as the first preview of the set ahead of its release next spring.

The band are also giving fans the first look at the cover art for their 18th studio record, which was produced by Andy Sneap and Tom Allom; the project marks the follow-up to 2014's "Redeemer Of Souls."

The group will launch "Firepower" on a spring North American tour - with guests Saxon and Black Star Riders - on March 13 in Wilkes Barre, PA.

Judas Priest are among the nominees currently under consideration for induction into the 2018 Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.

Fans can vote for their favorite nominees daily until December 5 at rockhall.com as part of creating a "fan's ballot" for Rock Hall voting members.

The 2018 Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame inductees will be announced next month and the ceremony will take place at the Public Auditorium in Cleveland, OH on April 14. here.

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Steely Dan Legal Fight Heats Up With Latest Move

(hennemusic) The estate of the late Walter Becker has responded to a lawsuit launched by singer Donald Fagen over the rights to control Steely Dan in the aftermath of the guitarist's passing on September 3 from esophageal cancer.

Fagen and Becker's widow, Delia, are reportedly at odds over the status of a 1972 Buy/Sell agreement that stipulated that if a member of Steely Dan quit or died, the band would purchase all of that member's shares in the group.

"We believe the agreement to which Mr. Fagen refers in his suit - drafted 45 years ago - was not in effect at the time of Walter's death," a representative for Becker's estate said in a statement. "Mr. Fagen's lawsuit, riddled with half-truths and omissions, misleadingly fails to state that the day after Walter died, Mr. Fagen had his lawyer send a demand letter to Walter's estate, thus beginning a legal campaign against Walter's family immediately after his death.

"The misrepresentation that his widow, Ms. Cioffi initiated any litigious action is simply untrue. In our view, Mr. Fagen is unfairly trying to deprive Walter's family of the fruits of their joint labors."

"Since Walter's passing, we have endeavored to achieve a compromise with Mr. Fagen," continues the statement. "We were close to a resolution with his longtime counsel who he suddenly fired. We then negotiated in good faith with replacement counsel who Mr. Fagen also fired. Mr. Fagen's third and current lawyer did not even attempt to contact us prior to filing a lawsuit.

"While we regret Mr. Fagen's latest actions, we will vigorously defend against his unwarranted and frivolous case."

In his lawsuit, Fagen alleges that he received a letter from Becker's estate four days after the guitarist's death stating that the 1972 deal was "of no force or effect", that Delia be appointed a director or officer of Steely Dan, and that she was entitled to 50 percent ownership of the group. Read more here.

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Avenged Sevenfold Frontman Opens Up About Depression Battle

(Gibson) Following the suicides of Chester Bennington and Chris Cornell this year, many in the music world have been opening up about mental health. Avenged Sevenfold lead vocalist, M. Shadows, in an interview with NME, discussed his personal battle with depression, especially in the several years after the death of his friend and band mate, Avenged Sevenfold drummer, James "The Rev" Sullivan, in 2009.

"All I can say is, I never knew what depression was and you could say the word over and over again to me and I'd never know what the depths of it felt like until I lost Jimmy," Shadows said. "I went through about three years when I couldn't do anything, so I went to go talk to someone and it was the hardest three years of my life."

"I would shake at night and have anxiety of anything I was doing, I couldn't sleep, y'know off the wall, random," he added. "But once I'd been through those three years, I would never ever question someone's mental state, because I went through it."

Shadows went on to say the "stigma" of mental health is "disheartening," and that, "everyone on this planet goes through things at one point or another, so we just have to be there for each other."

"I know how desperate it is and how dark and terrible it is and how you feel like you can't do anything," Shadows said. "Unfortunately, people have to go through that to understand what people are going through."

"All I can say to people who don't think depression is a real thing, or say 'just suck it up and get over it' -- they just really have no idea," he said. "You have to give people the benefit of the doubt that they're doing the best they can to get through it." Read more here.

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Tool, A Perfect Circle, Avenged Sevenfold Lead Festival Lineup

(Radio.com) The 2018 Rock On the Range festival lineup has been announced and it's a stacked one. Headliners include Tool, Avenged Sevenfold and Alice In Chains.

The three-day festival will be held on May 18-20 at Mapfre Stadium in Columbus, Ohio.Maynard James Keenan is set to take the stage twice as he is playing sets with both of his bands, Tool and A Perfect Circle.

Additional acts scheduled to play the festival include Godsmack, Stone Sour, Breaking Benjamin, Three Days Grace, Stone Temple Pilots, Machine Gun Kelly, Bullet For My Valentine, The Used, Underoath, Black Veil Brides, Asking Alexandria, I Prevail, Greta Van Fleet, Yelawolf, Trivium, Body Count, Quicksand, Baroness, Andrew W.K., Atreyu, Anti-Flag, The Bronx, 10 Years, Senses Fail and more. Read more here.

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Singled Out: Fifth Freedom's Midnight Rain

Southern rockers Fifth Freedom recently released the video for their single "Midnight Rain" from their "Heartbreak & Hellfire" album. To celebrate we asked Alan Jones to tell us about the song. Here is the story:

"I said you made your own little hell so you better start to see" Man oh man, had to be this one right? This song is very close to my heart and extremely personal and quite literal. In 2012, I was suffering from Extreme depression after going through an absolutely gut wrenching divorce while at the same time had the opportunity to record our first record with Jon Lawhon and Ben Wells from Black Stone Cherry. Being from Maine, this would be quite the trip and experience, and exactly what I personally needed to help move forward.

"So I'll be Driving to Kentucky in the midnight Rain - if I make it home alive you know I'll never be the same"

A couple days before we would leave, we learned that a strong tropical storm/hurricane would be hitting at the time we left. It was actually this time of year, we left October 30th around 10 at night in a total downpour. It got so bad around Massachusetts and Rhode Island we had to pull off the road a few times and weren't sure if we were gonna make it. (suffice it to say we did)

Looking back a couple years later, we wrote Midnight Rain as an ode to that whole experience. Reeling from something incredibly painful but having the strength to move forward no matter how hard it was... In fact, I didn't know which chorus I wanted to use then Seth (bass) had the idea of combining both at the end where you get that really cool dual chorus thing. It really brought the song together and made it that much more meaningful.

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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Of Mice & Men Release New Song 'Defy' And Announce Tour

Of Mice & Men have released a brand new song called "Defy" and have announced they will be hitting the road early next year for a headline tour that will feature support from Blessthefall, Cane Hill, Fire From the Gods, and Mscw.

The new song is the title track from the group's forthcoming album which is set to hit stores on January 19th and can be streamed here. Singer and bass player Aaron Pauley had the following to say, "To defy means to challenge the power of; resist boldly or openly. Our song 'Defy' is all about digging your heels in, and being defiant towards feelings of hopelessness, and defining yourself in the process."

The headline tour is scheduled to get underway on February 1st in Santa Cruz, CA at Catalyst and will be concluding on March 7th at Soma in San Diego, CA. See the dates and the tracklisting for the new album here.

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Bruce Springsteen Extends His Broadway Run

(Radio.com) Bruce Springsteen was born to extend his run on Broadway. Springsteen on Broadway will now run through June 2018, adding a slew of dates to the initial 80 scheduled shows at the Walter Kerr Theatre (219 West 48th Street).

There is a bit of a catch: "Due to overwhelming participation in the original Onsale powered by Ticketmaster Verified Fan�, there will be no additional registration for this extension," reads a statement on Springsteen's website.

"Fans who previously registered and were verified but placed on Standby and did not receive a code, and fans who received a code but were unsuccessful in purchasing tickets will be contacted by Ticketmaster with further information about the added shows." Read more here.

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Foo Fighters and U2 To Rock 'Saturday Night Live' In Dec

(Radio.com) December 2017 is set to be big month of music for Saturday Night Live. The perennial late-night comedy sketch show is set to host U2 (Dec. 2), SZA (Dec. 9) and the Foo Fighters on Dec. 16, which will serve as the year-end holiday episode of the show.

The hosts for the SNL episodes will be Saoirse Ronan from the movie Ladybird (December 2), James Franco (December 9) and Kevin Hart (December 16).

We're definitely here for a Dave Grohl/Kevin Hart buddy cop skit. See the official announcement tweet from the show here.

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Echo & The Bunnymen Announce New Album and Tour

(Gibson) Echo & The Bunnymen had announced a new album and tour. Back in the Eighties, the Liverpool band was at the vanguard of the British post-punk movement, tipped for world domination alongside another young band, U2. Since then, they've released twelve luminous albums and are now set to deliver a thirteenth.

Posting on their social media, the band announced the imminent arrival of their newest album, saying, "We're proud to announce our brand new studio album and some very special UK tour dates, culminating at London's Royal Albert Hall! The Stars, The Oceans & The Moon will be released in May 2018 and will feature Bunnymen classics transformed and new songs with strings and things attached."

Their tour will see Echo & The Bunnymen tour the UK, playing some of the country's finest venues. The tour kicks off at Usher Hall in Edinburgh, Scotland on May 23rd. Read more here.

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Red Hot Chili Peppers' Chad Smith Has Fun With Will Ferrell Crack

(Radio.com) Chad Smith of the Red Hot Chili Peppers had some fun during a recent show after a heckler called out his resemblance to comedian Will Ferrell. The comedic moment happened while Smith was sitting in for a performance at the Musician's Institute in Los Angeles.

Smith was introducing a song when the heckler shouted out Ferrell's name, eliciting an instant "Shut up!" from the drummer, who then knocked over a mic stand and stormed offstage.

Smith's resemblance to Ferrell is a long-running joke, with the two having a drum battle and hosting a quinceanera for charity together. Smith returned after chants of "We want Chad" rang out through the venue. Accosting the heckler, who turned out to be a fellow drummer and fan.

"I'm not Will Ferrell, you idiot!," Smith yelled back, before admitting that he loved it in an NSFW response. Check out video of the incident here.

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Noel Gallagher Reveals Desire To Tour With Unexpected Artist

(Gibson) It's safe to say the older Noel Gallagher, whose latest album Who Built The Moon? released over the weekend, won't be inviting Radiohead to tour with him. Who would he have instead though?

Speaking to Radio X, the former Oasis star revealed that he's very recently - thanks to his kids - become a fan of viral grime entertainer Big Shaq. The rapping alter ego of comedian Michael Dapaah, Big Shaq became massive online with the release of the song 'Man's Not Hot', an urban ditty about the fact that he never wants to take off his jacket.

Talking about how he discovered Big Shaq, Gallagher said, "I came back from New York the other day and I was in the kitchen with my two lads�I told one of them to take his hoodie off while he's having his lunch. He said - and I'd never heard it before - he said, 'Man's not hot'." Naturally, Gallagher didn't have the foggiest what his young (and obviously more connected) son was on about. "I was like, what? And he went, 'Mans not hot.' And I went, 'Who's not hot?'. And he went 'Man'."

Now, however, the Brit-pop pioneer is a huge Big Shaq fan, calling him, "the funniest thing I've ever seen on the internet." When asked if he'd consider touring with him, Gallagher said, "Oh, I'd love to. If you're listening Michael, get in touch we'll do some gigs, it'll be amazing!" Read more here.

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Neil Young To Live Stream Concert This Week

(Gibson) Earlier this month Neil Young confirmed that the Dec. 1 release of his latest studio album, The Visitor, would be accompanied by the online release of his "complete works."

Now comes word that on that same day (Friday, Dec. 1), the veteran rocker will live-stream a concert performance from his native Canada. Set to begin at 8 p.m. Eastern time, the concert will be accessible around the world via CTV.ca.

This new effort, The Visitor becomes the second album that Young has made with Promise of the Real, the California-based band featuring Willie Nelson's son, Lukas Nelson.

According to a press release, Young "was ready to take a musical journey on his new album � like he had never taken before.... By the end of the recording sessions, he knew he'd made his most diverse album going all the way back to Harvest in 1972." here.

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Eyes Set To Kill Release 'Break' Music Video

As Eyes Set To Kill prepare to hit the road this week for a winter tour they have released a brand music video for their latest single "Break" which is their first new track since their 2013 album "Masks".

The new clip can be streamed here and frontman Alexis Rodriguez had this to say about the song, "Putting yourself out there and staying true to your inner artist is always a challenge and is especially difficult when outside influences push you to be something you're not. Break is about that point in your life that you've had enough and don't want to be consumed or controlled by negative energy.

"I wanted the normal interpretation of "the breaking point" to be renewed and actually portrayed as a positive realization and new beginning. It's about accepting who you are and welcoming changes without letting them break you down."

Fans can catch the band on the road as part of the New Years Resolution West Coast Tour with Dayshell which is kicking off on Wednesday (November 29th) in Fresno at Strummers. See the dates here.

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The Doors In The Studio For Strange Days 50th Anniversary

The 50th anniversary of The Doors sophomore album "Strange Days" is celebrated in the latest episode of the syndicated radio show In The Studio with Redbeard: The Stories Behind History's Greatest Rock Bands.

The show sent over the following details: The episode features a look back at a mind-expanding conversation with co-founder songwriter, keyboardist, the late Ray Manzarek.

By 1967's all too brief 'Summer of Love', The Doors had found themselves at the top of the charts with "Light My Fire" from their debut album. In the ensuing nine months, life in America had changed from, as Jim Morrison would coin it, "casual joys", to sheer social chaos with the escalating Viet Nam War, race riots and soon assassinations. The Doors were now mirroring the upheaval for a whole generation of youth poetically linking the day's events to the greater meaning of life. The late Ray Manzarek remembers the period that would inspire the Strange Days album's classic songs "People Are Strange", "Love Me Two Times", "Moonlight Drive", "You're Lost Little Girl" and the epic "When the Music's Over" with In The Studio host Redbeard.

Ray Manzarek says, "Vietnam was happening, social chaos was happening, black people weren't able to eat at restaurants with white people, big deal, they couldn't ride a bus, are you insane? What's going on?... So the social protest was definitely happening. In Vietnam guys were starting to get slaughtered. It was serious, there were no more advisers, we were starting to send troops over there and that was young men off the streets. Things were starting to get really kinda heavy in America and Strange Days definitely reflects that." Stream the full episode here.

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Eric Clapton To Headline Hyde Park Summer Concert Series

(Gibson) Music legend Eric Clapton has been announced as the fourth headliner of the annual British Summer Time - Hyde Park concert series. Each summer, the festival takes place over two successive weekends at London's iconic Hyde Park, with each day headlined by a different world-famous performer.

Headliners announced for the 2018 edition so far are Roger Waters, Michael Bubl� and Bruno Mars. Eric Clapton will headline the festival on Sunday, July 8 and will be supported by Santana, Steve Winwood (Clapton's former bandmate in Blind Faith) and Gary Clark Jr.

Talking about the upcoming concert, his first since playing the venue in 2008, Clapton said, "I have happy memories of performing in Hyde Park in the past," says Eric, "and I'm really looking forward to playing there again - the whole atmosphere is very special." Read more here.

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OK GO Release Innovated 'Obsession' Video

(Radio.com) OK GO have created some of the most ambitious, unforgettable videos of all time for their track "Obsession," which comes off of the group's latest album Hungry Ghosts.

Their new clip for "Obsession" uses the tactile charms of laser printers to create a dynamic backdrop. The four band members stand, dance and nail complicated choreography in front of dozens of printers that feed white and colored paper into the shot.

The resulting effect is walls of solid color, intricate designs and, ultimately, photo-realistic scenes. As each backdrop refreshes itself, the sheets of printer paper fall to the ground. At the end of the video, the four members of OK GO are lifted into the air by harnesses and appear to be flying over a Google Earth display.

The video comes with a disclaimer that all paper printed in the video was recycled. Watch OK GO's video for "Obsession" here.

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They Might Be Giants Announce Fall Tour Dates

They Might Be Giants have announced that they will be hitting the road next fall for a European tour in support of their forthcoming album that will include 6 UK shows.

The group will be launching the tour to promote their brand new studio album "I Like Fun", which is set to be released on January 19th. They are giving fans an early taste with the release of the song "I Left My Body". Stream it here.

The trek will also mark the historic first performance from the band at the prestigious Barbican Centre in London. The tour will be kicking off on September 21st in Leeds and will wrap up on October 6th in Dublin. See the dates here.

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