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Day in Rock Report for 03/20/2018


Today's Day in Rock Stories


Foreigner's Mick Jones Wants To Record New Songs With Lou Gramm

(Gibson) Foreigner's Mick Jones is enjoying life back in the spotlight. With a 40th Anniversary tour packing in fans, the band has seen current singer Kelly Hansen and ex-frontman Lou Gramm share vocal duties as the band runs through its impressive catalog of hits.

"It's really nice and great," guitarist and founder Mick Jones has told Ultimate Classic Rock. "It sort of completes the circle almost. It's a great feeling and the fans love it. We love it. It's amazing - Kelly and Lou Gramm hit it off like a house on fire. They love it. I was holding my breath for a minute there, because in other conditions, it could be a touchy subject. But it hasn't been at all - it's been the opposite."

And Jones also says he'd like to work again with Gramm again in the studio, to complete tracks he started years ago. "There's about 10 or 12 [tracks], which I've been listening to," he says. "I don't quite know when we're going to have a chance to do that, but it wouldn't be before the fall. I'm aware that they're there, but I think we have to concentrate on one thing at a time. You know, otherwise the projects� it's not good to be thinking of three or four different things at once." Read more here.

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Godsmack And Shinedown Teaming Up For Summer Tour

Godsmack shared the big news with fans on Monday (March 19th) that they will be hitting the road this summer for a U.S. coheadlining tour with Shindown.

The tour will be kicking off on July 22nd in Clarkston, MI at the DTE Energy Music Theatre and wrapping up on September 2nd in Wantagh, NY at Jones Beach.

The two veteran heavy rock bands have recruited Like A Storm to be the support act for the first half of the trek and Red Sun Rising will be taking over as the opener for the second half. here.

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Blink-182 Announce Their Very Own Las Vegas Residency

(Radio.com) Blink-182 is going to Vegas. The iconic alt-rock outfit has revealed plans to launch the "Kings of the Weekend" residency at the Pearl Concert Theater of the Palms Casino Resort.

The 16-show run kicks off on May 26, with additional shows slated for June, October, and November. "When the Palms asked us to do a residency here in Vegas, we said 'Absolutely!'" Mark Hoppus said in a press statement.

'Now, we just have to cast our show girls, create our set list - a true throwback of Vegas classics with Sinatra, Liberace. Maybe we can even marry someone on stage�The possibilities in Vegas are endless." Read more here.

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Judas Priest Score Their Highest Charting Album In U.S.

(hennemusic) Heavy metal icons Judas Priest has landed their highest-charting US album ever with "Firepower" as the project debuts at No. 5 on the Billboard 200.

The group's eighteenth studio effort earned opening week sales of 49,000 units, of which 48,000 were in traditional album sales, according to Nielsen Music. The feat bests Judas Priest's No. 6 showing with 2014's "Redeemer Of Souls" and marks the band's best US sales week since 2005's "Angel Of Retribution" opened with 54,000 copies sold.

The "Firepower" US chart news mirrors the group's success at home, where they debuted at No. 5 to score their first UK Top 10 album in 38 years. The metal icons recorded the set last year with producers Andy Sneap and Tom Allom; Sneap has joined the band's touring lineup in place of guitarist Glenn Tipton following news of his battle with Parkinson's Disease.

"Tom Allom has got this classic metal thing," says frontman Rob Halford. "And Andy is a bit more of a 'modern metal producer' but his thinking is a little bit different to Tom's. And I think to get this balance between that classic old school metal to what Andy's world is was just a remarkable coalescence." Read more here.

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Eagles Launch 2018 North American Tour

(hennemusic) The Eagles kicked off their extensive 2018 North American tour at the Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, IN on March 12, and video from opening night is streaming online.

The band's first major trek with new lineup additions Deacon Frey and Vince Gill delivered a 28-song set over the two-hour, 40-minute show, according to the Indy Star.

The Eagles showcased material recorded throughout their career - from their self-titled 1972 debut to the band's last studio recording, 2007's "Long Road Out Of Eden."

The setlist mirrored much of the group's "An Evening With" show in recent years, but did include a few surprise additions, including live rarities "I Don't Want To Hear Anymore" (first time since 2011) and "Victim Of Love" (first since 2002), and covers of J.D. Souther's "How Long", Tom Waits' "Ol' 55", and Gill's own "Next Big Thing."

The Eagles 2018 tour, which mixes arena and stadium dates, is scheduled to run into late October. Check out video from the tour kick off here.

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Aerosmith Frontman Steven Tyler Announces Solo Tour

(hennemusic) Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler has announced dates for a summer solo tour. Tyler will be joined on the road by Nashville's Loving Mary group, who were featured as the backup band on his 2016 debut country solo studio album, "We're All Somebody From Somewhere."

The 2018 tour will begin with a North American leg that starts in Lewiston, NY on June 12 and finishes in Calgary, AB on July 11, and be followed by European shows that kick off in Sion, Switzerland on July 15 and wrap up in London, UK on August 7.

Tickets for all events are available on Wednesday, March 21 via the usual outlets. "We're All Somebody From Somewhere" scored the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart while peaking at No. 19 on the Billboard 200.

Tyler made headlines last fall when he cut short an Aerosmith tour of South America to return home to address an unknown health issue. Read more including the dates here.

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Keith Richards Jams Rolling Stones Classic With Gary Clark Jr

(hennemusic) Keith Richards was among the performers at the 2nd annual Love Rocks NYC benefit concert at the Beacon Theatre in New York on March 15, and video from the event is streaming online.

The concert raised funds for God's Love We Deliver, a non-profit organization which cooks and home-delivers 1.6 million nutritious, individually-tailored meals each year to people in the New York City metropolitan area living with severe illness.

Richards teamed up with Gary Clark Jr., Ivan Neville and Hi-Rhythm with Steve Jordan for a version of his Rolling Stones' classic, "Happy", and was also joined by Norah Jones for a duet on "Make No Mistake", a track from his 1998 debut solo album, "Talk Is Cheap."

Hosted by Whoopi Goldberg, Bill Murray and the Bacon Brothers and presented by fashion designer John Varvatos and Greg Williamson, Love Rocks NYC also featured appearances by ZZ Top guitarist Billy Gibbons, Steely Dan's Donald Fagen, Heart's Ann Wilson, Jimmie Vaughan, Ziggy Marley and many others, backed by a house band led by Paul Shaffer. Check out video of Keef's jams here.

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Queens of the Stone Age Release 'Head Like a Haunted House' Video

(Radio.com) Queens of the Stone Age have shared the band's latest music video, "Head Like a Haunted House," which lives up to its billing with a wild animated clip that plays like a surreal nightmare.

The clip delves inside the dark recesses of Josh Homme's mind, featuring the singer traversing through a series of nightmarish scenarios while trying to sleep. Homme is seen being terrorized by UFOs, flying through the night sky on winged coffins and being assailed by a disembodied green hand that's permanently flying the middle finger.

"Head Like a Haunted House," which does contain explicit lyrics, is the latest track from QOTSA's most recent full-length, Villains. Watch the Liam Lynch-directed video here.

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Korn's Jonathan Davis Reveals Solo Album 'Black Labyrinth' Details

(Radio.com) Jonathan Davis is ready to go it alone. The Korn frontman has detailed his forthcoming full-length solo debut, Black Labyrinth, set for release on May 25th.

"There's a level of enlightenment I want to achieve," Davis explained in a press statement about the album, which was inspired by the Ganzfeld Experiment, a technique used in parapsychology which are used to test individuals for extrasensory perception.

"With all of the bulls� going, everyone is stuck on their f�ing cell phones," Davis continued. "This takes us way out of that. No matter how hard you try to fight bad things in your life, life will be what it is. It's up to you to accept that, combat it, and move forward, or it's up to you to be in denial. Then, it becomes a thorn in your side until you finally deal with it. This is it. Just deal with it."

Davis will support the new album with a tour, which launches April 6 in Portland, OR. See the album track list and a preview video featuring snippets from the album and the tour dates here.

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The Killers Cover Oasis' Classic Single 'Wonderwall'

(Radio.com) On Sunday night (March 18), Liam Gallagher cut his performance at Lollapalooza Chile short because of a severe chest infection -- but The Killers picked up slack from the former Oasis frontman's setlist by performing the indelible hit "Wonderwall," giving fans a taste of what they missed.

Singer Brandon Flowers explained that the performance was meant as a tribute to his "king" Liam. "'We heard you missed out on a couple of songs today that you wanted to hear," Flowers told the crowd.

"This is in no way meant to disparage anything [Liam] did� but any night that 'Wonderwall' is being sung by a lot of people is a good thing."

During his Lollapalooza Chile set, Gallagher announced, 'My voice is absolutely smashed. I'm not just going to stand here all night screaming out for everybody sounding f�� horrific� I'm very sorry I can't sing the tunes." here.

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The Who's Pete Townshend Saved Roger Daltrey's New Solo Album

(Radio.com) Pete Townshend saved the day. The Who's frontman Roger Daltrey has revealed that his forthcoming solo album, As Long As I Have You, almost didn't happen. According to the singer, it was his longtime partner in The Who, Pete Townshend, who made sure that it did.

"There was a time there when I didn't think I'd make it all," Daltrey revealed to MOJO on the album that was initially derailed when the singer contracted viral meningitis in 2015. 'But this incredible peace came over me. I'll never forget it."

When Daltrey went back to finish the album, those doubts returned. Enter Townshend to save the day. 'Pete was the one who convinced me that it was great," Daltrey confessed about As Long As I Have You, which features Townshend on seven tracks. Read more here.

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Liam Gallagher's Full Lollapalooza Argentina Set Streaming Online

(hennemusic) Former Oasis singer Liam Gallagher performed at Lollapalooza Argentina in Buenos Aires on March 17, and video of his full set is streaming online.

The Britpop star's appearance at the city's Hip�dromo de San Isidro is part of a world tour in support of his solo debut, "As You Were." Gallagher's hour-long, 14-song performance mixed Oasis classics with tracks from his solo effort, including the project's lead single, "Wall Of Glass."

The three-day event - which saw appearances by the Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Killers and Royal Blood, among others - was cut short when the third and final day (March 18) was cancelled due to severe weather including heavy storms, lightning, and winds that cancelled sets by Pearl Jam, LCD Soundsystem, David Byrne and many more acts. Read more and stream the set here.

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Royal Blood's Lollapalooza Full Performance Goes Online

(hennemusic) UK rockers Royal Blood rocked Lollapalooza Argentina in Buenos Aires on March 16, and video of their full set is streaming online. The duo of bassist/singer Mike Kerr and drummer Ben Thatcher delivered an hour-long, 10-song performance that featured tracks from their latest release, "How Did We Get So Dark?", and their self-titled 2014 debut.

Royal Blood were featured on the event's opening day, which was headlined by the Red Hot Chili Peppers and included sets by Imagine Dragons, Chance The Rapper and DJ Hardwell, among others.

The event's third and final day (March 18) was cancelled due to severe weather including heavy storms, lightning, and winds. Royal Blood continue a series of South American dates this month before heading to Australia and New Zealand in late April; the group will launch a US tour in Brooklyn, NY on May 28.

Recorded in Brussels, Belgium with producer Joylon Thomas and London, UK with co-producer Tom Dalgety, the band's second album debuted atop the UK charts upon its release last June. Watch the performance here.

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Singled Out: Kathryn Grimm's God Is Testing Me

Kathryn Grimm today shares the story behind the title track of Hippie Love Slave's debut album "God Is Testing Me". Here is the story:

This song has an important positive message and was inspired by my van getting stolen in broad daylight with my gear inside. I was living on Laurel Canyon Blvd. in Los Angeles at the time. Laurel Canyon is a magical woodsy area just north of Hollywood Blvd. with a huge musical history where Frank Zappa, Joni Mitchell, The Byrds and many more legends have lived. I had just moved my van from the front of my house to a side street to make room for a student to park. An hour later at about six pm when it was still warm and sunny out, I went to fetch my van. To my surprise it was no where to be found. I stood looking at the empty space where it had been just an hour before. Suddenly I remembered I had left my meticulously constructed pedal board and my Fender Deluxe amplifier inside intending to unload it. My heart sank.

Just a couple of weeks before this event I had been in Thailand teaching music to the children of Burmese migrant workers. Their parents worked twelve back-breaking hour days in the fields making the equivalent of three American dollars. I could see them through the window of the one room "Good Morning School" where the children had their classes. The experience of the trip was profound and fresh in my memory. The van being gone was bad but really nothing in comparison to the struggle of these beautiful people I had just spent time with. As I stood on the hill still wondering how this could happen in such a safe neighborhood I said out loud, "God is Testing Me." The years leading up to this had been challenging. I'd lost my muse to cancer after caring for him for a year, I'd ended an long term and difficult relationship, re-re-vamped my up and down music career and much more. This all went through my mind as I stood there missing my van. Still all I could think of were the people in Thailand. I came back inside and started working on the song between hourly phone calls to the police and the tow yard. About 24 hours later I got a call from Hollywood Tow. They'd found my van on a hill not far from my house. I went to pick it up, paid the outrageous "storage fee" of $300 and took note of the damage. The door had a gouge where the lock used to be. The steering wheel was destroyed by what looked like a screwdriver. My beloved van that had driven me to so many gigs had been badly abused. I found a shop out in the boonies that could fix the steering column so I called a tow truck. It was an expensive ordeal but I had my old van back. And a new song... "When you feel sad, can't take no more / There's someone else more needy and poor / Who needs your love, who needs your help / So lighten up - forget yourself."

Recording the song was another adventure in itself. I booked time in a studio that I'd never seen with an engineer who I'd never met. I had a great recommendation from a student whose new, amazing, CD had been produced by this mystery engineer. I hired two musicians for the rhythm section and arranged to have six singers come in to do back ups. The studio was inside a warehouse with dozens of rehearsal rooms. When I finally found the right room and pried open the door, the aroma of freshly toked weed was pungent and about knocked me out. Then in walked the engineer. He was thin as a rail with long curly black hair and 25 years old. I was more than a bit concerned about about what I'd gotten myself into. While contemplating this a band began rehearsing in the adjoining room, the noise thundering through the wall. In the end I had nothing to worry about. The engineer was a pro, made the track punch and the singers sound like a church choir.

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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