Rock n’ roll photographer Gene Kirkland photographed the biggest names in rock and metal throughout the 80s and 90s (and still shoots to this day). Twelve months ago he unearthed a stash of shots that had been unseen since those glory days; images that hadn’t been seen in 20 years - even ones that he hadn’t seen himself!

Kirkland, in association with Los Angeles’ Black Lightning Gallery, has just unveiled selected shots from the collection, including Randy Rhoads, Ozzy Osbourne backstage with a white dove (used on the cover of an issue of Guitar School magazine), Guns N’ Roses at the “Sweet Child ‘O Mine” video shoot; Motley Crue at the “Girls, Girls, Girls” video shoot; Steve Vai with David Lee Roth; Iron Maiden at Long Beach Arena in 1985; Metallica with Cliff Burton; Black Sabbath; Judas Priest; Van Halen and plenty more.

The prints will be released as numbered, signed limited edition prints exclusively via Black Lightning Gallery.

As Led Zeppelin once promised, the song remains the same – but this time they're throwing in a few extras. This summer, the group is reissuing their first three albums as deluxe editions packed with previously unreleased goodies.

It's the first installment in what the band describes as an "extensive reissue program" of its nine studio albums that have been remastered by guitarist and producer Jimmy Page. Moreover, each record will come out as a single-disc remastered album or as a "Deluxe Edition" with a bonus disc of previously unreleased studio and live tracks that the group recorded around the time of the album. The new versions of Led Zeppelin, Led Zeppelin II and Led Zeppelin III will all hit stores on June 3rd.

The 40 Greatest Led Zeppelin Songs of All Time

The albums will each be available in a variety of formats, including single CD, two-disc deluxe edition, single LP on 180-gram vinyl (with a sleeve that replicates the original Led Zeppelin III moving wheel), deluxe-edition vinyl and digital download. The group is also putting out a limited-edition "Super Deluxe Boxed Set" of each album that includes all of the audio on CD and vinyl, as well as a high-definition audio download card, a hard-bound book containing rare and previously unseen photos and memorabilia and a high-quality print of the album cover, the first 30,000 of which will be numbered. The Super Deluxe edition of Led Zeppelin will also contain a replica of the band's original Atlantic press kit.

"The material on the companion discs presents a portal to the time of the recording of Led Zeppelin," Page said in a statement. "It is a selection of work in progress with rough mixes, backing tracks, alternate versions and new material recorded at the time."

Led Zeppelin: Rarely Seen Photos

The deluxe edition of the group's 1969 debut, Led Zeppelin, will feature a concert recording of the group's October 10th, 1969, gig at the Olympia in Paris. The nine-song set list included seven cuts from the album, along with two songs the band would put out on Led Zeppelin II later that month, "Heartbreaker" and "Moby Dick." The group performed a 15-minute version of "Dazed and Confused" at that concert.
Courtesy of Swan Song/Atlantic


 Led Zeppelin wrote much of their second record while on the road, and they put it out nine months after the release of their debut. The bonus disc for the deluxe edition of Led Zeppelin II includes alternate mixes of five songs that made it onto the album, one that didn't (the previously unreleased "La La") and the backing tracks for "Thank You" and "Living Loving Maid (She's Just a Woman)".

Video Gallery: Led Zeppelin After The Break-Up

Almost exactly one year after the release of their second album, the band released Led Zeppelin III, with the record's deluxe edition featuring seven studio outtakes of album tracks alongside three never-before-released tracks: an instrumental precursor to "Bron-Y-Aur Stomp" called "Jennings Farm Blues," an instrumental version of "Out on the Tiles" dubbed "Bathroom Sound" and the blues medley "Keys to the Highway/Trouble in Mind."

Page first announced that he had been working on the reissues in November 2012. He told Rolling Stone at the time that, in addition to treating his fans to new "sonic and visual thrills," his goal with the reissues was to make them sound better. "The catalog was last remastered 20 years ago," he said. "That's a long time. Everything is being transferred from analog to a higher-resolution digital format. That's one of the problems with the Zeppelin stuff. It sounds ridiculous on MP3. You can't hear what's there properly."

Read more: http://www.rollingstone.com
Follow us: @rollingstone on Twitter | RollingStone on Facebook
Earlier this week featured this emotive version of "Street of Dreams," the Chinese Democracy cut that's been a live staple for the band (as "The Blues") for ten years. iClips will host a broadcast of the band's December 30th show at the Joint in Las Vegas.

iClips is very excited to announce the LIVE broadcast with legendary Rock n Roll Hall of Famers Guns N' Roses from The Forum in Los Angeles, CA on December 21, 2011.

Guns N' Roses went 15 years between albums before releasing the long-awaited Chinese Democracy in 2008. Along with frontman Axl Rose, Guns N' Roses current lineup features Axl Rose on Vocals, DJ Ashba, Ron Thal AKA Bumblefoot and Richard Fortus on guitar, Dizzy Reed and Chris Pitman on keyboards, Frank Ferrer on drums and Tommy Stinson on bass.

Dutch metallers Within Temptation have created a visually stunning video, which depicts dramatic scenes of an alluring armored angel in distress.

Within Temptation are gearing up for a worldwide tour in 2012 in order to promote the new record and recently announced that axeman Robert Westerholt would not be joining them on tour in order to care for the three children that he shares with frontwoman Sharon den Adel. For the time being, longtime friend of the band Stefan Helleblad will step in as guitarist.

‘The Unforgiving’ is Within Temptation’s fifth studio album, which was produced by Daniel Gibson. The album has been topping music charts all across the board and sold about 12,000 copies in the U.S. during its first week of release.

Ana Popovic was recently interviewed by Guitar World Magazine in which she discusses her new album "Unconditional".


In addition to the interview, Ana Popovic was also featured on Guitar World's "Lick of the Day" where she shares her passion for the blues tradition and demonstrates one of the many memorable licks from her latest album 'Unconditional'. 



Brazilian  Thrashers SEPULTURA released their new album, "Kairos" (an ancient Greek word signifying a time in between, a moment of undetermined period of time in which something special happens) in Europe on June 24 via Nuclear Blast Records. The artwork for the CD, which will be made available in North America on July 12, was created by Erich Sayers, a Los Angeles-based freelance digital artist and photographer whom SEPULTURA first met at the band's concert at the House Of Blues in West Hollywood, California.

Commented guitarist Andreas Kisser: "This album is inspired by ourselves, SEPULTURA, our whole history and all the experiences, after 26 years of a career, with many changes inside and outside the band, we are still here, in 2011, touring, playing, recording and doing what we love the most, to live for music. This is the kind of feeling on 'Kairos', all the lyrics are talking about us, our families, relationship with managers, labels, press and the fans, our experiences on stage and touring the world. It is a very intimate album, very personal views. Sound-wise, it has a little bit of everything we did in the past, plus new elements that we always bring to every new SEPULTURA album."

Description of tracks No. 5 through No. 8 from "Kairos":

Kairos track listing:

01. Spectrum
02. Kairos
03. Relentless
(2011)
04. Just One Fix (MINISTRY cover)
05. Dialog
06. Mask
(1433)
07. Seethe
08. Born Strong
09.Embrace The Storm
(5772)
10. No One Will Stand
11. Structure Violence (Azzes)
(4648)

"Kairos" deluxe edition track listing:

01. Spectrum
02. Kairos
03. Relentless
(2011)
04. Just One Fix (MINISTRY cover)
05. Dialog
06. Mask
(1433)
07. Seethe
08. Born Strong
09. Embrace The Storm
(5772)
10. No One Will Stand
11. Structure Violence (AZZES)
(4648)

Bonus tracks:

12. Firestarter (THE PRODIGY cover)
13. Point Of No Return
It’s been a few years since Sly Stone released a new album (29, actually), but the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer has returned to recording with an upcoming release. I’m Back! Family & Friends will be released on August 16 on Cleopatra Records, and feature Sly and an array of guest stars playing some of Sly and the Family’s Stone’s classic songs, according to UltimateClassicRock.com.

Among the special guests: guitar heroes Jeff Beck and Johnny Winter, Doors keyboardist Ray Manzarek, Heart singer Ann Wilson, drumming great Carmine Appice and funk legend Bootsy Collins. Check out who plays on which tracks below.

Sly Stone, I’m Back! Family & Friends tracklist:

1. “Dance to the Music” (with Ray Manzarek)

2. “Everyday People” (with Ann Wilson)

3. “Family Affair”

4. “Stand! (with Carmine Appice and Ernie Watts)

5. “Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)” (with Johnny Winter)

6. “(I Want to Take You) Higher” (with Jeff Beck)

7. “Hot Fun in the Summertime” (with Bootsy Collins)

8. “Dance to the Music” (Extended Mix)

9. “Plain Jane”

10. “His Eye is on the Sparrow”

11. “Get Away”
Although Dave Ellefson is a founding member of Megadeth, he and frontman Dave Mustaine had a falling out in 2002 that actually disbanded the group for a time. When Megadeth re-formed shortly after, Ellefson was not in the line-up. Early last year, the Daves (Ellefson and Mustaine) patched up their differences and Ellefson was back in the band as bassist, weeks before the band would embark on the Rust In Peace tour and subsequent dates with The Big Four in Europe. (Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer and Anthrax are dubbed ‘The Big Four’ bands that came out of the 1980’s thrash metal movement).

With both Megadeth and Slayer headlining this years Mayhem Festival, and Megadeth performing at Heavy TO (with Slayer and Anthrax), Toronto area fans can see the band up close and personal. Anyone who has seen The Big 4 DVD, or the recently released Rust In Peace DVD, already know that the band are performing at the top of their game at the moment. Don’t wuss-out and miss what will surely be one of the best two days of live music this year at Heavy TO!!!

Dave Ellefson was good enough to give me twenty minutes of his time to chat about being back in Megadeth. The gist of our conversation follows the links below.

Watch for Megadeth at Heavy TO this summer in Toronto, and on the Mayhem Festival in North America for the rest of this Summer. Megadeth play the Heavy TO festival in Toronto on July 23rd.

more to http://www.gibson.com/en-us/Lifestyle/News/megadeth-0627-2011/
With all eyes on Beyonce at Glastobury last night, perhaps Johnny Depp thought his stint as a rockstar would go unnoticed. The actor unexpectedly joined Alice Cooper onstage at an intimate gig at the 100 Club in London last night to promote Cooper's new album Welcome 2 My Nightmare. Johnny helped Alice Cooper, real name Vincent Damon Furnier, perform two hits at the Oxford Street gig - I'm Eighteen and School's Out. The 48-year-old jumped onstage towards the end of the 75-minute set, Alice introducing him as 'the blues master, Mr Johnny D from Kentucky,' according to NME. The duo - playing alongside band members Chuck Garric and Damon Johnson - thrilled the small audience, which included former X Factor contestant Katie Waissel. The singer excitedly tweeted: 'Oh my god johnny depp just got on stage with Alice cooper wtf omg I love this right now I'm speechless!
Before the show, the 63-year-old rocker teased fans by posting a picture of his band rehearsing on his Facebook page. 'Chuck and Damon go over a few notes with tonight's Special Guest... Oh you'll never guess don't even bother...' he wrote. Guns N Roses guitarist Slash had been rumoured to be the guest joining Cooper onstage. Depp is not stranger to the music scene - he owned notorious LA club The Viper Room from its opening in 1993 to 2004. He has appeared as a guest performer for a number of bands, including Oasis singles Fade In-Out and Fade Away, on Shane McGowan of the Pogues first solo album as well on the sound tracks for his films Chocolat and Once Upon a Time in Mexico. In the early Nineties he was a member of the band P, with Gibby Haynes, Sal Jenco, Flea from Red Hot Chili Peppers and Steve Jones from Sex Pistols.

A blog on Alice Cooper's official website wrote of the gig: 'Bassist Chuck Garric and Depp seemed like old buddies up there, the three stage right guitarists were laughing and clearly enjoying themselves.' Alice even offered Deep a place in the band after the performance, joking: 'I think we could use another guitar player. If this whole movie thing doesn't work out, call us.' Johnny is currently in town working on yet another Tim Burton project, Dark Shadows, with Helena Bonham Carter, Michelle Pfeiffer and Kick-Ass star Chloe Moretz - and according to Cooper's website, the rocker is rumoured to be filming a cameo in the horror movie. Alice Cooper performed several classics and a range of covers including Back In The USSR, You Really Got Me and We Gotta Get Out Of This Place.

Keep Sunday the 25th September , The Bristol Guitar Show will again take place at Ashton Gate Stadium

PRESS RELEASE: Following the success of the inaugural event in 2010, UK Music Shows Ltd has announced details of the second Bristol Guitar Show.

To be held on 25 September at the city's Ashton Gate Stadium, the show is set to build on the foundations laid in 2010, featuring more exhibitors and a wider array of electric and acoustic guitars, amplification, effects and accessories.

more to http://www.ukguitarshows.co.uk/

Bon Jovi's headline set at London's Hard Rock Calling was a nostalgic and sombre affair as the US rockers remembered Bruce Springsteen's late E Street saxophonist Clarence Clemons.

Jon Bon Jovi said he last hung out with Clemons, aka The Big Man, two years ago at the same Hyde Park event after watching him top the night’s bill alongside The Boss.

Clemons, 69, died last week from complications after he suffered a stroke.

The It’s My Life singer, 49, said after bringing his own headline showing to a close at the weekend: 'After Bruce played we got some food and hung out and... man, it’s just so sad. There have been tears.’

Meanwhile, the band’s guitarist was relishing being back on stage after a stint in rehab earlier this year.

Richie Sambora, 51, was hoping to add some new fans to Bon Jovi’s loyal following during Saturday’s three-hour, hit-filled set.
The cleaned-up axeman said: ‘If we can’t hook them after three songs by now, then we should just give up and f*** off!
The first Van Halen album with David Lee Roth in 27 years has at least

one fan: guitarist Mark Tremonti of Alter Bridge and Creed. Tremonti

says he witnessed a live performance by Eddie, Alex and Wolfgang Van

Halen of the full new album at Eddie's 5150 studios.

In a new interview with Austria's Mulatschag TV, Alter Bridge guitarist Mark Tremonti reveals that he was recently at Van Halen's 5150 studios, where Eddie, Alex, and Wolfgang Van Halen treated him to a live performance of their upcoming album, played in it's entirety. Tramonti: "We played with Van Halen years and years ago at Madison Square Garden and Palace in Detroit. The first time I saw Wolfgang, he was just a little… probably five-year-old kid or six-year-old kid and Eddie, that day, gave me one of his guitars, so I got to know Eddie.

"Then years went by and Wolfgang ended up being a fan of Alter Bridge, so we got to know him through Alter Bridge. And Wolfgang invited us to go see soundcheck when Van Halen did a tour a couple of years ago, and we were the only in there, so it was quite a treat.

"And then recently, I was in Los Angeles and Wolfgang invited me to his Dad's house and I got to go to 5150 studios and watch Eddie and Alex and Wolfgang play their new record from front to back. So I was one of the only people who have heard the new Van Halen. It was incredible."

Van Halen have been recording their as-yet-untitled new album with Grammy Award-winning producer John Shanks. It will mark the band's first album with David Lee Roth in more than 25 years. The album's release date is unknown, but is rumored to be sometime in the Fall of 2011.


Alter Bridge guitarist hears new Van Halen album The first Van Halen album with David Lee Roth in 27 years has at least one fan: guitarist Mark Tremonti of Alter Bridge. Tremonti says he witnessed a live performance by Eddie, Alex and Wolfgang Van Halen of the full new album at Eddie's 5150 studios.

In a new interview with Austria's Mulatschag TV, Mark was asked about his band friendship with VH bassist Wolfgang Van Halen.

"We played with Van Halen years and years ago at Madison Square Garden and Palace in Detroit," said Tremonti. "The first time I saw Wolfgang, he was just a little… probably five-year-old kid or six-year-old kid.
Eddie, that day, gave me one of his guitars, so I got to know Eddie.

"Then years went by and Wolfgang ended up being a fan of Alter Bridge, so we got to know him through Alter Bridge," he continued. "And Wolfgang invited us to go see soundcheck when Van Halen did a tour a
couple of years ago, and we were the only in there, so it was quite a treat.

"And then recently, I was in Los Angeles and Wolfgang invited me to his Dad's house and I got to go to 5150 studios and watch Eddie and Alex and Wolfgang play their new record from front to back. So I was
one of the only people who have heard the new Van Halen. It was incredible."

The latest news comes on the heels of a VH update from Slash last month, who told Rock Radio's Tom Russell that he heard - through a shared connection - the new album was "in the mixing stages."

Expected to be released before year-end, the highly-anticipated record represents VH's first new music with original lead singer Roth in 15 years, and the band's first full album since 1998. The group began recording in January with producer John Shanks.

Van Halen are confirmed to headline Soundwave Revolution, an annual music festival held in major cities around Australia. The fall dates start September 24 in Brisbane; Alter Bridge is one of the many acts also on the bill.

The Alter Bridge connection goes a step further: in early January, Wolfgang sat in on drums for a song with the band at the House Of Blues in West Hollywood; check out the video

Footage of Wolfgang Van Halen sitting in with Alter Bridge, Tuesday night at the House Of Blues in West Hollywood, has surfaced.Wolfgang Van Halen played drums on "One Day Remains" while Eddie
watched the show from sidestage.

The volume in the club was ear-splitting, judging from fan reports and singer Myles Kennedy's comment during the Van Halen jam – "My God, it's loud in here." Alter Bridge are on the road in support of "AB III." The band's 2008 concert DVD, "Live From Amsterdam," is released on Blu-Ray next Tuesday.

"Fender's American Vintage '69 Telecaster Thinline guitar
authentically captures one of the most experimental evolutionary steps
in the long and colourful history of the Telecaster. In 1969, the
hollowed-out and lightweight Thinline was the first of three major
Telecaster design revisions of the late-'60s/early-'70s era, and
players prized it for its own distinctive tone. The American Vintage
'69 Telecaster Thinline features period correct late-'60s details such
as a 'top hat' pickup switch tip and vintage-style 'F' tuners.

More to http://www.musicradar.com/news/guitars/new-fender-and-squier-electric-guitars-basses-acoustics-announced-464773/2

The Experience Hendrix West Coast 2011 Tour was a spectacular success!
The tour featured some of the
world's greatest guitar players paying tribute to Jimi Hendrix! Photo:
Steve pictured with Henri Brown,
Vernon Reid, Ernie Isley, Billy Cox, Will Calhoun, Indigenous' Mato
Nanji, Chuck Campbell,
Robert Randolph, Chris Layton, Janie Hendrix, Davy Knowles, Jonny
Lang, & Brad Whitford
(not pictured, the amazing Eric Johnson)
According to Australian news outlet ABC, Matt Waller, a tour operator in Neptune Bay, discovered that great white sharks act more calmly when listening to music by AC/DC, the Aussie heavy-metal band that reached its peak during the 1980s. The two songs favored by the sharks: “You Shook Me All Night Long” and “Back in Black.”

It all started when Waller met up with some divers on Guadeloupe who played music in the water. Certain songs, they told Waller, seem to change the behavior of the sharks. With his company Adventure Bay Charters, Waller began experimenting with underwater speakers attached to diving cages. AC/DC became a smash hit for the sharks down under.

After Waller played the songs using underwater speakers, the sharks became “more investigative, more inquisitive and a lot less aggressive."

“Sharks don't have ears, they don't have long hair, and they don't head bang past the cage doing the air guitar,” Waller told Australian Geographic. So if the great whites aren't necessarily rocking out to AC/DC's greatest hits, what's the appeal? Waller notes that there is a connection between a song and the frequency and vibration in the water that the sharks enjoy.

“They actually came past in a couple of occasions when we had the speaker in the water and rubbed their face along the speaker which was really bizarre,” he said.

Waller is not a shark expert, but this discovery is significant. By using music and not bait to attract sharks during tours, his company is helping cage-diving operations become more eco-conscious and environmentally sustainable.
To mark four decades since Hard Rock first opened its doors, Hard Rock Calling returns to London’s Hyde Park in June 2011 Now in its sixth consecutive year, Hard Rock Calling will return next summer to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Hard Rock as it remains one of the UK’s premier outdoor music events.

Previous years have seen a long line of rock and roll greats take to the stage at this iconic location in central London.

This year's Hard Rock Calling has a great line-up including:

Friday 24 June

* The Killers

Saturday 25 June

* Bon Jovi
* Ray Davies

Sunday 26 June

* Rod Stewart
* Stevie Nics
* Adam Ant
* Rumer
* Train


Bon Jovi, The Killers and Rod Stewart headline this year's Hard Rock Calling in London.

Grammy Awards-winning, all-American rockers Bon Jovi will be headlining at Hyde Park on June 25 2011, to help commemorate Hard Rock's 40 year history. With over 120 million album sales under their belt and more than 2,600 concerts in over 50 countries, the band knows how to get the crowds going and are sure to make it one of the most memorable nights in Hard Rock Calling's 6 years on the festival circuit.

Living legend Rod Stewart has confirmed that he will headline Hard Rock Calling on Sunday 26 June. With a career spanning nearly half a century, seven number-one hit singles and a further 27 top-ten albums in the UK alone, Rod Stewart is cemented in history as one of the biggest selling artists of all time, and is now set to grace the stage in what marks his first appearance at London’s Hard Rock Calling 2011. Rod will play alongside very special guest Stevie Nicks.

To mark the 40th anniversary of Hard Rock, The Killers has confirmed that The Killers will headline Hard Rock Calling on Friday 24th June in London’s Hyde Park.

The Killers last rocked the Hyde Park stage at Hard Rock Calling 2009 and after deciding to take last year off, have now reunited for a new record and this special show which will encompass hits from their three studio albums including much-loved hits Mr Brightside, Somebody Told Me, All These Things That I’ve Done and Human.

Adam Ant & The Good, The Mad And The Lovely Posse, Rumer, Mike + The Mechanics and Barenaked Ladies will play Hard Rock Calling in London’s Hyde Park on Sunday 26th June, along with a host of exciting new additions to an already fantastic lineup. They are set to join Sunday headliner Rod Stewart and queen of rock ‘n’ roll Stevie Nicks.

There are still more acts to be announced
Click for more
According to PressTelegram.com, Downey Assistant Principal Lisa Lucke said the plan to induct Hetfield into the Hall of Fame has been in the works for years.

"He's a very private person, and he's usually on tour this time of year so it was really just about trying to align schedules," she said.

She said Hetfield, 47, sent his former high school a signed guitar one year.

"He said we could auction it off but we haven't had the heart to do anything with it yet", she said.

One of the most influential figures in hard rock and heavy metal of the past 25 years, Hetfield was born in Los Angeles, California to parents who were devout Christian Scientists. A strict religious upbringing, which included seeing his mother die of cancer because their religion forbade medical treatment, fueled the lyrics of many Metallica songs, including "Until It Sleeps", "The God That Failed" and "Fade To Black".

Hetfield learned to play piano and drums before picking up a guitar at the age of 14. His early bands during his high school years included Obsession, Phantom Lord and Leather Charm. When Leather Charm's drummer left, an ad that Hetfield placed in a local paper for a new drummer led him to meet Danish-born Lars Ulrich. The pair formed Metallica in 1981 and remain its two original members. The group has since become one of the biggest rock bands in history, selling 59 million records in the U.S. and over 100 million worldwide. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this past April along with Jeff Beck, Run-DMC and others.

Hetfield battled for years with addictions to alcohol and drugs, finally entering rehab in 2001 during the turbulent sessions for the band's "St. Anger" album. He emerged clean and sober and remains so to this day.

Hetfield's struggle and the band's near-demise during that period was chronicled in the 2004 documentary "Some Kind Of Monster".

Hetfield has been married to Francesca since 1997. They have three children, Cali, Castor and Marcella.

His hobbies include skateboarding, hunting, water sports, snowboarding, collecting guitars and customizing classic automobiles.

Hetfield has listed some of his main musical influences as Black Sabbath, Thin Lizzy, Aerosmith, Motörhead, Queen and Led Zeppelin.

Metallica's ninth studio effort, "Death Magnetic", came out in September 2008.
Ten bids have been placed on the iconic instrument so far, with the price yesterday (28 May) having reached £6,100.

A SOUTH Shields-born rock star is putting a prized guitar up for sale to raise money for Japan’s tsunami fund.
Ginger – real name David Walls – is the lead singer of cult British band The Wildhearts.

They’ve also enjoyed success in the Far East over the past 20 years, performing regularly to sell-out crowds in the likes of Tokyo and Osaka.

The flame-haired singer-songwriter, whose hits include I Wanna Go Where The People Go, has decided to put his iconic and heavily-stickered Gibson Les Paul electric guitar under the hammer to raise money for the British Red Cross.

He said: “I bought this guitar around 1987, when I was asked to join New York rockers The Throbs.
“It acted as my main guitar on every tour The Wildhearts ever did, including the AC/DC Ballbreaker tour, as well as appearances with the Sex Pistols, Manic Street Preachers and many more.
“Often we have to give things away to get things in life, and in this case I’ll be receiving the gift of helping someone less fortunate than myself.”

The death toll in Japan’s March 11 earthquake and subsequent tsunami stands at about 15,000, with more than 8,000 people missing and 100,000 still in temporary shelters.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Ginger-The-Wildhearts-25th-Anniversary-Gibson-Guitar-/170643616817
Judas Priest have an eventful few months ahead: The band recently announced a farewell tour and have welcomed a new guitarist, Richie Faulkner, to replace the recently retired KK Downing.

Priest will be working in new guitarist Faulkner, who sees his playing style as similar to his predecessor's. "My take on KK's playing was he improvised quite a lot live," says Faulkner. "It was kind of a basic framework around the solo that was on the record, and then he would go off a bit on that. So my style is kind of the same as that – I normally take what's in the solo and just play around with it a bit. But it keeps the essence of the solo there."

Priest singer Rob Halford also revealed that the group has also been working on all-new material. It is with regret that Judas Priest announce that KK Downing has formally retired from the band and will therefore not be joining them on their forthcoming Epitaph world tour.

The 31 year old will officially be introduced to fans at a press conference in Hollywood on Tuesday (24 May 11). Faulkner previously played with British act Voodoo and also backed Iron Maiden star Steve Harris' daughter Lauren.

He joins heavy rock legends Rob Halford, Glenn Tipton, Ian Hill and Scott Travis in Judas Priest. Together the new-look band will hit the road for the Epitaph Tour.

Guitarist Glenn Tipton said, "It's not exactly the end of the band, it's just the fact that we won't really be doing any more world tours". "It takes a big chunk out of your life. We've been doing it for 40 years now or close to it, and we all love that moment on stage, but it's difficult to be away from home and all the traveling involved. Now, if somebody came along and said, 'Would you do a small string of dates,' we wouldn’t automatically say no to that. But in general, this is probably the last chance you'll get to see Priest live."
Sky News have reported that AC/DC are working on a new album. In an earlier interview, Angus Young said "We'll definitely be back," and confirmed that they [AC/DC] are working on a new album but admitted he had no idea how they could top the Black Ice tour, which sold 5.1m tickets and grossed an estimated $477m.

Angus continued, "We'll just keep at it and next time we'll try to do it bigger and better."

Also in the interview, Angus Young re-iterated that downloads of single tracks as opposed to albums would not be permitted, stating that the band started off as an albums band and will stay that way.

The statement came as a result of increasing speculation that the band were intending to retire. Brian Johnson denied he was thinking of hanging up his legendary flat cap and quitting stating: “No, never. Not as long as I can still walk and sing. I should think we’ll be back absolutely."

AC/DC – USA – May 10 2010 – Today is the official U.S. launch date of AC/DC’s ‘Live at River Plate’ DVD – available on both DVD and Blu-ray formats. The film documents the massive Black Ice Tour and features concert footage recorded in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in December 2009. The film was directed by AC/DC’s long-time director, David Mallet who has been filming the band for over 20 years.

The film was captured on 32 HD cameras and several video teasers have been released by Columbia Records ahead of its release.

The film received its World Premiere in London last Friday whereby fans were treated to a rare appearance of the band, minus drummer Phil Rudd, whose house was recently hit by a storm and who was unable to be present.

Rumors had began to swirl about the future of the band prior to the event, specifically about retirement, which were quickly quashed as members of the band took the opportunity to talk to the media who had gathered to cover the occasion. Those rumors were Shot Down in Flames in unified defiance as the band declared that they were making future plans for another tour and album which, although they didn’t know how, would be “better and bigger” than the recent Black Ice tour, itself declared the second highest grossing tour in history at the time.

The full set of teasers can be viewed on our special ‘Live at River Plate’ video page.

The setlist for the DVD/Blu-ray is as follows:

1. 'Rock N' Roll Train'
2. 'Hell Ain't a Bad Place to Be'
3. 'Back in Black'
4. 'Big Jack'
5. 'Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap'
6. 'Shot Down in Flames'
7. 'Thunderstruck'
8. 'Black Ice'
9. 'The Jack'
10. 'Hells Bells'
11. 'Shoot to Thrill'
12. 'War Machine'
13. 'Dog Eat Dog'
14. 'You Shook Me All Night Long'
15. 'T.N.T.'
16. 'Whole Lotta Rosie'
17. 'Let There Be Rock'
18. 'Highway to Hell'
19. 'For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)'

BONUS FEATURES:

* The Fan, The Roadie, The Guitar Tech & The Meat
* AC/DC Tour Animation