Today's Day in Rock Stories

Sebastian Bach In Talks With Skid Row About Reunion?

The acclaimed El Paso band reunited at the beginning of the year (with Sparta guitarist Keeley Davis taking the place of Jim Ward) and last week they released their new song since their 2000 album "Relationship of Command."

And Draiman has questioned the ceremony's definition of rock music and says the fact that both feature in the same shortlist means that "something has gone wrong."

He tells Billboard: "I have mad respect for all the artists in this category, including and especially Jack White. Is it strange to be up against Beyonce? It definitely stands out - like, one of these things is not like the other. But what are you going to do?

"What bothers me is that everybody in this category are giants of the field. These are the biggest of the big - the people who made a serious impact this year. Those boys in Twenty One Pilots did some damage this year. And Bowie, a posthumous award happens all the time, and who more deserving? It's crazy the amount of talent in this category."

Guests can camp in a private furnished bell tent with beds and a lounge as part of the premium boot camp package. This costs either $5499 for a single occupancy or $2999 a person for a double occupancy ($5,998 total). Photos can be viewed below.

According to promoters Live Nation, the achievement means the reunited trio of Axl Rose, Slash and Duff McKagan have now sold more than three million tickets in 2016, making it the year's most successful rock tour.

The new figures don't include the band's 2017 US dates, which went on sale December 10. The stadium dates in Europe and North America will begin with a 7-week, 19 concert European trek that opens in Dublin, Ireland on May 27, with shows wrapping up in Tel Aviv, Israel on July 15.

"As you may have heard," says the band, "we're off to Los Angeles next week for some more shenanigans and while we're there we've been invited to shut down a few streets and throw a massive block party with Jimmy Kimmel Live! Jimmy has been kind enough to ask us to stop by, chat and play a few songs outside of the studio on Wednesday, December 14th. We want you to join us!

The first run of 35 shows marking the 1976 release of the band's self-titled debut begins April 20 in Oklahoma City, OK with concerts scheduled into late July, and more dates to be announced soon.

Joe Walsh will open several of the early shows, with country star Chris Stapleton on board for a Wrigley Field event in Chicago, IL on June 29 and a pair of gigs at Milwaukee, WI's annual Summerfest in July.

Lake died at the age of 69 last week, after what his manager and friend described as a "long and stubborn" battle with cancer. In an interview that the Guardian planned to publish later this month, he was asked about 1975 hit I Believe In Father Christmas, co-written with Pete Sinfield.

Lake said: "It was about how Christmas had deteriorated and was in danger of becoming yet another victim of crass corporate financial exploitation. As much as I love everyone having a good time, it's about more than 12 pints of lager and a crate of Bailey's. It's more important to make some spiritual human contact, or visit someone lonely."

Dylan provided a speech, which was read by the U.S. ambassador to Sweden, Azita Raji. Read it below (courtesy of The Nobel Foundation 2016). "Good evening, everyone. I extend my warmest greetings to the members of the Swedish Academy and to all of the other distinguished guests in attendance tonight.

"I'm sorry I can't be with you in person, but please know that I am most definitely with you in spirit and honored to be receiving such a prestigious prize. Being awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature is something I never could have imagined or seen coming. From an early age, I've been familiar with and reading and absorbing the works of those who were deemed worthy of such a distinction: Kipling, Shaw, Thomas Mann, Pearl Buck, Albert Camus, Hemingway. These giants of literature whose works are taught in the schoolroom, housed in libraries around the world and spoken of in reverent tones have always made a deep impression. That I now join the names on such a list is truly beyond words.

Campbell tells Eon Music: "We went into the recording and writing process for that record knowing only one thing - we could not make a classic sounding Def Leppard record. Other than that, we were clueless, so we were kind of making it up as we went along.

"We were taking on board a lot of what was going on in the current music genre. Soundgarden's Superunknown was the one album that we listened to more than any other when we were making that record. I think it was the best record of the grunge era.

Bloodclot existed in different formations which date back to the 1981 Bad Brains tour. Joseph and Youth rekindled their friendship after Youth filled in for AJ Novello at a Cro-Mags show and they decided to resurrect the project.

He says in a statement: "Due to irrevocable circumstances, I am deeply saddened to announce that I have made one of the most difficult decisions in my life - I have officially left Magnum.

"I apologize to anyone who was maybe hoping to see me personally over the next few days, but sadly I will not be there. However, I should like it known, that, I am and will remain extremely proud to have been a small part of it all for the past 36 years or so and wish the band and organisation all the best for the future.

Asia were also joined by Plovdiv's Philharmonic Orchestra on some songs. The package will be available on 2CD/DVD, Blu-Ray and MP3. Wetton, who is on the road to recovery after undergoing surgery and chemotherapy for a tumour last year, says:

And he has recorded a version of We Like to Party! (The Vengabus) with his Casualties Of Cool bandmate Che Aimee Dorval and long-time collaborator Anneke Van Giersbergen.

But the "destructive" cover version won't be released until Groovilicious Records grant him the rights to do so. Townsend tells TeamRock Radio: "I love Barbie Girl by Aqua. Vengaboys, We Like To Party, I remember when I heard that song it made me cry, I liked it so much.

Now guitarist Gates insists it's important to give artists the chance to experiment and take time to create their own sound - as otherwise music as a whole will never progress.

He tells OverDrive: "I think that most of the other labels tend to ignore the genre and just don't seem to have an interest in investing in new bands. The whole A&R process has really changed in the last 20 or so years.

"It's such a shame really because there are thousands of really exciting and super talented bands out there just waiting to be discovered." Gates continues: "The bands that are signed should be giving a chance to experiment with their sound and not rushed in and out of the studio. In order to make a record sound amazing, or to achieve a groundbreaking new sound, there has to be a level of time to achieve that.

In the tradition of the weekly hennemusic Hot 10, the daily rock news outlet will count down the Top 10 Rock News Artists and the Top 10 Rock News Stories of 2016 starting Tuesday, December 13.

Finalists for the 7th annual hennemusic Rock News Awards are chosen by readers: winners are determined by the combined total page views of the top 50 hennemusic rock news stories of the past twelve months.

"The hennemusic Rock News Awards represent the voice of music fans who seek out news on their favorite artists," says publisher Bruce Henne, "and that's what hennemusic delivers daily."

While he wouldn't rule out joining another star-studded lineup altogether, Vai says that too many acts end up sticking to the same musical formula to try and "re-live the glory days."

He tells Salt Lake Tribune: "I've done it. I get offers all the time to form supergroups. I'm not opposed to doing something if I think all the moving parts are in place. But I'm not interested in trying to re-live the glory days of yore. Because that's what a lot of people wanna do."

The shows are in addition to Weller's appearance to raise funds and awareness for the Teenage Cancer Trust at the Royal Albert Hall on March 31.

It will air Sky Arts (Sky channel 121, Virgin channel 122) this month, with the date to be confirmed in due course. The TV show will be hosted by veteran radio presenter Nicky Horne and will include live performances from Cheap Trick, Richie Sambora and Orianthi and the All-Star Jam.

The All-Star Jam brought the curtain down on the sold-out event. Speaking after the ceremony, TeamRock Chief Executive Billy Anderson said: "It was a bold move to take the Classic Rock Roll Of Honour to Japan for the first time and we are delighted that it has been such a huge success.