Today's Day in Rock Stories

Stars Wars Icon Carrie Fisher Dead At 60

Rauch posted a photo of an empty bassinet and wrote a message about how the last 24 hours have been some of the hardest he has ever faced. "Most of you know Heather and I were expecting our newest little baby Rauch next summer," he writes.

The legendary hard rock band lost their frontman Brian Johnson due to hearing issues, Angus' brother and co-founder Malcolm Young to medical issues and bassist Cliff Williams to retirement.

"I am a mother of six, 5 boys and 1 baby girl ' I'm so hurt," Britten wrote. "I'm trying my best. I pray everyday and now I'm begging for help. I know it's not about the gifts, but they are kids! I'm such a failure right now . . . please help me."

"Happy Christmas everyone. Next year is going to be a big year for the U2 group," says Bono in a new Facebook video featuring the band. "We have 'Songs Of Experience' coming and, to honor 30 years of 'The Joshua Tree', we have some very, very special shows coming. Very special."

The band have been working on "Songs Of Experience" over the past year; the record is the companion project and follow-up to 2014's "Songs Of Innocence", which made headlines when it was launched as a free release to more than a half a billion iTunes customers.

"I am looking forward to the death of rap," he said, echoing statements he said to Radio.com two years ago. "I'm looking forward to music coming back to lyrics and melody, instead of just talking. A song, as far as I'm concerned, is by definition lyric and melody ' or just melody."

"I'm all for anybody talking," he says of hip-hop music. "'Wild Thing' was talking: 'Wild thing, she makes my heart sing--she makes everything '' There's no melody there. That's cool' But predominantly, music is about melody and lyric, whether it's rap or doo-wop, or yeah, even rock. Rap will die," he predicted. "Next year, 10 years from now, at some point, and then something else will come along. And all that is good and healthy."

However, he doesn't see much that he believes in, even in his own genre. "As far as I'm concerned, rock is dead. There ain't no new bands. Foo Fighters, I love 'em, but they're a 20-year-old band. These are long-in-the-tooth bands: Nirvana, Pearl Jam. They're old bands."

In an exclusive interview with Eric Mackinnon of New Rock Times, Niven spoke frankly and openly about his thoughts on the forthcoming shows which will see Axl Rose and Slash join musical forces again for the first time in 22-years.

"We live in what the Chinese might call 'interesting times', began Niven when asked why now? Why this year for Guns to mend the fences which divided and eventually splintered the Most Dangerous Band in the World.

"I wish I could tell you that it is incontrovertible that Ax called Iz and said 'I have a handful of songs that we have to record and perform. I have some observations about the world I wanna get out there. I have titles like Demagogue. Illuminated. Armageddon. My Better Life. Think of it as Masonic Democracy. Lets get them done and, f*** it, lets get the old crew back together to take them on the road. Lets put that to bed at the same time.'"

At the time, they heavily implied that this would likely be their last full-scale tour together, due to Peart's chronic tendonitis and Alex Lifeson's arthritis. In a new interview, Lifeson has confirmed that the band won't be doing another tour, citing Peart's condition as the main factor.

"He didn't even want to do the [R40 tour], to be honest with you," Lifeson revealed. "It's been increasingly difficult for him, but he committed to the tour and we got through it. As far as he was concerned, that was the end of touring.

"His shoulders were hurting, his arms were hurting, his elbows, his feet, everything. He didn't want to play anything less than 100 percent. He was finding it increasingly difficult to hit that mark on this last tour.

When it first surfaced in a recent episode of his online series The Roth Show, some fans speculated that the tune sounded like it could represent the singer's farewell to his days in Van Halen, who have gone quiet since they wrapped up their 2015 with a pair of shows at the Hollywood Bowl in early October.

Roth's management responded to the recent chatter, saying, "It's poetry. It has nothing to do with Van Halen." Now, the rocker has issued a direct response via Facebook, stating: "On second thought, if all work is autobiographic, maybe this song is about Van Halen..."

Speculation regarding Roth's status in Van Halen amongst hardcore fans began when three things happened since last year's North American shows ended:

1) Roth was set to perform with the lineup featured on his 1986 debut full-length solo album, "Eat 'Em And Smile", at a Hollywood club last November - a move to work with others outside VH has historically been frowned upon by guitarist Eddie Van Halen - except in the case of his bassist and son Wolfgang, who is also a member of Tremonti and is currently recording his debut solo album;

2) Former VH singer Sammy Hagar reached out to Eddie via Twitter for his birthday in late January, marking the first public attempt at communication between the two since the end of an ill-fated 2004 reunion tour; and,

3) When Roth relaunched his online presence on February 7 - almost 12 months to the day after his social media sites went dark without explanation at the end of January 2015.

His passing was confirmed by the band's drummer Ringo Starr, who says via Twitter: "God bless George Martin. Peace and love to Judy and his family. Love Ringo and Barbara. George will be missed."

Papantoniou, who played with the metal band in 1996 and 1997, was found guilty in a jury trial last Thursday (March 3rd) on the counts related to the fatal assault of Larry Dildy in his home in Hamden, according to the New Haven Register (via Loudwire).

When North Hollywood patrol officers arrived at the home they found Lana Meisner suffering from a single gunshot wound, according to the Los Angeles Police Department, and investigators reportedly later found that her death was accidental. Police had visited the residence early in the evening.

The band was scheduled to support Black Sabbath on the Australian leg of their farewell tour next month and Five Finger Death Punch also planned additional headline shows in Melbourne and Sydney.

Tour promoter Live Nation issued the following statement, "Last Thursday, Five Finger Death Punch singer Ivan Moody was hospitalized in his hometown of Denver.

"He is expected to make a full recovery but it is with deep regret that Five Finger Death Punch will be forced to cancel their appearances in Australia, both with Black Sabbath and as headliners in Sydney and in Melbourne.

Mari Kawaguchi tells the Daily Mail that the Emerson, Lake & Palmer star killed himself because he feared that he was no longer good enough as a musician and was 'tormented with worry' about upcoming concerts in Japan as nerve damage to a hand had affected his playing.

"His right hand and arm had given him problems for years," said Kawaguchi. "He had an operation a few years ago to take out a bad muscle but the pain and nerve issues in his right hand were getting worse. He had concerts coming up in Japan and even though they hired a back-up keyboard player to support him, Keith was worried.

"He read all the criticism online and was a sensitive soul. Last year he played concerts and people posted mean comments such as, 'I wish he would stop playing.' He was tormented with worry that he wouldn't be good enough. He was planning to retire after Japan."

Miss May I tweeted last night: "We will not be making the show this evening. In a huge pile-up on the way to the gig. All the band and crew are safe though."

Several online media outlets picked up a New York Post story from Monday (February 29) that speculated that Dave Grohl might be pondering a solo career following his performance at the Oscars this past weekend.

On Wednesday, the band tweeted that they would be making an "official band announcement" later in the day and the "announcement" arrived in the form of a link to a YouTube video that informed fans "For the millionth time, we aren't breaking up. And nobody's going f-ing solo!"

In true Foo Fighters fashion, Radio.com reports that the video features "Dave Grohl and producer Butch Vig discussing the frontman's solo career, while the remaining Foo Fighters contemplated who their new singer would be. At the end of the video, Nick Lachey is seen rehearsing with the band." Watch the video here.

Taylor Hawkins spoke about the band's hiatus in an interview back in January with Artisan News joking "We're on ihateus right now. We're on an indefinite ihateus" and he explained that the band was taking a break "not because we don't love each other, or don't want to make music together.

Gramm was asked by ABC Radio about the idea of the surviving original members of the band reuniting to mark the anniversary and he responded, "I think it would be terrific. It wouldn't have to be any kind of commitment or anything. Just to honor that anniversary and do something."

The band is currently led by founding Foreigner guitarist Mick Jones and Gramm says that they have not discussed the possibility of an anniversary reunion "I do talk to Mick, periodically. I haven't heard anything about any kind of reunion show or anything." He adds, "Maybe he'll celebrate that 40th anniversary with his own band in his own way. And if so, I'll certainly honor it with my [solo] band too."

The "Concert For Amity" saw the group play an 18-song set before an estimated crowd of 1.3 million fans on the Caribbean island. "Here we are finally!," Mick Jagger told the crowd. "We are sure that this night is going to be an unforgettable night, for you and for us.

Blackmore will be joined by Lords Of Black singer Ronnie Romero, Stratovarius keyboardist Jens Johansson, Blackmore's Night drummer David Keith and bassist Bob Nouveau when they perform the Best of Rainbow and Deep Purple at the Monsters Of Rock festivals in Loreley, Germany on June 17 and Bietigheim-Bissingen, Germany on June 18, as well as a solo headlining date at the Genting Arena in Birmingham, UK on June 25.

Draiman says: "What is so important going on in the world that you need to be texting the entire f***ing show? The whole show. You're right up front, I can see you clear as day. You've had your face in your f***ing phone the whole goddamn show. Are we that boring?

"Don't tell me to go f*** myself. You already did by looking in your phone instead of paying attention. It's f***ing rude. If you don't want to watch, don't watch. But don't stand there in front of the f***ing stage in the front row of the balcony where everybody can see you texting the whole f***ing time on your phone."

She says: "He has a neurobiological disorder and has also had severe headaches for years, but the headaches have gotten progressively worse. In November, he began living with almost constant pain.

"He has been diagnosed with a rare type of headache called SUNCT, a trigeminal neuralgia that is similar to cluster headaches. There is no known cure and no reliable medical treatment. To give you an idea of what he's dealing with, cluster headaches are nicknamed 'Suicide Syndrome.'

"The headaches come randomly, with no warning, at all hours of the day and night; but for him, they are much worse at night. The intensity of the headaches is so great that he yells, cries out, groans, and sobs - repeatedly, every few minutes, for most of the night.