Matt Cardy, Getty Images

As if recording a cranked-up collection of American folk standards with Crazy Horse wasn’t enough activity for one year, Neil Young is also getting ready to strap on his guitar, turn the amps up, and hit the road for a steadily expanding series of dates — including appearances at Red Rocks, the Voodoo Fest, and Outside Lands.

The fun starts in August, when Neil — presumably with Crazy Horse in tow — will touch down in Colorado for a pair of dates at the legendary Red Rocks Amphitheatre. The concerts, scheduled for August 5 and 6, will feature opening sets from the Alabama Shakes; tickets go on sale this Friday (May 18).

A few days later, Neil and Crazy Horse will head to San Francisco, where they’ll serve as co-headliners on an Outside Lands bill that’s stuffed with superstars, including Stevie Wonder, Metallica, Jack White and the Foo Fighters. This year’s event marks the festival’s fifth birthday, and is scheduled to take place in Golden Gate Park over the weekend of August 10-12; tickets are already on sale at the Outside Lands website.

Finally, in October, Young will be part of this year’s Voodoo Fest in New Orleans, where he’s joining Green Day on the headlining portion of what promises to be a pretty epic lineup. Tickets for the event, which is scheduled for October 26-28, can be purchased at the festival website.

While you’re deciding when and where you’ll see Neil perform with Crazy Horse this year, you can also brace yourself for the impending release of their new album ‘Americana,’ due June 5. Neil released a video for the album track ‘Jesus Chariot’ a few days ago, which you can watch here.

EberlyPhoto.com

Great White singer Jack Russell was involved in a drunken boat crash recently, but as the now-sober rocker proudly explains, he wasn’t the one causing the damage, and luckily nobody got hurt very badly.

As the singer, currently leading a version of his former band under the name Jack Russell’s Great White, recounts to Metal Sludge, “My wife Heather and I were sitting on the couch yesterday evening when we heard this huge ‘Boom.’ I went onto the back deck and this drunk guy in a sailboat had crashed into the back of our boat.”

Fortunately, Russell explains that there was little damage to his boat, and since the offending boat captain had the proper insurance, our narrator decided to take pity on him. “I took his info and had him shove off before the Harbor Patrol showed up, no sense in him going to jail.”

Now, that’s very nice of Russell in one way, especially since it was the other guy’s boat that took the brunt of the damage. On the other hand, he did send a drunk boater back out into the world to possibly do more damage… what would you have done in the same scenario?

Great White was involved in a much more serious accident back in 2003, when pyrotechnics set a Rhode Island venue on fire at one of their shows, killing 100 people and injuring 200 more.

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Ethan Miller, Getty Images

Almost three years after being knocked to the ground while performing at the Tony Awards, Bret Michaels has settled a lawsuit with the show’s organizers and the network. While the terms were not made public, Michael’s attorney indicated the singer was pleased that the affair was over.

“Mr. Michaels would like to thank his fans for their continued support,” attorney Alex Weingarten said, according to Blabbermouth. Watch a video of the incident in question below. Michaels says that fall caused a broken nose, three stitches to his lip and eventually led to the near-fatal brain hemorrhage he suffered in 2010.

“Through his sheer will to live, to see his children grow up, [he] was able to survive this trauma,” the lawsuit states.

Initially Michaels didn’t seem motivated to sue, telling People that he felt the performance — which was part of a ‘Rock of Ages’ production — was an honor for him and Poison. When the song ends, his bandmates hop back on stage, while Michaels lingers a little too long in front of the stage and gets clobbered by a piece of set coming from the rafters. From there it’s a matter of he said, she said. Michaels says he wasn’t given proper instructions, organizers say he missed his mark.

To his credit, Michaels was only looking for attorney fees, compensatory, incidental, special and consequential damages for the incident. Reuters points out that he didn’t ask for punitive damages, which is where the big money could have been made.

Watch Bret Michaels’ Tony Awards Accident

Rick Diamond, Getty Images

We’re still getting more tributes to Booker T. and the MGs bassist Donald “Duck” Dunn, who passed away Sunday morning at the age of 70. The latest one comes from Pearl Jam bassist Jeff Ament, who, in 2007, put Dunn’s name into the neck of one of his basses. On the band’s website, Ament shared a picture of the bass as well as his rememberances of seeing Dunn up close every night while opening up for Neil Young in 1993.

Five years ago, I made a list of my favorite and most influential bassists, and after much editing, decided to put their names on the back of my new favorite bass at the time and the first name on the neck is Duck Dunn.  In 1993, the band was lucky enough to open a bunch of shows in the US and Europe for Neil and his band of Booker T., Steve Cropper,  Jim Keltner and Duck.  Our band watched every minute of this all-star band and lessons were delivered nightly.  I learned more about how to “play songs” in a band than my previous 12 years of playing. Duck played deeper and with more economy than most and profoundly effected how I play with PJ.

Thanks for the education, I’ll miss you, DD.

Love, Jeff

Other names on the bass include Dee Dee Ramone (the Ramones), John Entwistle (the Who), John Paul Jones (Led Zeppelin) and Mike Watt of the 80s punk band the Minutemen.

Kevin Winter, Getty Images

In addition to being known as a brilliant singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, Paul McCartney‘s reputation as an all-around nice guy has been well-earned through the years. If he was less modest, he’d also be able to add the word “hero” to his CV, as it was recently revealed that, many years ago, he saved future producer Mark Ronson from drowning in Long Island Sound.

In an interview with Britain’s Live Magazine, Ronson, best known for his work with Adele and Amy Winehouse and whose step-father is Mick Jones of Foreigner, said that he had heard the story from his mother but never believed it. But a few months ago he worked with the ex-Beatle, who, according to Ronson, said, “Your mum’s Ann, right? Me and Linda would always run into your parents on the beach in Long Island.”

“I told him about my mum’s story that he saved me from drowning one time,” Ronson continued. “And he said he vaguely remembered something like that. So maybe he backed up her claim, which means I can’t really tease her about it now.”

If placed in a similar situation, most celebrities would brag about their actions in the press as often as possible. Paul McCartney not only kept quiet about it, but basically shrugged it off as if it was nothing when confronted about it years later by the person he saved. Could he also be a superhero?

Travis Shinn, MSO

Slash will celebrate the May 22 release of his new album, ‘Apocalyptic Love’ with a sold-out concert that night at Irving Plaza in New York. The show will be streamed over at Livestream.

But if you don’t want to wait another week to hear the latest from the newest member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, head on over to Rolling Stone. The magazine’s website is streaming all 13 tracks of the deluxe version from now until the album drops.

If you’re as interested in Slash’s past as you are in his present, NPR’s ‘Weekend Edition Sunday‘ will have an exclusive interview with the guitarist on Sunday, May 20. The interview was conducted by the show’s host, Rachel Martin, and covers his entire career.

‘Apocalyptic Love’ features the top-hatted one cranking out the riffs on his trademark Gibson Les Paul with the help of the Conspirators, which consists of Myles Kennedy (vocals), Brent Fitz (drums) and Todd Kerns (bass). They are currently on tour through early August. You can see them in action in the video for ‘You’re A Lie’ below.

Watch the Video for ‘You’re a Lie’ by Slash

eBay

The Beatles‘ Apple Records logo is nearly as iconic as the band it represents. When this rare 1968 promotional belt appeared on eBay, it sold just shy of $1,500. That’s a pretty penny to pay for an old leather belt, but try telling that to a Beatles collector.

Licensed by Apple Records Corp in London, England, the seller stresses that this is not a post-‘70s after-market version; this one is for real. The silver-colored heavy metal apple buckle is 2.75” x 2.75” and features a brushed metal finish. The leather belt’s backing is torn and some pieces of leather are missing due to wear but the outside of the belt was noted to be in “excellent” condition.

This belt was distributed to Apple insiders only in late-1968 and this one allegedly belonged to the wife of an attorney who worked for the Beatles. The husband is said to have given her many Apple Records promos over the years but this one was a favored piece as she proudly admitted to wearing it frequently over the years. A Certificate of Authenticity accompanied the sale.

Founded in 1968, Apple is “a company that we’re setting up which involves records, films and electronics which makes records and films work” says John Lennon before he cracks a smile. Apple, determined to operate differently than the standard record company, formed a family of sorts, signing their friends Badfinger, James Taylor and Ronnie Spector to name a few.

This logo symbolizes more than Beatles. It’s a statement about all the Apple bands, the music and a long lost era – so in the name of high classic rock fashion, this original 1968 promo belt might be worth the money if one were to wear it on multiple special occasions.

Kevin Winter / ShowBizIreland, Getty Images

Earlier today (May 15), we gave you our review of Tom Cruise’s version of Def Leppard‘s ‘Pour Some Sugar on Me’ from the upcoming movie ‘Rock of Ages.’ We may not have thought it was that great, but we believe in fairness, so we’re going to let Cruise tell his side of the story. A new interview with the star reveals what it was like for him to perform the song with the cameras rolling…and Def Leppard in the crowd.

“I was down in Miami, recording different songs,” Cruise told Playboy (link NSFW). “And [director] Adam [Shankman] called and said, ‘Def Leppard’s coming by the set.’ I said, ‘Man, that’s cool.’ Then I paused. ‘Wait, I’m rehearsing their song tomorrow.’ And he’s like, ‘Yeah!’ [laughs] So we started right in the deep end, and that was the first scene I shot in the movie…They went to the back of the Bourbon Room, and I looked at my band and was like, ‘Hit it.’ All the crew was watching them watching me.”

Although Def Leppard attended the set hoping to poke fun at Cruise, they were pleasantly surprised by what they saw and heard.

“[T]he lead singer, Joe Elliott, points at me and goes, ‘F— you! F— you!’ Cruise continued. “Then I saw big smiles on their faces, and I realized I’d gotten their stamp. It was a very cool moment. It was important they knew I was honoring their music and not making fun of them.”

Kevin Winter, Getty Images

Original Black Sabbath drummer Bill Ward has issued a lengthy statement declaring that a “final effort” to reach an agreement with the management of his former band has failed, and that as threatened back in February, he will not be joining the band’s upcoming reunion shows.

Metal fans around the world were thrilled on Nov. 11 of last year, when the original four members of Black Sabbath announced a full-fledged world tour and new studio album would be delivered in 2012. However the reunion has been snake-bitten since then, with guitarist Tony Iommi’s lymphoma battle cutting the band’s tour down to just a handful of dates and Ward’s refusal to sign what he termed an unfair contract.

After much speculation and further explanations from Ward, it appears any last shot of the four original members of Black Sabbath — a roster that also includes Ozzy Osbourne and Geezer Butler – is now off. Here is Ward’s full statement on the matter:

Dear Sabbath Fans and Fellow Musicians,
I sincerely regret to inform you that after a final effort to participate in the upcoming Sabbath shows a failure to agree has continued. At this time I have to inform you that I won’t be playing with Black Sabbath at the Birmingham gig dated May 19th, 2012, nor will I be playing at Download on June 10th, 2012.

Further, I will not be playing at Lollapalooza on August 3, 2012.

It is with a very sad heart that I bring you this news. I am sincerely passionate in my desire to play with the band, and I’m very, very sorry that it’s fallen to this. This statement is even more painstaking to write, as I was particularly excited to play alongside Tony Iommi after the recent treatments he underwent. I wanted that to become a reality.

To express my thoughts about you, the Sabbath fans, I’m going to speak to you all through an experience my brother James had recently. My brother Jimmy lives in the U.K. When speaking with him a couple of days ago, he told me that an acquaintance had stopped him on the street and confronted him, “Is your brother playing Birmingham? What’s going on? I waited in line with my son and paid x amount for the concert tickets.”

The man’s son is a young drummer. He’s going to see Sabbath, and he wants to see Bill Ward play drums. Upon hearing this news, I felt horrible. I couldn’t help feeling some resentment towards the failure to reach an agreement, the failure to remember where we came from, the failure to be as brothers, as we once were. To be clear, I’m not blaming the other guys or finding any faults with them. I would think it can’t be easy for them either, but this situation is just really sad. It’s sad that it’s come to this. “This” will surely leave a mark and be unwelcome to the memory. Hopefully “this” will heal and pass in time.

My heart sank when Jimmy told me about this young boy. I know this boy is going to be disappointed, and I don’t know how to amend it, other than to put my arms around the boy and tell him I love him. Sabbath fans have a voice and a face, to me you’re human, you have families and despair. You have ferocity and emotions and graciousness, and at this moment as far as I’m concerned you are also that young boy in England. I don’t know how to amend my part in these failings other than to put my arms around you and say I love you and let you know I’m very, very sorry.

Throughout this process, which began over a year ago, I have had to stand up for myself time and time again. I have had to stand up for myself and in doing so realize my actions indirectly, although unintentionally, are upsetting and hurting a lot of you. I know in my heart I couldn’t have done these concerts by agreeing the terms suggested. I made a solemn vow after the last European and Ozzfest concerts that I would never again enter into what was, in my opinion, a totally unsatisfactory contract. I have to stand for something, and as painful as it is, I’m doing it.

Earlier in April 2012, I’d been asked to participate “minimally” in the Download festival. I believe I’d been offered no more than three songs to play while another drummer presumably played the rest of the show with Black Sabbath. I was not willing to participate in that offer. I was not prepared to watch another drummer play a Sabbath set, while I was to play only three songs.

I found out about the Birmingham gig on Monday, April 30 through the Internet ad. I was taken aback somewhat by the date, and the fact it was Birmingham. Knowing the “signable” contract negotiations were at best in shreds, I was upset by the idea that the band was going to play Birmingham and play it assumedly without me. I had no prior knowledge of the date and location, and I felt totally excluded.

We contacted the representative for Black Sabbath to see if something could be worked out. In the meantime my drum crew and I, along with our US endorsers, finished all the necessary planning for a swift departure to the UK. There wasn’t a whole lot to complete; we’d all been on standby more or less since mid-January 2012. The remaining work in the UK was confirmed done by our European and UK endorsers and we were good to go by Friday, May 4 2012. There were two stress points: firstly, getting an agreement in place, and secondly, getting to England in a timely manner. Jetlag time was taken into account as well as drum practice, a drum practice room in the heart of Birmingham, accommodation, and travel arrangements were all in place to meet with any band rehearsals that may have transpired before the Birmingham show. So far everything that had been arranged was on my dime, but we didn’t move ahead without a realistic confirmation.

Communications between the representative and my lawyer continued through the weekend of May 5 finalizing on Wednesday, May 9. The offer we received on May 9 was, “come to the UK, play for free and see how the first show goes.” I was tempted. Playing for free would not have been a problem for me, but “seeing how the first show goes” left an element of risk which could have affected Download. My ideal thought was to play in full the Birmingham show, in full Download, and in full Lollapalooza.

I had notified the representative that May 10 was my cutoff day in order to have good lead-in time for England. On the night of May 9 I asked for a brief letter to be sent to the representative asking to find out if we were at an end. On the morning of Thursday, May 10, I received a reply in the affirmative. After consulting with my advisors and crew a decision was made to let go and stop.
I can’t prioritize the Sabbath fans making one show more important than the other. I can’t do that. All of you are important. It’s all the gigs or none at all. I can’t come to Birmingham and “see what happens” knowing there is a risk of not being able to play Download or Lollapalooza. Again, for me, it’s all or nothing. I had to say “no” to Birmingham on the principle of wanting to play all the shows. Saying no to Birmingham is very difficult for me. My family grew up in Birmingham. Black Sabbath grew up in Birmingham. It’s still my hometown and I resent having to arrive at such a difficult choice.

Although the statement was made that, “the door is always open” for me, as explained above, walking through that door is not always as easy as it sounds. There are many complicated issues and unseen and unspoken agendas on hand. I can assure you, my criteria for a “signable” contract is based in mindful principles, respectability, and acknowledgement of my history within the band.
I hold no malice or resentment towards the other band members. I love them; I’m tolerant of them; I’m frustrated with them, as they may be with me. My fight has never been with them. I’ll love them forever. In my opinion, nobody wins this time; the band doesn’t win; the fans for an original lineup don’t win. Nobody wins, nobody. Even the ones who thought they did.

I didn’t want to make this decision, but I have to be honest and transparent. This is the statement I didn’t want to write; it’s the last thing I wanted to do. But, I have written it, and now it can go into the universe.

Since Spring of 2011, I’ve waited patiently and hopefully for a signable contract, you know the rest. I stand for the boy in the U.K., for the coming drum student, for all the drummers, who write their parts out and get stiffed on the publishing, I stand with the Sabbath fans chanting “Bill Ward” and asking “why?” and I stand with Tony and Geezer and Ozzy.

On a final note, even though I’m at an end with the upcoming announced concerts, I will remain with an open mind and a position of willingness to negotiate “signable” terms with Sabbath’s representatives in the future.

Stay strong.

Stay safe.

With all my heart and strength, I love you,

Bill Ward

Following on a separate page is a thank you message to some very extraordinary people.

Elektra

The ‘80s were an equally decadent and dangerous time for Motley Crue. But when the band emerged in 1987 with ‘Girls Girls, Girls,’ something was different.

Ruling the notorious Sunset Strip, the glam rockers rose to fame after releasing ‘Too Fast for Love,’ (1981) ‘Shout at the Devil’ (1983) and ‘Theatre of Pain’  (1985)– all within a four year period. But with ‘Girls’ came a head-to-toe image transformation: Vince Neil, Tommy Lee, Mick Mars and Nikki Sixx traded in their spandex and make-up for leather and motorcycles, ushering in a new era for the band as they released their fourth studio album in May of 1987.

The disc chronicles a dark period during the band’s career, steeped in heavy drug use, alcohol, and general debauchery and dysfunction as their lives played out in the seedy underworld of Los Angeles — one they helped personally craft. It marks a time when the band was fighting just to stay together and stay alive, let alone put forth their best music — but in the end, they managed to do a little of both.

The record kicks off with the grungy, gritty anthem ‘Wildside,’ setting the scene for the rest of the album. ‘Wildside,’ arguably the best song on the disc, has since become a staple in the band’s live show. While the edginess of the track doesn’t carry throughout the entire album, it definitely gave the band something to build on in the future and proved to be a shining moment on ‘Girls, Girls, Girls.’

The album’s title track — still part of the playlist in every topless club from coast-to-coast more than two decades later — is raunchy, sleazy, and Crue to the core. Written during a time when music videos were not only relevant but generally required, the risque video for the song left a lasting impression. It featured all four members cruising on their Harleys, hair in the wind, from strip joint to strip joint, paying homage to the lovely ladies.

As Nikki Sixx recounted in his book, ‘The Heroin Diaries: A Year in the Life of a Shattered Rock Star,’ he was knee-deep in his drug addiction during this time, something that inspired the track ‘Dancing on Glass.’ It was during this general timeframe, after ‘Girls, Girls, Girls’ had been released that Sixx was on one of his benders and suffered an overdose, one of many he would fall victim to throughout his battle with addiction.

Sixx was pronounced dead by paramedics and brought back to life at the hospital. It wasn’t very long before Sixx left the hospital against doctor’s orders, went home, and started the whole vicious cycle all over again. Years later, Sixx referred to the band during that time as being “a mess” and “out of control”.

The third and final single ‘You’re All I Need’ was the obligatory power ballad for that era. Although a sweeping song with beautiful music driven by piano, the lyrical content wasn’t quite as sweet..or expected. The controversial tune chronicles a tale of love gone bad where a boyfriend kills his girlfriend so she could never leave him. The lyrics “You’re all I need, make you only mine / I loved you so I set you free / I had to take your life” are not exactly the most romantic sentiment but Sixx has always done things his own way and this song was no different. The video was subsequently banned from MTV, the primary outlet for videos at that (gasp) pre-internet time.

One song that always felt a bit out of place on the disc was the track ‘Nona.’ Written for and about Nikki’s grandmother, who had raised him and who passed away during the writing process for this album, is a beautiful tribute. It provides soul and depth among the rest of the sleaze and general debauchery going down on this album. It’s a short song but the sentiment remains strong. Sixx admitted later that he didn’t make it to her funeral due to his drug abuse at the time.

The bluesy beats of ‘Bad Boy Boogie’ and ‘All In The Name Of…’ in addition to the more rock based ‘Five Years Dead,’ and the wonderfully shambolic  ‘Sumthin’ For Nothin’’ round out the original songs on the disc. Having had success with cover tunes in the past, ‘Girls, Girls, Girls’ employed a live take on Elvis Presley’s ‘Jailhouse Rock’ to close out the album.

Generally panned by the industry, fans embraced ‘Girls, Girls, Girls’ unreservedly, and the album climbed its way to the No. 2 slot on the Billboard charts, although it couldn’t knock Whitney Houston to take over top honors.

Although it may seem like a distant memory now, there was a time when the genre of music led by Motley Crue and the like reigned supreme. In today’s musical landscape, only the strong from this era have survived and continued to remain relevant. Motley Crue top that short list and continue to be successful to this very day, as they gear up for a summer super tour with Kiss.

Looking back now at what role ‘Girls, Girls, Girls’ played in their spanning career, it seems to be the glue that kept them together during a personally difficult time for each member, preventing the whole band from blowing up. While maybe not their most commercially successful release, it was still immensely popular. Besides, ‘Girls, Girls, Girls’ succeeded in other ways and gave the band a vehicle to live on another day… quite literally in one instance.

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Water Tower Music

The idea of turning an ’80s anthem like Def Leppard‘s ‘Pour Some Sugar on Me’ into a show tune isn’t going to sit well with many formerly Aquanetted, double-socked, Jordache-jean wearing rock fans.

Tom Cruise is challenged with turning Joe Elliott’s vocal performance into something unique and memorable. He gives up early, opting for a karaoke performance that’s too good to laugh at, but not quite good enough to want more.

‘Rock of Ages’ is a musical, so some amount of Broadway production is expected. The “Hey, huh‘s” that fall just beneath the opening guitar riff are certainly forgivable. In fact, more cheese would be a good thing. An extra set of jazz hands would really tick some people off, but for others with a better sense of humor it’d make this song a kitschy standout.

With Cruise on the stick, one finds himself focusing too much on the lyrics. Raise your hand if you’ve listened to the original ‘Pour Some Sugar on Me’ a million times but never paid attention to the pre-chorus. “Take a bottle / Shake it up / Break the bubble / Break it up.” No, the original ‘Pour Some Sugar on Me’ swept one away in a wash of emotional excess.

When you begin paying attention to the details, a 25-year-old song begins to show a few bald spots. The same effect is repeated in the bridge. “You got the peaches, I got the cream / Sweet to taste, saccharine.” Really? That’s what he says? Is there a more unrockstarlike word than “saccharine?”

For the most part Cruise’s vocals remain buried beneath the production. While the guitar work is simplified, and the rhythm section not nearly as explosive, the production is a highlight of this remake. The bright backing vocals add texture to an otherwise flat performance.

This version of ‘Sugar’ is like what ‘The New Class’ was to ‘Saved By the Bell.’ It brings a classic to a new audience, but it fails to separate itself from the original in any remarkable way. Instead of risking one audience to please another, the arrangement shoots to please both. At best it leaves one shrugging his shoulders in ambivalence.

Listen to Tom Cruise, ‘Pour Some Sugar on Me’

Dean Guitars

To celebrate the 20th anniversary reissue of Pantera‘s classic metal album ‘Vulgar Display of Power,’ Loudwire and Ultimate Classic Rock are giving you the chance to win a jaw-droppingly cool Dean ‘Dimebonics’ guitar as well as the new 20th anniversary edition of the record.

The Dimebonics ML guitar, as you can see, is absolutely beautiful and comes complete with a mahogany body and neck, a rosewood fingerboard, USA Dean DMT “Dimetime” / Dimebucker pickups and a whole lot more.

Justifiably perched atop Loudwire’s list of the 11 Top Metal Albums of the 1990s, ‘Vulgar Display of Power’ is one of the most perfectly descriptively named albums ever. Songs like ‘Walk,’ ‘Mouth for War’ and ‘This Love’ strip away all remaining traces of the excess and glamour that had creeped into metal in previous years, replacing it with a primal yet technically impressive attack. The 20th anniversary edition includes a previously unreleased song with the charming name of ‘Piss.’

During a recent interview with our brother site about ‘Power,’ singer Phil Anselmo modestly credited the production with much of the album’s success: “It was leaps and bounds and we were at the forefront of helping that change. Dimebag’s guitar sound, and the drum tones, all that f—ing stuff was relevant. I am in no position to say this, but a lot of people say it stands the test of time.”

Of course, the songwriting, musical and vocal performances had a lot to do with the album’s success as well. You can hear it for yourself by picking up the deluxe edition of ‘Vulgar Display of Power’ over at iTunes right now.

JimmyPage.com

Last week, a portrait of Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page marked a milestone for London’s National Portrait Gallery, and now the guitarist’s official website has unveiled their own series of limited edition framed photos.

The Jimmy Page Fine Art Photographic Print collection is a collaboration between Jimmy Page and five legendary photographers who have been lucky enough to be part of Led Zeppelin history, capturing iconic images of the famed guitarist throughout his career.

The photo set contains three live photos of Page performing with Led Zeppelin: one taken in Copenhagen in 1970 by Jorgen Angel, another taken at the historic Earls Court Arena show in London in 1975 by Dick Barnatt, and the third was from a 1977 show in Chicago by Neal Preston. The fourth photo is a shot of Page’s weapons of choice –  a collection of his guitars set up at a show at the Oakland Coliseum in 1977 taken by Baron Wolman. The set is completed by a portrait of Page and his guitar taken by Ross Halfin in 2009.

The photos will be limited to 50 prints each, making them rare pieces of art. Each photo is numbered and signed by both Page and the photographer. The prints are currently available individually or as a deluxe portfolio boxset. Only ten deluxe portfolio boxsets have been produced, making them even more collectable.

The printing process was described by on his site in great detail: “Under strict supervision, each silver gelatin black and white photograph has been traditionally printed by hand from negative in a laboratory dark room on Ilford premium quality fibre based paper, the colour photograph is printed on Fuji Crystal archival paper.” Through this process, the photos created are museum-quality works of art.

As with any great piece of art, the photos do come at a price. The individual prints have a starting price point of 1000 pounds and that price will only go up as the editions sell through. The full boxset is priced at 7000 pounds. Head over to JimmyPage.com for more details.

SchonMusic.com

The romance between Journey guitarist Neal Schon and ‘The Real Housewives of D.C.’ reality star Michaele Salahi barreled its way into news headlines last summer. On June 23, the pair will appear together at the ‘How to be a Reality Star‘ event in El Paso, Texas.

We spoke with Schon about how he fits into this strange and ever-more culturally dominant new world, as well as how he and Salahi are moving forward and working on projects together, including the steamy video for ‘Resonate,’ the latest single from Journey’s ‘Eclipse‘ album:

Your girlfriend Michaele Salahi is part of this event and now you’re part of it too. What made you want to get involved with this?

[Event host] Rob Shuter has become a really good friend. He was a friend of Michaele and I really like him. I think he’s got a lot of cool things going on, and something in my gut instinct told me that this is a good thing to do for the future — with any endeavors that we do with Rob or anything out there. I think that his idea is kind of a cool idea, and I think that his show will inevitably become huge.

Your past experience is perhaps different than a lot of the reality show people, but I would argue that as a celebrity, you certainly live and breathe in that same fishbowl. What kind of things do you want to impart to these reality hopefuls?

I’ve been thinking about how I’m going to answer questions at this thing and really, I have no idea. I think the only thing that happened to me when I became famous in this reality world is that I’ve got an amazing looking woman on my arm. She fled with me and then all of the sudden it was like a tornado hurricane! [Laughs]

Before this, I really was never in the media. We would do a little bit of media here and there when we released a record. Like, I talk to you and other writers and we get a little bit of press here and there. Now it’s just kind of crazy, but there is a great side to it. I think you can use it to your advantage and that’s what we’re doing right now — we’re figuring out how to turn everything around, now that we’ve got everybody’s attention.

And there’s a lot of cool things going on, some of which I can’t really talk about — I’m sworn to secrecy. What I’m working on is not a reality show, but I’m definitely working on something that I think is going to revolutionize the music industry and how all young artists come to the forefront.

You’ve always done a lot of creative thinking with Journey, with the band putting together their own production company and pioneering lighting and video technology that just didn’t exist at the time. So I think Journey’s always been at the forefront of doing things that are out of this world.

Well you know, that was my old manager [former Journey manager Herbie Herbert] who had the foresight to do that. I guess I’ve just grown into those shoes and it’s me that’s thinking of all of the ideas. I’m coming up with a lot of cool stuff that I’m really very inspired by.

Some celebrities lament certain aspects of being a celebrity, the lack of privacy and that kind of thing. Aside from last year’s events, have you generally been able to do your own thing?

Pretty much. It was a crazy time for me and us. I got a grip on it and I’ve learned to deal with it. Everybody’s just been really supportive. All my friends and even people that I don’t know have been completely tremendously supportive. You know, there was a lot of crazy stuff going on that I’ve never dealt with in my life before. The only thing you can do is keep your head up and know that you’re not doing anything as malicious as they try to make it sound. It’s rock and roll, man!

What rock star doesn’t send his private parts around at one point of his life? It’s something that I’ve done for years and it was like no big deal, it was like signing a letter. Did I send it to her husband, her ex? No, I didn’t send it to him. I’m just moving on. Like I said, there’s a lot of good stuff that has come out of this. You have your little tiny group of haters, which is about four or five people and I think we know who they all are, you know? [Laughs]

They have all these various names that they go under, each person probably has about five different names. I swear, they need to all get jobs, because I know who they all are — it’s really funny. If an article comes out on Michaele and I, they’re the first ones to hit the comments and write all this funky stuff, but we know who they are… so I don’t even bother reading it anymore.

(You can) have a PR person that you’re hiring 24/7 to hit every comment place that’s going to have a story about you the second that it comes out and fill the page before they get to hit it, but that’s so silly, to chase something like that. We know what’s going on and we know how the mass majority feels about everything and so we’re doing well, we’re doing great. I’m in really great space, we’re in a really great space and I’m just getting back into playing now.

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Van-Halen.com

The latest in a series of wide-ranging videos at Van Halen‘s official website features the elder band members sitting around a camera talking about old times like three friends sucking down brewskies in the garage. David Lee Roth leads a discussion in which Eddie and Alex Van Halen share how they would rig their stage and electronics to be ahead of their time in the early ’70s.

The video starts off a little slow with the three talking about naps, but soon each is sharing stories of the broke vehicles they would tour in, and their early smoke machine. The latter sounds very, very dangerous. Early gigs even featured a light show. “We had all the essential colors,” Eddie Van Halen says.

“We had red, white, green and off,” Roth answers laughing.

Many stories begin wit,h “Remember the …” As in, remember the wet t-shirt contests, and remember the way we’d set up the microphones. “For solos I would dance over and hold the vocal mic over to you,” Roth says as the brothers crack up. The impromptu nine-minute long interview ends with them talking about women — drunk women.

“You never give supermodels champagne until there’s 90 minutes left in the photo shoot because their little pancreases can’t handle the sugar,” Roth advises. “And for about 90 minutes everybody’s gonna be all tits and pits and after 90 minutes (falls asleep on Al’s shoulder).”

Watch Van Halen Talk About Old Car, Early Show Business

Facebook

Kiss have shared the six different covers that will be offered and available for Kiss Comics Issue #1, which is titled ‘Dressed to Kill.’ Because one cover just isn’t enough, right? Well, when you pair Kiss and the highly collectible comic book medium, the more the merrier.

Kiss #1 will land in stores on June 13.

Here’s the breakdown. Two in the pictured top row of covers will be available at most retailers, while one will be available on a limited basis. The bottom row of covers are limited and available at select retailers. The black cover is limited to a single retailer, while the one on the far bottom right will be available only on the Kiss website, which you can visit here.

Our favorite is the one on the top right, where Gene Simmons looks like something out of ‘V for Vendetta.’ We also like the one situated next to it, with the four members of Kiss dressed like dapper gents.

For more info on all this comic book excitement, you can visit Kiss’s official Facebook page.

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Warner Brothers / Reprise

The June 2012 New Music Releases schedule features a wide range of classic rock artists, including new albums from Neil Young + Crazy Horse, Rush and most shockingly, the Beach Boys — complete with returning resident musical genius Brian Wilson!

‘Americana’ finds Young reuniting with his most enduring backing band for the first time (in full) since 1996′s ‘Broken Arrow.’ They album will feature their souped-up takes on American folk classics such as ‘Oh Susannah‘ and ‘Jesus Chariot / She’ll Be Comin’ Round the Mountain.’

If you’re a fan of deluxe re-issues and expansive box sets, you’ll think Christmas has come early this year, with Paul Simon issuing a tricked-out (and year-late) 25th anniversary edition of ‘Graceland,’ David Bowie offering an expanded 40th anniversary edition of ‘The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars’ and Heart digging through their archives to release a career retrospective box — complete with a CD full of Led Zeppelin covers if you buy it from the right people — entitled ‘Strange Euphoria.’

You can get all the June 2012 new music release dates below, and in most cases, learn more about the projects by clicking on the links in their titles. For a continually updated list of new music, films and books headed your way from classic rock artists throughout the year, see our 2012 New Music Releases feature.

New Music Releases – June 2012

June 5
Beach Boys, ‘That’s Why God Made the Radio‘ (brand new album)
David Bowie, ‘The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars‘ (multiple format reissue)
Heart, ‘Strange Euphoria‘ (box set)
Chris Robinson Band, ‘Big Moon Ritual’ (ex-Black Crowes)
Paul Simon, ‘Graceland‘ (box set and two-CD 25th anniversary editions)
Spectrum Road, ‘Spectrum Road‘ (Jack Bruce, Vernon Reid)
Joe Walsh, ‘Analog Man‘
Neil Young + Crazy Horse, ‘Americana‘

June 12
Jimmy Fallon, ‘Blow Your Pants Off’ (featuring Bruce Springsteen, Paul McCartney)
Rush, ‘Clockwork Angels‘

June 19
Lita Ford, ‘Living Like a Runaway‘

June 22
Tony Iommi and Ian Gillan, ‘WhoCares‘

June 26
Joe Jackson, ‘The Duke’
Pink Floyd, ‘The Story of Wish You Were Here‘ (Documentary DVD)

Columbia Records

‘Argo,’ a new film based on real-life events, won’t be out until the fall, but the trailer has already been released. It stars Ben Affleck (who also directed), Bryan Cranston, John Goodman and a host of actors you’ve seen in bit parts in many movies over the years.

Set in 1979 during the Iranian revolution, ‘Argo’ centers around a plan to rescue six Americans who were taken as hostages, but escaped and hidden at the home of the Canadian ambassador.

Knowing that it’s a matter of time before they are found and killed, C.I.A. agent Tony Mendez (Affleck) comes up with a plan: he and his team will pose as a Canadian film crew scouting desert locations for a science fiction film called ‘Argo.’ While in Iran, they have 72 hours to rescue the hostages and bring them back to America alive.

With such a strong cast and a tense plot, a great song was needed to match, and the producers found one in Aerosmith’s 1973 classic ‘Dream On.’ The familiar near-baroque chords enter at the 1:35 mark of the trailer, as Affleck goes to Iran to complete his mission, but soon switches to the climactic final chorus as the trailer comes to a close.

Watch the Argo Trailer Featuring Aerosmith’s ‘Dream On’

Ethan Miller, Getty Images

With a new album coming out, Rush are ramping up their publicity machine. On Thursday (May 10) bassist and vocalist Geddy Lee appeared on Real Radio XS in the United Kingdom to talk about ‘Clockwork Angels,’ namely, why it took so long for it to come to fruition.

Lee explained that the genesis of the album came about in 2010 when they were planning the ‘Time Machine’ tour. “We didn’t feel good about going out without anything new,” Lee said. “It feels to us that we need new material to stay contemporary in our view. So we…started writing some material based on an idea that we had discussed the previous winter for a potential album featuring a single story line. So we wrote four of those songs and two of them, we recorded very quickly, one called ‘Caravan’ and the other called ‘BU2B.’”

Rush was able to include the songs on the ‘Time Machine’ tour, which began in June 2010 featured the band playing their 1981 album ‘Moving Pictures’ in its entirety. But the tour, which was only supposed to last three or four months, was so successful that they took it around the world.  The tour’s last show was July 2, 2011.

“Long story short,” Lee continued. “In the fall of this past year, 2011, we finally got back together to continue writing and putting the rest of the album together, and finished it in February.”

‘Clockwork Angels’ is coming out on Roadrunner Records on June 12.

Michael Loccisano, Getty Images

The induction of Guns N’ Roses into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in April gave us plenty to write about at the time. It was so controversial that, a month later, news is still coming out. Today we learned that Green Day‘s Billie Joe Armstrong, who gave their induction speech, nearly sang lead vocals in place of Axl Rose, who declined to participate on the eve of the ceremony.

In his column at Seattle Weekly, bassist Duff McKagan wrote about the experience, and how quickly it all came together, with a little bit of perspective after having watched it on television recently.

The night before the ceremony, McKagan had a book reading at the House of Blues in Cleveland, which was attended by the members of Green Day. At the time, nobody knew what was going to happen, so, according to McKagan, ‘Billie Joe and I devised a plan where he would sing whatever was needed…if needed.”

Following the reading, which ended at 2:00AM, everybody involved got together for their only rehearsal — 14 hours before the event. As it turned out, Myles Kennedy, the vocalist in Slash‘s band, was around to handle vocal duties. But Armstrong was still invited onstage to trade lines with Kennedy on ‘Mr. Brownstone.’

Watch ‘Mr. Brownstone’ From the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony