Ted Nugent's Plan's For His Career
Mood:  accident prone
Now Playing: The Nuge says not to expect more from Damnocracy and Damn Yankees.
Topic: Hard Rock
Ted Nugent lit up VH1 this summer with the "Supergroup" reality show. But the Motor City Madman says not to expect to hear much more from Damnocracy, his 12-day collaboration with ex-Skid Row frontman Sebastian Bach, Antrhax's Scott Ian, Biohazard's Even Seinfeld and Jason Bonham.

"I would like to [do more with Damnocracy]; the musical element is very alluring. But I doubt it," Nugent tells Billboard.com. "I've got so much cool sh*t on. It's about the cool meter; like a TSA wand-er, I run my cool wand over everything, and only stuff that pegs the meter do I do. Even as good as the Damn Yankees are ... We got killer offers to record but, Jesus, when do you do that?"

Nugent says the coolest thing on his meter now is his own music, a set of songs that includes titles such as "Girl Scout Cookies," "Raisin' Hell," "Funk You" and "Bridge Over Troubled Daughters." He's already hatching plans to hit the studio with his current rhythm section -- bassist Barry Sparks and drummer Mick Brown -- with hopes of getting a new studio album out sooner rather than later.

"I am dedicated to, first and foremost, recording at least a dozen of my best new songs that are driving me wild," Nugent says. "I'm just in love with the new music. I hope to hell we can go in the studio next February and have the record ready to listen to by March so that it's out by the spring of '07."

Whenever it comes out, the album will be Nugent's first set of all-new material since 2002's "Craveman." He's currently on the North American leg of his Unleash the Beast tour, which wraps up Sept. 4 -- after which Nugent will spend the fall and early winter leading hunting expeditions in his native Michigan and other locales.

Courtesy of www.billboard.com

Velvet Revolver Writing For New Album
Mood:  loud
Topic: Hard Rock
The Velvet Revolver camp is in talks with heavyweight producer Rick Rubin to man the boards for their upcoming disc.

"We've been talking to Rick Rubin," drummer Matt Sorum told ABC Radio. "So hopefully he's gonna come on board, because I think he's just a great song guy.

"He's listened to a lot of our riffs and different parts that we have. He's a very honest guy, and even if he doesn't produce us, he's given us a good sense of what we need to go for, and that's just great songs."

The band is in the middle of writing songs for the album, which is going by the working title "Libertad."

Their debut disc, "Contraband," entered the Canadian charts at No. 1 back in June of 2004.

Rubin's 2006 production credits include Johnny Cash's "American V: Hundred Highways," Red Hot Chili Peppers' "Stadium Arcadium," Dixie Chicks' "Taking the Long Way," and the upcoming Audioslave effort, "Like a Stone."

Courtesy of www.canoe.ca

Richard Fortus Comments On The Riot
Mood:  accident prone
Now Playing: GN'R guitarist Richard Fortus sticks up for the band after the Newcastle Riot.
Topic: Hard Rock
Message from Richard Fortus

"To my knowledge, there was never a bottle thrown at the stage while we were on it. Newcastle (in my opinion), was one of (if not the), best shows of the tour. It was also the hottest! It was a steam bath! The fans were amazing, and seemed 100% with us the entire show.

It was a really magical show for me, until the very end. During Night Train, someone threw a coin and it hit Axl and he stopped us and we walked off. We made an announcement that we weren't going to keep playing if anything else was thrown. Unfortunately, we came back, started the song again and the same thing happened. So we left. That's what this band has always done when people keep throwing shit. Maybe people were booing in the back. If they were, I sure as hell didn't hear it nor did I see it.

Except for some asshole that ruined it for everyone, it was one of the greatest shows of my life. The Newcastle audience was amazing. The press reports that I've read made it sound as though we were bottled and booed off the stage, but as usual they are full of shit. That includes the story about Axl refusing to go on until he got a roast duck dinner. Complete bullshit. I know, I was with him. Blatant lies. Don't believe what you read kiddies!

The fans have been amazing here in Europe. It's pretty overwhelming. I'd like to personally thank all the fans that have come to the shows. Especially the ones that didn't come as fans, but left as fans. Your emails and all the posts on the websites have really meant a lot.

oh yeah, one more thing. Izzy Stradlin is one of the coolest people I've ever had the pleasure of knowing. It's a pleasure to play with him and to hang out with him. Again, thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone that has helped make this tour so much fun."

Courtesy of www.heretodaygonetohell.com

What's Up With: Sammy Hagar
Mood:  a-ok
Topic: Hard Rock

The New Album:

Sammy Hagar sings about what he knows best on his fifteenth studio album--parties, beaches, and love. Livin' It Up contains 11 new studio tracks featuring Hagar and The Wabos--drummer David Lauser, guitarist Vic Johnson, and bassist Mona. The album mixes eclectic styles that range from the hard-driving hits "Sam I Am" and "Mexico," to the roots rocker "The Way We Live," and the country-rock ballad "Halfway."

On Van Halen:

Rocker SAMMY HAGAR fears a VAN HALEN reunion will never happen because former bandmate EDDIE VAN HALEN needs "an overhaul".

The WHY CAN'T THIS BE LOVE singer still tours with former Van Halen bandmate MICHAEL ANTHONY and speaks regularly to ALEX VAN HALEN, but he rarely speaks with guitarist Eddie - and fears he never will.

But he's always hoping his former bandmate sees sense and reforms Van Halen: "If Eddie ever wants to be friends again, not just business... I would hope Van Halen does a reunion again sometime. It's too great of a band, the fans deserve it. But he needs an overhaul."

Courtesy of pr-inside.com

Kid Rock & Pamula Anderson Marry, Dave Navarro & Carmen Electra Split
Mood:  not sure
Topic: Hard Rock

Kid rock & Pamula Anderson:

LOS ANGELES - The on-again, off-again love affair between actress Pamela Anderson and singer Kid Rock is on again and this time they plan to marry.

The former Playboy model and the Detroit rap-rocker will exchange vows on July 29 aboard a yacht near the French Riviera city of St. Tropez, the celebrity magazine US Weekly reported.

"Yes, I'm finally getting remarried ... I'm in love. I'm happy," Anderson writes on her Web site, pamelaanderson.com, in an entry on Tuesday.

Anderson's spokeswoman declined to comment but US quoted an Anderson representative as saying, "They have been close for a very long time and decided that now is the right time to take the next step."

Anderson, 39, and Rock, 35, whose recordings include 1998's "Devil Without a Cause," have been romantically linked since the early 2000s but broke off their relationship in 2003. Recently, they have been seen together vacationing along the Riviera.

The blond actress, who gained stardom in the 1990s on TV show "Baywatch," was previously married to drummer Tommy Lee of rock band Motley Crue with whom she had two sons.

Courtesy of www.reuters.com

Dave Navarro & Carmen Electra:

LOS ANGELES - Former "Baywatch" babe Carmen Electra and her rocker husband Dave Navarro, who once starred in MTV television show "Til Death Do Us Part: Carmen + Dave," have separated, the couple's publicist said on Monday.

"They are amicably separating," said publicist Brit Reece.

He declined to provide further details of the break up.

Electra, 34, gained stardom in the 1990s as a Playboy magazine model and an actress in TV shows such as "Baywatch," about attractive southern California lifeguards.

Her marriage to Navarro was her second. For a brief period in the late 1990s, she was married to professional basketball star Dennis Rodman, as well known for his colored hair, tattoos and piercings as for his playing ability.

Navarro, 39, won fame as lead guitarist of 1980s hard rock band Jane's Addiction, and is currently hosting TV reality show "Rock Star: Supernova."

The pair were married in November 2003, and they documented the wedding for the reality show "Til Death Do Us Part".

Courtesy of www.reuters.com

Tommy Lee In Bathroom Brawl
Mood:  mischievious
Now Playing: Motley Crue bad-boy in bathroom fight?
Topic: Hard Rock
Bad boy rocker Tommy Lee provoked a "pushing match" in a Los Angeles night club on Tuesday after television hunk Johs Duhamel reportedly rushed him taking a pee.

The Motley Crue drummer was in a bathroom cubicle at hotspot Bella when the star banged furiously on the door, urging the occupant to hurry up.

When told who was using the toilet, Duhamel allegedly sneered, "Tommy who? Tommy Lee, who cares?"

Onlookers say an enraged Lee marched out of the cubicle and initiated a "pushing match" which reportedly left Duhamel sprawled on the floor.

Lee's publicist confirmed the spat to the New York Daily News, but denied any physical violence, adding, "Tommy remained and finished his dinner" while Duhamel was evicted.

The TV star's rep insisted she finds it difficult to believe her client would become embroiled in a fight.

Courtesy of www.sfgate.com

Rockstar: Supernova
Mood:  a-ok
Now Playing: More news on the upcoming CBS Reality series.
Topic: Hard Rock
Dave Navarro is using his celebrity to add more star power to the already shining Rock Star: Supernova.

As an executive producer and host of the CBS reality-TV hit, which paired Toronto singer J.D. Fortune with INXS last summer, he's enlisted a few of his friends to help pick this year's winner.

"We are going to have a weekly guest judge that I'm bringing from my own personal Rolodex -- Macy Gray, Slash, Rob Zombie and Moby," says Navarro. "They are going to give their opinion of who they think should stay and who should go."

This season, the band Supernova -- made up of Motley Crue's Tommy Lee, ex-Metallica bassist Jason Newsted and former Guns N' Roses guitarist Gilby Clarke -- will chose its lead singer from 15 of the best rock singers the world has to offer.

Navarro says because the group, unlike INXS, has no back catalog of songs, it will be up to the bottom three finalists, who'll be forced to perform one more time for the band during the weekly elimination shows, to decide what song they'll sing .

"What they chose and how they perform it will say more to Supernova than if they had to do one of their songs because if someone picks a Duran Duran song, I am simply going to say, 'You want to join Tommy Lee, Jason Newsted and Gilby Clarke and that's the song you choose?'

"They are really going to have to rely on who they are as opposed to fitting into something that the band is."

As part of another change this season, the weekly behind-the-scenes episode will be streamed exclusively on the web on MSN. The unscripted drama, available at rockstar.msn.com, will allow viewers to follow the contestants as they interact in the Rock Star house.

While Navarro has met this season's finalists, which include two Canadians, Jenny Galt from Vancouver and Toronto's Lukas Rossi, he refuses to weigh-in on their odds of making it to the end.

"I am really taking a page out of last season -- I never spoke with INXS about who I believed was the best singer for their band. It really was left up to them," he says, adding viewers should also not expect him or co-host Brooke Burke to be too harsh in their criticisms of the weekly performances.

p "With rock 'n' roll it's really about the individual who brings what they have in their heart. This is something that can't be taught -- you either have it or you don't.

"That's why, last season, our comments were not as critical as some people would want them to be -- I can't tell someone to wear a different dress or put their hair up and that will make their performance better.

"On a pop show you can get away with that, but this is really about the individual and what's going on inside them."

Finding undiscovered talent is the reason Navarro has now started up the internet radio station called Spread Radio Live (spreadradiolive.com) and signed on for another season of Rock Star, despite having a seemingly full-plate.

"I believe rock 'n' roll deserves a place on primetime television and I have a real interest in helping unsigned artists get their craft heard.

"To me (Rock Star) is a great avenue, not only for the winner, but for the 15 individuals to get to do what they love to do in front of millions of people."

While Navarro has no problem switching the conversation to his new band, The Panic Channel, which will release its debut album on Aug. 15, and it's upcoming tour, one thing he won't discuss is his rumoured rocky marriage to Carmen Electra.

"The truth is, I was put on the phone today to discuss Rock Star and that is not on the agenda," he says. "Every time I respond to it, it gives more fodder."

Rock Star: Supernova debuts on CBS and Global July 5 at 9 p.m. and will air twice a week, on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

Courtesy of www.calgarysun.com

Aerosmith & The Crue Team Up
Mood:  a-ok
Now Playing: From glam-metal.com
Topic: Hard Rock
This is the BIG ONE…”ROUTE OF ALL EVIL TOUR.”

AEROSMITH--America’s Greatest Rock’ N’ Roll Band--will return to the road September 14 with M?TLEY CR?E--America’s Most Notorious Rock Band--to spawn what is the ultimate must-see rock event of 2006: a massive North American tour of predominantly outdoor amphitheatres. Bigger, louder, faster, and harder than what rock fans have experienced before, the tour gets underway in Holmdel, NJ and lasts through November 24 in West Palm Beach, FL. With each band featuring all their original members, this marks the first time that rock’s bad boys have embarked on a tour together.

The first few dates of the Live Nation-produced tour--Camden, NJ, Boston, Washington, Tinley Park, IL, East Troy, WI and Detroit--go on sale June 24. Two more shows (Holmdel, NJ and Jones Beach, NY) go up June 26. Other on-sale information is TBA.

For the tour, AEROSMITH--STEVEN TYLER, JOE PERRY, BRAD WHITFORD, TOM HAMILTON and JOEY KRAMER--will thrust themselves into the middle of the audience, turning the seats along the 70-foot-long ramp into one big front row experience that will enable fans to get up close and personal with rock’s quintessential live act. AEROSMITH were most recently on the road with their hugely successful and wildly acclaimed “Rockin’ The Joint” tour, which packed arenas from October ’05 through February ’06 in what critics called “an exultant return,” “a wet, wild and totally sweat-filled night” and “a testosterone-charged set of their patented blues-soaked rock.”

Coming off one of the most successful tours of 2005, M?TLEY CR?E is bringing a whole new bag of tricks out this year, with massive production and pyro, determined to out-do themselves in the decadent M?tley fashion. Major surprises are in store from the world’s most infamous rock band. “As comebacks go, this one is monstrous,” Rolling Stone said of their wildly successful Red, White & Crue tour, and this year proves to be even bigger.

About Aerosmith:
For more than 30 years, AEROSMITH has defined American Rock 'n' Roll. Just a brief overview of their remarkable career is truly mind-boggling: over 100 million albums sold, induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, countless awards (4 Grammy Awards, 8 American Music Awards, 6 Billboard Awards, and 12 MTV Awards), and a diehard “Blue Army” fan-base numbering in the millions worldwide. The members of Aerosmith remain creatively vital, and are the platinum standard for artistic and commercial success in the music business. Through it all they have defeated the odds, silenced their critics and have undeniably withstood the test of time. The most convenient way for fan club members to buy tickets and access tour information is through the AF1 web site, www.aeroforceone.com . AF1 members can purchase a variety of fan experience packages that include tickets, backstage tours, pre-concert parties with prizes, and exclusive AF1 memorabilia.

About M?tley Cr?e:
Rock's most notorious bad boys, M?TLEY CR?E, have sold more than 40 million albums worldwide, documented their quintessentially decadent lifestyle in their best-selling 2001 autobiography and soon-to-be feature film, The Dirt, and had one of the top-grossing tours of 2005, with all four original members reuniting to play before an estimated one million people in the U.S. Tommy Lee, Mick Mars, Vince Neil and Nikki Sixx first joined forces in 1981, their albums generating such iconic singles as "Smokin' in the Boys Room," "Girls Girls Girls," "Dr. Feelgood" and "Don't Go Away Mad (Just Go Away)." As one of the most indulgent bands in history, their reckless lifestyle eventually took its toll, and they disbanded in 1999. With their reunion six years later, M?tley Cr?e released the double-platinum Red, White & Cr?e and spent most of 2005 on the road for their "Carnival of Sins" tour. For more M?tley Cr?e tour Information, Fanclub & VIP tickets, go to www.Motley.com .

The full itinerary is below. For more on-sale information, log on to www.livenation.com or www.ticketmaster.com .


Date: City: Venue:

Thu 9/14 Holmdel, NJ PNC Bank Arts Center

Tue 9/19 Wantagh, NY Nikon @ Jones Beach Theater

Sat 9/23 Camden, NJ Tweeter Center on the Waterfront

Tue 9/26 Boston, MA Tweeter Center

Sat 9/30 Washington, DC Nissan Pavilion

Thu 10/5 Tinley Park, IL First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre

Sat 10/7 East Troy, WI Alpine Valley Music Theatre

Mon 10/9 Cincinnati, OH Riverbend Music Center

Wed 10/11 Detroit, MI DTE Energy Music Theatre

Fri 10/13 Indianapolis, IN Verizon Wireless Music Center

Sun 10/15 St. Louis, MO UMB Bank Pavilion

Tue 10/17 Bonner Springs, KS Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre

Thu 10/19 Nashville, TN Starwood Amphitheatre

Sat 10/21 Charlotte, NC Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre

Mon 10/23 Raleigh, NC Alltel Pavilion

Wed 10/25 Virginia Beach, VA Verizon Wireless

Thu 11/2 Mountain View, CA Shoreline Amphitheatre

Sat 11/4 Las Vegas, NV MGM Grand Garden Arena

Tue 11/7 Hollywood, CA Hollywood Bowl

Thu 11/9 San Diego, CA Coors Amphitheatre

Sat 11/11 Devore, CA Hyundai Pavilion

Mon 11/13 Phoenix, AZ Cricket Pavilion

Wed 11/15 Dallas, TX Smirnoff Music Centre

Fri 11/17 San Antonio, TX Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre

Sun 11/19 Houston, TX Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion

Wed 11/22 Tampa, FL Ford Amphitheatre

Fri 11/24 W. Palm Beach, FL Sound Advice Amphitheatre

Axl Rose Gets Oxygen During Shows
Mood:  chatty
Now Playing: Axl Rose needs extra oxygen during shows.
Topic: Hard Rock
Entertainmentwise.com reports: Axl Rose has reportedly needed the use of an oxygen mask between each song during Guns N' Roses recent tour dates.

According to reports in local newspapers in Budapest the 44 year old singer apparently had to run off stage to use the mask in the bands dressing room at a recent gig in Hungary.

The concert, as with the bands recent London gig, was held up by Rose for several hours because he reported wanted to make sure that only his own special oxygen mask was connected to the tanks.

The Sun reports that an ambulance was also on standby in case of any problems with Rose?s breathing and technicians in the band's entourage have admitted that he would have got through the lengthy European tour without the oxygen.

Update On GN'R
Mood:  accident prone
Topic: Hard Rock
LOS ANGELES (AFP) - Guns N' Roses will hit the stage in a European tour this week in singer Axl Rose's latest bid to return to rock paradise, but fans are still waiting for the band's long-promised new album.

The success of GNR's comeback concerts rests on the reclusive and controversial Rose, whose absence at a show in Canada in the American band's last tour in 2002 led to riots. The disastrous tour ended prematurely.

In a warmup to the 30-date European tour that starts in Spain Thursday, the band, which soared to superstar status in 1987 with hits such as "Welcome to the Jungle" and "Paradise City", recently played four nights in small New York venues.

"As long as there is no concert at which Axl Rose doesn't show up, then I will have to say that everything is going well," said Eric Romano, who has run the fan website www.mygnr.com for 11 years.

Guitar virtuoso Slash and bassist Duff McKagan quit the band a decade ago, leaving Rose as the band's only original member.

Despite losing the creative axemen, Rose has retained a legion of fans who long for the release of "Chinese Democracy", an album in the works for nearly 10 years.

"For the majority of fans, as long as Axl Rose is there, it is still Guns N' Roses, even though other members of the group are no longer playing," Romano, a Canadian, told AFP.

But not all Guns N' Roses fans accept the absence of Slash, McKagan, drummer Matt Sorum and rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin, a founding member who quit the group in 1991.

"They're a good band and everything, but I don't think they have the chemistry the original GNR did," said photographer Robert John, who took pictures of the band from 1985-2002.

"I think some of the songs I heard them play are heavier and some don't have the same feel, because Slash isn't on the guitar," John said.

The revamped Guns N' Roses have yet to release their new album.

In a recent impromptu radio interview, Rose announced that the long-awaited "Chinese Democracy" would come out later this year. Constantly delayed, it has been derided by the New York Times as "the most expensive album never made."

It would be the band's first studio album since "The Spaghetti Incident?", released in 1993, which was a compilation of mostly punk covers.

That last album came on the heels of the hugely successful "Use Your Illusion I" and "Use Your Illusion II" albums, which included mega-hits such as "Don't Cry," "November Rain" and "You Could be Mine."

Guns N' Roses became one of the most popular hard rock bands after the 1987 release of its first album, "Appetite for Destruction," which introduced the world to Rose's hard-edged voice and Slash's ripping guitar solos.

But after selling more than 90 million records, Slash left the band in 1996 and was followed by McKagan and Sorum. GNR has since struggled to regain its hard rock crown with Rose alone at the helm.

Slash, McKagan and Sorum, meanwhile, revived their careers with the successful band Velvet Revolver, which includes another controversial singer, former Stone Temple Pilots frontman Scott Weiland.

Courtesy of www.vqpr.com