Aaron Lewis, the Staind fronter who's been lately moonlighting as a country artist, will make his debut at the Grand Ole Opry on May 28. Although he won't have to take the stage alone, as he'll be joined by some old Nashville hands in Bill Anderson, Ricky Skaggs, Josh Turner, Dustin Lynch and Craig Campbell.
Chris Cornell says that inducting Heart into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this spring was a profound experience. The Soundgarden frontman discussed the event in a recent Q & A with fans hosted by HBO. "Inducting Heart into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame was an eye-opening experience," Cornell explained. "I was certainly honored . . ."
Josh Homme offered some interesting insight into what it takes to front a band like Queens of the Stone Age in a recent interview with GQ magazine. "I think people believe I'm some kind of evil dictator sometimes," Homme began. "But I don't much care about that. I'm not politically correct, I never said I was. I made a lot of hard decisions in my life."
The Psychedelic Furs are hitting the road for a 35-date North American tour that will keep them touring through the end of September. The lengthy trek kicks off May 31 in Agoura Hills, California, and wraps up September 9 in Lincoln, Nebraska. The band will also hit cities such as Las Vegas, Philadelphia, New York, Anaheim and Phoenix.
Caleb and Nathan Followill of Kings of Leon will host their hometown Music City Eats: Nashville Food, Wine & Spirit Festival this September. The inaugural fest aims to bring together acclaimed national chefs and stars of the local culinary scene. "We love food as much as music and believe that Nashville can be a foodie," began Nathan in a presser.
The post-Scott Weiland era for the Stone Temple Pilots has begun, as the band has officially announced Linkin Park frontman Chester Bennington as their new lead singer. Bennington debuted with the band at the KROQ Weenie Roast in Los Angeles this past weekend. "Every band has it's own kind of vibe," Bennington told KROQ.
Metallica fronter James Hetfield, in an interview with Billboard, says the band has enough raw material for an new album: "We got out into the room and jammed and we've come up with enough material for a record, for sure. We've gone through maybe one-tenth of the material that's on our riffs CDs."
Trevor Bolder, the one-time bassist for both David Bowie and Uriah Heep, has died of cancer at the age of 62. Bolder recorded four albums with Bowie during the 1970s: Hunky Dory, The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust, Aladdin Sane and Pinups. "Trevor was a wonderful musician and a major inspiration," Bowie posted to Facebook.
Muse has uploaded a video to the band's Facebook page suggesting that it will lend a hand on the soundtrack to World War Z, the upcoming Brad Pitt film. The seven-second clip begins with the band's name centered on the screen. The 'S' changes to a 'Z', and the message, "there will be no warning," then appears.
Radiohead fronter Thom Yorke has been tapped to score The U.K. Gold, an upcoming documentary on the subject of tax evasion in the country. According to a press release, the film centers on "a vicar from a small parish in the London Borough of Hackney as he goes head-to-head with an ancient and mighty heavyweight."
Robin Finck, on-again/off-again guitarist for Nine Inch Nails, has rejoined the band, according to a statement issued by the band's fronter, Trent Reznor. "The addition of Robin to the mix of players I've assembled makes this band incredibly powerful and versatile," Reznor said.
Beck has announced that he will perform his most recent album, Song Reader, for the first time live at London's Barbican on July 4. The new material was released as sheet music only, so it'll be the first time the public hears the album as Beck conceived it. Beck previously announced a short summer tour, which will hit five dates.
Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day was one of many rockers to pay tribute to Ray Manzarek, keyboardist for the Doors, who died on Monday at the age of 74 in Rosenheim, Germany where he was being treated for bile duct cancer. BJ hit Instagram to post a 1960s-era black-and-white photograph of the legendary organist, adding, "#thankyouraymanzarek #thedoors"
System of a Down have released an official statement regarding bassist Shavo Odadjian's public diss of frontman Serj Tankian. Shavo said Serj is holding the band back, but now the group is backpedaling on his remarks. "Earlier today, Shavo posted a few statements on his personal Facebook page that do not reflect the sentiments of System of a Down . . ."
Queens of the Stone Age have released a 15-minute animated short film to promote the release of their upcoming album Like Clockwork. The film puts together several songs and combines them with images by artist Boneface and animator Liam Brazier for an effect that frontman Josh Homme described as "an audio commentary of a manic year."