Slash thinks that Linkin Park's Chester Bennington fits perfectly as Stone Temple Pilots' new frontman. The former Velvet Revolver guitarist, a band that featured original STP frontman Scott Weiland, expressed his support for the re-vamped group via Twitter earlier this week.
Black Sabbath debuted "The End of the Beginning," the latest single from their forthcoming album, 13, on the season finale of the CBS forensic drama, CSI. The band played the show attended by actors Ted Danson and Marc Vann. "So nice to see Black Sabbath again," said Vann. "Saw them in '78 at the Spectrum in Philly."
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"
Bullet For My Valentine frontman Matt Tuck was recently interviewed on The Blairing Out With Eric Blair Show, where he discussed everything from growing up to BFMV to his side-project Axewound. Tuck said that his greatest achievement was getting a record deal with Bullet: "Getting a record deal with the band. I think that was always goal number one . . ."
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 . . ."
Ray Manzarek, keyboardist for the Doors, died on Monday at the age of 74 in Rosenheim, Germany where he was being treated for bile duct cancer. "I was deeply saddened to hear about the passing of my friend and bandmate," said the band's guitarist Robby Krieger in a statement. "Ray was a huge part of my life and I will always miss him."
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."
KISS guitarist Paul Stanley says he doesn't mind that the band has not been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Speaking with the Huffington Post, Stanley said he doesn't put much credence in the Rock Hall's opinion of great rock music. "Look, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is marketing," he said.
Limp Bizkit guitarist Wes Borland has opened up about the progress of the band's forthcoming release. Speaking with Billboard, he said they've got "most of the music" finished for the release, which will be titled Stampede of the Disco Elephants. "We're really trying to get it hammered out here," he said.
Both Blink-182 and Fall Out Boy have signed on to appear at this year's Riot Fest in Chicago. The event is set to take place at the city's Humboldt Park and will run from September 13 through the 15. Tickets for Riot Fest are available through the event's official website. Three-day passes are currently listed for $99.
Linkin Park frontman Chester Bennington joined the Stone Temple Pilots onstage at the 2013 KROQ Weenie Roast in Irvine, California for a new song, "Out of Time." The band has released a streaming version of the track to SoundCloud. In addition to the new song, the Bennington-led Pilots performed a handful of STP classics.
The Black Keys' drummer Patrick Carney and Delta Spirit will perform during a series of Rolling Stones tribute shows, known as Stones Fest, set to take place in New York and Los Angeles later this month.
Carney and Spirit are among the musicians set to play tunes from the Stones' catalog at the NYC edition of the event, which takes place May 22-23 at the Bowery.
A memorial has been announced for Slayer guitarist Jeff Hanneman, who died last week in a California hospital at the age of 49 due to alcohol-related cirrhosis. The memorial will be held at Los Angeles' Hollywood Palladium on May 23. It runs from 3:30-7.30pm, reports Billboard, and up to 4,000 people will be able to attend on a first come, first serve basis.