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On this day in 2007, Paul Raven, bassist with post-punk band Killing Joke, died of a suspected heart attack aged 46 in Geneva, Switzerland, where he was recording. He left the band in 1987 before forming Murder Inc. and joining Ministry, Prong and Mob Research. Find out what else happened on this date in music history here -

Why Dave Navarro Didn't Join Guns N' Roses

In the latest episode of Talking Metal Dave Navarro explains why he turned Axl Rose down for a spot in Guns N' Roses. Navarro explains: "When Izzy left the band, Axl called me to be a member of Guns. There are a number of reasons that it didn't work out. If I could pick one, it would be my own heroin addiction. We have always had a great respect for one another."

Dave also talks about his love for Iron Maiden and how their influence "helped shape the sound of Jane's Addiction." and he reveals that he is currently in the studio with producer Rich Costey (Muse, Franz Ferdinand) working on a new Jane's Addiction album which will include songs co-written by Duff McKagan.

The podcast can be heard on TalkingMetal.com and can also be downloaded using iTunes. Other podcast subjects discussed by Ostronomy and Strigl include: Amanda Somerville, Ace Frehley and Ratt. - Check it out here

Alcohol Killed Stereophonics Star

(Gibson) NME.com reports that ex-Stereophonics drummer Stuart Cable choked to death on his own vomit after a three-day drinking binge. The inquest in Aberdare, Wales gave a verdict of accidental death.

The inquest heard that Cable began drinking on Friday, June 4. He presented his BBC radio show the following day and then continued drinking that evening in his local pub. He continued drinking at home until 5 a.m. The drinking continued the next afternoon (Sunday) until late in the evening when Cable fell asleep on the sofa. He never woke again.

The pathologist confirmed that Cable's death was caused by him choking on his own vomit brought on by acute alcohol poisoning - more on this story

INXS Again

(PR) INXS will release their new album, Original Sin, on January 11, 2011. The band has recorded several of their signature hits re-imagined by some of the world's finest musicians including Ben Harper, Rob Thomas, Tricky, Nikka Costa and more.

"We're thrilled to welcome INXS back to Atco. This album will reunite the band and their great music with their significant fanbase, and by way of some very special guests, to a new audience," said Kevin Gore, President & CEO of Rhino Entertainment.

An ambitious project two years in the making, Original Sin teams the band with musicians from around the globe, from superstars like Ben Harper, Train's Pat Monahan, Rob Thomas, and Nikka Costa to up and comer DJ Yaleidys of Cuba, to reinterpret and revitalize their own classics for a whole new generation. An eclectic mix of music including Thomas and Yaleidys' sultry take on "Original Sin" and trip-hop superstar Tricky's electrifying version of "Mediate" to Pat Monahans' emotional "Beautiful Girl" and French pop artist Loane's take on "Mystify" with John Mayer & Kirk Pengilly on guitar, INXS boldly embrace their past and future on one album. - more on this story

Free Pixies

(Gibson) Since last year, Black Francis and friends have been traveling the world, celebrating the 20th anniversary of their 1989 album Doolittle. With an improved website in the works, the Pixies are celebrating once again.

In honor of that classic album and the forthcoming launch of the new PixiesMusic.com, the band are giving away a four-song live EP, which can be downloaded from the site. Recorded in Mexico City, the EP features versions of the Doolittle tracks "Gouge Away," "Monkey Gone to Heaven" and "Crackity Jones" as well as the B-side "Dancing the Manta Ray."

To get the EP, fans have to visit PixiesMusic.com and enter their e-mail address. - more on this story

Motorhead's Ace of Beer Blues

(hennemusic) Seems like a few hard rock acts have been getting into the commercial business lately: we've mentioned Judas Priest and AC/DC recently, for starters. Here's a new one: Motorhead. Selling beer.

The biggest difference between Motorhead and the others is that Lemmy went in the studio and re-recorded "Ace Of Spades" as a blues number, according to The Independent.

Recorded at half the speed of the original, "Ace Of Spades" will premiere this Sunday in a U.K. commercial for Kronenbourg 1664 entitled "Slow Down The Pace." - more including the ad

Social Distortion To Deliver Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes

Social Distortion has set a date. Their first new album in six years, Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes, will hit stores January 18th.

The first single from the effort, "Machine Gun Blues," will be released on iTunes on November 9th.

After years of working with various producers in the studio, Mike Ness took on the duty for the first time with their new album. "It's something I've always wanted to do," Ness explains. "I love being on that side of the board. Even though I've co-produced all of our records, I always was there for everything. It just came to a point where I was like 'I think I want to try this, I want to do this ourselves.' By being at the helm this time allowed so much more focus for me to the fine details of every aspect of it, whether it was performances, or tones, or arrangements, backing vocals....everything." - more on this story

Alice Cooper Announces Halloween Treat

(hennemusic) Alice Cooper continues to keep the tradition of Halloween alive, and this year he has a few treats for his fans.

A limited edition 7" single of Alice's song, "Keepin' Halloween Alive!" will be released on Glow In The Dark Vinyl.

There's only 2,300 copies available: of those, only 1,450 will be available for sale in the U.S. - more on this story

George Harrison's All Things Must Pass Remaster For Limited Edition Box Set

(PR) On Friday, November 26, George Harrison's magnificent 1970 solo debut, All Things Must Pass, will be released in a limited edition, numbered 180-gram vinyl set in its original 3LP configuration, with faithfully replicated original monochromic album art, poster and lift-top box packaging.

Newly remastered at Abbey Road Studios from the original analogue master tapes, the deluxe vinyl reissue commemorates the landmark album's 40th anniversary and will be available exclusively at Record Store Day-participating independent music retailers across the U.S. On the same date, the album will be available for download purchase in audiophile quality digital format (96Khz/24 bit) exclusively at www.georgeharrison.com.

"George Harrison's All Things Must Pass was a milestone release in 1970 and it ranks with record store owners as one of the best albums ever released," said Michael Kurtz, co-founder of Record Store Day. "The organizers of Record Store Day could not be more thrilled to support the restored reissue 40 years later - almost to the exact day - of this majestic album." - more on this story

Alleged Pantera Identity Theft Band Hired Hellyeah and Damageplan Member?

The Metal Den follows up their exclusive coverage of the alleged Pantera identity theft saga with this disturbing report: As if this story couldn't get any more bizarre, TMD has now obtained video footage of former Damageplan bassist, Bob "Zilla" Kakaha, now of HELLYEAH, either knowingly or unknowingly implicating himself as part of the alleged PANTERA identity theft case perpetuated by ORPHANED TO HATRED band, led by its founder and vocalist Brandon Ralph McBride.

TMD includes screen captures (throughout thier article) directly taken from the seemingly damning evidence. The hardest part to digest in the video is seeing a standing cardboard cutout of Dimebag Darrell Abbott himself located behind the drums!

In the video, exact date of origin unknown, but believed to be shot earlier this year, McBride, along with OTH guitarist Eric Meyer can be seen coaching Kakaha on the bass part for an upcoming track to be included on the new OTH album. TMD has learned from a source close to the band that Kakaha is being paid thousands of dollars to perform on either one or two songs for the debut full-length by Orphaned To Hatred band. - See the video and photos here

Singled Out: Meridene

Today Trevor Carl Ives of Meridene tells us about "Gone, Baby Gone" from their brand new album "Something Like Blood," which was recorded at the home-studio of Bon Iver. Here is the story:

"Gone, Baby Gone" was a first for this band. We were working out which songs were going on our new album. I had a song I had written that we were working on with little success. Stuck at 8 songs for a full-length record, we decided to try something new. As a band, we had always had a bit of a formula to how songwriting worked. I would always write the music and the melody, then bring the song to the rest of the band to add their own bits to it. Stuck in a time crunch with 4 days in the studio looming, we attempted to co-write a song together on the fly, on the spot.

Everything started with the initial drumbeat. We put it all on Dave to start the thing off. He started doing this rolling tom thing. I could hear what I wanted guitar-wise in my head pretty quickly, and after making Dave loop his drum part for way to long, was able to bang out the initial guitar riff. At the time, we were between bass players, so Paul was playing bass. As the song progressed, and we came to the chorus, we hit a wall. I could feel where the chorus should go, but was afraid that it might come off a bit to pop-punk. That's when Paul came up with the idea to use the chords that I had come up with, but to have the bass line move the song along. After tweaking the verse drum part a bit, we had the music finished. I had a pretty good idea what I was doing with the melody, but no good ideas for the subject of the song itself.

At the time we were writing the song, I had started an obsession with the actress Vivian Leigh. Which lead me to watch all 4 hours of Gone with the Wind. It was an amazing movie, almost perfect (almost because it tries to get you to sympathize with the south during the civil war) . After procrastinating on writing the words for far to long, on our last day in the studio, I went up into one of the bedrooms in the studio and started to write. I had a loose theme for the album, dealing with the current economic turmoil we were all going through. So I decided to make Gone, Baby Gone about the housing crisis, run through a filter of Gone with the Wind (again, without the sympathy for the south in the civil war). The lyrics came quickly, and within 20 minutes we were recording the vocals on the song.

So this one was a first for us. The first time we co-wrote a song, in a day, right before we went into the studio. And of course it ends up the single. Things always seem to work out like that. I titled the song "Gone, Baby Gone" because I felt that if there was a modernization of Gone with the Wind, that's what they would title it. I guess this song was a big of a lightning strike. Everything came together so quickly, with a great result. And although we have started to co-write more songs together, the process has never worked as seamlessly as it did that day. I guess sometimes you get lucky, and things work out for the best.

Hearing is believing. Now that you know the story behind the song, listen for yourself and learn more about the album and grab their current tour dates - right here!

Don't Call Kings of Leon Hipsters

(Gibson) Kings of Leon frontman Caleb Followill said that he's happy to take success over being considered hip by the press and fans.

"I hate [expletive] hipsters," the guitarist/singer told RollingStone.com. "Everyone talks about indie this and indie that, but would you really want to be one of those indie bands that makes two albums and disappears? That's just sad."

His Nashville-based band certainly have made more than two albums. Kings of Leon's fifth studio album, Come Around Sundown, was released on Tuesday. According to Followill, longevity was always part of the plan. "When we signed on with our manager, we all said we wanted to have a box-set career," he said. "We'll gladly be the next generation of bands that aren't going anywhere." -

Mosh Potatoes Featuring Lemmy, Zakk Wylde, Pantera, Guns 'N Roses and More

Music Industry veteran and metal musician Steve "Buckshot" Seabury brings you "Mosh Potatoes - Recipes, Anecdotes & Mayhem From The Heavyweights Of Heavy Metal". Almost 5 years in the making, Simon & Schuster the publisher, has moved the street date from November 30th to November 16th due to the heavy anticipation of the release. The book is now available for pre order online and will be available all of book stores, your favorite record stores and many mail order companies.

Mosh Potatoes features 147 exciting recipes from legendary icons like Lemmy, Zakk Wylde and Lita Ford to the thrash titans of Pantera, Megadeth, Testament, Overkill and Anthrax to the hair metal bands of Guns & Roses, Dokken, LA Guns, Steel Panther, Twisted Sister to the mayhem of metal including Mudvayne, Lamb of God, Shadows Fall, Hatebreed and Devildriver to death metal pioneers of Napalm Death, Obituary, Death and Sepultura and the book wouldnt be complete without the future of the new school like Municipal Waste, Skeletonwitch, Lazarus AD, Evile and Moth Eater. - more on this story

My Chemical Gran Turismo Romance

A new My Chemical Romance song, "Planetary (GO!)," will be the lead song in the opening cinematic of Sony Playstation's Gran Turismo 5 video game.

"Gran Turismo is one of the most beloved videogame franchises of all time, with fans across the globe," says My Chemical Romance's lead singer Gerard Way. "Having a song featured as the lead intro to GT5 allows us to reach fans beyond radio and online and into a totally different platform. We are thrilled that our song is going to be the first thing you hear when you boot up the game."

My Chemical Romance's new album, Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys, will be released by Reprise Records on November 22nd, 2010. - more on this story

Joe Bonamassa Coming Back To America

(Gibson) Joe Bonamassa will continue the second leg of his U.S. tour in support of his latest album, Black Rock. The record debuted at #1 on Billboard's Blues Albums Chart and #38 on Billboard's Top 200 Chart.

The tenth full-length solo release and eighth studio album of his career, the disc marks Bonamassa's sixth collaboration with Kevin Shirley (Led Zeppelin, Black Crowes, Aerosmith) as producer. The tour picks up in Springfield, MA, on Nov. 11 and continues traveling the U.S. through March 2011. Many dates in 2011 are TBA.

Bonamassa will also host five Blues in the Schools sessions with local middle schools and high schools for his show dates in Stamford, CT, Rochester, NY, Virginia Beach, VA, North Charleston, SC, and Greenville, SC. In an hour-long presentation, Joe will take students on a musical journey tracking the evolution of blues music from the Deep South in the late 1800s up through today's different styles. He will include live performances, recorded music, slide presentations and informative narratives. - more on this story

Conan O'Brien Names His Basic Cable House Band

(hennemusic) Conan O'Brien will have many familiar faces in his house band when his new show debuts on TBS November 8.

Taking over where Max Weinberg left off, Conan's new "Basic Cable Band" will be led by Jimmy Vivino, longtime guitarist on Conan's shows over the years – including Late Night with Conan O'Brien and The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien. Vivino also served as band leader in Weinberg's absences in the past, so should feel very comfortable in his new full-time gig.

In addition to its namesake, Jimmy Vivino & The Basic Cable Band will consist of Scott Healy (keyboards); Mike Merritt (bass); Mark Pender (trumpet); Richie "La Bamba" Rosenberg (trombone); Jerry Vivino (saxophone, woodwinds and vocals); and James Wormworth (drums). - more on this story

Apocalyptica Coming To America

Apocalyptica have announced a run of 18 shows in the U.S. this fall which will hit the east coast, mid west and the south.

The tour will kick off November 25h in Orlando, Florida at House Of Blues and concluding in Corpus Christi, Texas on December 18th at the House Of Rock.

The band recently finished their international sold-out summer tour supporting the release of their most recent album, 7th Symphony which featured guest appearances from Brent Smith of Shinedown, Lacey Mosley of Flyleaf, Joe Duplantier of Gojira and Dave Lombardo of Slayer - more on this story

Lynyrd Skynyrd Tragedy Anniversary

On this day in 1977, Ronnie Van Zant, Steve Gaines and Cassie Gaines of Lynyrd Skynyrd were all killed along with manager Dean Kilpatrick when their rented plane ran out of fuel. Gibson looks back:

Their new tour was the biggest and best yet. Five shows into the tour they played he Greenville Memorial Auditorium in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. On their way to Mississippi the next day, October 20, 1977 at 6:42 p.m., the pilot of Lynyrd Skynyrd's Convair 240 airplane radioed that the plane was perilously low on fuel. Passengers and crew would fly for just 10 more minutes before crashing into a heavily wooded area in the middle of a swamp in Gillsburg, Mississippi.

Three helicopters from the Coast Guard, National Guard and Forrest County General Hospital helped in the rescue, transporting medics to the scene. Bulldozers were rushed to the scene to cut through the brush and woods from nearby Mississippi State Highway 568. Nearly everyone aboard was injured and taken to nearby hospitals. Besides the injured, six lives were lost in the crash including singer/songwriter Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist/vocalist Steve Gaines, his sister and back-up singer Cassie Gaines, assistant road manager Dean Kilpatrick, pilot Walter McCreary and co-pilot William Gray. - more on this story

Ben Harper Giving Fans The Orbans For A Buck

(Stunt) Ben Harper is a fan of The Orbans and he thinks you should be too! So for a limited time only via his website: www.benharper.com he'll be offering fans a chance to check out The Orbans' debut album When We Were Wild for $1 only!

Produced by Adam Lasus (Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Yo La Tengo), the album is full of catchy gems that take you on an energetic and eclectic ride of pure pop bliss.

Harper was introduced to The Orbans through band mate and drummer for Relentless 7, Jordan Richardson, who is a native of The Orbans' hometown Fort Worth, TX. After becoming a fan, Harper had the idea of featuring The Orbans' album as a $1 download to help spread the word. So for the next two weeks, while The Orbans are on tour and performing at NYC's CMJ, fans have a unique opportunity to buy and share this album for one dollar only. -

Keane Sideband Mt. Desolation Debuts

Keane's Tim Rice-Oxley and Jesse Quin have another band called Mt. Desolation, who released their debut album this week via Cherrytree/Interscope.

Featuring special appearances from members of The Killers, Mumford & Sons, The Long Winters and Noah & The Whale and produced by Emery Dobyns (Patti Smith, Antony & The Johnsons

Monday night the band made their U.S. live debut, opening for Mumford & Sons in Los Angeles with a show that left SPIN.com raving, "Just as the triumphant Nashville swagger of 'Annie Ford' opened the night, the lovely steam engine shuffle of 'Departure' would close the band's set, inspiring the audience to clap along to the unshakeable bucolic bounce." - more on this story

Billy Idol A Classic Not A Novelty

(Gibson) After surviving wave after wave of '80s nostalgia and his own, self-destructive tendencies, rock veteran Billy Idol is still expressing his punk rock spirit on tour with his new band. But what accounts for his longevity?

"People have a very romantic view of the 1980s," Idol told Spinner.com. "In music, you must weed out a lot of the novelty and one-hit wonders and what you have left is the best of people in the '80s or early '90s. I'm part of the good side. What we had were classic songs. We were real. We weren't one-hit wonders. We definitely had 10 or 12 songs on the charts and a bit of a pedigree."

Despite achieving such fame, Idol almost ruined his own career with drugs, alcohol and an altogether indulgent lifestyle. "I stopped doing a lot of the things that burnt me out," Idol said. "I gave up all the drugs, all the booze, but I'm still into women. That's one thing I don't mind indulging, but I don't feel like I am burning myself out, burning the candle at both ends. I have it under control and I'm still very much excited about what I do." - more on this story

Orange Juice Box Set Previews and New Release Date

Domino Records has announced a new release date for the Orange Juice box set: Coals to Newcastle, which will now be released on November 22nd, 2010.

Domino will be giving folks access to new and long lost songs, photos, and videos every week leading up to November 22nd.

This week they share five songs from Coals to Newcastle. Be on the lookout next week for our feature on "Caledonia Dreaming," the BBC documentary on Scotland's post-punk pop scene and Orange Juice's seminal role in it. - Check it out

Mojo Monkeys Going Soph

Mojo Monkeys sophomore album, "Blessings and Curses," is set to be released on November 9th.

Mojo Monkeys is a project formed by three in-demand Los Angeles musicians Singer/Drummer David Raven, Bassist Taras Prodaniuk and guitarist Billy Watts. Collectively they've logged time in the studio and onstage with such notable artists as: Lucinda Williams Keith Richards, Norah Jones, Dwight Yoakum, Bonnie Raitt, June Carter Cash, Mike Ness, Steve Jones of the Sex Pistols, Dixie Chicks, Geoff Muldaur, John Trudell, Richard Thompson, Jim Lauderdale, Peter Himmelma, Buck Owens, T-Bone Burnett and many, many more. - more on this story

Taylor Swift To Play The CMA Awards

(Gibson) Reigning CMA Entertainer of the year Taylor Swift has been added to the list of performers at this year's CMA Awards.

Hosted by Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood, the 44th Annual CMA Awards will be broadcast live from the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville at 8 p.m. (ET) Wednesday, Nov. 10 on the ABC Television Network. Previously announced performers include Dierks Bentley, Kenny Chesney, Lady Antebellum, Miranda Lambert, Paisley, Rascal Flatts, Reba, Blake Shelton, George Strait, Sugarland, Underwood and Keith Urban. In addition, special duet performances will feature top nominee Lambert with Sheryl Crow in a tribute to Loretta Lynn's 50th Anniversary as a recording artist, and Zac Brown Band with Alan Jackson.

Still only 20 years old, Taylor Swift has won a total of six CMA Awards, and her third album, Speak Now, will be released on Oct. 25. - more on this story

That Metal CD Release Show

VH1 Classic's That Metal Show stars Don Jamieson and Jim Florentine will perform a comedy set at the Studio at Webster Hall on October 26th at 8 PM.

The duo will be celebrating the release of their comedy album Terrorizing Telemarketers Volume 5.

Fans who purchase the CD at Best Buy Union Square - on sale for only $9.99 - will receive a wristband good for FREE admission into the show. - more

Hugh Cornwell Kicks Off American Tour

Former Stranglers frontman Hugh Cornwell kicks off his North American tour tonight in Los Angeles.

The show features two sets - the first will feature a collection of Stranglers hits and classic solo material, with the second featuring The Stranglers seminal debut album 'Rattus Norvegicus IV' being performed in its entirety for the first time in North America.

The three piece band on this tour features Hugh Cornwell on guitar/vocals, Steve Fishman on bass/vocals and Clem Burke from Blondie on drums. - more on this story

Secret Sphere Reissues

Secret Sphere's "The Scent Of Human Desire" and "Heart & Anger" will be reissued each with a bonus track as digipak editions, each limited to 2000 copies on November, 22nd in Europe and January, 11th 2011 in USA.

For the last thirteen years, Secret Sphere have been successfully building their reputation of power metal heroes. Strongly influenced by such acts as Dream Theater, Savatage and Helloween, this Italian group managed to develop a style of their own, forging together fast aggressive riffs and bold symphonic elements. Now, with the re-issues of two of some of their finest albums – "Scent of Human Desire" (2003) and "Heart & Anger" (2005) – Metal Mind is proud to bring back one of the most talented power metal acts of all times... - more on this story

We Came As Romans Announce Motel Tour

(Equal Vision) We Came As Romans will kick off the new year as the headline act on the "Rock Yourself To Sleep Tour".

Joining the band on the full U.S. tour will be For Today, The Word Alive, Woe Is Me, and labelmates Texas In July. - more on this story