New Queen Song To Be Available As Free Download

Joining for only the second recoding session since the death of singer Freddie Mercury, Queen was recently in the studio with former Bad Company veteran Paul Rodgers to put the finishing touches on a brand new song to be released tomorrow.

The new track, "Say It’s Not True," will feature Rodgers on vocals with Queen guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor joining him at the studio microphone.

In what seems to be a new trend in this day of digital downloads, the single will be offered free of charge for anyone who cares to download it.

The group hopes that the release of the Taylor-written single will help further the efforts of Nelson Mandela’s campaign for AIDS awareness. A subject that may be very close to Taylor and May after lead singer Freddie Mercury’s death from AIDS back in 1991.

This is Queen’s first known studio session since 1997 when the group rejoined to record a tribute to Freddie Mercury called "No One But You."

For more details, visit Reuters.

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Led Zeppelin News

As anticipation builds for London’s O2 Show on December 10, more Zep-related news is trickling out. From Led Zeppelin fantasy camp to inside news from their early rehearsals, there has been no shortage of rumors and happenings to feed the appetites of hungry Zeppelin fans.

Taking the concept of rock fantasy camps to a new level, an outfit in England called RockMasters is offering a weekend at a country hotel where guests can live out their rock ‘n’ roll dreams for £750 (about $1500)

  Among other things, this fantasy weekend offers gourmet meals(including Jack Daniels ice cream!), music lessons from the likes of Mike Hurst and Clem Cattini and a chance to showcase their newly-acquired skills onstage with a top-notch Led Zeppelin tribute band backing them up.

The organizers are even considering activities like throwing televisions out of upper-story windows to give their guests that true rock ‘n’ roll bad-boy experience.

The organizers have reserved the entire hotel for the event so there will be no worries about offending or otherwise disturbing other guests who may not be as interested in the rock lifestyle as the attendees.

For more on this story visit The Sun.

In other news, there are some details emerging with regard to the first rehearsal session that brought the original members of Led Zeppelin together with John Bonham’s son Jason for the first time.

Going into the rehearsal a bit on the nervous side (and who would blame him?), Bonham happily discovered that the group clicked almost right away and cranked out Zep classic "No Quarter" as if the original members had never been apart.

Following "Kashmir," singer Robert Plant and guitarist Jimmy Page were so thrilled that they embraced after Page asked Plant for a hug. Who says old rockers don’t soften a bit with age?

For more, be sure to check out NME Music News.

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Eagles Battle Like Brothers And Do Not Worship Satan

Like just about any other band, or any other family for that matter, the guys that make up The Eagles have their disagreements and spats about various band-related matters.

Some comments recently by Eagles drummer and vocalist Don Henley sheds some light on the kinds of things that sometimes create a little unrest within their ranks.

Much of it is just what you might expect. Disagreements about how many of a particular band member’s songs will appear on an album and who gets to sing what parts.

Although he seems to be a very outspoken member of the group, Henley readily concedes that it was Glenn Frey was the mastermind behind the group’s creation and even says that "It’s basically his band."

For his part, Frey chimes in and says, "It’s a little bit like brothers. We’re in business together. We will forever be associated. You know, we might as well get along."

In other Eagles news, Don Henley has recently made an effort to clear up some old rumors about one of the group’s best-known hit songs, "Hotel California."

During a recent appearance on 60 Minutes, Henley debunks the rumor that the song had some connection with Satanism.

Instead, Henley says that the song was actually about the excesses of the American lifestyle during the time the song was written and really has nothing whatsoever to do with Satan.

"I know, it’s so boring. It’s basically a song about the dark underbelly of the American dream, and about excess in America which is something we knew a lot about," Henley says.

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New Dates Added For Van Halen Tour

With the success of their "almost" reunion tour, Van Halen has decided to stay on the road a bit longer and has added dates that take the tour well into next year.

Tour Dates For 2008 include the following:

January
22 - Oklahoma City, OK - Ford Center
24 - San Antonio, TX - AT&T Center
26 - Dallas, TX - American Airlines Center
28 - Houston, TX - Toyota Center

February
4 - Omaha, NE - Qwest Center
8 - New Orleans, LA - New Orleans Arena
12 - Ft. Lauderdale, FL - BankAtlantic Center
22 - Charlottesville, VA - John Paul Jones Arena

March
13 - East Rutherford, NJ - Izod Arena
17 - New York, NY - Madison Square Garden
19 - Hershey, PA - Giant Center
28 - Atlantic City, NJ - Boardwalk Hall
30 - St. Louis, MO - Scottrade Center

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ZZ Top Sets Out On Comeback Trail

ZZ Top, the Texas Trio best known for songs like "Cheap Sunglasses" and "Legs," have made some changes recently in hopes of breathing new life into a career that has been in decline since their last big hit album back in the early 1990’s.

But don’t be too quick to count these guys out. Having dropped their former manager of 37 years in favor of a new one, ZZ Top hopes to change its image enough to earn back the popularity they once enjoyed.

Although the group has continued to draw crowds for live performances, the group does not seem satisfied with that and makes no bones about the fact that they want to make a new album that will place the group firmly back in Grammy territory.

"We want a Grammy. We’re in this to make a great record that people want to hear," says the band’s new manager, Carl Stubner.

It’s clear that ZZ Top is starting to ramp things in preparation for that new Grammy-worthy album. A deluxe 25th Anniversary edition of the group’s hit album Eliminator will be released early next year and a live DVD and CD from a recent show in Grand Prairie, Texas will be available sometime next summer.

No firm timetable seems to be in place for a new album right now, although they hope to release on Columbia sometime next year. Whether or not it ends up being the groups ticket to the Grammy Awards is up to the fans.

Check out the full story at the Houston Chronicle.

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Led Zeppelin Tour: Will They or Won’t They?

The Led Zeppelin tour rumors have tilted back towards "No we won’t"
yet again as recent reports state that the group is denying any plans for a tour next year.

Leaving the door open a bit, the group has officially said that "no decision has been made" with regard to any plans for a tour following the O2 Show in London on December 10.

Led Zeppelin tour rumors were intensified recently by a report that lead singer for The Cult, Ian Astbury, made a claim during a show in Cincinnati that they would be returning to the city next year as an opener for Led Zeppelin.

In response, a Led Zeppelin spokesman joked that perhaps Astbury was confused and meant to say that they will be opening for Limp Bizkit instead of Led Zeppelin.

Led Zeppelin fans must be in fear of suffering from whiplash at this point. These on-again-off-again tour rumors have been coming fast and furious and probably will continue until the group comes out with a definitive statement about their plans following the O2 Show.

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Brian May Named University Chancellor

Well, if it is one thing Queen guitarist Brian May has proven recently, it is that he’s no rock ‘n’ roll air head. Having recently earned his doctorate in astrophysics after putting his academic pursuits on hold for years while playing with Queen, May has been named chancellor of Liverpool John Moores University.

This is a post that was last held by the wife of former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Cherie Booth. May is set to begin his duties sometime early in 2008.

The current vice chancellor chancellor recently said: "Brian May is an intensely talented individual who achieved global success with Queen.
"In this age of celebrity culture, it is rare to find someone who has fame, fortune and universal acclaim and yet who remains true to his core values of learning and enlightenment."

Congratulations to Brian May for proving himself both a great guitar player and a pretty brainy chap as well.

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Alex Lifeson Interview And South American Tour News From Rush

Rush fans, and particularly Alex Lifeson fans will be interested to hear that the December Issue of Guitarist Magazine will feature an interview with guitar man Lifeson.

As you might expect in an interview with a guitar mag, Lifeson talks about his guitars and equipment and about the recent Snakes & Arrows tour that has recently wrapped up after a swing through Europe.

In other recent Rush happenings, the group is reported to be planning a short South American tour during April or May of 2008. The group will reportedly perform in Brazil, Argentina, Peru, and Chile.

This is great news for Rush Fans in South America. As I recall reading some time ago, the group was a bit surprised to discover just how popular they are on that continent when they toured there a few years back and maybe they feel the need to swing through there and give their dedicated fans a few good shows.

Thanks to RushIsABand.com for this Rush news.

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Springsteen Keyboard Player Sitting Out For Medical Reasons

Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band will have to do without their keyboard player for now due to medical treatment that will be required for melanoma.

Danny Federici has decided to take some time away from the group for his treatment and will be replaced with Charles Giordano who has worked with Springsteen in the past. Giordano will start on November 24 with the Madrid show.

In a statement, Springsteen said: “Danny is one of the pillars of our sound and has played beside me as a great friend for more than 40 years,” Springsteen said in a statement. “We all eagerly await his healthy and speedy return.”

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Catching Up With Steely Dan’s Donald Fagen

As a long-time Steely Dan fan, I read with interest a recent interview with Donald Fagen. When I think of Steely Dan, one word always seems to come to mine for me: "Cool." To me, Steely Dan is cool.

During the interview, Fagen talks about some of his previous solo work on albums such as The Nightfly, Kamakiriad, and Morph The Cat and a little bit about the possibility of him doing another solo album at some point in the future.

Growing up as an avid science fiction fan and member of the "The Science Fiction Book Club" no less, Fagen talks about how his love for science fiction has influenced his work through the years.

Science fiction also played a role in his pairing with Walter Becker to form Steely Dan, since Becker was also a young science fiction fan and the two were drawn together in part because of that common interest as well as in interest in jazz music.

Wrapping up the interview, Fagen reveals that he has been talking to Becker about a new Steely Dan album as well as plans for a Steely Dan tour next summer and possibly plans for Fagen to tour with his band next fall.

For more on the interview, check out Reuters.com.