Aerosmith’s Joe Perry Hits Twitter

Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry hosted a live Twitter chat on Thursday, December 29. Many of the fan questions and Joe’s answers were irreverent, but the Les Paul-toting guitar legend did reveal a few insightful opinions on what rocks his world. Here are a few tidbits…

Q: Do you have some hints to say to new guitarists?

Joe Perry: “Go back and listen to the old stuff. Like: Les Paul, Jerry Reed, Freddie King, and Chuck Berry.”

Q: Do you regret leaving [Aerosmith] for that short period or do you think it helped you as an individual?

JP: “No, I think it did me a world of good.”

Q: When was the moment that you knew you guys were gonna be big, and how did it feel?

JP: “We came back to Boston and played at a high school and there was a line around the building. It felt like the first time...”

Q: When are Aerosmith next touring?

JP: “We are planning on touring this summer in the U.S. and Canada.” 

Q: What do the new Aerosmith tracks sound like?

JP: “People have said when we play the rough tracks it sounds like it’s from the ’70s but for me, it’s too early to tell.”

Q: Is there more Joe Perry Project songs coming?

JP: “We are talking about a compilation JPP record in the future with some new songs on it.”

And asked about the probability of more solo Joe Perry gigs, the guitarist simply tweeted “YES!!!”

Q: Would you like to take part of a concert with a jazz pianist someday?

JP: “Yesterday we jammed in the Boneyard [Perry’s home studio] w/a close friend organ player who loves Jazz. Some of it rubbed off. We’ll see...”

Q: What’s the weirdest thing you’ve done to your hair?

JP: “One summer about 8 years ago, I had a crew-cut, and I don't mean Motley Crew, needless to say, there were no pics that summer.”

Elsewhere, Perry revealed his favourite book is The Iliad by Homer – “a great story.” And his favourite movie “right now” is O Brother Where Art Thou. For the gearheads, Perry also says “I’m most comfortable on a Les Paul” and currently favors vintage amps.

You can follow Joe Perry on Twitter at @AdmiralPerry and view the whole chat.

More Aerosmith:

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Auld Lang Syne: 10 Perfect Tunes for New Year’s Eve Podcast

If you want to make New Year’s Eve sound really new, ditch your fossilized Guy Lombardo MP3 and forget about “1999,” because that’s sooo two-thousand-zero-zero. Here’s a list of 10 tunes – some classic, some recent, and obscenely obvious – we suggest for your New Year’s Eve podcast, CD, or even mixtape.

“In the Year 2525 (Exordium and Terminus),” Zaeger and Evans

This may be the greatest New Year’s anthem of all time, including the distant future. On the cosmic scale of weirdness, this song – with its predictions of mankind becoming limbless globs of flesh existing on food pills – gets a full-on 10. And musically, this one-hit wonder duo from Lincoln, Nebraska, knock it out of the park, packing the song with verse-by-verse modulations, mariachi horn flourishes, and a vocal performance that stacks crescendo atop crescendo. “In the Year 2525” sold four-million singles, hit #1 on the Billboard chart in 1969 and was nominated for science fiction’s highest honor, the Hugo Award. Even The Beatles can’t claim that troika of victory.

“Big Day Coming,” Yo La Tengo

How many alternative rock bands write love songs bristling with innocence and hope? These Hoboken heroes are masters of that game, and this 2003-released tune is a timeless anthem of both – a perfect New Year’s Eve attitude adjuster, with a gorgeous wash of guitars to boot. “Let’s be undecided/Let’s take our time,” frontman Ira Kaplan sings. “We’ll be on the outside/We won’t care/’Cause we’re together/That’s somewhere.”

“Next Year,” Foo Fighters

In 2000, Gibson six-string hero Dave Grohl’s Foo Fighters made this astronaut’s love song the final single from There is Nothing Left to Lose. With its soft notes of romance and acoustic foundation, it’s perfect to set the mood for a midnight kiss under the mistletoe. (Oops! Wrong holiday!)

“This is the Day,” The The

Englishman Matt Johnson’s operation The The has undergone all kinds of musical evolutions since he founded the project in the early ’80s, but his 1983 debut album Soul Mining remains a synth-pop classic on the same high tier as Depeche Mode’s early recordings. With its images of calendars, a sleepless night and wistful hope for the future, this song, a pure burst of melody with a slight undercurrent of melancholy, is a perfect ode for any new year.

“Monkey Dog,” O.V. Wright

If you’re hosting a New Year’s Eve party you need a great dance song that hasn’t been played out. This classic by one of the forgotten greats of American soul is perfect. It’s a dance craze number – half “the dog,” half “the monkey” – with zippy double-entendre lyrics. Best of all, Wright breaks into barking at the tune’s apex. Forget “the swim” and dive into the “Monkey Dog.”

“New Year’s Day,” U2

Too obvious? C’mon, don’t be a cynic. This number – overplayed as it is – bursts with the promise of love and a belief in the triumph of hope over hopelessness, and that’s a beautiful thing. Save your bad attitude for next December and give this song the spin it deserves.

“What are You Doing New Year’s Eve?” Ella Fitzgerald

Classic American songwriter Frank Loesser penned this popular beauty in 1947 and Fitzgerald then knocked it out of the park. Again, the theme is the desire for love and the inherent romance of New Year’s Eve, all broiled into a nugget of graceful perfection thanks to Fitzgerald’s flawless execution.

“Auld Lang Syne,” Jimi Hendrix

Hendrix kicked off the second set of the Band of Gypsys’ historic New Year’s Eve concert at New York City’s Fillmore Auditorium with this chestnut – but he roasted it! This song is the most played number at New Year’s celebrations in the U.S. and U.K., but relatively few know its origins. “Auld Lang Syne” is based on a poem written by the Scottish poet Robert Burns in 1788, which was, in turn, based on a 1711 poem by James Watson. That might be considered post-modern if it didn’t happen centuries ago. For Hendrix, it was simply the “Star-Spangled Banner” of midnight, December 31, 1969.

“New Year’s Eve,” Tom Waits

Waits’ latest album Bad As Me revisits his early, emotion-drenched ballad style with this track, a poignant account of a night full of break-ups and change, not necessarily for the better. Nonetheless, like Waits’ best meditations on the human heart, it’s bittersweet and irresistibly touching. It even includes a chorus of “Auld Lang Syne” that’s perfect for a whiskey-sodden midnight sing-along.

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Slash Talks New Album: It’s ‘Raw and Spontaneous’

Slash has been talking about his new in-progress album. It will feature singer Myles Kennedy for all tracks. After the festive break, Slash and Co. return to the studio to continue recording and mixing the as-yet-unnamed album, and the Les Paul-toting star predicts an April release.

Slash tells Total Guitar magazine, “We’re just going for the one take that sounds good, so my solos are more raw, probably sloppier in a way, because they’re very spontaneous to the point where it’s in the heat of the moment.”

Slash and his band – Kennedy on lead vocals and second guitar, Todd Kerns on bass, and drummer Brent Fitz – have completed mixing three songs with another 14 to go. The album is being recorded live, Slash saying the main challenge is “rehearsing the s--t out of them.”

Of the completed individual songs, Slash says, “There’s one song at this point called ‘Bad Rain’ which is a mid-tempo, very heavy and dark song. It’s in a drop-D tuning – and we’re already playing a half-step down – and the solo has a kinda chromatic feel.

“There’s one very uptempo song with a cool riff called ‘Halo.’ The third song is called ‘Standing in the Sun’ and it’s very melodic, mid-to-uptempo… just a rock ’n’ roll song! All three of these songs are relatively short, they’re all in a rock mold, and I guess I always come from that pentatonic point of view. For me, any time you go too far out of that, it ceases to be rock. It has to have a basis around that, otherwise it no longer has any essence of that Chuck Berry kinda deal.”

Slash says he is “pretty excited” about making such a raw album with “natural tone” everywhere. “Everything is being played live with the music tracks: the solos, everything. We’re trying not to overdub extra bits. So if there’s a solo, I’m playing on one side, Myles’s rhythm track is on the other.”

Myles Kennedy adds that the album is “real stripped-down and simple,” saying his own favorites so far are “Standing in the Sun” and another song called “Far and Away.”

Despite “sharing” singer Kennedy with Alter Bridge, Slash insists, “I’ve been happiest in my career these last couple of years.”

More Slash:

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Velvet Revolver Reunite!

Slash may be busy on his next “solo” album, but Velvet Revolver are reuniting. It will be a one-off gig this month, with singer Scott Weiland and no other shows are planned.

The occasion is Love You Madly: A Concert For John O’Brien on Thursday, January 12 at the House of Blues in West Hollywood, California. Also scheduled to appear are Adam Levine and James Valentine (Maroon 5), Sheryl Crow, Tom Morello and Stephen Stills.

Of his time in Velvet Revolver, Weiland recently told The Pulse of Radio: “That was right when I was getting off dope and those guys were all sober and clean, and I had a very special kind of kinship because we’d all experienced the same things ... It was a great band to see live, and I think we made two exciting albums.”

Love You Madly: A Concert For John O'Brien pays tribute to award-winning ASCAP composer John O’Brien, who was found dead in his Chicago hotel room in August. He composed the music for Nightwatch, Iron Man and many other movies and TV shows.

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Sex Pistols’ Steve Jones Calls Bass Player a Mommy’s Boy

Sex Pistols guitarist Steve Jones has been talking about the ’70s glory days with U.S. magazine Hustler. According to NME.com, Steve Jones called original Pistol Glen Matlock a “middle-class mommy’s boy.”

He also said he was “tired” of Matlock talking about writing “God Save the Queen,” “Anarchy in the U.K.” and “Pretty Vacant.” He said, “I’m tired of Glen Matlock saying he was the songwriter for the Sex Pistols. I co-wrote as many songs… but I don’t go shouting about it… At the time he hated the words, which John [Lydon] wrote. Glen’s mom didn't like it… He was a bit of a middle-class mommy's boy, really…”

Recently, Matlock has been serving as the bass player in the Faces, standing in for the late Ronnie Lane.

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Coldplay Pick Up $1.5m for New Year’s Eve Gig

Coldplay have lined up an impressive payday for a New Year’s bash, picking up a cool ?1 ($1.5) million for one concert in the United Arab Emirates.

According to the Daily Express, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan booked Chris Martin and Co. to play the Volvo Ocean Race venue in Abu Dhabi on Saturday, December 31.

Having visited the United Arab Emirates before, guitarist Jonny Buckland is especially excited about the luxurious lifestyle on offer, saying, “I’ve never stayed anywhere like the hotel they put me in and probably never will again. It made Buckingham Palace look like a two-bed semi.”

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Led Zeppelin to Play Olympics?

Led Zeppelin has been rumored to be planning a reunion at next year’s opening ceremonies for the Olympics. So will it happen? Probably not, according to Jason Bonham, son of original drummer John Bonham, who subbed for his late father when Led Zeppelin played a one-off reunion show at London’s O2 in 2007.

Speaking to U.K. newspaper The Sun about Olympics rumors, Bonham said it was unlikely that Zeppelin would perform at the ceremony in London next summer. “I haven’t spoken to Robert [Plant] for about six months but he is really enjoying himself,” he said.

“For me, you can never say never. If you ask me today is it gonna happen immediately, well no, there is no talk of it. But if you said to me in 2007 I would play with Led Zeppelin in December that year I would say you’re nuts, so you never know.”

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Lou Reed: Working with Metallica was “Instinctual”

Lou Reed says that making Lulu, his collaborative album with Metallica, wasn’t as odd as it appears from the outside. In a just-published interview with M – Music & Musicians, the legendary rocker revealed that the disc, which is based on two century-old German plays, also involved a lot of improvisation. “[Working with Metallica] was all instinctual,” Reed said. “Nobody thought about anything. It was just a great opportunity to play together. I had a certain sound in my head that I wanted to try to get, and I got it. The way we did this is that if everybody didn’t agree, we didn’t do it. It wasn’t majority rules—it was all together or nothing.”

Reed was also asked if Metallica pushed him into musical terrain that was different from his usual style. “They’re into heavy metal, I’m into heavy guitar, so it was no big stretch,” he replied. “They were so ready to go, it was thrilling. It’s like someone gave you a Ferrari for free.”

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Red Hot Chili Peppers to Perform at Exclusive New Year’s Eve Bash

The Red Hot Chili Peppers are set to perform at perhaps the world’s most expensive New Year’s Eve bash, London’s The Telegraph has reported. Roman Abramovich, the billionaire Russian oligarch known for throwing extravagant parties, has hired the veteran rockers to entertain at the exclusive event, which will be held at Abramovich’s estate on the Caribbean island of St Barts. The 45-year-old Abramovich, who owns the Chelsea football club, is spending more than 5 million pounds (approximately $7,850,000) to entertain the 300 guests expected to attend. Those invited have been told to wear “island chic” to the celebration, which will run from 10 pm to 4 am. The Chili Peppers take-home pay for the performance has not been revealed. In other news, however, the New York Post has reported that Stevie Wonder will be compensated $1 million to sing at this year’s New Year’s Eve celebration at the Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas.

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Coldplay's Chris Martin Tosses Singing Intruder Out of His Garden

Coldplay’s Chris Martin was forced to defend his property when an intruder decided to stage an impromptu performance of Coldplay material at Martin’s residence. As reported by London’s Daily Mirror, Martin first gave singing tips to the aspiring vocalist before asking him to leave the premises.

“I had a guy the other day who climbed over the gate of our house and started singing Coldplay songs to his friends on the street,” Martin said.

The Coldplay frontman told the uninvited visitor, who had climbed a garden wall at the residence, that he wasn’t singing the songs correctly. “Listen, you’re just not doing that right,” he said. The trespasser complied without argument when Martin asked him to leave. “He politely left,” Martin said. “It was bordering on intrusion. Still, it’s nice that people like the songs.”

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Chris Cornell on Soundgarden, Movies and Guitars

Chris Cornell has been a busy man of late. For roughly the past year, the veteran rocker has been dividing his time between performing solo acoustic shows--portions of which are featured on his new live disc, Songbook--and putting the final touches on the first new studio album from Soundgarden in 16 years. In addition, there's talk in Hollywood circles that Cornell might earn an Oscar for "The Keeper," a beautiful solo ballad he wrote and recorded for the acclaimed film, Machine Gun Preacher. Recently he spoke about his love of acoustic albums, his favorite guitars and his goals, going forward.

Is releasing an acoustic-based album something you've wanted to do for a long time?

An acoustic-based studio album, yes. That’s something I’ve thought a lot about, and it’s something fans seem to want me to do. I’m happy about that, because some of my all-time favorite albums are essentially stripped down to one or two instruments, with vocals. Early in my career I spent a bit of time doing that type of songwriting, but much more time writing music with Soundgarden--which is not that, obviously. My next solo record will probably involve new material that’s similar to what I did on Songbook.

Did you write the film song, “The Keeper,” in the midst of doing the acoustic tour this past spring?

I wrote it after doing those shows. The acoustic shows didn’t really feed into “The Keeper.” It had nothing to do with the tour, or with Songbook, in terms of my focus on what it is, or how I wrote it or what it sounds like. I was just trying to write what I felt would be most appropriate for the movie, given that I was writing just one song. There were so many different options, musically, that I could have taken for that film. There was a lot to draw from. At some point it just felt like the right direction would be something as stripped down as possible.

Is writing songs as a solo artist different from writing songs within a band?

There’s a certain amount of reacting that goes on in the context of a band, if you’re mainly co-writing. If I’m writing lyrics and vocal melodies to someone else’s arrangement, or someone else's guitar part, my ideas won’t be the same as they would be for my own song. In the context of Soundgarden, there’s a very stylized way that I approach that process. It may be a subconscious thing, but it's based on how I think the band should sound, and how I think I should respond to what they do creatively.

You've characterized the break from Soundgarden as more of an extended vacation than a breakup.

That’s right. I think if there’s a lesson to be learned, it’s that it wasn’t even necessary to announce a breakup. We could have just said we were going on indefinite hiatus, and that would have been fine. There didn’t have to be some sort of finality. It certainly didn’t change anything from the standpoint of the media or even Soundgarden fans. Every time I did an interview, I was asked, “Is Soundgarden ever going to get back together? Will the band ever do anything again?” Had we just said we were going on hiatus, the question would have been “When?” instead of “Will?” (laughs) And the answer would probably have been the same:  “I don’t know.”

You’re in a good place in your life now, which wasn’t always the case. Is writing songs easier when you’re happy?

I definitely feel a difference now. I’m able to do more, to contemplate more, to hear more, to understand more and to be more focused. People sometimes go through periods where they’re very self-destructive, and some sort of artistic, or emotionally intense, attitude, musically, may come out of that. And that’s great and brilliant and wonderful. But that tends to be short-lived, and it can sometimes be the only vital thing someone does. I’ve never felt like that was me. The really tumultuous, self-destructive period for me wasn’t the part of my career that seemed to yield a lot. I think I wrote some great music in that period, but I also think it took me a lot longer than it needed to. It wasn't my most prolific time.

You play a wide variety of guitars. Of those, which are your favorite Gibsons?

I’m playing ES-335s on-stage a lot with Soundgarden. I’ve also used them in the studio a bit. I really love that guitar. And I play a Les Paul here and there as well. It would be difficult for me to choose just one electric guitar, if I had to do that. There are so many different personalities that come out of each electric. It's all about getting different textures.

 How far into the future do you look?

I just want to be busy. Whatever that turns out to be, it will be fun. It’s a privilege to be able to follow your most passionate pursuit, to have that as your job. I don’t feel that it’s necessary for me to figure out what that might be, say, five years from now. I don’t want to be the sort of person who wants to know what that might be. That would mean I’m closed to the possibility of a change of heart, or changes in circumstances, or unpredictable events that might change how I feel. As long as I’m busy doing music, that’s all I care about.

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Sam Rivers, Veteran Jazz Great, Dies

Jazz saxophonist Sam Rivers, a leading figure during the strikingly innovative post-World War II jazz period, died on Monday from pneumonia, the New York Times has reported. Rivers was 88. A multi-instrumentalist, Rivers zeroed in on the tenor saxophone in the mid ‘40s, and soon became an integral part of the then-thriving Boston jazz scene. During the ‘60s he played with such seminal artists as Miles Davis, T-Bone Walker and Billie Holiday. In the ‘70s, working out of his loft-apartment studio in New York’s East Village, he made a series of albums that solidified his reputation as a central figure in New York’s avant-garde jazz “loft scene.” Later Rivers work extensively with trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie, who had been an early influence. After moving to Florida in the early ‘90s, he performed and recorded with his band, the Rivbea Orchestra, and with small combos. This past year saw the release of a 3-CD set titled Sam Rivers and the Rivbea Orchestra – Trilogy, which features recordings from 2008 and 2009.

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<em>Gibson.com’s</em> Top 10 Rock Albums of 2011

Who says rock is dead? With 2011 bringing monumental releases from Foo Fighters, Chickenfoot, Blink-182 and more, this year may go down as the year that rock was reborn, once again taking center stage! Gibson.com ran through the various rock releases that hit stores and online this year to assemble our Top 10 Rock Albums of 2011. Do you agree? What did we miss? Let us know in the comments section, below, and Happy 2012!

10. Beastie Boys, Hot Sauce Committee Pt. 2

It’s no secret that Beastie Boys have deeply dedicated fans. So, when the band’s long-awaited, eighth studio album finally arrived in April, it’s no surprise that Beastie fans were all a frenzy. The album’s release was delayed after founding member Adam “MCA” Yauch was diagnosed with cancer, and with the news that he’s doing well, this album serves as a sort of victory dance for Yauch and his fans. Musically, nothing comes closer to classic, Check Your Head Beasties than this set, with lead single “Make Some Noise” bringing a catchy groove, fuzz-toned instrumentals and explosive rap-rock vocals.

9. Chickenfoot, Chickenfoot3

Sammy Hagar-fronted, hard-hitting supergroup Chickenfoot yield plenty of mainstream, blues-infested rock with their sophomore album, Chickenfoot3. Hard rock ditties such as “Last Temptation” and “Something Gone Wrong” remind listeners that rock, indeed, is rooted in blues, with a blues-infested energy and rawness. Moreover, the album’s variety shows that Hagar and his troupe of bass player Michael Anthony, drummer Chad Smith and guitarist Joe Satriani know how to rock hard and turn it down a notch, if needed, leaving much for the classic rock connoisseur to enjoy.

8. Blink-182, Neighborhoods

Back in 2005, Blink-182 went on an “indefinite hiatus,” leaving fans to believe their favorite punk-pop trio would never regroup. Thankfully, the tiff between members dissipated in 2009, and the guys reunited for a North American tour. Still, new music was in order. Tom DeLonge , Mark Hoppus and Travis Barker at long last put together their sixth studio album, Neighborhoods, and popped it out in September. Buoyed by catchy lead single, “Up All Night” -- a three-chord punk limerick that packets energy and quirky, upbeat lyrics -- the album manifests all that is classic Blink-182: youth, fun and rebellion.

7. Black Country Communion, 2

A supergroup toting four famous British and American hard rock personalities was bound to draw major interest from the greater rock contingent. Black Country Communion -- featuring bass player and vocalist Glenn Hughes of Deep Purple, expert drummer Jason Bonham, keyboardist Derek Sherinian of Dream Theater and blues-rock guitar guru Joe Bonamassa – bring more than empty buzz with their second studio album, 2, which arrived in June. 2 carries catching, real-thing blues-rock, connecting the dots between delicate, intricate instruments and epic, classic rock bluster.

6. Staind, Staind

With Aaron Lewis taking a musical detour into the country life, fans weren’t sure quite what to expect for the band’s seventh studio album, out last September. What they got, however, was a set of the heaviest Staind tracks yet. “Not Again,” the first single off the self-titled release, maintains the kind of size and brutality of Staind’s 1999 debut, Dysfunction, and it might even be a tad heavier, carrying a set of alternative metal songs to please any disciple of post-grunge.

5. Evanescence, Evanescence

Goth-inspired starlet Amy Lee and her rock band Evanescence took five years between their sophomore album, The Open Door, and their self-titled, third studio release. At one point, there was even a question whether Mrs. Lee would just go solo and retire Evanescence for good. Instead, she decided to go the group route, and she sat down with her chosen band members and wrote a complete album, song by song, as a unified whole. The set carries grace and consistency, from the moody, gloomy alternative rock of “The Change” to the pulsating, driving heavy music of lead single, “What You Want,” making this a picture-perfect third album for the Arkansas troupe.

4. Primus, Green Naugahyde

Primus’ first full-length in 11 years, Green Naugahyde, has bass prodigy Les Claypool and company spitting out scatterbrained bass guitar and drum grooves, colorful lyrics and biting, madcap guitar lines. By now, Primus have nothing to prove when it comes to musicianship and proficiency. Instead, the focus is on the personality and persona that is Primus, with tracks that vary from psychedelic and almost menacing (“Green Ranger”) to uber-groovy and cool (“Last Salmon Man”). Of course, Claypool’s dizzying slap-and-pop bass leaves its stamp across the set. Green Naugahyde is the album Primus fans hoped Claypool would serve up, and it’s one of the band’s most notable LPs.

3. Sixx:A.M., This is Gonna Hurt

Motley Crue bass player Nikki Sixx’s outfit Sixx: A.M. delivers a classic, one-two punch with their sophomore album, This Is Gonna Hurt. As with the band’s debut album, The Heroin Diaries Soundtrack, this compilation resonates with deeply personal, confessional lyrics and a staggering, modern metal pulse. Between DJ Ashba’s coiling guitar work and Sixx’s classic, in-the-pocket hard rock groove, the set delivers both musically and emotionally. We love that Sixx is succeeding on his own, plus keeping his “day job” with ‘80s metal kingpins Motley Crue.

2. Red Hot Chili Peppers, I'm With You

When the Red Hot Chili Peppers unleashed I’m With You -- their first studio album since 2006’s double-LP, Stadium Arcadium -- the big question was, “What are the Peppers going to sound like without John Frusciante?” While fans will never forget Frusciante’s crucial influence, it came as a refreshing surprise that I’m With You, featuring the intricate guitar work of Josh Klinghoffer, still sounded, well, like the Peppers. The album is signature Chili Peppers, channeling a charming, funk-rock vibe that has the cool groove of the Chili Peppers’ catalog to a tee.

1. Foo Fighters, Wasting Light

Foo Fighters are possibly the only group in alternative rock to enjoy repeated success on the charts and on tour without any drop in popularity. There’s a good reason for that: Dave Grohl and his amazing knack for churning out elegant, hook-rich rock songs and melodies that stick in one’s head for days. On 2011’s Wasting Light, Dave Grohl and his counterparts prove that -- as Grohl often states -- “rock is not dead,” with a triumphant, colorful album that entered the Billboard 200 at a strong No. 1. Musically, Wasting Light delivers pure, memorable rock, with several tracks already scraping the top of the charts, including “Rope,” “Walk” and “These Days.” As for the Foos’ camaraderie, this album brings back Nirvana bass player Krist Novoselic, guitarist Pat Smear and producer Butch Vig for one historical effort. Wasting Light is everything that’s right with rock ‘n’ roll, and for that, it’s Gibson.com‘s #1 Rock Album of 2011.

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Beatle Paul McCartney Goes Meat-Free on Mondays

Sir Paul McCartney may be known for creating memorable rock melodies in one of the biggest bands in the world, the Beatles, but the singer and songwriter is now using his celebrity to educate the world about going vegetarian.

McCartney, along with his daughters Mary and Stella, have released a new cookbook, The Meat Free Monday Cookbook, which is available online via Amazon and from major book retailers. The book is inspired by McCartney’s ongoing campaign, started in 2009, where he and his daughters educate fans about how to eat less meat, not just for their health, but also to influence the sustainability of the world by decreasing their environmental impact.

On a recent trip to Abu Dhabi, McCartney explained his latest undertaking: “I think many of us feel helpless in the face of environmental challenges. Having one designated meat free day a week is actually a meaningful change that everyone can make, that goes to the heart of several important political, environmental and ethical issues all at once,” he told Ahlan Live . “For instance it not only addresses pollution, but better health, the ethical treatment of animals, global hunger and community and political activism.”

The Meat Free Monday Cookbook includes recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert, and features menus for each of the 52 weeks of the year. Of course, recipes are all vegetarian, from spiced pumpkin pancakes to watermelon granite to pilau rice with cashews. The collection features recipes from McCartney and his daughters, as well as famous friends including Twiggy, Vivienne Westwood and Kevin Spacey, plus globally acclaimed chefs. To find out more about the McCartneys’ campaign, visit www.MeatFreeMondays.com.

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Slash on Les Paul: He Single-Handedly Created Popular Music

It’s well known that Slash is a Les Paul guy, and in a recent Esquire feature the top hat-sporting, slick six-stringer explained his experience meeting and getting to know the musician and inventor.

“I used to think Les Paul was a guitar. I didn't know he was a real guy,” Slash said. “When I got to know him, I found out that if you're really obsessed, he was the guy you'd want to be like. He was always trying to find an answer for what he was looking for in his mind. If things didn't exist, he built them himself. He single-handedly created what I consider ‘popular music.’”

As for guitar playing, Slash says it simply comes naturally: “Guitar is the best form of self-expression I know. Everything else and I'm just sort of tripping around, trying to figure my way through life.”

He also touched on his highly publicized split with Axl Rose, insisting, “The split between Axl and I was a quiet one. But because there was so much attention on the breakup -- and are we going to get back together? -- it got built up into this monster that led to a kind of animosity that wasn't the focus for me. Neither one of us wants to be down each other's throats for no reason. At this point, I'm trying to put it to rest. So I try to avoid the subject.”

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Van Halen Confirm 2012 Tour

It’s confirmed: 2012 is going to be a huge year for Van Halen, as the hard rockers have confirmed that they will hit the road after the New Year. The news came out Monday (Dec. 26) via a YouTube video showing David Lee Roth and the rest of the band rehearsing together on stage. Individual tour dates have yet to drop, but the video announces that the first round of tickets will go on sale starting Jan. 10. Watch the official, two-minute announcement video, below.

Van Halen recently signed with Interscope Records and are planning to release a new album in 2012. The set is a long time coming, as the band’s last full-length album with Roth was 1983’s 1984. Today’s Van Halen lineup features Roth, original members Eddie and Alex Van Halen and Eddie’s 20-year-old son Wolfgang Van Halen, the latter who joined the group in place of bass player Michael Anthony in 2006. (Anthony now plays with former Van Halen singer Sammy Hagar in Chickenfoot.)

Who’s stoked for the latest creation from Roth and company? Let us know your thoughts in the comments area!

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Ozzy Osbourne’s Family Says Goodbye to Pup on Christmas

Christmas is supposed to be a joyful time of year, but for Ozzy Osbourne’s daughter Kelly and the rest of the Osbourne family, this Christmas brought some sad news. Kelly revealed via her Twitter page that the family’s cherished chihuahua Martin passed away on Christmas day! She tweeted Sunday (Dec. 25): “Today is a sad day in the Osbourne family house hold we lost R dog martin of 14 years. Devastated does not quite sum it up! #NotSoMerryXmas.”

Martin often appeared on the Osbourne family's reality TV show, The Osbournes, and Ozzy’s wife and manager Sharon described the pup as “a sophisticated little creature” in the “pets” section of her personal web site.

Regardless of the sad news, it seems Kelly was able to bounce back quickly. Later that day, she tweeted: “‘Peace on earth will come to stay, When we live Christmas every day!’” The day after Christmas, she started looking ahead to New Year’s Eve celebrations, tweeting: “It’s time 2 start planning my NYE party! I’m not [bringing] in the new year in a club full of wasted people so I’m staying home w/ good food/friends!” Rest in peace, Martin!

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What's So Great About An Acoustic Guitar?

Scales Tricks: Three-Note-Per-String-Scales and Neck Gymnastics

The three-note-per-string pattern is one of the easiest ways of remembering scales on the guitar, and it’s a format that lends itself especially well to high-speed playing techniques like economy picking or legato, too. And they work equally well as a springboard for melodic ideas and as finger-warming exercises. Here are a few tricks that I’ve put to extensive use in my own playing.

While pretty much any scale can be configured into three-note-per-string patterns, the Major Scale is an ideal candidate. What I like most about the Major Scale when viewed as a three-note-per-string scale is that it’s made up of three sets of repeating patterns. Here we see the Major Scale in the key of A.

There are many ways you can play this as an exercise: strict alternate picking; picking the first note and hammering the rest; picking the first note, sliding to the second and hammering to the third; or economy picking, where you pick down/up/down, move to the next string and continue the down-up-down pattern. Another great thing about playing this scale this way is that the fourths and fifths – which are great for hard rock harmonies – are very easy to visualize on the fretboard, so composing and teaching harmonies in the intervals quickly is very easy.

The Minor Scale also can be turned into a three-note-per-string pattern, although be aware that you lose the nice “same pattern on two strings” layout out the Major Scale once you get to the final pair of strings. Still, if you remain mindful that the high and low E strings contain the same notes, you won’t get too lost when you reach the end of the pattern.

The Minor Scale works particularly well when performing string-skipping techniques. Play a three-note sequence on a string, skip over the next string and play the comparable sequence on the string after that. This is a good way of adding a slight Paul Gilbert vibe to your licks.

The Lydian Mode – known for its floating, dreamy feel, is very similar to the A Major scale and can be easily adapted to a three-note-per-string format, too. This one is especially satisfying when using legato techniques. Try lots of hammer-ons with some smooth overdrive and long delay for a Satriani feel.

 

But as with most other things of a musical nature, it’s when you start to mess with them and break out of the established boxes that you really start to get to the good stuff. For instance, the first six notes of the Minor Scale are particularly useful for a very neat trick often employed by Dream Theater’s John Petrucci. If you play a simple riff or lick using those notes on the lowest two strings then transpose them to the adjacent string pair in the next octave, and then again in the next octave, you can create sprawling multi-octave licks with a real sense of movement.

 

But you don’t need to think purely in terms of three-note-per-string patterns for this trick to work: any lick that runs over two strings can be easily shifted to the next pair of strings in a higher octave.

Finally, here’s a similar idea using the Major Scale in the key of E. I’ve selected this key because it will comfortably take you from near the very top of the guitar’s range to the very bottom. There’s only one pattern to remember, and each part of the lick is played with the same exact notes, so once you know where your octaves are you can really cut loose. This lick is also great for training your fretting hand to be comfortable moving across the length of the neck.

A final word for carrying these scales over to seven-string guitars: just remember that the low B string of a seven-string is just a lower octave version of the notes you’ll find on the “regular” B string. So any of these scales can be easily carried over to a seven-string guitar by simply playing the same three notes on the low B that you would play on the high B. After all, there’s no law which says that seven-string players must play the root note of every scale on the B string.

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Learn to Play Guitar - A Beginner's Guide

Prog Rock Greats Form New Band

Progressive rock heavyweight legends Steve Hackett and Chris Squire have formed a new band and have made a new album. Squackett (get it?) will release their first album on Esoteric on May 8.

The former Genesis lead guitarist Steve Hackett was previously joined by one-time Yes bassist Chris Squire on Hackett’s solo albums – Out of the Tunnel's Mouth and Beyond the Shrouded Horizon.

Hackett told Blog Talk Radio: “There’ll be certain things on there that I think you’ll be hard-pressed to say this is a combination of guys that have come from Genesis and Yes. I think it’s bigger than that. We cast a wider net over all the genres.”

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Tips To Buy A Classical Guitar

Mötley Crüe Movie in the Works?

While Motley Crue singer Vince Neil is chatting with the media about possibly leaving the celebrated ’80s rockers, bass player Nikki Sixx is going the opposite direction and saying the band are just getting started!

“This is the beginning of what will be the biggest probably four to five years of the band’s career,” he told Rolling Stone. “We’re negotiating with a couple of other extremely huge bands on doing a co-headline tour, something that’s never happened before. There’s new music in the future.”

Sixx says that’s not all. A full-fledged Motley Crue movie is in the works. “The other thing to look at is the wheels are in motion for getting the Motley Crue movie made now,” he said. “We finally got everything in order the way it needs to be done, and that’s gonna happen.”

The movie, Sixx explained, would be shaped around the band’s memoir, The Dirt. “We have sort of an agreement with a production company, directors, etc., to right now just keep it amongst ourselves,” Sixx said. “So once we have everything really together, we’re gonna let everybody know. But trust me, when I say the wheels are in motion they’re definitely in motion.”

Even with all the starry-eyed plans for a movie and upcoming Las Vegas residency, Sixx said that at some point, the guys will hang up their heavy metal hats: “The band sat down and had a powwow as brothers and friends and guys who’ve been doing this for over 30 years, and we said, ‘When is it time?’ We’ve always said since we were kids, we didn’t want to hobble into the sunset. So after the movie, at some point – whether it’s within a year or a few years – we’re probably gonna have that conversation about maybe it’s time, maybe it’s time to go out on top.”

In other Crue news, Neil is one of the artists slated to contribute to an upcoming Ozzy Osbourne tribute album.

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Guitar Buying Guide

Bon Jovi Guitarist Richie Sambora Records Third Solo Album

While Bon Jovi fields death rumors (yes, he’s alive and well), his lead guitarist Richie Sambora is starting work on his third solo album at Ocean Way Recording in Hollywood. According to Broadcast Newsroom, Sambora has tapped Luke Ebbin, who manned the boards for Bon Jovi albums Crush and Bounce, for the project.

“Richie and I have worked on and off together for years,” Ebbin told Broadcast Newsroom. “Richie came off the Bon Jovi tour energized and we got together to write a couple of songs. The results were very good, so we kept writing more and decided to go in and record them.

“The recordings came out great, so Richie decided why not make this a solo record? There are eight songs in the can now, including a co-write with Bernie Taupin...”

Sambora’s first solo release was 1991’s blues-based Stranger in This Town, and he followed up that with 1998’s Undiscovered Soul. Ebbin says the guys have started round two of sessions and hope to have the full album done by early spring.

Bon Jovi also scored one of the top tours of 2011, and check out the full list here.

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Ibanez Guitars: The Future Continues to Look Bright

Improv: 10 Great Jam Bands

If there’s one segment of contemporary music that inspires exceptionally devoted followers, it’s jam bands. Structuring their craft around live performances and, often, ceaseless touring, such bands embrace improvisation in ways associated with the work of vintage jazz artists. From Frank Zappa and The Mothers to The Derek Trucks Band, such groups also bring exceptional musical skills to what they do. Below are 10 jam bands, past and present, who’ve set a standard for their peers to follow.

Dave Matthews Band

Formed in the early ’90s, the Dave Matthews Band brought a world music vibe to the jam band phenomenon. Emphasizing college campuses as their tour stomping grounds, the group built a word-of-mouth buzz that blossomed into the sort of mainstream popularity few of their peers have enjoyed. The Virginia-based group continues to win followers with their annual summer tours, lengthy improvisations and the distinctively rhythmic approach that underpins their sound.

Blues Traveler

Blues rock, psychedelia, folk, R&B and, of course, straight-up rock and roll comprise the simmering musical stew that drives Blues Traveler’s eclectic style. Fans have long been drawn to the improvisational nature of the group’s live shows, which are often punctuated by startling segues. Tragedy struck in 1999 with the sudden death of original bassist Bobby Sheehan, and frontman John Popper has struggled with health issues. Still, the group – who encourage live tapings – remain a favorite on the jam band festival circuit.

Umphrey’s McGee

Superb musicianship, marathon concerts and a predilection for wacky covers has made Umphrey’s McGee a favorite among jam band aficionados. Hailing from the Midwest, the group emphasized live-show releases over studio recordings as they built a massive fan base. Known for their spectacular light shows, as well as their stellar musicianship, the group has made every concert they’ve performed since 2006 available to the public.

The String Cheese Incident

Although they’re often pegged as bluegrass-based, The String Cheese Incident actually incorporate a multitude of styles into their richly eclectic sound. Fiercely independent, and committed road warriors, the Colorado-based group also has been hailed for their charitable endeavors, their community involvement and the integrity they’ve demonstrated in the face of corporate pressures. As regards their music, the band rightly describes their approach as a “sacrilegious mix of bluegrass, calypso, salsa, Afro-pop, funk, rock and jazz.”

Moe.

Founded in 1990, Moe. has taken a do-it-yourself approach in building one of the jam-band world’s most devoted fan bases. Dubbing themselves “moe.rons” (which they decidedly are not), Moe.’s followers have seen their beloved group emerge as favorites on the festival circuit, and indeed the group has made multiple appearances at Bonnaroo. Asked to describe their music, Moe. guitarist Al Schnier once said, “It’s an amalgamation of a wide variety of the history of rock, regurgitated … with a sense of adventure, a sense of humor and a constant desire to push the envelope.”

Widespread Panic

While R.E.M. was staking out a prime place in the world of alternative music, their Athens-based rocker peers, Widespread Panic, were doing the same in the jam band arena. Widespread Panic’s studio albums have put equal emphasis on songwriting and improvisation, but the band’s live shows have become striking communal events, wherein fans are treated to marathon performances filled with dazzling ensemble interplay. “We’ve always considered the camaraderie of the band to be as important as anything else,” drummer Todd Nance once said. “[We’re] like a family and I think that comes through in the music.”

Gov’t Mule

A shared affection for power trios led Warren Haynes and Allen Woody to form Gov’t Mule as an offshoot of the Allman Brothers Band in the early ’90s. Spearheaded by Haynes’ searing blues guitar, the trio (which includes Matt Abts on drums) brought a Cream-like psychedelic component to their core Southern-rock sound. Woody’s tragic death in 2000 dealt a terrible blow to Gov’t Mule, but the group continues to dazzle fans with marathon shows that mix funk, blues and incendiary rock and roll into astral improvisations.

Phish

If any single band can claim to have snagged the jam-band spotlight from The Grateful Dead, it’s Phish. Like the Dead, Phish often apply a free-form strategy to their genre-bending approach. Guitarist Trey Anastasio is capable of evoking the likes of Frank Zappa, Yes’s Steve Howe and Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour in the space of a few bars. The band’s epic compositions sometimes approach the ambitious scale of classical music, albeit in a rock setting.

The Grateful Dead

A strong argument can be made that The Grateful Dead represent ground zero for the emergence of the entire jam band phenomenon. Starting out in the ’60s with a “street party” form of psychedelic music, the Dead went on to establish themselves as gifted assimilators of folk, bluegrass, rock and roll, jazz, country and all points in-between. Writing about the Dead’s Jerry Garcia in Rolling Stone, Warren Haynes said: “[He’s] one of the few guitarists where, as soon as you hear him, you know instantly who it is. There was a humanity in Jerry’s guitar work, as well as his singing, that drew you in. He was a very personal guitarist; he played with more heart and soul than technique.”

The Allman Brothers Band

It’s no exaggeration to say the Allman Brothers Band set the standard for on-stage jamming. At their best, the pioneering Southern rockers can still stretch a song for 30 or 40 minutes, filling the performance with celestial solos and ensemble interplay that sound conjured from magic potions. While the Brothers’ guitarists have been uniformly brilliant, Duane Allman warrants special mention for inventing the template for improvisational guitar playing, especially in the southern rock genre. Cohort Dickey Betts played a formidable role in that endeavor as well.

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Allman Brothers Band to Receive Grammy ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’

The Allman Brothers Band are at last getting some long overdue respect from The Recording Academy. On February 12, the pioneering Southern rockers will be honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Grammys.

Joining the group as recipients of the Class of 2012 Special Merit Awards will be Glen Campbell, George Jones, The Memphis Horns, Gil Scott-Heron, Diana Ross and Antonio Carlos Jobim. In addition, three members of The Allman Brothers Band will be vying for a Grammy for their solo work, in the category of Best Blues Album. Among the nominees are Gregg Allman, for his album, Low Country Blues; the Tedeschi-Trucks Band, for Revelator; and Warren Haynes, for Man in Motion.

To date, The Allman Brothers Band have been awarded just one Grammy. That honor came for their live version of “Jessica,” from An Evening with The Allman Brothers: 2nd Set. The track took home a Grammy for Best Rock Instrumental Performance in 1996.

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How to Buy a New Guitar

Disturbed’s Dan Donegan Remembers Getting First Gibson for Christmas

’Tis the season to charm little ones with gifts of Christmas cheer, and Disturbed guitarist Dan Donegan clearly remembers the most important Christmas gift of his life: his first guitar.

“My first electric guitar, it was like from Sears – it was a [Gibson] SG…” he told the Pulse of Radio. “My parents just didn’t really seem too supportive of it in the beginning, because they figured it’s either gonna sit in the closet and collect dust, or ‘he’s gonna play it and it’s gonna be loud and annoying.’ It was kind of a difficult thing to convince them that I was gonna be serious about it, and I wanted this…” He added that, yes, he still has that guitar!

Donegan earlier this year told Gibson.com that classic metal guitarists inspired him to delve into guitar playing in the first place: “I can’t really single out any player, but I liked going to concerts and the idea of being in a band where you see the impact four or five guys on stage have over thousands of people. So, that power and the scenario of the lead guitar just pummeling through the speakers were two things that caught my attention. Early on, I got into a lot of the classic metal players: Tony Iommi and Black Sabbath; the guitarists in Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Queensryche, Pantera. These bands all had great guitar players, so it definitely inspired me to go down that road.”

Read Gibson’s full interview with Donegan here.

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Building A Good Relationship With Your Guitar

Classic Guitars, Classic Cameras, and Online Guitar Lessons

History of the Modern Acoustic and Electric Guitars

Machine Head’s Robb Flynn: My Top 10 Albums of 2011

As 2011 draws to a close we all start casting our minds back over the best music of the year. Mainstream or obscure, metal or country, rock or jazz, everyone’s got a Top 10 list in them. Gibson.com asked Machine Head’s Flying V playing guitarist Robb Flynn for his best-of list for 2011. Thanks to Robb for getting the ball rolling!

1. Times of Grace - The Hymn of a Broken Man

This record is unreal. Unbelievable album. SO inspiring. Goosebumps throughout. The passion, the vocal harmonies, the lyrics, SO meaningful and real. Songs about LOVE on a metal record... and they’re great??!! Crazy. What I’ve always loved about Jesse Leach’s voice is that it sounds like dude has PROBLEMS!! And I relate. I was really disappointed with where music was going when this came out... and this record literally saved me.

2. Ghost - Opus Eponymous

It took me about 4 listens, but when I “got it,” man, it hit me like a ton of bricks, this record simply RULES.

3. Ray LaMontagne & The Pariah Dogs - God Willin’ & The Creek Don’t Rise

Normally I hate this kind of music, but our drummer Dave McClain turned me onto this, and it’s seriously an absolutely incredible folk/Americana record. I could not stop listening to it. Ray’s voice has so much ache and sadness. “This Love is Over” is a masterpiece.

4. All Shall Perish - This is Where it Ends

Our Bay Area brethren deliver an ambitious and staggeringly heavy piece of work here. These guys are the undisputed kings of the Death-Core genre, and the main reason is the songwriting. This isn’t Tech-Death-Arpeggio-Core with a 3rd rate Meshuggua riff; these are songs, GREAT songs, with great lyrics. “The Past Will Haunt Us Both” is simply incredible. They just might be putting the nail in the coffin to this genre, while at the same time transcending into something greater.

5. Tyler, The Creator - Goblin

Sick, sick, SICK man!!! So dark, and [expletive] up. Warped! Underground rap at its finest. Thank you, Mark from Chimaira.

6. Trivium - In Waves

Best album since Ascendancy, hands down, and probably a better album overall. Great songwriting, great production, great hooks. “Watch the World Burn” is amazing. Love it.

7. Kanye West & Jay-Z - Watch the Throne

I love my mainstream hip-hop, I can’t help it. Going back to the “sound collage”-style of early ’90s east coast rap, this record, sonically, was incredible. Ridiculously good rhymes from both rappers, and the dark political undertones only deepened the beauty of it all.

8. The Beatles - iTunes Catalog

I’ve heard every one of these songs a million times, and yet getting them all together made me fall in love with The Beatles all over again. The guitar tone at the beginning of “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” is one of the heaviest, raunchiest things ever put down in history. And while many bands have tried to cover “Helter Skelter” and make it heavier, none have come close to the apocalyptic proto-punk, garage-rock feel they captured. “Eleanor Rigby,” forget it!

9. Anthrax - Worship Music

I wasn’t expecting much out of this to be honest – the long public train wreck that unfolded with our friends was a bummer. Plus, I really liked John Bush’s voice, but man, this record is just so unbelievably good it stopped me in my tracks. Great songs, great, production, great lyrics and [expletive] me if Belladonna didn't deliver the vocal performance of his life. Hands down the best he has ever sounded, and the freedom he was allowed (insisted on?) made it all the better, soaring vocal harmonies, power, the quality of his vocal tone, dude had to deliver a Hail Mary and he did. “In The End” and “Fight ’Em Til You Can’t” are TWO of the best songs Anthrax have ever written. GREAT job dudes!

10. Darkest Hour - The Human Romance 

Stop sleeping on this album!!  Metal done at its finest, by a bunch of dudes who are serious music freaks, and might be the craziest bunch of party animals alive. Do yourself a favor and buy this now.

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More on Beach Boys Summer Tour

Mike Love says the reformed Beach Boys will play “four or five shows a week” next summer.

The NME reports that the Beach Boys, who recently announced their reunion, are going to be busy during their 2012 50th anniversary tour. Dates have not been announced but they are confirmed as headliners for the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival that runs from April 27 to May 6.

Mike Love told Rolling Stone that they plan on using the musicians form Brain Wilson’s band: “Brian Wilson has an incredible band. We’re using most of his band. And we’ve got [current Beach Boys touring] drummer John Cowsill and our guitarist, Scott Totten. We’re kind of blending things together. I think, musically, it’s going to be incredible.”

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Deep Cuts: The <em>Last Action Hero</em> Soundtrack

These days it’s common – nay, expected – for a big blockbuster movie to have a kickass soundtrack packed with original new tracks by the big heavy-hitters of the day. But it wasn’t always like that. Once upon a time, the movie soundtrack section of a record store was populated largely by recordings of the actual orchestral music scores of films. If a soundtrack featured pop songs, they were often classic tracks that everybody knew.

Even in the case of big blockbuster soundtracks that featured a healthy amount of original new songs – like the album that accompanied the release of Dirty Dancing in 1987 – the tracks were very much mainstream radio-friendly pop. So the 1993 release of the Arnold Schwarzenegger film Last Action Hero and its soundtrack sent shockwaves through the hard rock and heavy metal scene of the day.

This was an album which featured new, never-before-heard tracks by some of the biggest names in heavy music at the time, including two of thrash’s Big Four. Check out this track listing:

"Big Gun" - AC/DC

"What the Hell Have I" - Alice in Chains

"Angry Again" - Megadeth

"Real World" - Michael Kamen and Queensryche

"Two Steps Behind" - Def Leppard

"Poison My Eyes" - Anthrax

"Dream On" [Live] - Aerosmith

"A Little Bitter" - Alice in Chains

"Cock the Hammer" - Cypress Hill

"Swim" - Fishbone

"Last Action Hero" - Tesla

"Jack and the Ripper" - Michael Kamen & Buckethead

AC/DC’s “Big Gun” kicks off the album, and although they’ve never played the track at a concert, it was heavily visible at the time of its release, particularly due to the pervasive presence of Arnie himself in the video. A classic driving AC/DC twelve-bar-blues-based track with a monster single note riff punctuated by a slinky, bendy melody, the song is classic Acca Dacca. Check out the video, and watch for Arnie doing his own version of Angus Young’s famous duck walk, complete with Gibson SG. While the SG looks huge on Angus’s diminutive frame, it looks like a ukulele in Arnie’s hands.

Alice in Chains’ two contributions, “What the Hell Have I” and “A Little Bitter,” are especially noteworthy entries in the band’s catalog because they represent the first tracks recorded with bass player Mike Inez, who was fresh from Ozzy Osbourne’s band at the time, replacing the departed Mike Starr. (Trivia buffs will know that Inez wrote the classic bass riff to Ozzy’s “No More Tears.”) The two songs were mixed by Andy Wallace, although both were remixed by Toby Wright for the band’s 1999 Music Bank box set.

Three of the soundtrack’s songs continue to be played live regularly by their respective creators. Def Leppard’s “Two Steps Behind” was released in two versions: an electric version from the band’s Retro Active compilation of rare and unreleased tracks (the song was also a B-side to the “Make Love Like a Man” single) and a stripped-back acoustic version. It’s the acoustic rendition that was used for the Last Action Hero soundtrack, and this is the version of the song that the band still plays live to this day.

Another enduring live track is Megadeth’s “Angry Again.” Written specifically for the film and later appearing on Megadeth’s Hidden Treasures rarity EP, the song was nominated for Best Metal Performance at the 1993 Grammy Awards. Apart from Marty Friedman’s brilliant guitar solo and the impressive handlebar moustache sported by Dave Mustaine in the video, the song is particularly interesting for a neat little songwriting trick used in the verses. During the first verse, Mustaine sings over the second half of a two-bar riff, but in the second verse he sings over the first half. It’s a great way of creating a sense of movement from one verse to the next, and probably one of the reasons it’s such a fan favorite.

The album’s other thrash legends, Anthrax, contributed a song leftover from the sessions for their 1993 album Sound of White Noise, their first with Armored Saint vocalist John Bush and last with lead guitarist Danny Spitz. While the song features the same big riffage as the Sound of White Noise tracks, it has a much more adventurous arrangement, including the use of record scratching.

Queensryche and composer Michael Kamen collaborated on “Real World,” a sweeping epic in the vein of their previous work together, “Silent Lucidity.” In fact, “Real World” represents a step beyond “Silent Lucidity,” with Kamen set free to push the Pink Floyd-esque progressive elements of the band’s sound even further. Like “Angry Again” and “Two Steps Behind,” “Real World” is still played live by the band occasionally, including on their most recent tour.

A few of the album’s tracks had been released previously, including Fishbone’s “Swim” (from their album Give a Monkey a Brain and He’ll Swear He’s the Center of the Universe). Cypress Hill’s “Cock the Hammer” is from their 1993 now-classic Black Sunday. And, of course, Aerosmith’s classic “Dream On” is presented here as a live version with orchestration by Michael Kamen.

Tesla’s “Last Action Hero” is a powerful ’80s rocker, although it felt a little out of place in the grunge-friendly climate of 1993, even on an album with such ’80s megastars as Def Leppard and Queensryche. But it’s a rockin’ song with some very cool, Thin Lizzy-esque twin guitar harmony work.

The album is closed out in spectacular fashion with another collaboration between Michael Kamen and unlikely partner: Buckethead, whose alternatingly haunting and rocking guitar weaves through orchestral ambience and electronica. Although Buckethead was already known to hard-core guitar fans, this was probably his first “big time” exposure, and as an introduction to the world at large, it’s a very impressive one.

There have been plenty of innovative soundtrack albums since Last Action Hero – the rap/rock collaborations of Judgment Night later in 1993 being a particularly noteworthy example, pairing Dinosaur Jr. and Del tha Funkee Homosapien, Helmet and House of Pain, Teenage Fanclub and De La Soul, Living Colour and Run-DMC, Slayer and Ice-T, Sonic Youth and Cypress Hill, Mudhoney and Sir-Mix-A-Lot, Pearl Jam and Cypress Hill, Faith No More and Boo-Yaa T.R.I.B.E. and more. In fact the Judgment Night soundtrack may have been a big factor in the rise of rap-rock and nu metal a few years later. But perhaps that’s a story for another time.

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Acoustic Guitars - How To Select The Best Guitars

Joe Perry to Host Twitter Webchat

Joe Perry, legendary Aerosmith guitarist and renowned rock dude, will be taking part in a live Q&A at the end of December.

Perry has posted on his official Twitter page: “Dec 29th at 9:00pm live Q&A with me on Twitter details to follow. Spread the word.”

And Gibson.com is happy to spread the word. If you are a “Tweeter,” make sure to follow @AdmiralPerry – Joe Perry’s personal Twitter page – to find out more.

This fall, vocalist Steven Tyler confirmed that Aerosmith had been writing and rehearsing new tracks hard. “Two months doing that and we’re almost there,” Tyler said backstage at the iHeartRadio festival in Las Vegas.

In other Aerosmith news, Brad Whitford will be playing on the next Experience Hendrix concert tour, starting March 6.

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Steve Jobs Wins Grammy

Late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs will be awarded a posthumous Grammy award in February for his contributions to the entertainment industry, particularly with regard to innovations such as iTunes and the iPod.

In addition to his visionary work at Apple, Job was a lifelong Bob Dylan fan and – as reported in Walter Isaacson’s recent biography – a guitarist. The Recording Academy’s president and CEO Neil Portnow said the 2012 Trustee Award honorees – Jobs, bandleader Dave Bartholomew, engineer Rudy Van Gelder – as well as Lifetime Achievement Award honorees The Allman Brothers, Glen Campbell, Antonio Carlos Jobim, George Jones, the Memphis Horns, Diana Ross and Gil Scott-Heron, offered a variety of brilliance, contributions and lasting impressions on culture. “It is an honor to recognize such a diverse group of individuals whose talents and achievements have had an indelible impact on our industry,” Portnow said.

Apple’s pioneering contributions to the music industry and recording field were recognized with a technical Grammy in 2002.

The Trustee and Lifetime Achievement awards will be presented during Grammy Week in February.

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10 Rock and Metal Christmas Albums That Aren’t Horrible

Christmas and heavy music make for strange bedfellows. That said, a handful of rock and metal personalities have managed to knock out holiday sets that are actually really good, both placing their muscular stamp on Christmas classics and crafting entirely new yuletide tunes. Read on for 10 hard rock and metal Christmas albums that might prove the perfect fit for background music at Christmas dinner. Okay, maybe that’s a stretch, but, nonetheless, these releases sure rock!

10. The Vandals, Christmas with the Vandals

To say The Vandals’ Christmas with the Vandals is not your traditional Christmas album is an understatement. The California punk-rock outfit dish out cynical tracks such as “I Don’t Believe in Santa Claus” and “Thanx for Nothing,” in typical anti-establishment, punk rock tradition. This is a good bet for someone with a sense of humor and love for DIY punk.

9. We Wish You a Hairy Christmas featuring Warrant, L.A. Guns and more

Who says hair metal fans can’t have a merry Christmas? We Wish You a Hairy Christmas features glam-rockers Warrant covering The Kinks’ “Father Christmas,” Faster Pussycat putting their spin on “Silent Night,” L.A. Guns doing “Run Run Rudolph” and more amusing arrivals. Have a fan of ’80s metal glory on your Christmas list? This set might do the trick.

8. Smash Mouth, The Gift of Rock

Rock is really a wonderful gift, right? That’s the idea behind novelty rock band Smash Mouth’s The Gift of Christmas, which has the California group covering rock holiday classics (“Snoopy’s Christmas,” “Come on Christmas, Christmas Come On; “Zat You, Santa Claus?”) instead of strictly traditional yuletide tunes. Who you expect anything less from the quirky pop band?

7. Psychostick, The Flesh Eating Rollerskate Holiday Joyride

With a title like The Flesh Eating Rollerskate Holiday Joyride, it’s no surprise that this Christmas album is packed with flat-out crazy holiday tunes. From the heavy metal to the sardonic, song titles like “Holiday Hate” and “Jingle Bell Metal” get the point across.

6. Twisted Sister, A Twisted Christmas

On A Twisted Christmas, Dee Snider and his glam group riddle the cherished Christmas carol through a hair metal lens, putting their mark on traditional songs such as “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,”  “Oh Come All Ye Faithful,” “White Christmas” and “I’ll Be Home for Christmas.” While the songs no doubt carry Twisted Sister’s heavy metal edge and punk energy, Snider and company keep relatively close to the originals, and that makes this a surprisingly conventional score.

5. The Reverend Horton Heat, We Three Kings

We Three Kings is a group of 12 classic Christmas songs, plus one new original, flogged into an edgy lather of twang-y guitar and steady percussion by Jim Heath and posse. Fans of rockabilly, punk and blues will likely find charm in this set, which offers such classics as “What Child is This,” “Jingle Bells” and “Frosty the Snowman.”

4. Scott Weiland, The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Scott Weiland – the same guy behind ’90s grunge bastion Stone Temple Pilots – is doing a Christmas album? Really? That was the reaction when the news hit that Weiland was prepping a set of straight-laced Christmas traditionals! The set, titled The Most Wonderful Time of the Year, arrived this fall, and what’s perhaps more surprising is how Weiland captures the Christmas spirit with ease. His lush tenor proves a perfect fit with jolly, festival tunes like “White Christmas,” “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” and “What Child is This?” We give Weiland props for stepping outside of the grunge rock mold!

3. Halford, Halford III: Winter Songs

Heavy metal and Christmas make for unlikely buddies, but Judas Priest frontman Halford makes it work on Halford III: Winter Songs, approaching Christmas songs such as “Come All Ye Faithful” and “We Three Kings” with the same seriousness and conviction that he brings to Priest favorites. While the release still sounds very “metal” and may not be conventional enough for Christmas dinner, it’s a consistent and listenable release, and the metal genre should be happy to claim it under their roster.

2. Black Label Society, Glorious Christmas Songs That Will Make Your Black Label Heart Feel Good

Brawny guitarist Zakk Wylde’s Southern-fried metal collective, Black Label Society, show that they have the kind of sensitivity to melody that comes with years of honing their skills with this three-song, instrumental, acoustic Christmas EP. The set – Glorious Christmas Songs That Will Make Your Black Label Heart Feel Good (available on iTunes) – features the yuletide favorites “I’ll Be Home for Christmas,” “Oh Little Town of Bethlehem” and “It’s a Wonderful World.” This one you might actually be able to get by your significant other to play at Christmas dinner!

1. We Wish You A Metal Xmas & A Headbanging New Year featuring ZZ Top’s Billy Gibbons, Dave Grohl and more

On We Wish You A Metal Xmas & A Headbanging New Year, a collection of rock and metal greats put their talents together to pay tribute to the merriest time of year. Album highlights are plenty, including Motorhead’s Lemmy Kilmister, Foo Fighters’ Dave Grohl and ZZ Top’s Billy Gibbons rocking out together on “Run Run Rudolph” and Testament‘s Chuck Billy and Anthrax’s Scott Ian putting their spin on “Silent Night.” Further appearances include Alice Cooper, Ratt frontman Stephen Pearcy and Black Sabbath‘s Tony Iommi. It’s safe to call this the definitive heavy music Christmas album!

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