Say What?

These are the 11 best and brightest rock tunes of 2011. You listened, you voted, we listened, and here you are:

11.  Bayside – Sick, Sick, Sick
10. My Darkest Day – Porn Star Dancing
9.    Red Light King – Old Man
8.    RHCP – The Adventures of Raindance Maggie
7.    Nickelback – When We Stand Together
6.    Egypt Central – White Rabbit
5.    Awolnation – Sail
4.   Disturbed – The Animal
3.   Blink-182 – Up All Night
2.   Foster The People – Pumped Up Kicks
1.   Foo Fighters – Rope

Sounds like all the recent stories of a new Van Halen album and tour are true!

In November the band reportedly signed on with legendary producer Jimmy Iovine’s label Interscope Records, with news of a potential tour and new album (along with a hefty merchandising deal), and on Monday VH sent out an official announcement via their website.

The message is simple and to the point – a mix of classic hits “Jump,” “Panama,” and “Hot For Teacher” with images of the band rehearsing starts playing, and a ticker at the bottom announces the 2012 tour. Tickets begin going on sale January 10th (actual dates hadn’t been announced as of press time, but we’ll keep you updated).

The band, comprised of singer David Lee Roth, guitarist Eddie Van Halen, drummer Alex Van Halen and bassist Wolfgang Van Halen, are also reportedly releasing an a new album, but no details on the new disc have been revealed as of yet – UNLESS that image above is the new album cover and it’s set for a February 7 release. Otherwise that’s when the tour kicks off.

The band was rumored to play last month’s Grammy Awards Nominations concert, but that turned out to be false. Maybe they’ll show up and perform at the actual Grammys instead.

Check out the video below…

1.   Black Keys – Lonely Boy

2.   Chevelle – Face to the Floor

3.   Red Hot Chili Peppers – Monarchy of Roses

4.   Coldplay – Paradise

5.  Korn – Narcissistic Cannibal

6.   Linkin Park – Wretches and Kings

7.   Staind – Eyes Wide Open

8.  Everlast – Little Miss America

9.   Blink 182 – After Midnight

10.  Rise Against – Satellite

The Buzz and Presidente Tribute Series lights up your KISSmas season.

This Friday night, December 9th Almost KISS at the Caribbean Saloon, St Thomas. And Saturday December 10th at Handlebar in San Juan.

Both shows are free. That’s right! No cover charge. But there will be plenty of  ice cold Presidente and Presidente Lights on special all night long.

1.  Chevelle – Face To The Floor

2.  Blink 182 – After Midnight

3.  Nickelback – Bottoms Up

4.  Red Hot Chili Peppers – Monarchy Of Roses

5.  Black Keys – Lonely Boy

6.  Madina Lake – Superstar

7.  Uncrowned – Remember Your Ghost

8.  Rise Against – Satellite

9.  Nickelback – When We Stand Together

10. Awolnation – Sail

1.  Nickelback – Bottoms Up

2.  Madina Lake – Superstar

3.  Chevelle – Face To The Floor

4.  Blink 182 – After Midnight

5.  Awolnation – Sail

6.  Emphatic – Get Paid

7.  Rev Theory – The Fire

8.  The Black Keys – Lonely Boy

9.  New Found Glory – Radiosurgery

10. Red Hot Chili Peppers – Monarchy Of Roses

Billy Corgan and his current Smashing Pumpkins explain why they only feel the need to play certain older songs and why they won’t “sell out” like other band’s from the 90′s have.

For several years The Smashing Pumpkins have baffled fans and outsiders alike through moves like unexpected lineup changes and their reticence to play more than a few classic tunes at concerts.

In the band’s recent backstage sitdown at London’s O2 Academy, Billy Corgan and crew addressed many of those topics. Corgan’s thoughts on the current version of the band seemed to point to what was missing in previous incarnations: “I think this particular lineup of the band is very good for who we need to be today — which is nimble, quick, very diverse. We play a progressive style, we’re very consistent, we get a long very well, we like working together, we have common musical goals and I think we have a very bright future.”

1.  Awolnation – Sail

2.  New Found Glory – Radiosurgery

3.  Madina Lake – Hey Superstar

4.  Theory Of A Deadman – The Bitch Came Back

5.  Nickelback – Bottoms Up

6.  Rev Theory – The Fire

7.  Blink 182- After Midnight

8.  Foster The People – Pumped Up Kicks

9.  Emphatic – Get Paid

10. Chevelle – Face To The Floor

Kings of Leon rocker Nathan Followill has dismissed rumors his singer brother Caleb enrolled in rehab following the cancellation of the band’s U.S. tour.

The group axed a number of shows in July after Caleb walked offstage midway through a concert in Dallas, Texas amid complaints about the intense heat and problems with his voice.

The band subsequently went on hiatus and online gossips suggested Caleb booked in for treatment in rehab, but Nathan is adamant alcohol was not a factor in the group’s decision to take a break.

He tells News.com.au, “Ah, no. No rehab. The drinking definitely wasn’t what happened in Dallas. It was 43 degrees that day. It was dehydration and overheating. Before the show you could hear in his voice, it wasn’t all there. But if we’d stopped the show there’d be a huge uproar about us cancelling right before we went on stage. Unfortunately the heat got to a couple of us and it unfolded the way it unfolded…”

Nathan insists the break “did us all good” as it allowed the rockers time to recuperate from the rigors of touring, adding, “We all knew we just needed to take a break. Caleb’s voice was completely shot… The European tour before it was a strenuous tour for us. The American tour – everything just kinda came to a head.”

“If you work yourself too hard, you’ll stop one way or another. Some people probably thought it was the end… (But) we’re family, we love each other. I don’t think we’d ever be able to stay away from it much longer than we did.”

1.  Awolnation – Sail

2.  The Used – Burning Down The House

3.  Foster The People – Pumped Up Kicks

4.   Anthrax – The Devil You Know

5.   Megadeth – Public Enemy No. 1

6.    Switchfoot – Dark Horses

7.  Theory of a Deadman – The Bitch Came Back

8.    Foo Fighters – These Days

9.  Nickelback – Bottoms Up

10. Red Hot Chili Pepper – The Adventures of Rain Dance Maggie

Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian has donned full prosthetics to appear as a zombie in the new series of The Walking Dead.

The musician is a big fan of the horror genre and was delighted to be asked to appear in an episode of the drama show.  Ian happily spent hours in the make-up chair in August  preparing to film his role as a member of the undead and he insists all the hard work was worth it.

In a post on his official website, he writes, “My agent got the call asking if I wanted to come down and get made up to play a zombie… for AMC’s The Walking Dead directed by Greg Nicotero (effects God). I couldn’t say yes to this fast enough… I’ve been wanting to do this my whole life. Zombies have always been my favorite genre of horror and to participate in something as killer as The Walking Dead would just be amazing. Truly my Make-A-Wish moment!”

“I got to the set and headed straight for the makeup trailer. I was told I was getting the full-on zombie ‘hero’ makeup. That means I get the sick head/neck wounds done with silicone appliqués… The whole process was pretty painless, even sitting for 90 minutes was cool because they were putting zombie makeup on me. I would’ve sat for five hours, I was so stoked.”

After filming his scenes, Ian insisted on keeping his make-up on for the journey home.

He adds, “I kept the make-up on after the shoot and headed home. I got some great looks from people in other cars. I wanted to keep the makeup on all week! I got home and fed my eight-week-old son. His reaction was basically, ‘Yeah, whatever, feed me ugly’.”

The second season of The Walking Dead premieres this Sunday, October 16th.

1.  Foster The People – Pumped Up Kicks

2.  Switchfoot – Dark Horses

3.  Anthrax – The Devil You Know

4.  Man Made Machine – Victim

5.  Foo Fighters – These Days

6.  Trevor Hall – Brand New Day

7.  Cake – Long Time

8.  The Used – Burning Down The House

9.  Red Hot Chili Pepper – The Adventures of Rain Dance Magic

10. Megadeth – Public Enemy No. 1

The alternative rock band, R.E.M., has officially split up after 31 years together, having produced 15 albums.

What? Oh no! We think we’re gonna lose our religion over this one…

…or at least we would have had this news come out in 1995.

Still, the band was a great one regardless of peak time and deserves a final standing ovation.

From Everybody Hurts to Losing My Religion, the band was best known for their melodic songs accompanied by thought-provoking music videos.

After their breakthrough commercial success in the 90s, R.E.M. began experimenting with other sounds in the early 2000s. Although their music dropped off the Top 100 charts, fans and critics still held them on a high pedestal of respect.

In 2007, they were deservedly inducted into Rock N’ Roll Hall of Fame.

On their website, they released an official unified statement announcing the split, followed by individual messages:

We walk away with a great sense of gratitude, of finality, and of astonishment at all we have accomplished. To anyone who ever felt touched by our music, our deepest thanks for listening.

Michael: A wise man once said – ‘the skill in attending a party is knowing when it’s time to leave.’ We built something extraordinary together. We did this thing. And now we’re going to walk away from it.”

Mike: There’s no disharmony here, no falling-outs, no lawyers squaring-off. We’ve made this decision together, amicably and with each other’s best interests at heart. The time just feels right.

It’s a sad day for their most dedicated of fans, but the music they gave the world will transcend time on dozens of movie soundtracks.

Thank you, R.E.M., for your amazing musical gifts! We wish you each the best of luck in your future endeavors.

1.  Foster The People – Pumped Up Kicks

2.  Red Hot Chili Peppers – The Adventures of Rain Dance Maggie

3.  Switchfoot – Dark Horses

4.  Anthrax – The Devil You Know

5.  Black Stone Cherry – Blame It On The Boom Boom

6.  Edisun – Wide Awake

7.  Cake – Long time

8.  Seether – Here and Now

9.  Evanescence – What You Want

10. Bush – The Sound Of Winter

Last night the familiar pangs of ‘Enter Sandman’ echoed through the hallowed halls of Yankee Stadium. This time, however, Mariano Rivera didn’t take the mound.

The traveling metal circus known as The Big 4 made its way to the Bronx bringing with it hard rock heaven, ironic with all of the devil horns being flashed throughout the day. What else would you expect when you bring Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth, and Anthrax, together for one show?

Complete with over-the-top pyrotechnics and lasers Metallica showcased a finely tuned stadium show. Fresh off of recording a collaborative album with Lou Reed, the band worked their huge set up with pinpoint precision. Playing mostly songs recorded before 1992 one such highlight included the rarely played instrumental ‘Orion,’ dedicated to their late bassist Cliff Burton.

After a break Metallica returned with each individual member of The Big 4. “This one’s for Lemmy”, said Hetfield right before he and a backing band for the ages tore through a cover of Motörhead’s ‘Overkill.’

Big thanks to our friend Joe Gerarce, from Tavern 1844 in St Croix, who managed to get a hold of one Metallica’s set list, for your visual pleasure