Mary Ouellette, SheWillShootYou.com Linkin Park have been part of the ‘ Grammy Amplifier ‘ talent search competition since its inception last month, but they’re taking the next step in the process by also signing on for the ‘Centerstage Powered by Grammy Amplifier’ mentoring program. Linkin Park member and program mentor Mike Shinoda joined The Recording Academy’s Evan Green and Hyundai New Media Senior Group Manager Jon Budd at a Los Angeles press conference announcing the online platform that will provide professional mentoring services to aspiring acts discovered through the ‘Grammy Amplifier’ program. The ‘Grammy Amplifier’ program invited musicians to create a profile and upload their music at which point they could then invite their social media fanbases to vote for them as many times as possible. Those with the most votes, known as “amplifies,” would then be introduced to the program’s curators — Linkin Park, Ozzy Osbourne , Kelly Clarkson , Rza, Kaskade , My Morning Jacket ‘s Jim James, and Snoop Lion — who would then help increase their exposure by promoting the aspiring acts on their own social networks. As part of the ‘Centerstage’ program, three of the most “amplified” acts will receive awards that include a recording session with a leading Grammy producer, the production of a music video with a noted producer and/or director and the opportunity to open shows on a major tour or music festival. The winning artists will be announced during the Grammys annual SXSW party in March. For more details on the ‘Grammy Amplifier’ program, click here . [button href=”http://loudwire.com/linkin-park-new-zealand-eighth-lpu-summit/” title=”Next: Linkin Park Plan New Zealand Based Fan Summit” align=”center”]
Ethan Miller, Getty Images Guns N’ Roses ‘ Axl Rose may wish to distance himself from Slash as much as possible, but the proximity of the frontman to his former guitarist will stand in the ‘Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock’ video game. A judge dismissed Rose’s lawsuit against Activision Blizzard Inc. in which he claimed the gaming company broke a promise made to him when he agreed to license his music. According to the San Marino Tribune , Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Charles Palmer heard more than two hours of arguments Jan. 31 concerning the lawsuit’s contract claims before taking the case under submission. On Thursday (Feb. 7), he affirmed his tentative ruling and tossed out the remaining causes of action in the case. Back in August , Palmer threw out Rose’s initial fraud and misrepresentation claims because they were filed beyond the statute of limitations, but left the vocalist with the ability to pursue the contractual causes of action . In the time since the last court date, Activision filed another dismissal notice and this time Palmer ruled in their favor. Rose alleged that he had agreed to allow usage of ‘Welcome to the Jungle’ in the video game only if Activision were to disallow any images of his former Guns N’ Roses bandmates or their current band, Velvet Revolver . However, Slash appeared as a character within the game itself. Even though Rose voiced his displeasure during production of the game, the company moved forward with their usage of the guitarist’s image and the band’s song. [button href=”http://loudwire.com/guns-n-roses-third-headliner-new-york-governors-ball-festival/” title=”Next: Guns N’ Roses Announced as Headliner for 2013 Governors Ball” align=”center”]
Matthias Clamer, ESPN The Magazine If imitation is the ultimate sign of flattery, then Nirvana ‘s ‘Nevermind’ album cover has to be one of the most beloved images in pop culture history. The iconic artwork has been replicated many times over the years, and Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte is the latest to pay tribute, recreating the image for ‘ESPN The Magazine’s new music issue. The magazine has turned their focus to sports loving musicians for their latest issue, with Pearl Jam ‘s Jeff Ament recently sharing his basketball past in a piece that turned up prior to the issue’s release. Incidentally, the image of Lochte swimming with the almighty dollar in front of him seems apt as since his Olympic victories the commercial opportunities have opened up. He recently signed on to star in the reality series , ‘What Would Ryan Lochte Do?’ The ‘ESPN The Magazine’ music issue hit newsstands today (Feb. 8). See a full gallery of Ryan Lochte’s ‘Nevermind’ photo shoot here and see a behind-the-scenes video below: Ryan Lochte ‘Nevermind’ Photo Shoot – Behind-the-Scenes Video [button href=”http://loudwire.com/unique-smells-like-teen-spirit-covers/” title=”Next: Unique ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ Covers” align=”center”]
Tenth Street Entertainment Motley Crue are one of the most celebrated bands in rock and they’ve certainly enjoyed a fruitful career with plenty of standout records, but which album do you consider their best? We’re asking you to let us know what was your favorite Motley Crue album in this Loudwire Readers Poll. Was it their 1981 debut album, ‘Too Fast for Love’? The disc did feature the title track as well as their longtime favorite ‘Live Wire.’ Or perhaps it was their 1983 breakout ‘Shout at the Devil,’ which began to take hold on a national level. That disc spawned the title cut, plus ‘Looks That Kill,’ ‘Too Young to Fall in Love,’ and a cover of the Beatles classic ‘Helter Skelter.’ There’s also the 1985 album, ‘Theatre of Pain,’ which featured their Brownsville Station cover of ‘Smokin’ in the Boys Room’ as well as the longtime fan favorite ‘Home Sweet Home.’ In 1987, Motley Crue gave us the raucous classic, ‘Girls, Girls, Girls,’ which featured the title track, ‘Wild Side,’ ‘You’re All I Need’ and a live version of the Elvis Presley favorite ‘Jailhouse Rock.’ There’s also the band’s stellar fifth album, ‘Dr. Feelgood,’ which gave us the title cut, plus ‘Kickstart My Heart,,’ ‘Don’t Go Away Mad (Just Go Away),’ ‘Same ‘Ol Situation (S.O.S.)’ and the rock ballad ‘Without You.’ In the ’90s, we got two albums. The first, the self-titled ‘Motley Crue,’ is actually the only Crue disc that didn’t feature Vince Neil on vocals. John Corabi sang on ‘Hooligan’s Holiday,’ ‘Misunderstood’ and more. Neil returned for 1997′s ‘Generation Swine,’ which featured an updated version of ‘Shout at the Devil,’ plus the songs ‘Beauty’ and ‘Afraid.’ And in the 2000s, the Crue has kept things going with 2000′s ‘New Tattoo,’ a disc that spawned the single ‘Hell on High Heels,’ and 2008′s ‘Saints of Los Angeles,’ which gave us the title cut and such other favorites as ‘Mutherf—er of the Year’ and ‘White Trash Circus.’ So, with three decades worth of albums, which is your favorite Motley Crue disc? Let us know by placing your vote in the Readers Poll below: Sorry, you need to have javascript running to see this poll. [button href=”http://loudwire.com/favorite-godsmack-song-readers-poll/” title=”Previous Readers Poll: Favorite Godsmack Song” align=”center”]
YouTube Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl is made the most of his week-long hosting stint on ‘Chelsea Lately,’ and while he’s done a solid job with his interviewing skills, the rock frontman scored big laughs with a sketch on the history of rock ‘n’ roll. Grohl put the ‘Chelsea Lately’ crew to work, dressing them in costumes as he attempted to explain what he did and the world he comes from to the staffers on the show. The sketch introduced key figures from each era — from Elvis through Deadmau5 — with the costumes getting increasingly absurd. The sketch ended with Grohl introducing the “one true original who transcends every genre of every decade and will continue to be the future of music” — Elton John . The Rock and Roll Hall of Famer was one of Grohl’s guests earlier in the week and gave the singer some friendly advice. “For f— sake, get on with it,” John exclaimed. It was during the ‘Chelsea Lately’ appearance that Elton John revealed that he had been in the studio with Grohl and the members of Queens of the Stone Age , lending a hand on a track for Queens’ upcoming disc. ‘ Chelsea Lately ‘ can be seen weeknights at 11PM ET/10PM CT on the E! network. Watch Dave Grohl Explain the History of Rock ‘n’ Roll [button href=”http://loudwire.com/dave-grohl-sound-city-players-new-york-city/” title=”Next: Dave Grohl Bringing Sound City Players to New York City” align=”center”]
YouTube Bullet for My Valentine are just about ready to unleash their ‘ Temper Temper ‘ album on fans, but before they do there’s one final video preview that you can check out to whet your appetite for the disc. The fourth and final part of Loudwire’s exclusive video preview focuses on the choruses from the upcoming disc. As with the past previews, this one takes the viewer inside the studio for the band’s recording sessions and gives a quick-cutting glimpse at the making of the record. This time around singer Matt Tuck’s vocals soundtrack the clip. The ‘choruses’ video follows the past preview clips of the ‘ screams ,’ the ‘ riffs ‘ and the ‘ solos ‘ off of the ‘Temper Temper’ disc. The ‘Temper Temper’ album has already spawned the singles ‘ Riot ‘ and the title track , and should keep the band going for quite some time. They’ve already booked their first North American trek of the year, headlining the HardDrive Live tour with support from Halestorm and Young Guns . ‘Temper Temper’ is in stores on Tuesday (Feb. 12), but you can head over to iTunes to reserve your copy of the album now. Watch Bullet for My Valentine’s ‘Choruses’ Preview [button href=”http://loudwire.com/bullet-for-my-valentine-screams-temper-temper-album-exclusive-preview/” title=”Hear the Screams From the ‘Temper Temper’ Album” align=”center”] [button href=”http://loudwire.com/bullet-for-my-valentine-riffs-temper-temper-album-exclusive-preview/” title=”Hear the Riffs From the ‘Temper Temper’ Album” align=”center”] [button href=”http://loudwire.com/bullet-for-my-valentine-solos-temper-temper-album-exclusive-preview/” title=”Hear the Solos From the ‘Temper Temper’ Album” align=”center”]
Roadrunner Records Aussie rockers Airbourne are making the most of this thing called rock and roll, providing the “rock” with their upcoming album ‘Black Dog Barking’ and announcing a partnership with Six Flags that offers the “roll” as their music will be used in association with the theme park’s new roller coaster. The ‘Black Dog Barking’ album is the band’s third release and it’s now on the schedule for a May 21 release through Roadrunner Records. The band hooked up with acclaimed producer Brian Howes on the disc. The group stated off the effort, “A lot of thought and effort has gone into this record not only by the band, but by the production crew who worked countless hours, seven days a week, even through Christmas and New Year’s Eve to achieve the best possible performances, backed by real undying tones. Now we’re handing it over to you … so crank it up, crack a beer and stick some rock ‘n’ roll in your ear!” The band have yet to announce any North American shows, but several European appearances running from late May into early July have been revealed. As for their partnership with Six Flags, the band created a song for the theme park’s Full Throttle roller coaster. The “full throttle” edition of ‘Live It Up’ will be released by the band to coincide with the opening at Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, Calif. later this spring and will be played in the park’s entertainment system. The ‘Full Throttle’ coaster is described as the tallest, fastest looping roller coaster in the world. In addition to ‘Live It Up,’ Six Flags will also feature additional music from various Roadrunner artists throughout their park. ‘Live It Up’ will also appear on the ‘Black Dog Barking’ album. [button href=”http://loudwire.com/2013-albums/” title=”Next: 10 Most Anticipated 2013 Albums” align=”center”]