The album was released in the UK earlier this month as a free cover disk with Classic Rock Magazine and the retail version contained three more tracks. In addition, the iTunes version also contains a 14th track, a live version called “Golden Opportunity.”

“When Mott The Hoople announced they were reforming for a week’s worth of shows at the Hammersmith Odeon I was asked that I participate in some capacity. They’ve always been my favourite band and it’s nice to see the rest of the rock world finally catch up and give them their due.” Joe Elliott says.

In addition to Joe Elliott (Vocals/Guitar/Keyboards), the band featured The Quireboys’ Paul Guerin (Guitar), Guy Griffin (Guitar), Keith Weir (keyboards) and Phil Martini (drums) and bassist Ronnie Garrity (Raw Glory).

Their first single “England Rocks” has jumped from 44 to 31 on the Mediabase Classic Rock 7-day chart.

DOWN N’ OUTZ will be performing at the High Voltage Festival’s main stage at Victoria Park, London on Sunday the 25th July 2010.

Memorable tracks: “England Rocks”

Cantrell, accompanied by new singer/guitarist William DuVall, bass player Mike Inez and drummer Sean Kinney, performed a three-song acoustic including “Your Decision,” Black Gives Way To Blue” and “Down in a Hole,” from its 1992 breakthrough “Dirt” at the Montalban Theatre from their first studio album in 14 years, due in stores on Sept. 29.

Cantrell described “Black Gives Way To Blue,” the title track to the new album, as a “deep” tribute to DuVall’s predecessor, Layne Staley, who lost his lengthy battle with drugs in 2002.

Beforehand, guests were treated to an open bar and In & Out Burgers and were later seated whole they heard the entire album on the PA system after checking in their cell phones at the door to prevent piracy. The new video, “A Looking in View,” also played in a loop.

During the 1990s when Seattle was at the epicenter of the “grunge rock” phase, Alice in Chains spearheaded the gloomy genre with a string of dark, druggy albums. Four of them hit the top 10 of the Billboard 200, including the chart-toppers “Jar of Flies” (1994) and its self-titled studio swan song the following year.

“Black Gives Way To Blue” marks the band’s first release for Virgin/EMI; all its previous albums were handled by Columbia Records. Virgin will also host a listening party in New York next Tuesday.

Replacing Robin Finck (who was one of the many guitarists to play lead on GNR’s latest album, Chinese Democracy), Ashba received nothing but the highest level of praise from Axl Rose himself: “We’re very excited to have the opportunity to work together. Guns’ radar has silently been aware of DJ’s presence for quite some time! He brings a fresh approach to our particular brand of mayhem expanding the tapestry of Guns N’ Roses live. Once DJ’s name was in the hat, the hat disappeared!!”

This isn’t the first time that DJ Ashba has found himself standing beside rock legends. He first gained prominence as lead guitarist for the band, Beautiful Creatures, led by former Bang Tango frontman, Joe LeSte. He left that band to focus on his solo efforts, including forming not one, but two companies: Ashba Media, Inc. and Ashbaland, Inc., each of which handles arts, promotion, and production of music.

In 2006, Ashba began collaborating with Motley Crue’s Nikki Sixx and vocalist James Michael with Sixx’s side project, Sixx:A.M. Soon after, he worked with Sixx on the Crue’s latest album, the Grammy-nominated Saints of Los Angeles as a co-writer and co-producer.

His most high-profile gig to date, Ashba has some mighty tall boots to fill, standing in for reknowned riff-meisters like GNR’s original guitarist, Slash and (one of) Slash’s replacement, NIN’s Robin Finck. Crowds who caught DJ’s live performances with Sixx:A.M. on the first Cruefest outing last summer will attest to Ashba’s prowess as a guitarist and a dynamic stage presence who is as much about crowd as he is the music.

Check back for more info as soon as tour dates for Guns n’ Roses latest 2009 tour are announced. This latest collaboration should definitely be something to look forward to!

Tickets are already on sale, having been made available to the band’s S.I.N. Club members on February 25th and to the general public on March 2nd, 2009.

So, with the tour slated for a July start and none of the other bands on the bill named yet, what is there to entice metalheads into snapping up tickets for the summer blowout in these turbulent economic times? Try the band doing something truly unusual: Playing their classic 1989 album, Dr. Feelgood live in its entirety on every night of the tour.

In an official statement, Nikki Sixx announces that “On this summer’s Crue Fest, we really wanted to give the fans something they’ve never seen before. And since it’s the 20th anniversary of the release of Dr. Feelgood, we figured what better way to celebrate than to play it live TOP TO BOTTOM every night.”

As Motley Crue’s first #1 album, Dr. Feelgood holds a special place in the hearts of the band and its fans. Even more appropriately, 2009 marks the 20th anniversary of this landmark disc that yielded several Billboard-charting hits for the band including “Don’t Go Away Mad (Just Go Away)”, “Without You,” “Same Ol’ Situation (S.O.S.), and the disc’s title track.

Several songs on the album haven’t been played live in years, or even at all. For Crue fans craving new additions to the band’s setlist, this is a dream come true.

Cruefest 2 rolls into a town near you beginning on July 19th, 2009. Check out the tour dates below to see when you can make your appointment to see Dr. Feelgood live!

7/19 - Susquehanna Bank Center - Camden, NJ
7/21 - Blossom Music Center - Cuyahoga Falls, OH
7/22 - First Midwest Bank Amphitheater - Tinley Park, IL
7/27 - White River Amphitheater - Auburn, WA
7/28 - Clark County Amphitheater - Portland, OR
7/30 - Shoreline Amphitheater - Mountain View, CA
7/31 - San Manuel Ampitheater - San Bernardino, CA
8/01 - The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel and Casino - Las Vegas, NV
8/03 - USANA Amphitheatre - Salt Lake City, UT
8/04 - Fiddler’s Green Amphitheater - Englewood, CO
8/05 - Hournal Pavilion - Albuquerque, NM
8/07 - Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion - Houston, TX
8/08 - Superpages.com Center - Dallas, TX
8/09 - Sprint Center - Kansas City, MO
8/11 - Verizon Wireless Amphitheater - Maryland Heights, MO
8/12 - Verizon Wireless Amphitheater - Indianapolis, IN
8/14 - Riverbend Music Center - Cincinnati, OH
8/15 - DTE Energy Music Theatre - Clarkston, MI
8/16 - Post-Gazette Pavilion - Pittsburgh, PA
8/19 - Comcast Center - Mansfield, MA
8/21 - Verizon Wireless Amphitheater - Virginia Beach, VA
8/22 - Nissan Pavilion - Bristow, VA
8/23 - TWC Music Pavilion - Raleigh, NC
8/29 - Lakewood Amphitheatre - Atlanta, GA
8/30 - Verizon Wireless Amphitheater - Charlotte, NC
9/01 - Saratoga Performing Arts Center - Saratoga Springs, NY
9/04 - Toyota Pavilion - Scranton, PA
9/05 - Darien Lake Performing Arts Center - Darien Lake, NY

“We’re not even going to do a record. We’re just going to go right on tour and have fun. We know that if we see you guys, we’re going to get really inspired to make music,” says Stefani, alluding that a new No Doubt album could be in the very near future.

The reunited lineup includes the best-known incarnation of the band with Tony Kanal on bass, guitarist Tom Dumont, and Adrian Young behind the drum kit, as well as Gwen Stefani on vocals. While Stefani was busy with her solo career and birthing her two sons with Gavin Rossdale, her fellow No Doubt mates were occupied with various projects, including all three members serving as Scott Weiland’s backing band on the former STP/Velvet Revolver singer’s solo album, Happy in Galoshes.

The band has also set up the No Doubt Tour Club for fans of the band to get their hands on premium seating. Fans enrolled in the club will be allowed to purchase tickets before they are released to the general public.

Tickets go on sale for club members Thursday February 26th, 2009 and are on sale to the general public beginning Saturday March 7th, 2009.

Check out the tour dates below to see when No Doubt and Paramore roll into your area!

5/03/2009 East Rutherford, NJ - Meadowlands Sports Complex (Bamboozle Festival)
5/16/2009 Las Vegas, NV - Mandalay Bay Events Center (Tiger Jam XII)
5/19/2009 Fresno, CA - Save Mart Center
5/20/2009 Bakersfield, CA - Rabobank Arena
5/22/2009 San Diego, CA - Cricket Wireless Amphitheatre
5/23/2009 Phoenix, AZ - Cricket Wireless Pavilion
5/25/2009 Salt Lake City, UT - The E Center
5/27/2009 Denver, CO - Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre
5/28/2009 Albuquerque, NM - Journal Pavilion
5/30/2009 Dallas, TX - Superpages.com Center
5/31/2009 Houston, TX - Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
6/02/2009 Tampa, FL - Ford Amphitheatre
6/03/2009 West Palm Beach, FL - Cruzan Amphitheatre
6/05/2009 Atlanta, GA - Lakewood Amphitheatre
6/06/2009 Charlotte, NC - Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
6/08/2009 Raleigh, NC - Time Warner Cable Music Pavilion
6/10/2009 Virginia Beach, VA - Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
6/11/2009 Philadelphia, PA - Susquehanna Bank Center
6/13/2009 Pittsburgh, PA - Post-Gazette Pavilion
6/14/2009 Washington, DC - Nissan Pavilion
6/16/2009 Toronto, ON - Air Canada Centre
6/17/2009 Montreal, QC - Centre Bell
6/19/2009 Darien Center, NY - Darien Lake Performing Arts Center
6/20/2009 Boston, MA - Comcast Center
6/24/2009 Uncasville, CT - Mohegan Sun Arena
6/26/2009 Holmdel, NJ - PNC Bank Arts Center *** ON SALE TBD
6/27/2009 Wantagh, NY - Nikon at Jones Beach Theater
6/29/2009 Cleveland, OH - Blossom Music Center
7/02/2009 Milwaukee, WI - Marcus Amphitheater (Summerfest)
7/03/2009 Detroit, MI - Palace Of Auburn Hills
7/05/2009 St. Paul, MN - Xcel Energy Center
7/06/2009 Kansas City, MO - Starlight Theatre
7/08/2009 St. Louis, MO - Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
7/10/2009 Indianapolis, IN - Verizon Wireless Music Center
7/11/2009 Chicago, IL - First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre
7/13/2009 Winnipeg, MB - MTS Centre
7/15/2009 Calgary, AB - Pengrowth Saddledome
7/16/2009 Edmonton, AB - Rexall Place
7/18/2009 Vancouver, BC - General Motors Place
7/19/2009 Seattle, WA - White River Amphitheatre
7/21/2009 Concord, CA - Sleep Train Pavilion
7/24/2009 Sacramento, CA - Sleep Train Amphitheatre
7/25/2009 Mountain View, CA - Shoreline Amphitheatre
7/31/2009 Irvine, CA - Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
8/01/2009 Irvine, CA - Verizon Wireless Amphitheater

Born Erick Lee Purkheiser, Lux Interior founded The Cramps in 1973, trekking with his band from their Ohio roots to California, and finally to New York. It was in NYC where they burst onto the CBGB punk scene alongside bands like The Ramones, Blondie, and Talking Heads. Playing a unique brand of horror-themed punk overlaid with rockabilly and surf-rock overtones, The Cramps revolutionized the genre of “psychobilly.” Heavily influenced by ’50s b-movies and all things trashy, the band is best known for songs such as “Bikini Girls With Machine Guns,” “Can Your Pussy Do the Dog,” “What’s Inside a Girl” and “Goo Goo Muck.”

Looking like a goth-ed out Iggy Pop with his lanky, gangly frame, Lux Interior’s stage antics included spastic dancing, wailing howl, and occasionally putting his head through a bass drum and projectile vomiting into the audience.

Lux is survived by his wife of 37 years, Kristy Wallace — better known by her stage name, Poison Ivy — his fellow founding member and guitarist of The Cramps.

40 Below landed significant airplay and was featured on Headbangers Ball with one of two singles, “Self Medicate”. The other, being “Taxi Cab Confession” which by it self, screams such a passion for groovy, rhythmic Rock. Drummer Carlos Aguilar and Bassist Hector Graziani execute this groove lock flawlessly.

Overall, this record just blew my mind. 40 Below has proved with this record that they are much more than a “Nu Metal” band. Track 3, “Rain” is in my opinion, the best song on the record which includes significant musicianship, tasteful rhythmic technicality, heavy metal guitars, anthemic sing-a-longable choruses, and bass grooves straight outta hell.