The coffee enterprise Aerosmith drummer launched a last year has been a big success. More than 2,000 stores carry the brand and sales have perked-up to the tune of $2 million. Kramer will open the Rockin' & Roastin' brand's first brick and mortar location just outside of Boston in the spring. The Rockin' & Roastin' Café will be where Routes 1 and 1A intersect in North Attleborough. It won't be easy to spot. The coffee's dragon logo will have illuminating eyes and a Kramer drum kit will be prominently displayed and visible to passing cars. The Aerosmith theme comes through in more ways. Vehicles will be directed to a drive-through window with a 'Drive This Way' sign and patrons can munch on the Janie's Got A Bun.
BostonGlobe.com
Angus Young has revealed that AC/DC members knew his brother was losing his grip on reality during the band's Black Ice tour. He says sheer determination kept Malcolm going during the 2008-2010 period. Brian Johnson said there were dates on the tour '...he'd be Malcolm again. And, at other times, his mind was going', making it difficult for band members to gage how aware he was of what was going on around him. Johnson credits Malcolm for making it through, calling Malcolm 'brilliant' for managing to take the stage every night, including those times he seemed out of it. The front man said, 'God knows what went through his mind in some nights when he wasn't that well.'
Black Crowes and Chris Robinson Brotherhood front man has joined forces with Anchor Steam brewer to concoct a new brew bearing the Brotherhood name. Gold, black and red Brotherhood Steam cans will sport the brew's name in the trippy letters Robinson has favored for album and poster artwork for both of his bands. How's the taste of the contents? Good, if you like the idea of a beer described as having '...aromatic hints of citrus,and mint, a smooth, full bodied malt flavor with a lingering, fresh hop finish'. The limited edition beer will be available on a select market and stores basis and at Chris Robinson Brotherhood concerts.
Bob Dylan played to an empty house by design Sunday 
Led Zeppelin reunion hopes remain high with some fans, but it has become increasingly apparent how unlikely it is that one will ever come about. Resistance to the idea always traces back to Robert Plant. The vocalist has been up-front about the fact he's the hold-out. Speaking with the hosts of Sound Opinions on NPR's WBEZ recently, Plant explained what's at the root of his reluctance to take the stage with Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones to perform Zeppelin classics. He says it relates to a vow he made to never compromise musically; 'I cut the cloth according to my needs', said Plant, who calls his current musical project, '...one of the most surprising, exciting and stimulating and also mostly heartfelt periods of my time as a singer.' Hear the rest of what Plant had to say 
If the powerful, unvarnished story he was capable of presenting when he directed Dallas Buyer's Club is any indication, fans could be in for a compelling account of the life of Janis Joplin when Jean-Marc Vallée brings Get It While You Can to theaters. The film will reportedly have Amy Adams in the lead role. Adams has another movie to finish before her work with Vallée will begin, so it is likely to be late in 2016 before the Joplin film is ready for screening.
Authorized bootlegs of a number of Bruce Springsteen concerts are available through an online store. The launch features 30+ recent concerts and includes a complete live rendition of the Born To Run album performed in New Zealand. While some of the recordings have been previously available, the new site expands the format option to include CDs. Fans eager to get high quality recordings of earlier tours will have to wait. Brad Serling, the guy that manages the release of the recordings, says, '...what I've found with any actively touring artist, big or small, is that recent always trumps older in the artist's mind. There's an afterglow of big moments in the near-rear-view mirror that are more meaningful to them than the glories of the distant past.' He promises there will eventually be shows from as far back as 1973 added to the mix. Could the hard-core fan favorite Union College Chapel (Schenectady, NY) concert make it? 'Nothing's off the table', according to Serling - and that includes fan recordings.
Neil Young doesn't strike us as the kind of guy that would go to Starbucks for his coffee anyway, but he won't cross the threshold of another for sure if the coffee giant supports a lawsuit seeking to block a Vermont law that will require foods with genetically modified organisms include that on the labeling. In a 'GOODBYE STARBUCKS!!!' letter on Young's web site, Neil said he'd lined up for his last latte because he thinks the firm is involved in the suit and it sends the signal that, 'Starbucks doesn't think you have the right to know what's in your coffee.' Young says aligning with Monsanto in 'Hiding behind the shadowy Grocery Manufacturers Association' in its attempt to block the labeling requirement means the coffee company is backing the wrong side, a decision he calls especially disappointing and objectionable in light of its history of being pro-actively supportive of consumer and labor issues.
The other members of AC/DC say they have neither made or gotten contact with their drummer since authorities implicated Phil Rudd in drug murder-for-hire charges. Rudd, who recently released a solo album, was portrayed as difficult to get to the studio while AC/DC was working on their new album, ironically titled Rock Or Bust. Speaking during a promotional appearance in New York for the pending album, Angus Young said, '...it was hard to even get him to do the recording. And then he was supposed to show up to do promos with us, to do video shoots and a few other things, and he never showed up for that either.' While the charge Rudd had sought to set up a contract killing has been dropped, he still could get up to a 7 year sentence if convicted on the pending charges and threatening to kill someone. As for where he stands with the group, Young says, '...at this stage, it's a pretty tough call for us.'
The announcement that Furthur, the band that reunited Grateful Dead members Bob Weir and Phil Lesh, was disbanding included a tidbit that fans of their original band are taking as an indication The Dead could rise again. "We'll all be keeping very busy over the foreseeable future" were the words used. Other considerations pieced together that could lend credence to the idea of a 50th anniversary for one of San Francisco's seminal bands: 2015 also marks the 20th anniversary of Jerry Garcia's death. Bob Weir, who recently re-emerged following a long stretch staying off the radar, canceled his tour with Ratdog. The guitarist also used words in a Rolling Stone interview early this year that some interpreted as an indication that the Dead could reconvene when he said, 'If there are hatchets to be buried, then let's get to work'. An entry in the group's almanac on Terrapinnation.net referencing the approaching milestone reads, "We do not yet know the exact form the commemoration of this auspicious anniversary will take, but this remarkable journey is something worth celebrating, and celebrate we will." Whether that is just to exhort fans to mark the occasion themselves or means something more is in the works remains to be seen. TheStar.com
The Rolling Stones will receive an undisclosed amount of money from the firm that insured the group's Australian and New Zealand tour dates that got cancelled following the death of Mick Jagger's lover, L'Wren Scott. The band had to provide a basis for the claim and is steamed by the fact personal information provided by the insurance company was made public. In the filing, it was revealed that Mick Jagger had been diagnosed as suffering from acute traumatic stress in the aftermath of Scott's suicide
A 2013 auction held at the Cavern Club saw an 'anonymous American Beatles fan' pay more than $750,000 for a Liverpool home valued at less than 1/3 that amount. A report now says it is widely known that Yoko Ono was behind that bid. The small home that occupies 9 Newcastle Rd. in the Wavertree section of Liverpool was the house John Lennon first lived in. Just around the corner from Penny Lane, the small house is undergoing restoration, supposedly by the same crew that Ono had refurbish another Lennon home that Ono donated to the National Trust. At least one tourism source in Liverpool expects the Newcastle Rd. house will also be restored to how it would have looked inside when John was young so it, too, can be eventually be open for public viewing.
John Fogerty, a veteran himself, took to Facebook to defend Bruce Springsteen and Dave Grohl for playing his song Fortunate Son during the Concert for Valor on the DC Mall on Veteran's Day. Reaction to the decision to play the Creedence Clearwater Revival classic at an event honoring past and present members of the military has been sharp, with many condemning the choice. Fogerty disagrees, saying the song was written to honor those who fought during the Vietnam War and were '...shamefully ignored and mistreated' by the administration that sent them there on their return from Southeast Asia. Fogerty added, 'As a man who was drafted and served his country during those times, I have ultimate respect for the men and women that protect us today and demand that they receive the respect that they deserve.' Fogerty also posted a photo of him with Springsteen when the pair played together at an earlier concert.
Bono nearly got added to the list of musicians that lost their lives in aviation crashes. A private jet carrying the U2 front man and some friends from Dublin to Berlin Tuesday.jpg)
Ian Anderson is asking fans to respect his privacy when he's not on stage. Taking to his Facebook page, the Jethro Tull singer and flute player says fans that pursue him after shows '...frighten my wife and put me under pressure to react to potential violence.' Anderson concedes that those who follow him after concerts or show up at hotels he stays in while touring are likely just seeking autographs but emplores them to consider what it would be like if they had people following them while on their way home after work, writing, '...you would get worried and understandably probably lock your car doors and call the cops.' He closed with 'PLEASE DON'T DO THIS.'
Mick Jagger has always seen to it that the Rolling Stones make sound business decisions so it's no surprise to learn that the group takes out a bing insurance policy when it goes on tour. That policy is being put to the test over a claim the band is seeking due to revenue the group lost when Australian and New Zealand concerts were cancelled after their lead singer learned his lover had hung herself. The band has submitted a diagnosis Jagger received as a legitimate medical reason the tour dates had to be scrubbed in the wake of L'Wren Scott's suicide. A doctor pronounced that Jagger was suffering from acute traumatic stress as a result of the death of Scott. The condition can be a precurser to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Symptoms can trigger nightmares and emotional numbness or turmoil associated with feelings of guilt. The group is reportedly seeking about $12.5 million from the nearly $27 million dollar policy.
Sammy Hagar sees the Van Halen original lineup together down the road. Speaking with VH1's Dave Basner, the Red Rocker said he'd happily stay on the sidelines if Michael Anthony gott invited back into Van Halen. Hagar was supposedly ousted from the group for having remained tight with Hagar after Sammy got the boot from VH. Any move to bring Anthony back to the group cold stir-up an awkward family dynamic for Eddie Van Halen. Anthony was replaced on bass by the guitarist's son, Wolfgang.
Bill Kreutzmann has a book deal and a book titled Deal. The former Grateful Dead drummer will tell his story about playing behind Jerry Garcie, Bob Weir, Phil Lesh and the many musicians that played keyboards duriing his decades with the Dead in a book to be published in May.
UK tabloid The Mirror reported that Virgin Air mogul Richard Branson offered $793 million for Robert Plant, Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones to commit to a 3 city, 35 concert Led Zeppelin reunion tour. The paper contended that Page and Jones were both for it but Robert Plant tore-up the copy he was given. Plant's one word response to the story? 'Rubbish'. A categorical denial was given to Forbes Wednesday (11/12 by a Virgin spokesman who said, 'There is no truth to the story that Richard Branson offered members of Led Zeppelin £500m to reforma and carry out a tour, nor had Richard been in discussion with the band about any such tour.'
Bruce Springsteen's commitment to veteran causes has been steadfast. The veterans benefit event that gets the biggest boost from The Boss is Stand Up For Heroes, presented annually in the fall in New York City. The 2014 edition bagged the biggest trove of donated items ever from Bruce. The most valuable item? Hang time. A bidder putting up $300,000 earned a day with Springsteen including a lasagna dinner at Springsteen's home, a private guitar lesson and a ride in the sidecar of Bruce's motorcycle. Springsteen also donated a couple of guitars to the cause, pushing the total total the programs serving vets will gain past the half million mark.
Steven Tyler says he will not read band mate Joe Perry's candid book bout life in the band because he '...has to go on stage with him next year'. The clear implication is that Tyler thinks he will take exception to his guitarist's accounts of the lead singer's conduct - or at least his candor about Tyler's behavior over the years. Asked whether he would read the Perry book once the tour is over, Tyler quipped, 'I might', and then added, 'He hasn't read mine either.' Perry disagrees. The guitarist told Rolling Stone that he read Does The Noise In My Head Bother You, Tyler's 2011 autobiography. He called the accounts in Tyler's book 'Definitely Steven's truth'. As for Perry's book, Rocks: My life In And Out Of Aerosmith, Joe says, 'I just hope Steven accepts the things I say about how I felt and how I saw things happen. I don't put words in other people's mouths or talk about conversations that I wasn't there for.'
An initial charge of trespassing has been filed against a man apprehended on U2 drummer Larry Mullen's property on October 19. Police believe Gerard O'Neil was at Mullen's Dublin home with the intention to menace him, noting in their report that the suspect went onto the property in a manner that, '...was likely to cause fear in another person.'
