--Queen Keyboardist Hints That "Big Tour" Is In The Works

Queen might be planning to hit the road again.  In a new promotional video for Korg Keyboards, Queen keyboardist Spike Edney praises the company's instrument and reveals that Queen is considering an extensive 2013 trek. No other information has leaked out about a possible Queen tour, so it's not known if the proposed trek would once again feature Adam Lambert fronting the band.  Queen played six concerts earlier this summer with the former "American Idol" finalist.  Their short trek included stops in Kiev; Moscow; and Wroclaw, Poland; capped off with a three-night stand in London.


--Loverboy Hoping For On-Stage Collaborations During Journey Tour

Loverboy's Mike Reno says special collaborations are possible on the group's summer tour with Journey.  The rocker tells UltimateClassicRock.com he'd really like to sing with Journey frontman Arnel Pineda.  He says he recently heard Pineda warm up with the song "Heaven In Your Eyes," the Filipino singer sounded just like Reno.  Mike adds that he shared his amazement with Arnel, who told him "Heaven" was his favorite Loverboy song growing up in Manilla.  Reno admits the experience left him "totally pumped," and wanting to discuss having Pineda perform with Loverboy at some point on the tour.  Mike says he's also love to have Journey's Jonathan Cain or Neal Schon sit in with them.  He explains that Cain has become "a good friend over the years," and calls Schon "one of the best guitarists -- if not the best guitarist -- in the world."

Loverboy will remain on the road with Journey into December, while Pat Benatar is also on the bill for much of the tour.  Their next show is coming up in Wantagh, New York on Friday.


--Hatebreed Demand Retraction For CNN Over "White Power" Label

Hatebreed wants to make sure everyone knows they are a metalcore band and not a white power group.  That's the label they were given in a recent CNN.com story written by Lonnie Nasatir, the director of the Anti-Defamation League's Upper Midwest Region.  The story was about Wade Page, the suspect in the recent Sikh temple shooting in Oak Creek, Wisconsin.  Wade was found to have played in several white power bands, and Nasatir listed a number of other bands who supposedly fall under that label.  But that list included Hatebreed, and the band made it clear they didn't agree with the classification.  They sent out several angry tweets on Wednesday, explaining that they're music "brings people of all races together all over the world."  They also called Nasatir's story "the reason why the American media is looked at as a complete joke," and demanded a retraction and an apology.

"The Hollywood Reporter" says it only took CNN about 30 minutes to update their story after Hatebreed started their Twitter rant.  The group was removed from the list of white power bands, and a correction was added that explains that Hatebreed is a self-described hardcore metal band.  CNN also said they regret the error.


--Beck To Release New Album As Sheet Music In December

Beck fans will have to bone up on their own musical skills if they want to enjoy his next album.  The rocker announced on Wednesday that he plans to release the set as individual pieces of sheet music.  A post on Beck.com says the project, titled "Beck Hansen's Song Reader," is an "experiment in what an album can be at the end of 2012."  The collection includes 20 individual song booklets with a total of 108 pages.  Of the 20 new pieces, 18 of them feature lyrics.  "Beck Hansen's Song Reader" will also come with a foreword written by Beck, a hardcover carrying case, and "full-color, heyday-of-home-play-inspired" original art.  Among the artists contributing is Marcel Dzama, who also designed Beck's 2005 album "Guero."  "Beck Hansen's Song Reader" is scheduled to be released by the publishing house McSweeney's in December.


--Slipknot's Corey Taylor Happy To Have Randy Blythe Home

Slipknot's Corey Taylor says he's happy Lamb of God frontman Randy Blythe is free, and not just because his band is scheduled to play at the upcoming Knotfest.  Taylor tells "Rolling Stone" Blythe has been a good friend for a long time, and it was killing him not being able to do anything to help during Blythe's extended stay in a Czech prison.  Blythe was arrested back in June in connection with the 2010 death of a fan at one of Lamb of God's concerts in Prague.  He was released on bail last week, and is now back in the U.S. and ready to get back to work.  

Lamb of God is slated to play both of Slipknot's Knotfest events on August 17th in Council Bluffs, Iowa, and on August 18th in Minneapolis, MN.  But for now, all that matters to Taylor is that Blythe is back home.  He says he hasn't talked to his friend yet because "family takes precedence," but he plans to call him in a few days to chat and see if there's anything else he can do to help.


--Russian Punk Rockers Give Last Statements In Trial

Members of the imprisoned Russian punk band Pussy Riot compared themselves to persecuted Soviet-era writers Wednesday during the final day of their trial in Moscow.  According to "Rolling Stone," Nadeshda Tolokonnikova said like expelled author Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, she believes "words will crush concrete."  She added that even though they are sitting in a cage, they didn't lose and "the dissidents didn't lose."  Her bandmate Maria Alyokhina told the court she wasn't afraid, explaining, quote, "You can take away my 'so-called' freedom, but you can never take my inner freedom."  The courtroom reportedly burst into applause after each woman's speech.  Tolokonnikova, Alyokhina, and Yekaterina Samutsevich have been charged with hooliganism motivated by religious hatred after they stormed the altar of a Moscow church and performed a "punk prayer" asking the Virgin Mary to rid Russia of President Vladimir Putin.

The trio's eight-day trial is seen as many as an example of Russia's crackdown on dissent since Putin returned to office.  Human rights organizations like Amnesty International have spoken out in defense of the band.  A number of celebrities such as Madonna, the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Patti Smith have also joined their cause, but defense lawyers still expect a guilty verdict.  Prosecutors are asking for a sentence of three years in jail, and the ruling is expected to be handed down next Friday, August 17th.  The band's defense team has announced plans for a worldwide rally to support the group on that day.


--Today's Birthdays

Golden Earring bassist, keyboardist and songwriter Rinus Gerritsen is 66.
Former Third Eye Blind bassist Arion Salazar is 42.


--Today in Rock History

In 1975
Don Kirshner produced the first "Rock Music Awards Show."  It was an alternative to the Grammys.  Bad Company, Roger Daltrey, and The Eagles were among the winners.

In 1980
Ten illustrations based on Pink Floyd's "The Wall" were stolen from the foyer of the Earls Court in London.  The band was performing a series of shows at the venue at the time.

AC/DC hit number one on the album chart with "Back In Black."

In 1986
Queen played the Knebworth Festival.  It was the band's last live performance.

In 1994
An Oasis gig in England was cut short when a man jumped on stage and hit Noel Gallagher in the face.  Three-hundred angry fans later attacked the band's tour bus.

In 1995
The Grateful Dead's Jerry Garcia died of a heart attack at the age of 53.

In 1997
Elvis Week festivities began in Memphis in conjunction with the 20th anniversary of Elvis Presley's death.

In 2003
The Who's Roger Daltrey made his L.A. stage debut, playing Alfred P. Doolittle in "My Fair Lady."

In 2004
Def Leppard's album "Pyromania" received a Diamond certification, marking ten-million copies sold in the U.S.

In 2008
Instead of an Ozzfest tour, Ozzy Osbourne hosted a single-day event in Dallas.  Metallica was the co-headliner, marking the group's Ozzfest debut, while Serj Tankian, Jonathan Davis, Hellyeah, and Shadows Fall were among the other performers.  The event also included a tribute to the late "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott.

In 2010
The San Francisco Giants hosted a tribute to the late Grateful Dead frontman Jerry Garcia to commemorate the 15th anniversary of his death.  Surviving band members Bob Weir, Phil Lesh, Mickey Hart, and Bill Kreutzmann took part in the event, while Garcia's daughter Annabelle threw out the first pitch.