--Metallica Playing Special Benefit To Finish Weekend Concert Movie Shoot

Metallica will be spending the next several days working on their 3-D concert movie.  The band will be filming their shows Friday and Saturday night at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia.  But the group says in a website post that they'll also be playing a special show on Monday to finish the shoot, and they're offering fans a special deal in the process.  The guys say they'll be playing their full concert Monday night, and add that it will be their last opportunity "for quite some time to play on the gigantic, massive over-the-top stage" they unveiled earlier this summer.  But they admit the show will include a lot of interruptions to set lighting and camera angles.  As a result, Metallica has set the ticket price at just five dollars.  The band is also making it a benefit event.  Money raised through the show will go to the Greater Vancouver Food Bank.

A special Ticketmaster ticket pre-sale begins Friday morning at 9:00 a.m., while tickets will go on sale to the general public Sunday morning at 9:00 a.m.  Details on purchasing tickets are available at Metallica.com.


--Lynyrd Skynyrd, Jimmie Vaughan Slated For RNC Weekend Events

Lynyrd Skynyrd and Jimmie Vaughan are among the stars expected to take part in weekend events in conjunction with the Republican National Convention.  Skynyrd is set to headline a special benefit in Tampa for Citizens Helping Heroes, an organization that assists military members and their families.  The show is slated to take place on the outdoor Liberty Plaza stage in downtown Tampa on Sunday.

Vaughan is on board to entertain at two events on Sunday for Republican presidential hopeful Ron Paul.  The blues guitarist is scheduled to be at Tampa's USF Sun Dome for the "We Are the Future" rally, and then join Blues Traveler frontman John Popper for the "Ron Paul After Party: Liberty Rocks" event at Whiskey Joe's Bar and Grill in St. Petersburg.  "The Tampa Bay Times" says the afternoon rally is free but people still need a ticket to enter, and the after-party is also open to the public. However, the approaching Tropical Storm Isaac could force organizers to cancel or make last minute changes to the events.


--Sebastian Back Considering Writing His "Insanely Insane" Autobiography

Sebastian Bach just might put his life story in print.  The singer tells Billboard.com he has received "a very nice offer" for his memoir and adds that he could write "a hell of a book."  He describes his past as "insanely insane," and claims he could tell tales that would make Motley Crue's "The Dirt" "look clean."  But Bach admits the thought of sitting down, going back over his experiences, and putting it all in print feels like "such an overwhelming project."  That's in part because if he does it, he'll do it on his own -- without a co-writer or ghost author.  Sebastian explains that other rockers have done it, and calls the self-written autobiographies from former Guns N' Roses bassist Duff McKagan and Twisted Sister's Dee Snider "amazing."  Bach says his book would have to be equally as good, and give him "goose bumps" before he'd allow it to be released.

Bach adds that another option could be to publish "a photo book of all the early Skid Row pictures that chicks from the Internet cannot get enough of."  He says every time he posts one of those pictures online his website crashes.


--System Of A Down Drummer Not Part Of Scars On Broadway

Drummer John Dolmayan says there is definitely new Scars on Broadway music on the horizon, but he won't be a part of it.  The System of a Down rhythm man recently told PureGrainAudio.com he is no longer involved in the side project created by SOAD guitarist-vocalist Daron Malakian.  Dolmayan didn't offer any explanation as to why he stepped aside from the band, instead choosing to promote their upcoming album.  He says Malakian is hard at work and should have something new to put out in the next four or five months.  And in case any fans are wondering, Dolmayan added, quote, "it's a pretty good album by the way."


--J. Geils Band Launching Tour Without J. Geils

The J. Geils Band still intends to hit the road this weekend.  Pollstar.com says the band has a dozen dates scheduled over the next four weeks, including a two-night stand in Boston on September 7th and 8th.  The group will be launching their road trip with an appearance at the New York State Fair in Syracuse on Saturday.  In addition to the 12 upcoming shows, the band also has a concert scheduled in Detroit in early December.

But the J. Geils Band won't be performing with their namesake guitarist, J. Geils, on this tour.  Shows will feature original frontman Peter Wolf, bassist Danny Klein, keyboardist Seth Justman, and harmonica player Magic Dick along with guitarist Duke Levine and drummer Tom Arey.  In announcing the tour the group acknowledged that they were in a legal dispute with Geils over ownership of the band's name, which is why he isn't on board.


--Van With Kurt Cobain's Artwork On Auction

A piece of music history is up for auction on eBay.  A van called "The Melvan," the surface of which supposedly contains artwork made by a young Kurt Cobain, is up for auction for the second time this year.  "The Melvan" was originally the touring van of a band called the Melvins. Cobain was one of the Melvins' roadies in the early 80s before forming iconic grunge band Nirvana.  The late singer is said to have drawn the picture of the band KISS on the side of the van, although the authenticity of the drawing was questioned when the van first went up for auction in March of this year.

The van's owner tells "Rolling Stone" he now has written statements from Melvin founders Matt Lukin and Steve Shillinger confirming that it was indeed Cobain who drew it.  The van is listed on eBay, in an auction that will end on August 26th.


--Yoko Ono Not Commenting On Chapman's Parole Bid

Yoko Ono is keeping her feelings about Mark David Chapman's latest bid for release to herself.  Attorney Jonas Herbsman, who's representing the late John Lennon's widow, says Yoko isn't going to make any public statement about the New York Department of Corrections parole board decision.  Chapman made his seventh attempt to regain his freedom this week, and was once again denied.  He has been in prison since 1981, when he pled guilty to fatally shooting the former Beatle outside the rocker's New York City home in December 1980.  Chapman received a 20-years-to-life sentence, and first became eligible for parole in 2000.  He has made a parole bid every two years since then, and each time has been denied.  Ono has submitted letters to the parole board for each of his hearings opposing his release.  Herbsman adds that Yoko's position on the matter now "remains consistent with the prior letters."

In the parole board's letter to Chapman explaining their decision, parole board member Sally Thompson admitted he had made "positive efforts while incarcerated."  But she said they felt releasing him now would "greatly undermine respect for the law and tend to trivialize the tragic loss of life which you caused as a result of this heinous, unprovoked, violent, cold and calculated crime."  Chapman will be eligible for parole once again in August 2014.


--All-Star Tribute Concert Planned Honoring Levon Helm

The late Levon Helm is being remembered this fall with an all-star tribute concert.  Joe Walsh, Gregg Allman, Mavis Staples, and Jefferson Airplane-Hot Tuna guitarist Jorma Kaukonen are some of the artists on board for "Love For Levon."  Bruce Hornsby, John Hiatt, John Mayer, and Warren Haynes are also slated to participate, along with Dierks Bentley, Eric Church, Marc Cohen, Patty Griffin, and others.  In addition, more "surprise guests" are expected to join the lineup.  Along with honoring The Band's late drummer, "Love For Levon" will also raise money to help Helm's estate retain his property and continue staging The Midnight Ramble Sessions.  The benefit is scheduled to take place at the Izod Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey on October 3rd.

Levon Helm died of throat cancer this past April.  He was 71.  Levon's wife Sandy and daughter Amy say in a statement they're "deeply moved" that all these musicians are coming together to "celebrate his life and his music, and to help us keep his musical spirit and vision alive."


--Today's Birthdays

Uriah Heep keyboardist Ken Hensley is 66.
Allman Brothers Band bassist Oteil Burbridge is 48.
Former Madness bassist Mark Bedford is 51.
Current Armored Saint and former Anthrax singer John Bush is 49.  


--Today in History

In 1967
A 17-year-old Bruce Springsteen joined the trio Earth.

In 1983
Jerry Lee Lewis' wife, Shawn, was found dead at the couple's Mississippi home after taking an overdose of methadone.

In 1989
The Who performed "Tommy" at the Universal Amphitheater in Universal City, California.  Elton John, Steve Winwood, Phil Collins, and Patti LaBelle joined The Who for the show.

In 1995
Microsoft reportedly paid 12-million-dollars for permission to use the Rolling Stones' "Start Me Up" in its ad campaign for Windows 95.

In 2002
Joe Walsh's "Big Brown Truck" ad for UPS made its TV debut.

In 2006
Reps for Aerosmith announced that bassist Tom Hamilton had just completed seven weeks of intensive treatment for throat cancer, and wouldn't be joining the group for its fall tour.

ABC execs revealed that The Kinks had recently reunited to record a new version of "You Really Got Me," which was used in a promo for the TV series "Desperate Housewives."

In 2008
Jimmy Page was among the performers at the Closing Ceremony for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.  The Led Zeppelin guitarist was featured in a segment devoted to Britain, since the 2012 summer Olympics will be held in London.

In 2010
Iron Maiden's "The Final Frontier" hit number one on the UK albums chart.  It was the group's fourth number one album in 28 years, following 1982's "The Number of the Beast," 1988's "Seventh Son of a Seventh Son," and 1992s' "Fear Of The Dark."