--Bono Gives Keynote At Georgetown, Sits Down With Biden

Bono has been busy politicking in Washington, DC this week.  The U2 frontman gave a speech at Georgetown University Monday night, and kicked things off with a compliment to American voters. In addition to praising President Barack Obama, Bono spent most of his time talking about the ongoing economic challenges in the U.S. and across the world.  The singer argued that the decisions politicians will soon be making in regard to the looming "fiscal cliff" could have disastrous effects on the extreme poor.  Bono says "cuts can cost the lives of the poorest of the poor," and he urges everyone not to let "this economic recession become a moral recession."  He adds that that would be, quote, "double cruelty."

Bono continued his activism on Tuesday during a meeting with Vice President Joe Biden.  The "Washington Post" says the two men discussed global development, AIDS, and poverty.  And White House press secretary Jay Carney joked that they may have also formed a new band with President Obama's campaign manager, Jim Messina.  Bono's Washington visits continue this week, with a scheduled appointment with World Bank President Jim Yong Kim on Wednesday.


--Trent Reznor Working On Queens Of The Stone Age Album

Queens of the Stone Age have added another helping hand to their upcoming album.  Nine Inch Nails leader Trent Reznor posted a message on Reddit Tuesday about his many activities, one of which is working with Queens frontman Josh Homme on one of the band's new tracks.  Reznor's addition to the credits comes not long after Homme and company announced that Dave Grohl will be playing drums on the record.  The Foo Fighters frontman is filling in for Joey Castillo, who Homme says has left the group.

As for Reznor's other endeavors, he just released How To Destroy Angels' second EP, "An Omen," on Tuesday.  The group, which features Reznor's wife Mariqueen Mandig and Atticus Ross as well, is also working on their full-length album.  The set is due out sometime next year, and Reznor has also hinted at something new from Nine Inch Nails in the near future.


--The Who Formally Launching Who Cares: Teen Cancer America

The Who is bringing its Teenage Cancer Trust to the U.S.  RollingStone.com says frontman Roger Daltrey and guitarist Pete Townshend were in Washington, DC this week to formally announce the launch of Teen Cancer America, a U.S. branch of their longrunning UK charity that supports cancer patients between the ages of 13 and 24.  At an event at the National Press Club Monday, Daltrey said people in this age group typically fall through a "huge gap in the health system" which categorizes them as either a pediatric or an adult patient and results in them receiving insufficient care.  He explained that Who Cares: Teen Cancer America helps close that gap.  Daltrey cited the success of Britain's Teenage Cancer Trust, explaining the charity is showing a survival rate that's ten-to-15-percent higher than the UK's National Health Service.  The rocker added that if someone had a drug that provided similar results people would "throw billions at you."

The Who actually began their efforts to bring the UK's Teenage Cancer Trust to the U.S. last year.  In November 2011 they opened the UCLA Daltrey/Townshend Teen & Young Adult Cancer Program at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles.  The rockers are looking to open a second U.S. facility at Duke Children's Hospital at Duke University in North Carolina.  The Who is also supporting Teen Cancer America through their current tour.  The band is donating a dollar from every ticket sold during their "Quadrophenia and More" trek to the organization.  The group performed in Washington, DC Tuesday night.  Their next show is set for the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York on Wednesday.


--Two Led Zeppelin Songs To Be Featured On NBC's "Revolution"

Led Zeppelin is lending a couple of songs to NBC's "Revolution."  The band's classic tracks "Kashmir and "Since I've Been Loving You" will help create the soundtrack to next Monday's episode.  In addition, "Kashmir" is also featured in this week's promo for the show.  Zeppelin's TV presence ties in with the release of their new concert film, "Celebration Day," which will arrive in stores on Monday.  The movie documents the band's 2007 reunion concert at London's O2 Arena.  Both "Kashmir" and "Since I've Been Loving You" are among the songs Zeppelin performed at the special event, which paid tribute to the late Atlantic Records founder Ahmet Ertegun.  Ertegun gave Zeppelin their record deal back in 1968, and the group maintained a relationship with the label throughout their career.


--Travis Barker: New Blink-182 EP Is "A Hundred Times Better"

Blink-182's Travis Barker says the band's forthcoming EP is already "a hundred times better" than their last album, 2011's "Neighborhoods."  And he has one very specific reason.  The drummer tells "Rolling Stone" that Blink is off to such a good start this time around because he and bandmates Tom DeLonge and Mark Hoppus are recording in the same room.  Most of "Neighborhoods" was done remotely with each member sending their parts back and forth via email.  Barker says they never had the "opportunity to gel off each other," and while there are tracks on "Neighborhoods" that he loves, he says the album as a whole feels "disconnected."

Now that Blink-182 is back to making music face-to-face, Barker says the new stuff is "really, really cool."  He adds that they even have one "way out" track that he describes as "very folky."  Barker says he hopes to have all of it out for fans to listen to by Christmas.


--Matchbox Twenty Announces 2013 North American Tour

Matchbox Twenty will be heading in all directions next year when they hit the road for their first tour behind their long-awaited new album, "North."  The rockers are set to kick off the trek on January 29th with a show in Tulsa, Oklahoma.  And the outing will keep them busy for a while, as it's scheduled to run through the end of March.  Tickets go on sale to the general public this Friday, November 16th, but members of MatchboxTwenty.com can take advantage of an exclusive pre-sale starting today and ending on Thursday.

Matchbox Twenty's 2013 Tour Dates:

2/8 -- Prior Lake, MN -- Mystic Lake Casino


--Today's Birthdays

Quiet Riot drummer Frankie Banali is 61.
Former Bon Jovi bassist Alec John Such is 61.
Former Lemonhead's bassist Nic Dalton is 48.
Former Veruca Salt frontwoman Nina Gordon is 45.
Blink 182 drummer Travis Barker is 37.
Papa Roach bassist Tobin Esperance is 33.


--Today In Rock History

In 1967
Pink Floyd began a UK trek, serving as the supporting act on the Jimi Hendrix Experience tour.

In 1975
Queen released the album "A Night at the Opera."

In 1981
The Police hit number one on the UK pop singles chart with "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic."

In 1983
Ozzy Osbourne released the album "Bark at the Moon."

In 1990
Pete Townshend came out as bisexual with the comment, quote, "I know how it feels to be a woman because I am a woman.  And I won't be classified as just a man."

In 2004
Linkin Park was among the winners at the 32nd annual American Music Awards, while Bon Jovi received the AMA Merit Award at the event.

More than 30 artists -- including Coldplay's Chris Martin, members of Radiohead and The Darkness, and U2's Bono --  participated in the 20th anniversary remake recording of the Band Aid single "Do They Know It's Christmas?" at a studio in London.

In 2006
Bon Jovi was among the new inductees into the UK Music Hall of Fame.  They were honored in a ceremony in London.

In 2008
Guns N' Roses drummer Steven Adler made a court appearance, entering a no contest plea to a heroin possession charge.  His goal is to be allowed to remain in a treatment program instead of going to jail.  Adler will learn his fate when a decision on his sentence is delivered December 12th.