The list of dates are as follows:

May 2012:
- 11th. Holmdel, NJ – PNC Bank Arts Center
- 12th. Scranton, PA – Toyota Pavilion
- 16th. Pittsburgh, PA – Stage AE
- 18th. Grand Rapids, MI – The Deltaplex
- 20th. Columbus, OH – Rock on the Range
- 22th. La Crosse, WI – La Crosse Center
- 24th. Sioux City, IA – Tyson Center
- 25th. Wichita, KS – Hartman Arena
- 26th. Pryor, OK – Rocklahoma

A year later, a solo album entitled Don’t Worry About Me was posthumously released, gaining acclaim among his fan base and music critics. A decade on and a second album has been assembled, consisting of previously unreleased material, much of which he was working on shortly before he died. Under the moniker Ya Know?, seventeen of Ramone’s demos will finally see the light of day, thanks in part to the cooperation of artists such as Richie Ramone and Joan Jett.

According to Rolling Stone; “Protracted negotiations over some demos, originally done by Joey with producer Daniel Rey, delayed work on the album until 2009. (producer Ed) Stasium says one plan was to recruit stars from “very popular bands influenced by Joey.” Instead, “We got friends who were really friends of Joey.” Stasium recorded those overdubs in New York in 2010, the week after a Joey Ramone Birthday Bash show… The vintage of the material is “all over the place,” says (younger brother Mickey) Leigh, who has led his own band, the Rattlers, and plays on Ya Know?”

In an interview with Scene in the Dark bassist Mat Mitchell discusses how the group approached the making of their follow-up to 2007′s “V” Is for Vagina; “I think just like any record its experimentation and figuring out what you want to say. The first record was more like you said: more sexual and groovy and this one, I’m sure part of it was the environment that we were working in, but it just kind of naturally turned into what it did.”

“About two weeks in we were pretty excited, as everyone is when you’re working on a new project, and we set our goals and expectations pretty high and we felt we were meeting them. We were pretty happy pretty early on… If you listen to pop radio right now and its dance music that we’ve been hearing for years but now its pop artists singing over it. I think just like any type of music, people are going to get tired of it. It will morph and transform and people are going to want to hear whether its hard rock guitars or acoustic instruments, I think tastes are going to change and we’ll take the best and mix it with what people are missing.”

Following a series of overlooked singles, the group gained considerable acclaim with the release of their debut album in 1969, while its title track, Kick Out the James, would become their signature tune. Reaching their commercial peak at the height of the Vietnam War, MC5 were often the subject of controversy due to their strong political beliefs, much of which was represented in their music.

Sixty-eight-year-old Davis had spent the last few weeks at the Enloe Medical Center in Chico, California, where he was being treated for liver disease.

In order for fans around the world to enjoy the show, the band will be streaming the concert live via their official website. Viewing will cost $5, with payment to be made through PayPal.

“We reaching out to help fight world hunger with a portion of the proceeds from Tomorrow’s PPV going to causes throughout the world based on who is watching from where,” the band said on their Facebook page.

Watch the concert here!

Following a slow start to the year, February saw new releases from Pearl Jam, who issued one of the best albums of their career, Yield, while Morbid Angel unleashed Formulas Fatal to the Flesh. 1998 would prove to be a productive year for Sonic Youth, not only releasing the full-length album A Thousand Leaves but also two experimental EPs, SYR3: Invito Al ?ielo and Silver Session for Jason Knuth. Legendary guitarist Joe Satriani gained acclaim for his album Crystal Planet, which many felt was akin to his earlier material, specifically his 1989 classic Flying in a Blue Dream. With Sammy Hagar having departed with the band, Van Halen recruited former Extreme vocalist for the recording of Van Halen III, an album which was greeted by a less-than-enthusiastic response from both fans and critics.

Another band to struggle without their regular frontman was Iron Maiden, whose eleventh album, Virtual XI, saw the return of Blaze Bayley, previously known to metal fans for his work with Wolfsbane. May was one of the more productive months of 1998, with new material from Lacuna Coil, Pitchshifter, Stabbing Westward, Cannibal Corpse, Katatonia and VAST. Former Led Zeppelin collaborators Jimmy Page and Robert Plant reunited for Walking into Clarksdale, while Obituary released a live album entitled Dead. The following month would see the arrival of Cruelty and the Beast by Cradly of Filth, Version 2.0 from Garbage and Sketches for My Sweetheart the Drunk, a collection of previously unreleased tracks by the recently deceased Jeff Buckley.

With the Smashing Pumpkins having fired drummer Jimmy Chamberlin due to his increasing drug use, the band had departed from their previous rock sound by incorporating elements of industrial and gothic rock, first with their 1997 single The End is the Beginning is the End, which was recorded for the soundtrack to the critically panned Batman and Robin movie. But it would be their fourth studio album, Adore, that would alienate much of their fan base, despite the track Ava Adore proving to be a minor hit. Renowned guitarist Yngwie J. Malmsteen opted to experiment with classical music by for his latest release, Concerto Suite for Electric Guitar and Orchestra.

While System of a Down released their self-titled debut, new albums from established artists would include Deep Purple, Rancid, Anthrax, Fear Factory and Slayer. Four years on from their acclaimed Ill Communication and the Beastie Boys returned with their third number one album, Hello Nasty, which would produce the hit singles Intergalactic and Body Movin’. Korn continued to gain popularity with their third album Follow the Leader and the track Freak on a Leash, as industrial group Orgy enjoyed their fifteen minutes of fame with their cover of the New Order classic Blue Monday. Having revamped both their sound and image with 1996′s Everything Must Go following the disappearance of guitarist Richey Edwards, Manic Street Preachers gained their first UK number one with the single If You Tolerate This Your Children Will be Next. While the accompanying album, This is My Truth Tell Me Yours, lacked the energy or attitude of their previous work, it would still gain acclaim from various British newspapers.

With glam rockers Poison on hiatus, frontman Bret Michaels decided to venture into filmmaking with the thriller A Letter from Death Row, in which he wrote, directed and co-starred alongside Martin Sheen, as well as releasing a solo album to accompany the movie. Prior to his own filmmaking career, former White Zombie frontman Rob Zombie released the acclaimed album Hellbilly Deluxe, while Mansun‘s second effort Six was noted for its avant garde structure and references to literature and philosophy. While 1996′s Antichrist Superstar had caused considerable controversy, Mechanical Animals would prove to be a radical departure for Marilyn Manson, venturing into David Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust territory. Hole enjoyed considerable success with Celebrity Skin, while Kiss made a comeback with Psycho Circus.

Having recruited a second guitarist Charlotte Hatherley, Ash attempted to distance themselves from the Britpop scene that the press had associated them with by incorporating elements of The Velvet Underground and The Stooges for their sophomore album Nu-Clear Sounds. Following the departure of Max Cavalera in 1997, Sepultura returned with a new singer, Derrick Green, for their seventh studio album Against. As 1998 gradually came to an end other releases would include Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie, Alanis Morisette’s follow-up to the best-selling Jagged Little Pill, Placebo‘s seductive second album Without You I’m Nothing, 100% Colombian by the Fun Lovin’ Criminals and Americana from the Offspring.

Having already appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live in early November to perform material from the album, the band returned once again on Thursday, February 16th, to perform two tracks. The show also featured appearances from Chris Pine (who played James T. Kirk in the Star Trek reboot) and Khloe Kardashian Odom.

In typically bizarre fashion, frontman Maynard James Keenan were visible with his co-singer via large screens. Keenan, who is also known for his work with Tool and A Perfect Circle, is notoriously reclusive, an aspect that is clearly visible in many of their live performances.

Watch Puscifer‘s appearance via the links below:
- Telling Ghosts
- Toma

Twenty-two years on from the release of their independent debut 39/Smooth and to date Green Day have achieved six platinum-selling singles in the United States, including the top ten hits Boulevard of Broken Dreams and Wake Me Up When September Ends. Updating his Twitter page for the first time in three months, frontman Billie Joe Armstrong said, “Happy Valantine’s day! Officially started recording the new record today. It’s FUCK TIME!!!!”

Some considered them the female Poison, while to others they were continuing on from where The Runaways had left off a decade earlier, but with the release of their eponymous debut album in 1988 Vixen became stars overnight. Formed by guitarist Jan Kuehnemund in the early 1980s, Vixen worked with songwriter Richard Marx (who would later top the charts with the hits Right Here Waiting and Hazard) and appeared in the acclaimed documentary The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years, while Kuehnemund and singer Janet Gardner were hailed as sex symbols by their fans. Like many bands from the glam metal era, Vixen eventually split after the grunge explosion of the early 1990s but would reform several times over the following decade, before Kuehnemund established the current line-up in 2001.

Jan Kuehnemund discusses the modern music scene and how women are portrayed in metal.

Over recent years technology has advanced considerably, with many studios being upgraded to digital with programs such as ProTools. How have you found these changes and do you willingly embrace new technology?

“I do embrace new technology because it makes it easier for the musicians and singers in the studio. We can go in and fix one note if we have to, whereas in the past you would have to had to re-record a much longer piece of a guitar or vocal track if there was a small mistake. It makes things go much faster and saves money on studio time.”

In 2009 The Cult‘s Ian Astbury declared “Albums are dead. The format is dead.” Do you believe this or will there always be a market for albums and singles?

“I don’t necessarily believe it. I know singles are more of the wave of the future, but I hope that albums are never dead because I personally like to put on an entire CD of an artist instead of one song here or there. Maybe for certain artists singles make more sense, but for many great artists, albums tell a bigger story.”

Being the only member from the band’s original line-up, when you revived Vixen in 2001 did you consider performing under a new name or did you always think of yourself as the driving force behind the group?

“I absolutely did not consider performing under a new name with the new line-up in 2001. Ever since I started the band, Vixen, there have been member changes, and that does not mean that you need to change the name of the band. I’ve kept Vixen together for many many years and, like any “team,” I will always identify with the name – it’s always been a part of me no matter who I’m playing with.”

The Runaways proved that there is an audience for biopics on all-girl rock bands. Do you feel that the story of Vixen would make an interesting movie and just how excessive and eventful was life for the group during the 1980s?

“YES I absolutely feel that the story of Vixen would make an interesting movie. While our story is very eventful, I don’t feel it was excessive during the ’80s. Not in the way most people would typically think a story about rock and roll would be – I mean, there was excessive drama, but not drug use and that sort of thing.”

With metal often being referred to as male-dominated, would you say that Vixen have helped to bring female rock into the mainstream in much the same way as Patti Smith, Joan Jett and Courtney Love? Do you see aspects of yourself in the likes of Paramore or other female-fronted groups?

“I sure hope that Vixen helped bring female rock into the mainstream in the same way as some of those artists mentioned. As far as other female-fronted groups (or even male-fronted groups with female players), yes, I definitely see aspects of myself there. Particularly with guitarists of course – I have wondered about some and whether I’ve had any indirect influence. Someone once asked me if Orianthi was a relative of mine!”

One cliché of the heavy metal lifestyle is the sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll. Are girl bands as guilty of indulging in these as their male counterparts and was Vixen ever known for hooking up with groupies?

“I can’t speak for any other girl bands except for Vixen. I would say we were all about the rock ‘n’ roll, rather than the sex and drugs. We weren’t known for hooking up with groupies. In fact, most of our guy groupies seemed to be very shy and would approach us very hesitantly – not like some of these bold female groupies that approach guy’s bands, tearing their clothes off at any opportunity. We didn’t see a lot of that.”

In an interview a couple of years ago vocalist Jeff Scott Soto said “There aren’t that many great rock singers but just about all of them have got great hair.” This seems to be a similar attitude to what critics had against glam metal in the 1980s, being all-style-no-substance. Did you regularly have to defend your music to cynics and did you have to prove that there was more to Vixen than just image?

“Definitely yes, we did have to defend our music quite often to people in the business, unfortunately. Many people would see the image on the cover of the album and immediately write us off as a joke. So we were constantly proving and re-proving our skills and our music.”

The so-called hair metal scene of the 1980s came to an abrupt end and over the years both fans and critics have speculated what the final nail in the coffin was; some say power ballads, others say grunge, while a few musicians have cited the portrayal of many glam bands in the 1988 documentary The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years. Do you feel there was a specific cause or had the scene simply run its course?

“I would say it was kind of a combination of grunge coming in and also the scene at the time running its course. We have very rare opportunities to know how many of the metal glam bands of the time would have evolved over the years if grunge hadn’t swept over the market in such a big way so quickly. Of course we hope our next album will be one example of that evolution.”

Mötley Crüe toured last year with Poison and then with Def Leppard. Are there any groups from back in the day that you would like to go on the road with and have you been approached by any other artists from that era?

“There are many groups we would love to tour with. Bon Jovi, Aerosmith, Mötley Crüe and Def Leppard all come to mind. We have been approached a few times to tour with Poison but so far we haven’t been able to make it work. We are still hopeful that we will be able to do that in the near future. We love all those bands and of course we love their music.”

Do you feel that reality shows such as American Idol belittles what many hard-working artists have to go through to land a record deal and has websites like TMZ and Perez Hilton made society more obsessed with celebrities than their art?

“Sometimes when watching shows like American Idol I get the feeling that they do belittle what some artists and bands have had to work a lot longer for than what you can achieve on a show like that. BUT, that being said, these shows offer a great opportunity for many artists who would have otherwise never had a chance and for that reason I think it’s a good thing. I think sites like TMZ and Perez Hilton may contribute to society being more obsessed with celebrities than their art, but it could really be the other way around – the sites just feed the hunger for celebrity that’s already there. You could trace it back a lot farther than TMZ, so I wouldn’t necessarily blame them (or give them all the credit).”

How has your approach to the music industry changed over the years, specifically from a business perspective?

“Well, I’ve learned a lot over the years. I think the business has to be much more in the artists’ hands these days. It’s not like some label just wants to sign you and pay you a lot of money and put you out on the road, while your manager “handles” everything and you just focus on your artistry. It’s more and more rare these days. So we take matters into our own hands. Like, for example, we have just launched a new Kickstarter project so that we can record our next album without the influence of too many outside people. That’s a big reflection on how things have changed. We hope your readers will support us in bringing our music back to the main stage!”

For more information on Vixen visit their Official site!

With Reed credited as the sole songwriter, the group entered the Record Plant in New York on May 9th, 1969 to practice and arrange material for their upcoming recording sessions. Working once again with Val Valentin, who had served as engineer during the making of their last album, the foursome ran through a collection of recently penned songs, some of which had been performed live in an effort to test the water. Over the following weeks they recorded a selection of new material that would include Coney Island Steeplechase and Andy’s Chest. Neither would make their way onto the final release of the album, although Reed would eventually re-record the latter for his second solo album, Tranformer, three years later. Drummer Moe Tucker would sing lead vocals for only the second time (following the 1968 track After Hours) on the playful I’m Sticking with You, in which she would also perform a duet with Reed during the melodic finale.

Other material that would be recorded during these early sessions were She’s My Best Friend, I Can’t Stand It and an instrumental song entitled Ride Into the Sun. Four months after these initial sessions, The Velvet Underground returned to the studio with a new batch of songs, including the ballad Lisa Says (whose title resembled the band’s previous tracks Candy Says and Stephanie Says) and a rock ‘n’ roll number called We’re Gonna Have a Real Good Time Together. While all of these tracks would be pushed aside for the final album, they would resurface during the mid-1980s when Polygram Records released two collections of outtakes entitled VU and Another View. While much of the material from these sessions remained unreleased for over a decade, Reed had also written several commercial songs that had been well received by fans and music critics during their shows. The infection Sweet Jane, a lighthearted Who Loves the Sun and the blues-esque Oh! Sweet Nuthin’ would eventually become among the band’s most celebrated work, having been perfected through numerous live performances.

Despite Reed’s creative bursts, the band were still suffering from internal conflicts following the departure of Cale. Struggling to make money while recording their demos, each member was beginning to suffer from stress and soon The Velvet Underground felt like nothing more than a burden. Difficulties with MGM had also placed a strain on the group but an offer from Atlantic Records seemed like the ideal chance for a fresh start. With Reed avoiding the avant-garde style of some of their earlier material, specifically the likes of The Gift (an eight-minute piece based around a humorous-if-bleak story recited by Cale), the enthusiasm of their new employers gave hope during their recording sessions.

Unfortunately for the band, Tucker fell pregnant around this time and so was unable to perform drums, forcing Reed to bring in Billy Yule to work on the album. This would also coincide with a residency that The Velvet Underground had been offered at Max’s Kansas City in New York, one show of which would be caught on tape and released two years later. From June through to September 1970 the band performed regularly at the venue, mixing fan favourites alongside new material such as Lonesome Cowboy Bill and the appropriately-titled New Age. But Tucker was not the only member to be distracted by their personal life, as guitarist Sterling Morrison had enrolled at City College and was already making plans for the future, one that may not include a career in music. The official recording sessions for the album had commenced in April at the Atlantic Recording Studios in New York, but it soon became clear that The Velvet Underground were no longer operating as the band they had once been, with each member often recording their tracks in the studio by themselves, far removed from the raw and live feel of their debut.

The earlier sessions were overseen by Adrian Barber, a resident of Atlantic Records who also served as drummer on many of the songs, but he was soon replaced as producer by Geoffrey Haslam. By the time the sessions had come to an end the band had recorded almost twenty songs in one form or another, including an early version of Satellite of Love which, as with Andy’s Chest, would later surface in a more polished incarnation on Reed’s classic album Transformer. With Tucker unable to attend most of the sessions, the drums were performed by a variety of people, from Bill Yule and Barber to Tommy Castanaro and even Doug Yule. Doug was also given the opportunity to perform lead vocals on what would become the album’s opener, Who Loves the Sun, while also playing keyboards, bass and some drums on the track. Reed’s trust in him caused some jealousy for Morrison, who felt his preoccupations with college was leaving his contributions to the group somewhat overlooked.

Sweet Jane, arguably the album’s standout moment, was re-recorded numerous times during the sessions until its full commercial appeal had been exploited. Based around a simple, sing-a-long chorus, the lyrics to the song saw Reed reciting a story about those around him, much like he had done with earlier songs like Candy Says (and later with his 1972 solo hit Walk on the Wild Side). Under the moniker Loaded, the album was eventually released by Atlantic in November 1970, more than a year and a half after their last effort. By this point, however, The Velvet Underground had suffered a major loss as Reed had announced his decision to quit the band immediately after leaving the stage of Max’s on August 23rd. Angered by his impromptus departure, the group’s manager, Steve Sesnick, opted to credit all of the songs to the entire band on the album’s liner notes, while listing Doug Yule and Morrison above Reed in the line-up. Reed successfully sued Sesnick for ownership of the material that had been recorded but remained unreleased, opting to re-record much of it for his first two solo albums.

Loaded would receive mostly positive reviews from the music press, although a common criticism would be levelled at its soft production. As Lenny Kaye noted in his Rolling Stone review; “Yet as a good as Loaded is (and as far as I’m concerned, it’s easily one of the best albums to show up this or any year), there are some minor problems which tend to take away from its overall achievement. Namely, and whether it’s the fault of the mix or the production is hard to say, it feels as if many of the harder songs on the album lack punch.” While it has since been less revered than their first two albums, Loaded featured some of the band’s most inspired work and served as a perfect swan song for Reed and The Velvet Underground.