Story by Charles Ken

Alice in Chains appear in a new pinball game app

Hey, Alice in Chains fans—you’re now able to get your Alice in Chains fix with a new wacky app. The group has unleashed a new Alice in Chains-themed app that’s available on the Apple iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch.

“Alice in Chains Pinball Rocks” offers a fun, virtual pinball game with lots of twists and turns, all played to a soundtrack that offers a collection of the grunge group’s most popular tracks. The game also features original voiceovers from band members Jerry Cantrell, William DuVall, Sean Kinney and Mike Inez, as well as a bonus game that unlocks the group’s newest single, “Hollow.” Add to that a slew of high-definition graphics and 3-D perception.

The game is based on the band’s legendary career. A variety of items familiar to Alice in Chains fans appear in the game, including the Jar of Flies, Music Bank and the three-legged dog off the band’s 1995 self-titled debut.

“Alice in Chains Pinball Rocks” is available for $2.99 via iTunes.

In other Alice in Chains news, the band is slated to co-headline the 2013 Rockstar Energy Drink Uproar Tour with Jane’s Addiction this summer.

Story by Anne Erickson

Alice in Chains plan to pull out some lesser-known tunes on their upcoming trek

Those looking to trek to one of Alice in Chains’ summer tour dates are likely going to hear some lesser-known tracks from the legendary grunge guys. According to guitarist Jerry Cantrell says the guys will be pulling out some rare, deep cuts from the Alice in Chains discography when the band is out on their upcoming tour.

“We didn’t play ‘Rotten Apple’ [from 1994’s ‘Jar of Flies’] in years,” Cantrell told the Grammy website. “We started playing that on the last tour [and it] went over really well. There are always a couple of tunes we pull out that we haven’t played [in years] and I’m sure on this tour there will be another handful that we pull out.”

Cantrell says to also expect to hear plenty of new songs on the tour. “If a song is a good song it should sound like a good song [in] its simplest element, that’s the way we’ve always approached things,” he said. “And I think all of those songs [from the band’s new album] will translate amazingly live. It’ll be interesting to see, I can’t wait to do that.”

Alice in Chains’ latest studio album, “The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here,” is currently available.

Story by Cat Badra

A new documentary about the Hurricane Sandy disaster features music of Foo Fighters, Gaslight Anthem

Foo Fighters and the Gaslight Anthem are using their music for the greater good, as both bands have donated songs to be used in a new documentary called “Beach 119,” which documents the experiences of the residents of Beach 119th Street in The Rockaways as they pick up the pieces of their lives following Hurricane Sandy.

Specifically, Foo Fighters’ track “Home” appears in the video short, as well as Gaslight Anthem’s “National Anthem.” Other artists donating their music to the cause include Cary Brothers and Staind guitarist Mike Mushok.

“I spotted desperate pleas on social media from dying cell phones in the hours after the storm made landfall,” the film’s co-director, Marcie Allen, said in an official statement. “People were cut off from help. No gas, transportation, electricity, food and, in some cases, clothes and imperative medical needs.”

She added: “This documentary is to give these survivors a voice to tell their story. Beach 119 is a story of humanity. Strangers came together in a time of need.”

For more on the documentary, visit the “Beach 119” website.

Watch the ‘Beach 119’ Short Featuring the Music of Foo Fighters, Gaslight Anthem and more:

Story by Charles Ken

Stone Temple Pilots are explaining their lawsuit against Scott Weiland

The members of Stone Temple Pilots are opening up about their recent actions of filing a lawsuit with the Los Angeles Superior Court asserting that ex-frontman Scott Weiland used the group’s name and assets to further his solo career, apparently in breach of their partnership agreement. In an open letter to fans, the members say the move isn’t personal.

“Our purpose in taking this action is not to hurt Scott,” the group wrote on the band’s official website. “We want to move forward productively, and Scott’s choices and actions have prevented us from doing that.”

The band members went onto state that Weiland’s actions got in the way of last year’s plans for a tour in honor of the 20th anniversary of their debut release, “Core,” by opting to do a solo tour. “The plan was for a big tour where we’d perform the album in its entirety, along with some other favorite STP songs,” the band wrote. “So, you might imagine our shock and disappointment when, without any notice, we learned that Scott had seized this tour for himself as his solo tour, and decided to do exactly what we as a group had planned.”

Stone Temple Pilots are forging ahead with a new frontman, Chester Bennington of Linkin Park. “It was beyond time we made some new music, which was impossible in the dysfunctional environment we were in,” the group wrote. “We wish Scott well. We’re really excited about the new music we’ve been making with Chester, including the song we just released, ‘Out of Time.’”

Story by Anne Erickson

Grunge greats Pearl Jam may release new music as early as July

Pearl Jam have been pretty secretive when it comes to details on exactly when their new album will drop, but the Seattle grunge prodigies may have new music out sooner than expected. According to a post on radio trade website All Access (which has since been pulled), Pearl Jam are on target to release a new single called “Mind Your Manners” on July 16. If this is true, it will likely be the first taste of what’s to come from the band’s follow-up to 2009’s “Backspacer.”

When asked about the state of Pearl Jam’s upcoming album, guitarist McCready told Seattle’s “The Bob and Groz Show” on KIRO Radio in May that the group was in the mixing stage of the new album. He didn’t reveal anything about a release date, though. “I’ve been told by the powers that be I can’t say anything yet because we are just mixing it right now,” he said. “[The people with the power] are basically the five of us and our manager. We sit down and talk about…honestly, we don’t have a date for it yet.”

In February, McCready told Rolling Stone that the album sounds like a “logical extension of what ‘Backspacer’ was,” adding, “…but I think there’s a little bit more experimental stuff going on. There’s a Pink Floyd vibe to some of it, there’s a punk rock edge to other stuff.” Fun fact: PJ teamed up with Incubus guitarist Mike Einziger’s violinist girlfriend, Ann Marie Simpson, to record a track on the new album.”

Hopefully the band will make an official announcement soon.

Story by Charles Ken

Former Stone Temple Pilots vocalist Scott Weiland is getting sued by STP for breach of contract

Things are getting pretty messy within the Stone Temple Pilots camp, as the members of STP are suing former singer Scott Weiland. Last Friday (May 24), the band went to the Los Angeles Superior Court to file a lawsuit maintaining that Weiland used STP’s name and resources to further his solo career in violation of their business agreement.

The members of Stone Temple Pilots are looking to stop Weiland from using the name Stone Temple Pilots and any of its songs in his solo project, asserting that STP possesses the rights to the band’s assets. Moreover, the members say that no former band member has the right to use the songs and assets because of certain agreements they made in 1996 and 2010.

Stone Temple Pilots went on to say that Weiland disrupted the band’s plans for a 20th anniversary tour in celebration of the group’s debut full-length, “Core,” by always being late for performances and not talking with band members to agree on a tour schedule. Moreover, the claim states that Weiland’s lawyer tried to stop a Los Angeles radio station from spinning the group’s just-released single, “Out of Time,’ which features Linkin Park singer Chester Bennington in Weiland’s place.

In response to the lawsuit, Weiland posted an open letter to fans on his website last week stating that he was “hurt” by STP’s recent performance with Bennington is Los Angeles and that it wasn’t right that STP continued to use the same band name with a different lead singer. He has yet to legally respond to the lawsuit.

Stone Temple Pilots have plans to record new music with Bennington, while Weiland is currently out on the road with his new band, the Wildabouts, playing songs off Stone Temple Pilots’ 1992 “Core” and 1994 “Purple” albums.

Story by Cat Badra

Listen to Prince’s cover of the Pearl Jam chart-topper ‘Even Flow’

Prince has always been known for churning out catchy radio hits, but truth be told, he also loves laying down a cover or two on occasion. Recently, the singer and multi-instrumentalist put his own spin on the famed Pearl Jam tune, “Even Flow.” Listen to the funky rendition via the Soundcloud player below.

In other Prince news, the musician has just released video for his new single, “Fixurlifeup,” on Vevo. The video shows footage of the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer performing the song with 3rd Eye Girl, the all-female trio that also performed the tune with Prince during the Billboard Music Awards earlier this month.

“Fixurlifeup” is Prince’s first new single with the Kobalt Music Group. His partnership with the Kobalt Music Group will include Prince releasing his own music on the label, as well as the musician releasing work from a collection of new artists. He’ll also be helping with artist development for the new performers.

Meanwhile, Prince is currently working on his upcoming album. According to Spin, the release’s working title is “Plectrum Electrum.”

Listen to Prince’s Cover of the Pearl Jam’s ‘Even Flow’:

Story by Anne Erickson

Watch Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl and the Rolling Stones perform together in Anaheim

At this point, it’s no surprise when the Rolling Stones bring a “surprise” guest up on the stage to perform on their current “50 and Counting” tour. After all, the guys have treated their audiences to special guest appearances from Gwen Stefani, Katy Perry, John Mayer, Tom Waits and more as of late. Now, Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl can be added to the list, as the singer and guitarist joined the Stones onstage in Anaheim, Calif., Saturday night (May 18) to perform a tune. Watch some footage of the number below.

Grohl and the Rolling Stones performed the track “Bitch” off the legendary rock group’s 1971 album “Sticky Fingers.” Grohl spent most of the time playing guitar with Stone frontman Mick Jagger on lead vocals, but at one point, Grohl and Jagger both stepped up to the microphone to share the singing spotlight.

This wasn’t Grohl’s first time rocking out with Jagger. The two performed together on NBC for the season finale of last year’s “Saturday Night Live” for the tunes “19th Nervous Breakdown” and ‘It’s Only Rock ‘n Roll (But I Like It).”

Watch Foo Fighters’ Dave Grohl Perform with the Rolling Stones in Anaheim:

Story by Anne Erickson

Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan wants California Pizza Chain to stop cheese providers from hurting baby cows

Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan is teaming up with PETA in the fight against animal cruelty. Corgan has written an open letter to the CEO of restaurant chain California Pizza Kitchen asking the business to lend a hand in protecting baby cows on dairy farms.

In the letter, Corgan asks the restaurant to have its cheese providers stop the hurtful processes of “dehorning” and “disbudding” calves. As PETA reports, both are frightening, painful treatments “in which calves have their horns gouged out” or “sensitive horn tissue burned out of their heads.”

Here’s an excerpt from Corgan’s letter:

I have viewed the photos and watched PETA’s investigative video of these procedures, and I was appalled to see young calves who struggled and writhed in pain as searing hot irons burned their heads. The industry has noted that the burns are so severe that they may damage the underlying bone…  I strongly urge you to take immediate action to stop this unspeakable barbarism by requiring your suppliers to phase out dehorning.

Check out the singer’s complete letter here.

Corgan, of course, isn’t the first musician to use his fame to help PETA. Previously, Morrissey and Paul McCartney, among others, have partnered with the animal rights organization. As for Corgan’s stance on vegan foods, his suburban Chicago tea shop, Madame ZuZu’s, serves vegan pastries, according to PETA.

Story by Charles Ken

Pearl Jam’s Stone Gossard gearing up to release new solo album this summer

Pearl Jam’s much-anticipated tenth studio album is taking quite a while to wrap up, but guitarist Stone Gossard is keeping plenty busy with his side project Brad and his solo project. Gossard is gearing up to release a new solo album, “Moonlander,” on June 25, and the recently debuted a new song, “Your Flames,” from the album via Billboard. Take a listen to the tune below.

On “Your Flames,” Gossards says the song came to him in a dream. He told Billboard it’s “a story about this moment in a dream where you shock yourself by doing something that you wouldn’t expect that you would do which in this case was smacking my nephew in the face. And going, ‘oh my God, how did I just do that?’ But then the irony is that he… he’s sort unfazed by it.”

The track will also arrive on Gossard’s “Apollo,” out now on iTunes. Another four-song EP, “Lunda,” will drop on June 4, in advance of the full album.

In Pearl Jam news, Gossard says the band’s new album is finally almost finished. “We’re almost done,” he said. “It’s sounding great. I think people are going to be excited about it. It’s still crossing our T’s and dotting our I’s right now and trying to get it finished, so that’s the plan.”