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THE CULT's 20-date North American tour is set to kick off on Friday, May 25 in San Diego, California, bringing the band's incendiary rock energy to major and secondary markets across the continent.

For most of the dates, THE CULT will be supported by AGAINST ME! and THE ICARUS LINE. Ticket on-sales begin later this week; go to this location for all details and to purchase tickets.

"This is going to be a very intense, high-energy tour," said THE CULT vocalist Ian Astbury. "We are really looking forward to the time we spend on stage connected to our music and our audience. That's our purpose."

THE CULT 2012 North American tour dates:

May 25 - San Diego, CA - Humphreys By the Bay
May 26 - Las Vegas, NV - M Resort
May 27 - San Francisco, CA - The Fillmore
May 30 - Denver, CO - Ogden Theatre
Jun. 01 - Chicago, IL - Congress Theatre
Jun. 02 - Windsor, ON - Great Canadian Beaverfest, Riverfront Festival Plaza
Jun. 03 - Pittsburgh, PA - Stage AE - Indoor Stage
Jun. 05 - Boston, MA - House of Blues
Jun. 07 - Buffalo, NY - Erie Canal Harbor Central Wharf
Jun. 08 - New York, NY - Terminal 5
Jun. 09 - Hampton Beach, NH - Ballroom
Jun. 10 - Philadelphia, PA - Electric Factory
Jun. 12 - Washington, D.C. - The Fillmore
Jun. 13 - Norfolk, VA - The Norva
Jun. 15 - Myrtle Beach, SC - House of Blues
Jun. 16 - Orlando, FL - House of Blues
Jun. 17 - Atlanta, GA - The Tabernacle
Jun. 19 - Houston, TX - House of Blues
Jun. 20 - Dallas, TX - House of Blues
Jun. 22 - Tempe, AZ - Marquee Theatre

Audio samples of all songs that are set to appear on THE CULT's new album, "Choice Of Weapon", are available for streaming at Amazon.com. The band's first full-length studio release in five years will be made available on May 22 via THE CULT's new label Cooking Vinyl.

"Choice Of Weapon" is the follow-up to the critically acclaimed 2007 release "Born Into This" that the U.K.'s Mojo magazine called "a wholehearted, utopian and irrefutably exciting record." Longtime THE CULT collaborator and producer Bob Rock (METALLICA, BUSH), who produced one of THE CULT's most successful albums, the platinum-certified "Sonic Temple", put the finishing touches on the foundations that were laid by co-producer Chris Goss (QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE, U.N.K.L.E., MASTERS OF REALITY).

The album was written by Ian Astbury and Billy Duffy, recorded in New York City, Los Angeles, the California high desert, and the band's Witch Mountain studio between July and December 2011. The new release features founding members Astbury on vocals and Duffy on guitars, with drummer John Tempesta and bassist Chris Wyse.

Speaking to Austin360.com, Astbury said of "Choice Of Weapon", "I think we went back to a place of instinct. There were no predetermined agendas. We've had periods of stagnation and being stale and repeating ourselves, but I think that's common. With 'Choice Of Weapon', we just said, '(Screw) it! We're going to grab every jewel we can find. We're going to play the ace and go as deep as we can.' There's definitely hard rock moments on this record, but then again, there's moments that are kind of pastoral."

"Choice Of Weapon" is aimed at the heart of THE CULT's loyal following. It reflects the current discontent and destruction of our eco systems, the search for individual meaning against a tide of rampant materialism, narcissism and disconnected lives.

"We're still growing and still developing," Astbury told Austin360.com. "We're still students; we're still inquisitive; we're still passionate. I still think what we're doing is relevant. We still have an awareness of what's going on around us. It's not like I live in a cave."

The reunited original lineup of the legendary heavy metal band BLACK SABBATH will headline a number of Europe's premier festivals in 2012. Kicking off on Friday May 18 in Moscow at Olimpski, the tour will bring BLACK SABBATH to the masses at: Download (U.K.), Azkena Rock (Spain), Hellfest (France), Graspop Metal Meeting (Belgium) and Gods Of Metal (Italy). However, that's only the beginning of the group's global tour which will take the band around the world, including countries the band has never played before and others they have not visited in more than three decades.

The four original members of BLACK SABBATH — Ozzy Osbourne (vocals), Tony Iommi (guitar), Geezer Butler (bass) and Bill Ward (drums) — are preparing to record their first studio album in 33 years with legendary producer Rick Rubin (seven-time Grammy winner, two of those as "Producer Of The Year") for release worldwide on Vertigo, and Vertigo/Universal Republic in the U.S. in the fall 2012.

The dates are as follows:

May 18 - Moscow, Russia - Olimpiski
May 20 - St. Petersburg, Russia - New Arena
May 23 - Helsinki, Finland - Hartwall Arena
May 25 - Stockholm, Sweden - Stadium
May 29 - Bergen, Norway - Bergen Calling Festival
May 31 - Oslo, Norway - Spektrum
Jun. 02 - Malmö, Sweden - Malmö Stadium
Jun. 04 - Dortmund, Germany - Westfalenhalle
Jun. 10 - Donnington, UK - Download Festival
Jun. 12 - Rotterdam, Holland - Ahoy
Jun. 15 - Bilbao, Spain - Azkena Rock Festival
Jun. 17 - Nantes, France - Hellfest
Jun. 19 - Paris, France - Bercy
Jun. 22 - Dessel, Belgium - Graspop Metal Meeting
Jun. 24 - Milan, Italy - Gods of Metal

According to U.K.'s The People, BLACK SABBATH's planned world tour and festival appearances are expected to earn the musicians in excess of £100 million (around $159 million), meaning each member of the band could take home up to £25 million (approximately $40 million).

The band did attempt to record a new disc in 1998, but abandoned the attempt and released only two songs as part of a concert album called "Reunion".

Following a reunion tour in 1998, SABBATH reunited sporadically in 1999, 2002, 2004 and 2005 for live dates. The foursome last appeared together at their induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 2006.

At their long-overdue induction, Tony Iommi and Ozzy Osbourne spoke about the respect that SABBATH had earned over the years. "For a while, nobody would take us seriously," Iommi said. "But as we went on, the more we carried on, the more we proved, the more we stayed there, you know? And I think we got the respect from that." Ozzy added, "I never thought anybody liked us, and people on the Ozzfest would come to me and go, 'You were really one of our inspirations.' And I didn't really, I didn't believe it, you know?"

Photo below courtesy of Black-Sabbath.com

Just days after two TOOL tour dates appeared and then mysteriously vanished on Ticketmaster's web site, the band has officially unveiled the first batch of shows for a 2012 winter tour. The dates begin on January 14 in Reno, Nevada, with 11 more shows confirmed so far. It is unknown how long the tour will run for, since singer Maynard James Keenan starts another trek with his musical lounge act PUSCIFER on February 23rd in Austin, Texas.

TOOL last hit the road in mid-2010 for a short run of summer gigs.

The band has reportedly been writing material for its long-awaited new album, which would follow up 2006's "10,000 Days".
A report that they had entered the studio to begin recording turned out to be a joke on the part of the group's webmaster. The recording was actually being done for a side project of drummer Danny Carey.

Keenan has been touring with PUSCIFER behind its second album, "Conditions Of My Parole", and also did some shows with A PERFECT CIRCLE in the past year.

While he enjoys performing, Keenan told The Pulse Of Radio not long ago that he's not into the travel. "If I could do something that would get the music out there and get the performances out there in a way that didn't require me leaving home, I would for sure do it," he said. "Soon as they invent an affordable holographic projection of touring, I'm all over it (laughs). A simultaneous performance all across the country, one night, but you stay in one spot and it's holographic — I'm in."

Newly announced TOOL tour dates (subject to change):

Jan. 14 - Reno, NV - Reno Events Center
Jan. 15 - Las Vegas, NV - Mandalay Bay Events Center
Jan. 17 - Tucson, AZ - Tucson Arena
Jan. 18 - Albuquerque, NM - Tingley Coliseum
Jan. 20 - Grand Prairie, TX - Verizon Theatre
Jan. 24 - Toledo, OH - Huntington Center
Jan. 25 - Toronto, ON - Air Canada Centre
Jan. 26 - London, ON - John Labatt Centre
Jan. 28 - Boston, MA - TD Garden
Jan. 29 - Camden, NJ - Susquehanna Bank Center
Jan. 31 - Uncasville, CT - Mohegan Sun Arena
Feb. 08 - Duluth, GA - Gwinnett Arena

AEROSMITH guitarist Joe Perry has revealed via Twitter that the band will embark on a U.S. tour in June. Tickets will go on sale in March. Exact cities and dates will be announced during the coming weeks.

In a recent interview with the QMI Agency, Perry spoke about the progress of the recording sessions for the band's long-awaited new album, which is tentatively due later this year.

When asked about the sound of AEROSMITH's new material, Perry said, "It definitely has a feel like some of the early stuff. We've tried to bring that back. People are always asking for something that sounds like the old stuff, but you can't rewrite 'Mama Kin' or 'Same Old Song And Dance'. All you can do is go in and start from the same place you started when you made those records. So we just went in with (producer) Jack Douglas and we all worked on the record. There's a song or two that the band helped write, and Tom (Hamilton, bass) wrote and Brad (Whitford, guitar) has a track on there. So from that point of view, it's a lot more like an early AEROSMITH record. We were all in the room when we were pulling these songs together and recording them. Every way that we used to make our records, that's what we did to get this to where it is. Right down to what we're doing now, which is going over the tracks and bringing them up to speed. Steven [Tyler] is finishing up the lyrics and we're just going to put the finishing touches on it."

During a recent interview, Tyler stated about the new AEROSMITH album, "All of it's been written, but I gotta lay lyrics on it and I haven't had a lot of time," he said. "But what I've listened to so far just knocked me out. I know a good song, I know what's gonna get played on the radio, I'm not that pretentious to say I think we've got hits, but I think we've got something, and that's all that matters."

AEROSMITH began work on its first all-new album since 2001 last year, with the rest of the band working on music while Tyler made his "American Idol" debut.

The band has been working with producer Jack Douglas, who collaborated with them on classic early albums like "Toys In The Attic" and "Rocks".

Perry recently wrote on Twitter, "People have said when we play the rough tracks it sounds like it's from the '70s but for me, it's too early to tell."

Meanwhile, Tyler also said at the TCA press conference that sales of AEROSMITH's back catalog were up 260 percent since he began appearing on "Idol".

The 11th season of the series began with its two-night premiere on January 18.

As he puts the finishing touches on his as-yet-untitled second solo album due out May 22, Slash — the iconic, Grammy-winning rock guitarist and songwriter — has announced that his headlining U.S. tour will begin May 3 in Baltimore. A fan pre-sale begins this Wednesday, February 15, with the regular on-sale starting Friday, February 17. Tickets will be available at SlashOnline.com. The itinerary (see below) encompasses three festival appearances: Saturday, May 5 at Carolina Rebellion, Saturday, May 19 at Rock On The Range and Friday, May 25 at Rocklahoma.

Meanwhile, this Saturday, February 18, Slash will join Stevie Wonder, Sean Combs, Chris Cornell, Lenny Kravitz, LL Cool J, Common, Snoop Dogg, former President Bill Clinton, Oprah Winfrey, actors Anthony Hopkins, James Gandolfini and more at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas for a 70th birthday celebration to honor boxing legend Muhammad Ali. "Muhammad Ali is and always has been a role model & a hero to me," says Slash. "It's a huge privilege to be able to perform in his honor. He is one of the great icons of American culture and history."

The 16th annual "Power Of Love Gala" celebrates the life and legacy of Muhammad Ali and his contribution to the world and raises awareness for Alzheimer's, Huntington's, ALS, Multiple Sclerosis and Parkinson's, the disease "The Champ" has been battling since 1984. Proceeds from the event will benefit the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health's work toward enhanced treatments and research of neurocognitive disorders and the Muhammad Ali Center in Louisville, Kentucky. The show will also feature appearances from boxing legends such as Sugar Ray Leonard, Ken Norton, Tommy "Hitman" Hearns, and more. Tickets for this once-in-a-lifetime event are on sale now. ABC will also televise the show nationally on Saturday, February 25, at 7 p.m. EST/ 4 p.m. PST.

Slash is currently in a Los Angeles studio working on his new album with Myles Kennedy and THE CONSPIRATORS. It will be released Slash's own label Dik Hayd International distributed through EMI and will follow his 2010 debut album, "Slash", and his November 2011 first-ever live solo album, the two-CD/DVD set "Made In Stoke 24/7/11". Notably, the "Slash" album debuted on The Billboard 200 chart at #3 (#1 on the Rock chart, #1 on the Independent chart, and #1 on the Hard Music chart). Digitally, the album also became the #1 overall digital album and hit #1 on iTunes in 13 countries. Internationally, the disc achieved Top 5 chart positions in over a dozen major territories, hitting #1 in both Japan and New Zealand.

For the new album, Slash — along with and his bandmates Myles Kennedy (vocals), Brent Fitz (drums) and Todd Kerns (bass) — have teamed with producer Eric Valentine, who also produced the "Slash" disc. All the songs were written together by Slash and Kennedy, and cameras have been rolling throughout the entire making of the album.

Slash's 2012 headlining U.S. tour dates are as follows:

May 03 - Baltimore, MD - Rams Head Live
May 05 - Charlotte, NC - Carolina Rebellion, Rockingham Speedway
May 07 - Orlando, FL - Hard Rock Live
May 10 - Biloxi, MS - Hard Rock Hotel & Casino - Hard Rock Live
May 12 - Kansas City MO - Liberty Memorial Park
May 13 - Indianola, IA - National Balloon Classic Field
May 14 - Minneapolis, MN - The Brick
May 16 - Madison, WI - Orpheum Theater
May 17 - Grand Rapids, MI - Orbit Room
May 19 - Columbus, OH - Rock On The Range, Columbus Crew Stadium
May 20 - Camden, NJ - Susquehanna Bank Center
May 25 - Pryor, OK - Rocklahoma
May 26 - Albuquerque, NM - Route 66 Casino

Over 80 million albums sold worldwide. 12 Top 10 smash hit singles. Thousands of concerts performed. The time has come for the ultimate convergence of rock's finest from the Midwest. REO SPEEDWAGON, STYX and TED NUGENT will join forces for "The Midwest Rock 'N' Roll Express" 30-date U.S. tour. Rolling out May 1 in Hidalgo, Texas, tickets for various cities will go on sale starting February 22.

"Forget all those TV shows with glee clubs singing Rock songs," exclaims STYX guitarist/singer James "JY" Young. "It's time for mega-platinum Illinois bands STYX and REO SPEEDWAGON in a battle to the end of the Mayan Calendar with the Motor City Madman!"

"I am a Midwest boy, born and raised with Midwest values," continues REO SPEEDWAGON singer/guitarist Kevin Cronin. "In the Midwest we work hard, play hard, and rock hard. I am proud to join my brothers in STYX and TED NUGENT to celebrate Midwest rock 'n' roll and represent the greatest rock fans in the world. I am ready to climb aboard the 'Midwest Rock 'N 'Roll Express'! Rock on, baby!"

As STYX singer/guitarist Tommy Shaw proclaims, "It's gonna be a Twang Fest of screaming guitars and big, sing-along choruses that continue to be the soundtrack for the misbehavior of our collective fan base. In other words, a real good time."

Ted Nugent couldn't agree more. "The heart and soul of American R&B&R&R has always gushed forth from the heartland of America. REO, STYX and The Nuge have always celebrated the power of our special music and on the mighty 'Midwest Rock 'N' Roll Express', the energy, attitude and spirit is more intense than ever. This is the soundtrack for the hardcore."

Check out "The Midwest Rock 'N' Roll Express" at any of the following stops. Ted Nugent hits the stage at 7:00 p.m. at every stop unless noted otherwise.

May 01 - Hidalgo, TX - State Farm Arena
May 03 - Albuquerque, NM - Hard Rock Casino Albuquerque Presents The Pavilion
May 04 - Tucson, AZ - Anselmo Valencia Amphitheatre (no Ted Nugent)
May 05 - Las Vegas, NV - Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino
May 06 - Los Angeles, CA - Greek Theatre
May 08 - Denver, CO - Red Rocks Amphitheatre
May 10 - Council Bluffs, IA - Mid America Arena
May 11 - Oklahoma City, OK - Zoo Amphitheatre
May 12 - Houston, TX - Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion (no Ted Nugent)
May 13 - Corpus Christi, TX - Concrete Street Amphitheatre
May 17 - Charlotte, NC - Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
May 19 - Virginia Beach, VA - Farm Bureau Live Amphitheatre
May 20 - Alpharetta, GA - Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
Jun. 21 - Kansas City, MO - Starlight Amphitheatre
Jun. 22 - St. Louis, MO - Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
Jun. 23 - Ft. Knox, KY - Godman Army Airfield
Jun. 24 - Chicago, IL - Charter One Pavilion
Jun. 26 - Cincinnati, OH - Riverbend Music Center
Jun. 28 - Detroit, MI - DTE Energy Music Theatre
Jun. 29 - Scranton, PA - Toyota Pavilion at Montage Mountain
Jun. 30 - Cleveland, OH - Blossom Music Center
Jul. 01 - Atlantic City, NJ - Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa Event Ctr
Jul. 03 - Verona, NY - Turning Stone Resort Casino
Jul. 05 - Uncasville, CT - Mohegan Sun Arena
Jul. 06 - Big Flats, NY - Summer Stage
Jul. 07 - Gilford, NY - Meadowbrook U.S. Cellular Pavilion

KISS and MÖTLEY CRÜE will embark on a massive co-headlining tour this summer. The trek — which will see KISS closing the show each night — will kick off on July 20 in Bristow, Virginia and will run through September 23 in Hartford, Connecticut. The Live Nation-promoted tour will go on sale beginning Friday, March 23 at Ticketmaster.com and LiveNation.com. The KISS Army fan club pre-sales begin Wednesday, March 21 at 10 a.m.

Said MÖTLEY CRÜE bassist Nikki Sixx: "Growing up, I had a KISS poster, AEROSMITH poster and SWEET on the wall, and for me to go out and do this together, it's an honor. I know what KISS is about — I've been watching them for years — and I think it's a perfect, perfect match. Maybe a match made in hell, in some places in America they may think, but it's a perfect match and it's gonna be all night long — hits, bombs, girls, topless a few. MÖTLEY CRÜE and KISS — I can't wait to experience it myself."

Added KISS frontman Paul Stanley: "Nikki and I have been each other and just going, 'This is awesome.' This is something we're all really fired up about. It's double what either one of us could do, so exponentially it's that much bigger. Whatever either band is capable of doing, you do it double on one night. It's out of the park, man. We're gonna level each city, literally."

With combined album sales of almost 200 million, KISS and MÖTLEY CRÜE are more than just iconic; they remain today as the dominant powerhouses of rock music tallying 30+ chart-topping hits, countless sold out tours and awards and accolades from around the world. Known for their elaborate and spectacular stage shows, each band plans to give fans the ultimate summer concert experience with the most impressive lighting and sound production ever and their signature over-the-top pyrotechnics. This is the first time KISS and MÖTLEY CRÜE will share a stage since 1982.

Stanley told The Pulse Of Radio that his band has never thrown a slow pitch opening act simply to make KISS look better. "I've never been a fan of bands who take on weak support to make them look good, or because they're not sure that they're up to the task," he said. "I always think that if you put on the great acts before us, then we go out there and have to prove why we deserve to be the headliner."

MÖTLEY CRÜE singer Vince Neil told Robin Leach of the Las Vegas Sun about the upcoming tour, "It's going to be really cool because KISS is bringing their full stage show, and MÖTLEY will be bringing our full stage show, so you are going to see two huge headliners at the same time. It's going to be one of the biggest tours of the summer, if not the biggest."

MÖTLEY CRÜE recently entered drummer Tommy Lee's studio called The Atrium in Calabasas, California to begin recording a new song that will be released to coincide with the band's upcoming tour.

KISS has completed recording its new album, "Monster", for a summer release. Songtitles set to appear on the CD include "It's A Long Way Down", "Back To The Stone Age", "Shout Mercy", "Out Of This World", "Wall Of Sound" and "Hell Or Hallelujah".

The dates are as follows:

Jul. 20 - Jiffy Lube Live - Bristow, VA
Jul. 21 - Farm Bureau Live - Virginia Beach, VA
Jul. 22 - Time Warner Cable Music Pavilion - Raleigh, NC
Jul. 24 - Aaron's Amphitheater at Lakewood - Atlanta, GA
Jul. 25 - Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre - Charlotte, NC
Jul. 27 - Cruzan Amphitheatre - West Palm Beach, FL
Jul. 28 - 1-800-ASK-GARY Amphitheater - Tampa, FL
Jul. 31 - Oak Mountain Amphitheatre - Pelham, A\L
Aug. 03 - Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion - Woodlands, TX
Aug. 04 - Gexa Energy Paviliion - Dallas, TX
Aug. 07 - Hard Rock Casino Presents: The Pavilion - Albuquerque, NM
Aug. 08 - Comfort Dental Amphitheater - Englewood, CO
Aug. 10 - Ashley Furniture Home Store Pavilion - Phoenix, AZ
Aug. 11 - Mandalay Bay Arena - Las Vegas, NV
Aug. 12 - Cricket Wireless Amphitheatre - Chula Vista, CA
Aug. 14 - Verizon Wireless Amphitheater - Irvine, CA
Aug. 16 - Sleep Train Pavilion - Concord, MA
Aug. 18 - White River Amphitheatre - Auburn, WA
Aug. 19 - Sleep Country Amphitheater - Ridgefield, CT
Aug. 24 - Rock Jam - Grand Junction, CO
Aug. 26 - BOK Center - Tulsa, OK
Aug. 27 - Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre - Maryland Heights, MO
Aug. 29 - Minnesota State Fair - Minneapolis, MN
Aug. 31 - Riverbend Music Center - Cincinnati, OH
Sep. 01 - Klipsch Music Center - Noblesville, IN
Sep. 02 - First Niagara Pavilion - Burgettstown, PA
Sep. 04 - Bridgestone Arena - Nashville, TN
Sep. 05 - DTE Energy Music Theatre - Clarkston, MI
Sep. 07 - First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre - Tinley Park, IL
Sep. 08 - Alpine Valley Music Theater - East Troy, MI
Sep. 11 - Allegan County Fair - Allegan, MI
Sep. 12 - Blossom Music Center - Cuyahoga Falls, OH
Sep. 13 - Molson Amphitheatre - Toronto, ON
Sep. 15 - Darien Lake PAC - Darien Lake, NY
Sep. 16 - Comcast Center - Mansfield, MA
Sep. 18 - Toyota Pavilion - Scranton, PA
Sep. 19 - Susquehanna Bank Center - Camden, NJ
Sep. 21 - PNC Bank Arts Center - Holmdel, NJ
Sep. 22 - Nikon at Jones Beach - Wantagh, NY
Sep. 23 - Comcast Theater - Hartford, CT

Hard rock outfit BUCKCHERRY will be hitting the road this spring on a headlining tour beginning on April 21 in San Antonio, Texas. The band will be joined by "American Idol" alumnus James Durbin and REDLIGHT KING for a North American jaunt throughout over 30 cities. BUCKCHERRY will also be performing on the main stage at this year's Bamboozle along with GASLIGHT ANTHEM and BON JOVI on May 20.

BUCKCHERRY tour dates:

Apr. 21 - San Antonio, TX - Oyster Bake
Apr. 22 - Wichita Falls, TX - Radio Show
Apr. 24 - Odessa, TX - Dos Amigos
Apr. 25 - Houston, TX - Warehouse Live
Apr. 27 - St. Louis, MO - Pop's
Apr. 28 - Concho, OK - Lucky Star
May 01 - Louisville, KY - Phoenix Hill
May 03 - Panama City, FL - Club Lavela
May 04 - Bossier City, LA - Horseshoe Casino
May 05 - Miami, OK - Buffalo Run Casino
May 09 - Sioux Falls, SD - KRRO Fest
May 11 - Clearlake, IA - Surf Ballroom
May 13 - Des Moines, IA - KAZR Lazerfest
May 16 - Winston Salem, NC - Ziggy's
May 17 - Baltimore, MD - The Plaza
May 18 - Huntington, NY - Paramount
May 20 - Asbury Park, NJ - Bamboozle
May 21 - Albany, NY - Northern Lights
May 23 - Knoxville, TN - Valarium
May 24 - Biloxi, MS - Hard Rock Live
May 26 - El Paso, TX - Ballonfest
May 27 - Carlsbad, NM - Walter Gerells
Jun. 01 - Chicago, IL - Full Throttle Saloon Rally
Jun. 02 - Franklin, OH - JD Legends
Jun. 29 - Warren, MI - Stars and Stripes Fest
Jul. 01 - Gibbons, AB - Boonstock
Jul. 04 - Sakstatoon, SK - Odeon
Jul. 07 - Regina, SK - Wake Board Fest
Jul. 08 - Calgary, AL - Calgary Stampede
Jul. 14 - Franklin, OH - JD Legends
Jul. 19 - Cadott, WI – Rockfest

"Wherever I Go", a new song from BUCKCHERRY will appear on the upcoming soundtrack to this year's highly anticipated movie, "Marvel's The Avengers". "Wherever I Go" is included on "Avengers Assemble", a 14-track compilation of music from and inspired by the film. "Avengers Assemble" will be released on May 1.

Says the band: "The song was written specifically for the film, and was recorded during the sessions for our upcoming album. Check it out and hope you dig it!"

"The Avengers" original motion picture soundtrack, with score by Oscar-nominated and Grammy-winning composer Alan Silvestri ("Captain America: The First Avenger", "Forrest Gump", the "Back To The Future" trilogy) will be available at online retailers on May 1.

In addition to BUCKCHERRY's "Wherever I Go", the "Avengers Assemble" collection features original songs inspired by the exciting and action-packed film event. The diverse range of artists includes SOUNDGARDEN, RISE AGAINST, SHINEDOWN, BUSH and REDLIGHT KING.

BUCKCHERRY is currently in the midst of recording its sixth studio album and has posted two video diaries online that allow fans a glimpse into the group's creative process. According to The Pulse Of Radio, the first video shows the band in the early stages of pre-production as they play the songs over and over in order to fine-tune them. In the second clip, called "Envy", dissatisfaction over a song with that name leads to visible tension and frustration in the studio as the band tries to make the song work.

Singer Josh Todd tells the camera at one point, "There is always a song during our record making process that is a thorn in our side."

When the group finally gets "Envy" to where they want it, Todd later says, "We hated this song for a while, now it's fun."

Todd and guitarist Keith Nelson are the band's original members and have been working together for 17 years, but Todd told The Pulse Of Radio they still occasionally butt heads while making a record. "It's not like what people would think, you know," he said. "We're not like, we don't have to have like a shrink come in and talk to us, or we don't need a mediator in the studio to get through writing a song. But yeah, you know, occasionally we'll butt heads on like an issue, but it's like we work stuff out so quickly. You know, Keith and I and everybody in BUCKCHERRY, we're all focused on the outcome, which is we're just trying to make the song the best it can be."

BUCKCHERRY's new album will follow up 2010's "All Night Long" and is said to possibly be a concept record.

SYSTEM OF A DOWN and DEFTONES will join forces for the following shows in August:

Aug. 02 - Philadelphia, PA - Susquehanna Bank Center
Aug. 04 - Holmdel Township, NJ - PNC Center
Aug. 05 - Wantagh, NY - Nikon At Jones Beach
Aug. 07 - Washington, DC - Verizon Center
Aug. 09 - Boston, MA - Comcast Center
Aug. 11 - Montreal, QC - Heavy MTL
Aug. 12 - Toronto, ON - Heavy T.O.
Aug. 14 - Detroit, MI - DTE Energy Amphitheater
Aug. 15 - Chicago, IL - Allstate Arena

During an interview with Brazil's Multishow after SYSTEM OF A DOWN's performance at the Rock In Rio festival last October in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, the band's drummer, John Dolmayan, was asked if SOAD fans can expect to hear a new studio album from the group following its current reunion tour. "We're gonna take it day by day," he said. "For the people who are waiting for an album — I know there's a lot of people waiting for an album; I'm waiting for an album just like they are. It's gonna happen when it's right and when we can make something that tops what we've done in the past. Because we don't really wanna rest on our laurels — where what you've done in the past is what you depend on. Well, I don't wanna do that, and I know the rest of the guys don't wanna do that. Instead of resting on our laurels, we wanna throw them away and create something new and specific for this generation that they can say that's their SYSTEM OF A DOWN."

Dolmayan previously told Straight.com about SYSTEM OF A DOWN's five-year hiatus, "I personally don't like breaks — I like to continue playing. But it was nice to go off and be John Dolmayan, as opposed to John from SYSTEM, for a while. I think everybody had similar feelings."

The drummer explained that a desire to pull off the road for a while and reconnect with their lives is what led SYSTEM to take an extended vacation from each other, saying, "When you're on the road and in the studio all the time, it's kind of like traveling at light speed. When you come back, it's like 20 years have passed by, and you're only one or two hours older . . . You're living a nomadic life, and you lose touch with people because they have grown away from you. People get older, get married, die — life is still going on."

SYSTEM's last two albums, "Mezmerize" and "Hypnotize", were released in 2005.

DEFTONES has entered the studio to begin recording its seventh album for a late 2012 release.

2010's "Diamond Eyes" has been one of DEFTONES' most successful outings. The set's last single, "You've Seen The Butcher", was a Top 15 rock radio hit.

DEFTONES will once again record with Sergio Vega on bass. Vega stepped in for touring purposes after original bassist Chi Cheng was left in a semi-comatose state by a November 2008 car accident, and stayed on to record "Diamond Eyes" with the group.

Last October, Reprise Records released a limited-edition vinyl box set from DEFTONES. "Deftones: The Vinyl Collection, 1995 - 2011" is a seven-album (8 LP) retrospective containing the band's six studio albums — 1995's "Adrenaline", 1997's "Around The Fur", 2000's "White Pony", 2003's "Deftones", 2006's "Saturday Night Wrist", and 2010's "Diamond Eyes", and the limited-edition 2011 Record Store Day release "Covers". Each album was exclusively re-cut for vinyl from the original master recordings and pressed on 180-gram European virgin vinyl. The collection, which included a unique lithograph and cover art, came packaged in a hand-numbered collector's box pressing of 1,000 copies worldwide.