Linkin Park will exclusively preview the first single from their upcoming album “A Thousand Suns,” which is out Sept. 14, via a trailer for the upcoming videogame “Medal of Honor.”

The preview will be offered one day before the single, “The Catalyst,” is scheduled to hit radio and other outlets. Linkin Park’s Joe Hahn also directed the video clip, which includes a mix of gameplay footage and live-action footage of actors playing as soldiers. The full trailer goes live Aug. 1 at medalofhonor.com/linkinpark. In the meantime, watch a sneak peek gameplay trailer above.

To read the complete article visit BILLBOARD

(HarperCollins; $25.99; July 27, 2010)

The story of Steven Adler’s life as a member of Guns N Roses, one of rock and roll’s most volatile, decadent and out of control bands, is both terrifying and awe-inspiring. His new book, My Appetite For Destruction: Sex and Drugs and Guns N’ Roses, due for release July 27th, really hits home–but not for being a thrill-inducing rock and roll story. Actually it’s just the opposite. Adler’s candor and self-reflection make this book a different kind of rock star memoir entirely.

Steven Adler absolutely does not try to pretty up his story; there’s no attempt to make himself look heroic or, as so often happens in rock star biographies, victimized. Adler puts aside his own ego to tell a story that is bitingly poignant in its brutal honesty.

To read the complete view visit EXAMINER.COM

When you call your first album Funeral, you set the bar high in terms of your maturity level. How can any young band evolve toward that full-grown third album after starting out with a meditation on death and grief? It’s no problem for Arcade Fire – these Montreal indie rockers are not shy about gunning for a solemn, grandiose, three-hankie anthem every time out. The best song on their last disc, “No Cars Go,” was a dead ringer for Neil Diamond’s flag-waving classic “America,” which gives a sense of the gargantuan scale of their anthemizing. On their fantastic third album, The Suburbs, they aim higher than ever, with Roman numerals and parentheses in the song titles. In their dictionary, “suburbs” is nowhere near “subtlety.” But that just adds to the emotional wallop.

Their first two discs, 2004’s Funeral and its 2007 sequel, Neon Bible, peaked with songs about scared kids hiding from their parents. In “Rebellion (Lies)” and “No Cars Go,” the kids hide by escaping into dreams and sharing guilty secrets with one another. But on The Suburbs, they open up to see family life from the parents’ perspective – a much harder trick. “I want a daughter while I’m still young,” Win Butler sings on the magnificent opening theme, “The Suburbs.” “I wanna hold her hand/And show her some beauty/Before this damage is done.”

To read the complete review and hear album samples visit ROLLING STONE

Though hot acts such as Lady Gaga and Justin Bieber are having no trouble filling venues, several high-profile tours — including the Jonas Brothers, Lilith Fair and American Idols Live — have canceled, postponed or reshuffled dates in recent weeks as budget-conscious concertgoers think twice before spending their money.

Pollstar editor Gary Bongiovanni says preliminary numbers from the concert trade publication’s midyear report on the 100 top touring acts show a 20% drop in gross revenue and total ticket sales from Jan. 1 through June 30 compared with the same period in 2009. Meanwhile, average ticket prices are now below $60, compared with $64.61 last year. Final numbers are expected later this week.

“There’s still a strong appetite for live music if you have the right attraction,” Bongiovanni says. “It’s wrong to say the sky is falling and business is horrible, but I don’t think we are seeing anything that we shouldn’t have expected.”

To read the complete article visit USA TODAY

“It was a wonderful moment,” says The Gracious Few’s chief protagonist, guitarist, and co songwriter Chad Taylor of a particular late winters 2010 day in Sausalito California. “As I loosened the grip on my guitar after that final take, I knew the past was exactly that. It can’t come back to haunt me. It can only influence me and our future as a band. Primarily because we’ve all already been there.” Typically Taylor would be back in his home state of Pennsylvania at this time of year, perhaps even shoveling snow, but most likely thinking about his feature film company or other varied business interests, certainly not music. But in that moment warmth came over him as the strings still resonated, “I looked into the control room, and the guys, and thought this very nearly didn’t happen.”

For more info visit THE GRACIOUS FEW

Slash has announced details of an upcoming tour of North America. Kicking off in San Francisco on August 29, the 18-date jaunt concludes with a show in Seattle on October 2.

On the gig-run the legendary guitarist will be backed by Todd Kerns on bass, Bobby Schneck on rhythm guitar, Brent Fitz on drums and Alter Bridges’ singer Myles Kennedy.

Currently on tour in the UK and Ireland, Slash will also appear at this year’s Wireless festival on July 4.

To see a complete list of tour dates visit NME