by Jeff Barringer - Staff Writer & Photographer In what has to be just a weird coincidence I was standing in a Hot Topic in Highland Mall, staring at a Slayer T-Shirt, listening to "World Painted Blood" over the stores stereo, when my iPhone rings, and no joke it's Slayer's Kerry King. Calling from Albuquerque on the first leg of American Carnage he just wanted to check my plans for the tour. Roaming North America with Slayer right now is Megadeth and Testament on the first half of the American Carnage Tour but with that leg ending September 4th in Portland, I won't be able to pick up the tour until it starts it's second leg in Dallas on Sept 24. I'm hoping to tag along to San Antonio and Houston as well. Kerry says that playing with Megadeth and Testament every night is really cool but he is looking forward to the tour break coming up after a long summer on the road. What is he going to do during his 20 day road break between Oregon and Texas? Watch lots of football and hopefully sell some snakes. After a successful year with the band with a new CD, a tour of Europe with thrash's big four (that's Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer and Anthrax), Kerry also had a great year with his snake breeding and is going to take time out of his tour break to sell some of his snakes at the upcoming North American Reptile Breeders Conference in Anaheim. Along with his usual carpet pythons, Kerry says he will be signing autographs and selling some of his personal stash of merch so anyone wanting a chance to meet him, maybe buy a snake or a TShirt, he will be at the Anaheim Convention Center Sept 11 and 12th. I won't see Kerry again until Dallas where the tour picks up again, this time with Anthrax, and hope to post a whole bunch of stuff from the road.

by Jeff Barringer - Staff Writer & Photographer Numerous media sources are reporting that Paul Gray 38, long time bass player for heavy metal band Slipknot, was found dead in a Urbandale, Iowa hotel room this morning. In a band known for hiding their faces behind masks, Gray was known as “No. 2” or “The Pig.” Police said there was no evidence of foul play, and a complete investigation will be completed by Urbandale police detectives and an autopsy, including toxicology testing, will be conducted Tuesday by the Polk County Medical Examiner’s office. One of the 3 remaining founding members of Slipknot, Paul Gray was born in Los Angeles, before his family relocated to Des Moines. Click here for Paul Gray and Slipknot pics.

C3 Presents has announced this years Austin City Limits Festival lineup. As usual things happen, tours change, bands are added, dropped. Watch this space for further updates.

The Eagles Muse Phish The Strokes M.I.A Flaming Lips LCD Soundsystem Spoon Vampire Weekend Norah Jones Band of Horses Monsters of Folk Deadmau5 Sonic Youth Gogol Bordello The National Robert Earl Keen The Black Keys Broken Bells Slightly Stoopid Yeasayer Pat Green Rebelution Beach House The Sword Matt and Kim The xx Portugal. The Man The Temper Trap Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros Girls Ryan Bingham & The Dead Horses Local Natives Gaslight Anthem Lucero Devendra Banhart Blues Traveler Pete Yorn

The Soft Pack Gayngs Amos Lee Robert Randolph & The Family Band Ozomatli Richard Thompson Martin Sexton Manchester Orchestra The Almighty Defenders Miike Snow Mountain Goats Bear in Heaven Mayer Hawthorne Midlake Foals Switchfoot Cage the Elephant JJ Grey & Mofro Kinky Angus & Julia Stone The Morning Benders Hockey White Rabbits David Bazan Asleep at the Wheel Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue Nortec Collective The Very Best Beats Antique Henry Clay People Blind Pilot GIVERS Dawes Band of Heathens Charlie Mars Two Door Cinema Club Lissie Sarah Harmer

The Constellations T. Bird and the Breaks Chief Frank Turner Those Darlins Carolyn Wonderland Kings Go Forth The Relatives The Ettes Qbeta The Dough Rollers MyNameIsJohnMichael Basia Bulat Balmorhea Dan Black The Jane Shermans The Kicks Ponderosa Two Tons of Steel Caitlin Rose SPEAK Run With Bulls Maxim Ludwig Gospel Stars Heavenly Voices Wesley Bray & The Disciples of Joy Jones Family Singers Ashley Cleveland & Kenny Greenberg Buddy & The Straight Way Travelers Ruby Jane Smith The Verve Pipe Frances England The Jellydots Elizabeth Mitchell Okee Dokee Brothers Tom Freund School of Rock Q Brothers

by Jeff Barringer - Staff Writer & Photographer Heavy metal legend Ronnie James Dio passed awayafter treatment at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas this morning after losing his fight with stomach cancer. I saw Ronnie perform with Rainbow, Black Sabbath, Dio, and then finally in 2008 with Heaven and Hell. One of the best (if not the best) metal vocalist, I will always remember driving around with Kerry King of Slayer arguing over who was the better front man for Sabbath, and argument neither of us was willing to give ground over even later at the bar after many Jägermeisters. In the end we both agreed he was probably the best metal vocalist overall, leaving the Sabbath question to be resolved later. Click here for Ronnie James Dio and Heaven and Hell pics.

by Jeff Barringer - Staff Writer It's almost like the rains in April are giving way to more road shows than flowers around Austin, though there are plenty of Bluebonnets to enjoy as well. Although not technically a road show nor technically the is it the first look at Austin's new Backyard "The First Look Festival" May 1st at The Backyard in Bee Caves will be the first chance for many to scope out the new digs and listen to a whole slew of great local artists including Carolyn Wonderland, Gary Clark Jr., Malford Milligan, Omar & The Howlers, Suzanna Choffel, W.C. Clark and many many more. The same night Nashville Pussy makes a stop at the Red Eyed Fly, and Norah Jones makes the first of a 2 night stand at Stubb's BarBQ. Cage The Elephant plays La Zona Rosa on May 4th, followed by Toots & The Maytals the next night. Alexisonfire is at Emo's also on May 5th, Dax Riggs is at Lambert's BBQ May 6th and the same night the Gipsy Kings are out at the Backyard. Ben Folds brings his piano to Stubb's May 7th, and that same night British legend Graham Parker plays the Cactus Cafe. May 7th also starts the Rockabilly Festival out at the Nutty Brown Cafe with Lee Rocker and The Blasters followed the next night by "the killer" Jerry Lee Lewis and Junior Brown. If your not in the mood for rockabilly Blue October plays Stubb's on May 8th as well.

Cannibal Corpse and Dying Fetus bring the pain to Emo's on May 11th. Chevelle pulls into Stubb's May 12th followed by Cypress Hill the next night. Also May 13th A Rocket To The Moon and Mayday Parade are both at Emo's, and Cowboy Mouth is at Antone's. The B-52's raid La Zona Rosa May 15th followed by Minus the Bear on May 16th. Also that night Toad The Wet Sprocket plays Antone's. Hard core stalwarts M.D.C. play Red 7 May 21st while the metal returns to Emo's May 24th with Job For A Cowboy and Cattle Decapitation. On the other side of the musical planet Cute Is What We Aim For plays Antone's on May 26th, followed by Robert Cray on the 27th. The Indigo Girls are at La Zona Rosa May 29th and last but not least Barenaked Ladies are at Bass Concert Hall on May 31st. photos by Jeff Barringer - Staff Photographer

by Jeff Barringer - Staff Writer Cloudy skies, rain, and mud proved to be minor annoyances to the hard core follower of Jah that braved the conditions at this years Austin Reggae Festival. With skies that sometimes let the sun peak through, but often didn't, and were like as not to open up with torrents of rain, festival organizers scrambled to cover equipment, adjusted stage schedules, and did what it took to keep the music flowing. Saturdays' schedule was interrupted by a deluge after a shortened set by Austin natives Roots Revealers, and the water caused technical difficulties which delayed the start of the headliner, Jamaica's Mighty Diamonds, by a half hour. Those who stuck around til the end were treated to a fantastic set by the pioneering reggae band, though to get close to the stage you had to navigate an ankle deep mud bog. Sunday had organizers spreading hay over the mud and muck in an attempt to prevent the grass from being damaged but as our pictures show they may have their work cut out for themselves. The show did go on Sunday, albeit 3 hours late but that still didn't seem to faze the crowds.

by Jeff Barringer - Staff Writer Despite getting a personal invite today from GWAR leader Oderus Urungus I won't be able to attend the CRACK-A-THON in New York City that starts tomorrow, at least not personally, but I will be following along on the live broadcast at crackathon.tv. According to the press release "The CRACK-A-THON is a brand new piece of performance art: GWAR's very own variety show- a twisted version of The Jerry Lewis MS Telethon or the Carol Burnett Show, except with crack...lots of crack. It will be hosted by Oderus Urungus and co-hosted by Balsac The Jaws Of Death. CRACK-A-THON will feature interviews with celebrities from the art and music world, (Such as Andrew W.K., Jamey Jasta, frontman of the punk-metal band Hatebreed and more recently Kingdom of Sorrow, Lloyd Kaufman of Troma, the legendary Jimmy Gestapo from the band Murphy's Law, Mecronos from the band DETHRACE, NYC artists Joe Simko and Tara McPherson and many many more!)" For the complete schedule and more information on the CRACK-A-THON or if your in NYC this weekend and want to attend for FREE check out the web site at http://crackathon.tv/

by Jeff Barringer - Staff Writer Austinites looking for a post SXSW fix didn't have to wait long with the big Megadeth show at Stubb's last week, but for those not lucky enough to get tickets to the sold out gig, there are lots of other road shows coming to whet your appetite. Metalheads can continue polishing their moshing technique at Hammerfalls gig at Emo's with Echoes Of Eternity and Havok on April 7th or if your looking for something a little more mainstream, Kenny Loggins is at The Paramount on the same night. Ani DiFranco plays the Paramount April 9th, the same night Spyro Gyra stop at the One World Theater. Elton John will be returning to play the Frank Erwin Center on April 10th, the same night blog fav's Vampire Weekend do a sold out gig at Stubb's, and if you still can't find anything to do there is the Swamp Thing And Crawfish Festival the same night with Papai Mali, Dr. Zog and more downtown. Pat Metheny plays the Paramount on April 14th, the same night Old 97's and Ben Kweller are at Stubb's. Acid Mother's Temple brings the noise to Emo's outside on April 17th, while metalheads can catch High On Fire on the inside stage (if they can cram in).

Primus frontman and club kingsnake fav Les Claypool brings his solo tour to Stubb's April 19th, Slightly Stoopid plays Stubb's the following night, followed by George Clinton and PFunk on April 21st. Tiësto will be playing the Austin Music Hall on April 23rd, Steve Forbert plays the diminutive Cactus Cafe on April 24th down on the UT campus, while comedian Steve Martin brings his banjo and a band for a bluegrass set the next night at the Long Center on April 25th. ZZ Top plays the new Backyard April 25th and we are really hoping for an invite to see the new venue. The metal gods smile again over at Emo's on April 26th with Overkill. Evile, God Dethroned, Vader, Warbringer and Woe Of Tyrants. The next night Sonata Arctica Mutiny Within and Powerglove play Emo's, and then on April 28th Awesome Color plays Emo's, if your not at the Coheed & Cambria gig up the street at Stubb's. Phoenix plays Stubb's the following night, April 29th, and ending the April calendar at Stubb's with The Dead Weather. photos by Jeff Barringer - Staff Photographer

Concert promoter Live Nation continues its promotional streak by offering another recession busting deal to get music fans off the couch and into the clubs. According to a press release that landed on our news desk this morning:

Live Nation announced today a 2-for-1 club concert ticket deal on 200,000 tickets to over 350 concerts in 29 of its club venues across the country. Available only at LiveNation.com this Wednesday, fans will get two tickets for the price of one, a 50% savings, to see any of a wide variety of artists across genres including Hanson, Colbie Callait Trey Songz, Mario, The Bravery, The Used and Moby, and many others.

The 24 hour only 2-for-1 super sale begins this Wednesday October 7th at 12:01a.m. only at www.LiveNation.com.

And LiveNation's not kidding when it comes to the artist lineup either, with heavy acts such as Paramore and Dethklok also on the list. (not so much on the Hanson)

Look for the press release over in our press release section.

LiveNation has announced a special deal for live music fans across the U.S. that will allow them to see an unlimited number of shows at their club venues, including the House of Blues chain, for a paltry $49.99 for the rest of 2009.

For a limited time only, concert fans can buy The Live Nation Club Passport for $49.99, All-In and No Fees, and see every show at Live Nation clubs in their city for the rest of the year, subject to availability. If you're a Live Nation Club Passport holder, and the show's not sold-out, you're in! The Live Nation Club Passport is available only at www.livenation.com.

Participating venues include:

Avalon Los Angeles, CA
Bogart's Cincinatti, OH
Egyptian Room at the Murat Theatre Indianapolis, IN
The Fillmore Auditorium Denver, CO
The Fillmore Charlotte Charlotte, NC
The Fillmore Miami Beach Miami Beach, FL
The Fillmore NY at Irving Plaza New York, NY
The Fillmore San Francisco, CA
The Fillmore Detroit Detroit, MI
Gramercy Theatre New York, NY
Hollywood Palladium Hollywood, CA
House of Blues Anaheim Anaheim, CA
House of Blues Boston Boston, MA
House of Blues Chicago Chicago, IL
House of Blues Cleveland Cleveland, OH
House of Blues Dallas Dallas, TX
House of Blues Houston Houston, TX
House of Blues Las Vegas Las Vegas, NV
House of Blues Sunset Strip West Hollywood, CA
House of Blues Myrtle Beach North Myrtle Beach, SC
House of Blues New Orleans New Orleans, LA
House of Blues Orlando Lake Buena Vista, FL
House of Blues San Diego San Diego, CA
Tabernacle Atlanta, GA
Theatre of Living Arts Philadelphia, PA
The Wiltern Los Angeles, CA