Holy fuckin’ damn. Chinese Democracy, the long-awaited Guns ‘N Roses Axl Rose album, apparently has an actual release date of November 23…November 23 of this year. Brain broke out of the underground, sensory-deprivation cell that all Axl employees are held in to give a few tantalizing bits of info about the disc, namely that over $300,000 was spent to redo Josh Freese’s drum tracks note for note. He also had his kit set up for over five years at Village Recorders studio in Los Angeles. Click the link for a vid interview with Brain.

We’ve been playing around with the various camera views available for the Buddy Rich Memorial Concert that will be streamed today at the Drum Channel. The drum cam view and video interface are pictured below. Image quality is very good so far, but we haven’t been able to get an audio sample yet. Sticks crossed for auditory fabulousness.

The show stars at 4:30 p.m. (PST). The concert schedule is as follows:

• Tommy Igoe performing “Preach & Teach” and “Little Train”
• John Blackwell performing “No Jive,” “Nuttville,” and “Mind of J”
• Guitar Center Contest Winner Donnie Marple performing a solo
• Terry Bozzio performing “Machine,” “Tank!,” and “Some Skunk Funk”
• Tommy Igoe performing “The Chicken,” “Willowcress,” and “La Fiesta”
• Nick Rich performing “Buelah Witch” and “Mercy Mercy Mercy.” Also The Beat Goes On with Cathy Rich.
• Chad Smith performing “Dani California,” “Hocus Pocus,” and “Birdland”
• Neil Peart performing “Love For Sale,” “Time Will Tell,” “One O’Clock Jump,” and “YYZ”

Update: Click Channel 5, called “Backstage,” for pre-show chatter with Bozzio et al. Audio seems quite good—a little out of sync every now and then with the video, but quite watchable. This will likely be affected by your connection speed, of course, and how many folks are logged on.

Update: Terry Bozzio is performing songs from Cowboy Bebop!

Don’t forget to tune in for the Drum Channel’s live stream of the Buddy Rich Memorial Concert tomorrow. It starts at 7:30 p.m. EST (4:30 p.m. PST), and with Neil Peart, Chad Smith, Terry Bozzio, and lots of other greats performing, it’s not a show you’ll want to miss. We don’t want to hear any excuses: the live stream is freakin’ free!

Corey Miller is a star tattoo artist who has lent his inking eye to help create Ludwig’s latest limited-edition kit. The set features a 22″ x 22″ bass drum, 14″ x 7″ snare, 12″ x 8″ rack, 16″ x 14″ floor tom, and of course Miller’s tattoo art on a White Marine Pearloid wrap. No word yet on the price or exactly how limited a “limited-edition” set it is, but we’re betting the drums are not the most wallet friendly on the market today. If you’re tough enough to play these things, though, you’re probably tough enough to steal them. Let us know how the thievery goes.

By the way, the cool pic of Corey below was taken by Robert Downs, music photographer extraordinaire. We recently sat down for a lengthy chat with Robert about his time behind the camera and what it’s like photographing some of the world’s greatest drummers. Keep your eyes peeled for the interview.

…with Benny Greb and Johnny Rabb at last month’s Meinl Drum Festival. Great fun from a pair of superb players.

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Dixon’s “Drum Your Way to Hollywood” contest concluded last month, and a winner was recently announced: Lou Mars earned himself a Demon kit and the opportunity to play in Hollywood, CA for an A&R panel that includes Matt Messina and Mark Bistany. Lou’s session will even be filmed and aired on the A&R channel. Check out his winning performance below (…and dig on those leg spasms).

Don’t bother sending Ringo any fan mail after October 20, because he’ll just end up chucking it:

This is a serious message to everybody watching my update right now. Peace and love. Peace and love….I want to tell you after the 20th of October please do not send fan mail to any address you have. Nothing will be signed after the 20th of October. If that is the date on the envelope, it’s gonna be tossed. I’m warning you with peace and love I have too much to do. So no more fan mail. Thank you, thank you. And no objects to be signed. Nothing. Anyway, peace and love, peace and love.

Anyway, how about douche and bagy? Check the vid link for his full-on pissy tone.

Barker has updated his MySpace blog with news about his condition and a few pics from his hospital stay. The post includes a remembrance of his friends Chris and Che; many thank-yous to friends, family, and fans for their support; extra double-special thank-yous to all the doctors and nurses who have treated him; and—most surprising—a not-so-subtle dig at Shanna Moakler (”Despite any rumors you might have heard via my EX-wife Shanna Moakler, who I have not seen since the week I checked in…”). Travis also writes a bit about his recovery process:

Like the doctors said from the beginning, its been a slow recovery process. I am coming up on the 7th of my surgeries Monday. Today I finally was able to move all my fingers on my right hand. Every step seems huge at this point, and Im doing EVERYTHING I can possibly do to get back to my kids. Yes, I did start eating meat again, but if it helps me to be home holding my little humans sooner, then its all worth it.

…if your bank account has bunches and bunches of zeros to spare. The Metallica drummer will be auctioning a Jean-Michel Basquiat painting, “Untitled (Boxer)”, at Christie’s on November 12. The record for a Basquiat work is currently $14 million, but auctioneers are anticipating that “Boxer” will go for a whole lot more. Not that it’s all about the money, of course. Ulrich said:

As a collector I view myself as a caretaker of works of art, rather than simply an owner. I have been fortunate enough to have shared 10 great years with this truly iconic painting by Basquiat, and it is time to put it back into circulation, and let someone else enjoy it as much as I have over the last decade.

So very kind.

Limited-edition T-shirts honoring Chris Baker and Charles “Che” Still will be sold by Travis Barker’s clothing site, Famous Stars and Straps, starting October 13. The shirt was designed by pro skateboarder and Famous Stars manager Felix Arguelles and artist Maxx “maxx242″ Gramajo. All proceeds will go to Baker’s and Still’s families.

The video below summarizes the interview Travis recently gave to Us Weekly.

…goddamn unbelievably great. At least we hope so. Click on over for a peek at the introduction video featuring Terry Bozzio. From what we can gather, the site will have a strong social media focus (yay!), but there doesn’t appear to be an official, all-of-our-shit-is-live-so-you-can-play-with-it launch date yet (boo!). Stay stuck to the interwebospheres for updates soon.

…But not right away. He’ll first complete Nine Inch Nails’ North American tour, which kicks off October 23. No details yet on why Freese is vacating the NIN throne, but Trent Reznor recently posted this on the band’s website:

Josh Freese fans, be sure to check out a show on the upcoming North American leg of the tour, as sadly they will be the last ones he’s playing with us. He informed me he’s leaving the tour at the end of this year. Yes, we are still dear friends. No, I’m not sure what we are going to do.

Here is a list of dates announced so far (courtesy of Metal Underground):

10.23.08 San Antonio, TX AT&T Center
10.25.08 New Orleans, LA Voodoo Festival, City Park
10.28.08 Orlando, FL UCF Arena
10.29.08 Jacksonville, FL Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena
10.31.08 Nashville, TN Sommet Center
11.01.08 Greenville, SC Bi-Lo Center
11.03.08 Greensboro, NC Greensboro Coliseum Complex
11.05.08 Charlottesville, VA John Paul Jones Arena
11.08.08 Manchester, NH Verizon Wireless Arena
11.09.08 Worchester, MA DCU Center (rescheduled from previous date)
11.11.08 Ottawa, ON Scotiabank Place
11.12.08 Montreal, QC Bell Centre
11.14.08 Hamilton, ON Copps Coliseum
11.15.08 Grand Rapids, MI Van Andel Arena
11.17.08 Columbus, OH Schottenstein Center
11.18.08 Fort Wayne, IN Memorial Coliseum
11.20.08 Cedar Rapids, IA US Cellular Center
11.21.08 Columbia, MO Mizzou Arena
11.22.08 Tulsa, OK BOK Center
11.25.08 Minneapolis, MN Target Center (rescheduled from previous date)
11.26.08 Council Bluffs, IA Mid-America Center
11.28.08 Rapid City, SD Rushmore Plaza Civic Center Arena
11.29.08 Billings, MT MetraPark Arena
12.01.08 Saskatoon, SK Credit Union Centre
12.04.08 Kelowna, BC Prospera Place
12.05.08 Victoria, BC Save On Foods Memorial Centre
12.07.08 Portland, OR Rose Garden Arena
12.08.08 Nampa, ID Idaho Center
12.09.08 Missoula, MT Adams Center
12.12.08 Sacramento, CA Arco Arena
12.13.08 Las Vegas, NV Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino

According to Rhythm magazine, Joey Jordison and his broken ankle are now in drum-slaying shape and scaring the hell out of the Japanese. The band released the following statement today:

After numerous flights we arrived in Nagoya, Japan two days ago. Joey is on fire and we had a killer rehearsal with the full band. Tonight is the first—it’s on! We just shot a video for “Dead Memories” that we’ll be unleashing to the world in the next couple weeks. This one is psychological—you’re in for a journey. We’re just starting a world tour—so we hope to see all of you.

Sevendust drummer Morgan Rose recently chatted with the site Saw*Kick for over 30 minutes. He dishes on the band’s tour, the departure of guitarist Sonny Mayo, the return of Clint Lowery, and a whole lot more. Download or stream the interview here.

Music Radar is taking questions for Chad Smith. Just leave your query in the comments section here (though you do, alas, have to register first on Music Radar). One of our favorites so far:

Do you sometimes cringe when you read Anthony’s lyrics and WTF is a rockapotamus ferchristsakes LOL

…But not with the Chili Peppers. Instead, he’ll be hitting the road with supergroup Chickenfoot…except that the name of the band featuring Smith, Sammy Hagar, Michael Anthony, and Joe Satriani probably won’t be fowl related at all. Satriani recently told Billboard that “Chickenfoot” was only a working title Hagar came up with. What’s definitely not in question, though, is Smith’s ability to rock the shit out of their tunes:

“The material is really slamming, and anybody who has ever been around Chad knows that he is a very huge personality, a very high-energy guy, and his drumming in person is explosive,” Satriani said. “This band really gives him carte blanche to go crazy. I think it’s the best of what you’d expect, that’s the best way to put it. No one is acting out of character.”

Cristiano Micalizzi, the Italian stallion of soul funk grooves, has snagged himself a signature drumstick from SilverFox. Cleverly called the “CM” model, the stick is crafted from select hickory dowels born in the USA. It’s 16″ long with a diameter of .585″, and the round ball tip measures .410″ in diameter. A short taper gives the stick added bulk in the neck area, which results in an extremely fast rebound and a well-balanced center of gravity. Like all SilverFox drumsticks, the CM model is strengthened with a proprietary finish that, according to the press release, “not only feels great in a drummer’s hands, but greatly extends the usable life of all SilverFox sticks.” No pricing info is available yet…but how much is it worth to you to sound exactly like Micalizzi?

In support of Sabian’s APX series of high-decibel cymbals, drummers Ray Luzier of Korn, Chris Pennie of Coheed and Cambria, and Seven Antonopoulos of Opiate for the Masses are going to hit the road for a mini-tour of the United States. The drummers will be demonstrating how the APX cymbals are designed to cut through hard rock and heavy metal music (i.e., you might be needing some ear plugs for this one). Scheduled stops include the following cities:

• Percussive Arts Society International Convention in Austin, Texas – Nov. 8
• Skip’s Music in Sacramento, Calif. – Nov. 9
• Milano Music in Mesa, Ariz. – Nov. 10
• Drum Pad in Palatine, Ill. – Nov. 11
• Fork’s Drum Closet in Nashville, Tenn. – Nov. 12
• Paradiddles in Spartanburg, S.C. – Nov. 13
• Sam Ash in New York, N.Y. – Nov. 14

For more info, be sure to check out the “Show No Mercy” tour page. It includes a handful of APX-related goodies.

If you’re anything like us provincial, ignorant bastards, you didn’t know what a soul toul was either. Turns out it was neither a “tool” for extracting soul nor a “toll” for purchasing it. Nope, Soul Toul is a dude, a shredding drummer dude from Japan, and he just got a signature snare from Tama. His 14″ x 5.5″ drum features a 1.0mm steel shell that has a custom bearing edge “lined with a special compound that facilitates the drum’s warm yet extraordinarily precise and articulate response.” What the hell that special compound is we have no idea…but the shell itself, dressed in a black nickel plate, looks very fine. You can snag Toul’s drum for an MSRP of $399.99.

[via Harmony Central]