Drive-By Truckers frontman Patterson Hood will issue his third solo album on September 11. It’s called Heat Lightning Rumbles In The Distance

Levon Helm, even as he was losing his lengthy struggle with cancer earlier this year, had one final wish: That the rollicking hootenannys he’d been hosting at his barn — called the Midnight Rambles — would go on.

Saga is on the loose again. The Canadian prog rockers have reunited with original lead singer Michael Sadler, and will release their 20th studio project on August 28, 2012

The well-received recent Squackett collaboration between Yes co-founder Chris Squire and Genesis alum Steve Hackett brought together two of prog rock’s most recognizable musical figures.

Julian Lennon will not only be featured on the new Aerosmith album singing background vocals, he has also concluded a full-song collaboration with Steven Tyler.

Mike Keneally seems poised to make the transition from guitar god to art-pop icon. Maybe “pop” is too hasty, as it’s hard to imagine anything from the gifted guitarist being quite so intentionally simple and fun as pop music.

Inspirational but not Pollyanna, musically complex but approachable, Darius Lux’s new EP Time is Now finds a way to encourage without stumbling into comfy bromides, to challenge without becoming radio-unfriendly.

One thing became readily apparent to me from listening to Bruce Kaphan’s new album and that is, Kaphan and I are in strong agreement that there really isn’t any reason why the pedal steel guitar doesn’t belong in jazz or any other styles of music.

According to Nikki Sixx, Motley Crue’s new single “Sex” sounds like the band’s debut album Too Fast for Love. Maybe Nikki has been around those loud amps too long and damaged his hearing beyond repair.