Jani Lane Biopic in the Works, Wolfgang Van Halen Joins New Band + More News

A Jani Lane biopic is in the works.

Lane, who died at the age of 47 last year of acute alcohol poisoning, will be the subject of Cherry Pie Guy, which is being directed by comedian Jeff Dandurand. He will also star in the film. Dandurand said, "I want people to know how serious Lane was as a songwriter and also see how out of control he got when he used alcohol and drugs." The former Warrant singer/songwriter passed away on August 11, 2011 . [VH1 Classic]



Alter Bridge/Creed guitarist/songwriter, Mark Tremonti, is gearing up for his first ever tour with his band Tremonti in support of his debut solo release, All I Was. Joining Mark on the tour are Eric Friedman on rhythm guitar, Garrett Whitlock on drums and just announced Wolfgang Van Halen on bass. Wolfgang was always in consideration to play bass for Tremonti but was unavailable during the recording process. When an opening in Wolfgang's schedule coincided with the upcoming dates, Mark asked if he would be interested in touring with them and Wolfgang jumped at the chance.

"I am excited to be joining the band and playing this incredible music with some of my best friends in the business" states Wolfgang. Tremonti will be headlining the Fourth Annual HardDrive Live Tour, which kicks off Sept. 20 and runs through Oct. 5. From there, the band will head over to the UK to play a series of dates including a few opening for Slash featuring Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators.

All I Was stormed the Billboard Top 200 landing at #29 selling over 12,000 copies the first week. The album was released via Mark's own FRET12 records and landed at #7 on the Independent Current Album Chart. The album was also the #1 Rock Album on iTunes digital chart and made it all the way to #9 on iTunes Top Albums Chart and landed at #28 on the Current Digital Albums chart. Long time friend and collaborator Michael "Elvis" Baskette, known for his work with Alter Bridge, Chevelle and Trivium, produced the album. [Via Press Release]

Megadeth have a deep, expansive catalog of songs, so the countdown (to extinction) of the 10 best is a difficult task. The folks are Loudwire were up for the job, and selected the best songs from Dave Mustaine and co.'s copious, thrash-filled, politically-incited body of work. What landed at No. 1? Could it be 'Symphony of Destruction?' 'Peace Sells?' 'Sweating Bullets?' It's Mega-hard to decide since there is so much Mega-goodness. [Loudwire]

Chris Lawhorn, who once served as the resident DJ for Marie Clarie magazine, is releasing an album called Fugazi Edits, which is based entirely around Fugazi samples, for charity on Oct. 3 via Case/Martingale Records. The album features 22 tracks, pieced together using excerpts from every song in the Ian MacKaye-lead band's discography. Lawhorn worked on the entirely instrumental album for nearly two years, fusing 100 samples with effects. MacKaye has authorized the album for release and profits will be donated to a pair of charities: One that works with senior citizens in Washington, D.C. and one that provides global add to those impacted by civil unrest and other disasters. Lawhorn, who started out rocking and switched to DJing, mixes his youthful love of rock with his current gig's skill of cutting up tracks and reassembling them. Check out tracks here. [Via Press Release]

CT of Rwake and David Hall of Handshake Inc. have partnered up to form Mutants of the Monster, a new label. "Starting a label is like starting a gang – you're only as strong as your weakest member, so you wanna make sure you got some tough and smart street fighters in your ranks," said Hall. "In terms of music, and just overall passion and joy for creative endeavors, CT is the guy I want in my gang. He knows everybody, he's always thinking, always got great ideas, is a talented musician himself and like me, he believes in the power of great music. You can't talk to CT and NOT get excited about music. And that's what Mutants of the Monster is all about: getting people excited about music."

The label is will start off small with some CDs and 7 inches, along with a commitment to aesthetic excellence. It will also focus on regional music in Arkansas and the South at first.

There will be a Snakedriver/Laser Flames on the Great Big News split; an Epoch of Unlight EP; an Iron Tongue/Dirty Streets split; Jucifer's first demo on vinyl; and Rwake's 1998 album Xenoglossalgia.

Go here for more info. [Via Press Release]