So we had our friends JC and Andrea over for dinner and then some Rock Band World Tour, complete with some new content. I’m getting excited about the content that’s now starting to churn out – first the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ “Blood Sugar Sex Magik” which I bought today and have an even higher respect for guitarist John Frusciante and drummer Chad Smith.

Mid October, they’re releasing Motley Crue’s best album, Dr. Feelgood as downloadable content, and also a couple of good tracks from The Offspring this coming week (and also George Therogood’s “Bad to the Bone”). Granted, they’re all old tracks (the RHCP and Motley Crue came out when I was in middle school for Christ’s sake!), but they’re really starting to add some real replay value to Rock Band (and eventually Rock Band 2 when I get it). Kudos to all involved with Rock Band and the great content that they are pumping.

I saw this article come across and quickly clicked on the link, thinking it was going to be some huge revelation and some deep and hidden secret, but every Van Halen fanboy (that didn’t give up on the band when David Lee Roth Left the band after the “1984″ album’s release) knew that the new management caused some major rifts *and* that Ed sobering up and then spiraling back down into drug and alcohol abuse were at least in part a reason for Hagar and Van Halen parting ways back in 1996.

Regardless, I guess it’s good to actually have Hagar vocalize it. On another Van Halen topic – not to beat a dead horse, but when are we going to get a new studio album, rather than repackaging of greatest hits and a tour supporting that? Also, when is there going to be a full Van Halen reunion tour with Michael Anthony on bass and backing vocals. The former is much more likely to happen than the latter. It seems no one can hold a grudge like Eddie Van Halen.

Sammy Hagar: Why I Really Left Van Halen

Check it out: here’s an update / follow-up to the Hagar-era Van Halen video, “Right Now,” with plenty of face time to the two former Van Halen members (Hagar and Michael Anthony).

The song is ok, but lacks the rockin’ vibe and catchiness of its Van Hagar predecessor.

So it sounds like John McCain (and George W. Bush before him) used one of the most popular Hagar-era Van Halen songs – “Right Now” during public events.

Like a lot of bands, it sounds like Van Halen has no desire to be affiliated with any political candidate, and can you blame them?

Most of these songs aren’t really appropriate anyway when you listen to the lyrics beyond the chorus. Ronald Regan utilized Bruce Springsteen’s “Born in the USA” which if you listen to a few versus, is anything but an upbeat song about the state of America. “Right Now,” although not as politically charged, is more about living in the moment – not the best campaign song when people are thinking about the next four years, not just right now.

Van Halen Tells McCain to Back Off “Right Now”

The more I read on Rock Band’s sequel, the more excited I get about its coming release. Then I looked, and it’s coming out in less than a month (September 14th, according to Amazon). Earlier today, they announced you could pay $5 or less to get an option to export music from the first Rock Band disc to utilize them in the second game. I’m cool with that, as long as it’s a one-time fee. Hope you upgraded your hard drive.

It sounds like the online and single player modes have been upgraded as well. Sorry Amanda, but the end is no where in sight for the Rock Band evenings in the Keefer household.

The second page of the article below also makes brief mention of a jukebox mode where you can possibly import your own songs. If that’s true, not sure how it’s going to work logistically, but I look forward to giving it a try to get my favorite Van Halen, AC/DC, etc. tracks into the game, if that is in fact what the Jukebox mode is meant to do in reality.

Rock Band 2 Updated Hands-On - Exclusive Single-Player and Multiplayer Details

Solo artist Lenny Kravitz, best known for tracks like “Are You Gonna Go My Way,” “Always On The Run” and his cover of “American Woman” is rumored to be in the studio with the remaining members of Velvet Revolver. Former Velvet Revolver frontman Scott Weiland left the band back in April and is currently touring with his former band, Stone Temple Pilots.

I honestly have never heard a Velvet Revolver track. I liked Guns N Roses and love Stone Temple Pilots, but never got motivated to check out Velvet Revolver. I may end up checking out some tracks on iTunes now out of curiosity, but I wouldn’t think Kravitz would be a good fit to lead VR, seeing as Kravitz would be unlikely to sing and play guitar as the band already has Slash and another guy on the six string. The other replacements the article throws around aren’t any better suggestions either, but Kravitz would seem to be the least compatible fit.

Yesterday, Harmonix announced the full 86-song setlist of on-disc tracks (to obviously be vastly supplemented with lots of tracks in the form of downloadable content, like the original Rock Band).

It’s also cool because it’s been confirmed that tracks from the first game can be ripped from the original disc into the sequel, basically doubling the possible setlists you can have in Rock Band 2 for all of us many Rock Band original owners.

I’m loving the setlist from the 60’s - 90’s. It’s great and features varied music styles throughout! Most of the stuff from the 2000 is crap, but I guess that is kind of reflective of the music industry as a whole. Overall though, this is going to rock to play.

My only other complaint is one that people have had since the original Guitar Hero. Sometimes, the game includes strange entries from bands. I don’t know if it’s a cost of licensing, or the band’s choice or whatever. But we finally get AC/DC, but instead of an anthem like “Back in Black” or “Thunderstruck,” we get “Let There Be Rock.” It’s a decent song, but not one that everyone in the room is likely to know. Here’s to hoping for a DLC AC/DC “Back in Black” album track pack (or the entire album) consisting of “Shook Me All Night Long,” “Back in Black” and “Hells Bells.”

Rock Band 2 Track List Revealed

So it sounds like Rock Band 2 is going to build onto the super-smooth and successful original. I love the fact that they’re adding a battle of the bands mode and that the world tour mode will go to Xbox Live. This next round of music games should have even better set lists as more and more bands realize the popularity and revenue stream potential of these games. Sign me up for a copy upon release (sans the instruments):

Rock Band 2 Hands-On