DOWNLOAD Unreleased Live Nirvana Song!

Unreleased Live Nirvana Song!
Get a rendition of "Scoff," recorded live in 1990 and featured on Sub Pop's 20th anniversary reissue of Bleach.

For Nirvana fans seeking a distraction from the war over Kurt Cobain's Guitar Hero avatar, Seattle label Sub Pop has just the thing: An unreleased live version of "Scoff," recorded Feb. 2, 1990, during a gig at Portland, OR's Pine Street Theatre. Download the track below!

"Scoff" appears on 20th anniversary reissue of the trio's debut album, Bleach, which arrives Nov. 3 on CD and 180 gram white vinyl, with a complete live recording of the 1990 gig with their original drummer, Chad Channing. Jack Endino, the original producer behind Bleach, re-mixed the original tapes of the live show for the special reissue.

"The release is a tribute to the vision of Kurt Cobain," Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic wrote on his Seattle Weekly blog. "Jack [Endino] and I got test pressings earlier this summer and the vinyl sounds killer. It's going to be pressed on white vinyl -- just like the first issue. I put the tone arm down and the bass growl of "Blew" is there in all its Grunge glory."

"Considering it only took about 30 hours in the studio, and the equipment we used, I'm glad it sounds as good as it does," Endino told Novoselic.

Actually, "Scoff" sounds great: Cobain's guttural vocals and chugging guitar hit hard and with a clarity many other live recordings lack, no doubt a testament to Endino's studio wizardry -- but, more importantly, Nirvana's ability as a live band. Download "Scoff" below.
Nirvana, "Scoff" Live At Pine Street Theatre (DOWNLOAD MP3)

Slipknot’s Corey Taylor Admits He Tried to Sing for Velvet Revolver

Photo: Webber/WireImage.

Slipknot singer Corey Taylor has finally confirmed rumors that he tried out for Velvet Revolver’s vacant lead singer slot, telling Altitude TV, “I had a meeting with those guys, we did some demos together, and it just didn’t work — for whatever reason.” Since Scott Weiland’s departure from Velvet Revolver in April 2008, everyone from Lenny Kravitz to Sebastian Bach to Chris Cornell to obscure Canadian singers have been rumored to be the permanent fill-in for VR, but Taylor is among the first to reveal that he actually tried out for the job.

“It was just really cool. It was one of those things where it’s like I could have got to jam with legends, man, in my opinion,” Taylor said, adding that he’s still on good terms with the band. Slash had previously said in passing that Taylor had worked with VR, and while it seemed like Taylor might take over as lead vocalist, the band decided against it, Blabbermouth writes.

As Rolling Stone previously reported, even though Slash is currently hard at work at his own solo album, he’s still devoted to the singer search. “We (VR) know the right guy is out there somewhere,” Slash wrote in a MySpace post in August 2009. “It’s possible somebody could turn up before I do my tour and we could start working on new material sooner than later, in a perfect world.”

Mike Byrne: New Pumpkins Drummer

Billy Corgan has announced that nineteen year-old Portland, Oregon, drummer Mike Byrne has joined the Smashing Pumpkins and will make his debut with the band on their next album and tour. “I’m super excited to be playing with the band,” says Byrne. “Dream come true, man.”

Byrne, who’s played in indie Portland bands Moses, Smell The Roses, and the Mercury Treeheard, heard about the Pumpkins’ open call for a new drummer on the Internet this past April and submitted his materials. Byrne was immediately called to attend an audition in Los Angeles, where Corgan liked what he heard.

Byrne has been playing drums since he was eleven and formed his first band, Mercury Tree, at fifteen. His influences include post-rock bands like Mogwai, Maserati, and Maps And Atlases as well as the Pumpkins. “It was a really good time in my life to hear the Pumpkins’ music when I was thirteen. It just connected with me and it was sort of a window into something really different and eclectic. The band was a little bit more willing to take risks than a lot of the groups I had been listening to.”

“I was astounded by how many great drummers wanted the chance to try out for The Pumpkins,” said Corgan. “We counted over a thousand submissions, and what made Mike stand out was that he just seemed to have that X-factor that all the great drummers have, a stunning blend of power, speed, and grace. I’m excited to work with him moving forward; he truly deserves this opportunity. I believe in my heart he will push me to be a better musician.”

For more on the Smashing Pumpkins, visit www.smashingpumpkins.com.