THIS WEEK IN ROCK BAND! Did you get the cheap Foo Fighters album last week? I did. I’ve only played a couple songs, but it’s good stuff. Foo isn’t in my top ten list of bands, but they are good.

This week, we are smothered with Rock Band and Guitar Hero news, once again. We get our first taste of country. Pearl Jam 10 album DLC is announced. Guns N’ Roses Chinese Democracy album rumor quoted from Axl Rose. Rock Band 2 patch for Xbox 360, Lips compatibility. We have have to talk about Guitar Hero Metallica…double bass drum!!!

Today, we got our first taste of Country on Rock Band. Did you, or are you planning on getting it? (Vote in our poll).

Brad Paisley – “Mud on the Tires”
Brooks & Dunn – “Hillbilly Deluxe”
Dierks Bentley – “Free and Easy (Down the Road I Go)”
Dixie Chicks – “Sin Wagon”
Miranda Lambert“Gunpowder & Lead”
Each track will be available starting December 16, 2008, for the Xbox360 and December 18, 2008, for PS3. Each individual track will be available for $1.99 (160 Microsoft Points) and $8.49 (680 Microsoft Points) for the 5-pack.

We don’t know about next week yet, but we do know what’s coming in March…  Pearl Jam’s debut (and greatest, IMO) album 10 comes to RB DLC.  We alreay have Alive, so we will get the remaining…err…10 tracks from 10.  Black is one of the best songs ever.  Once is incredible.  10 was the most played cassette in my car in 1992-1993.  I’m no Pearl Jam fanboy.  I never got excited about anything after 10, though their second albuim Versus did grow on me.  I will get 10 when it drops.
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If you read the earlier breaking rumor, Axl Rose has been quoted as saying, “I think that’s a yes on Rock Band” when asked if Chinese Democracy would be available in its entirety to the Rock Band community.  No date yet, no pricing yet, but it looks like it’s coming.  Where’s Appetite and Use Your Illusion?  C’mon Axl, you will make a killing if you release those albums.  Illusions 1 & 2 is 30 songs….I would go broke buying every track.

For you Xbox 360 users, did you notice a Rock Band 2 system update earlier this week?  Looks to me like the Lips patch has been rolled in.  So, for those of you with the cool wireless mics from the game Lips, you can no sing wire-free on Rock Band 2.  Please let us know how those mics are working.  Is there any latency, or does it just work flawlessly?

Check back later for an update, once we get word on next week’s DLC.

But, before we go… a quick word on Guitar Hero.  We learned this week that Guitar Hero Metallica will be coming early in 2009, with a couple dozen Metallica tracks and some of their favorite cover songs.  It will include the actual band members as characters in the game.  Most importantly to the drummers is… Expert+ mode.  Yes, there will be an added kick-drum pedal and Expert+ mode will require a lot of double bass drum work.  I PRAY that Harmonix comes up with a double-kick drum solution before Guitar Hero Metallica drops.  Otherwise, I will be waiting in line to pick this game (and new drum kit) up.