Off the White Lies and Dark Times album, Ben Harper unleashes “Number With No Name,” “Shimmer & Shime,” and “Fly One Time” for your love of jam-on tunes.

If some is good, more, from the iconic Phish music act is certainly better. And a week later, on June 25 “Sample in a Jar,” “Down with Disease,” and “Chalk Dust Torture” will grace the game all in an exclusive live recorded fashion.

So throw on a tie die shirt, unravel your dreadlocks, get in the ’70’s spirit and rock out to these jam-on songs, I know I will.

via IGN

If the multi-dozen list of tracks we revealed earlier this week didn’t do it for you, Activision announced today three more tunes from Rise Against available for Guitar Hero World Tour March 12^th.

The Rise Against Track Pack will include:

• “Death Blossoms,” a previously unreleased single composed and recorded exclusively for World Tour.
• “Audience of One,” the hit single off the band’s new album Appeal to Reason.
• “Ready to Fall,” from their 2006 album The Sufferer & The Witness.

Rise Against in no stranger to the Guitar Hero family of titles.  “Prayer of the Refugee” was featured on Guitar Hero 3, and “Re-education through labor” is available on World Tour.  Both of which are high energy, fast paced, finger bleeding songs that are very fun to play.

Furthermore, as part of Xbox Live’s “Game with Fame” promotion, virtual rockers have the chance to shred alongside Tim Mcllrath, lead vocalist for Rise Against March 14^th from 11:00AM-1:00PM PST.  All you have to do is send a friend request to GHRiseAgainst1, download the new tracks, and hope for the best!

Tim Riley, Vice President of Music Affairs for Activision Blizzard had this say regarding Rise Against’s involvement with the title:

“Guitar Hero continues to be a platform for artists to deliver new music while gaining invaluable exposure, we are thrilled that Rise Against was willing to compose and record ‘Death Blossoms’ exclusively for our audience offering fans an opportunity to download music heard nowhere else.”

The Rise Against track pack will be available March 14^th on Xbox Live for 440 MS points or through the PlayStation store for $5.49.  If you don’t want all three, each song will be available individually for 160MS points / $1.99 and 200 Wii Points.

About Activision:

SANTA MONICA, Calif., March 6, 2009 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX News Network/ — On March 12th, Rise Against will join the growing roster of artists to debut exclusively created music to Guitar Hero fans with the debut of “Death Blossoms” as downloadable content for Activision Publishing, Inc.’s (Nasdaq: ATVI) Guitar Hero(R) World Tour.

The Guitar Hero alums, with “Prayer of the Refuge” and “Re-Education (Through Labor)” appearing in previous versions of Guitar Hero, complete the Rise Against Track Pack with “Audience of One,” the hit single off the band’s new album Appeal to Reason and “Ready to Fall,” from their 2006 album The Sufferer & The Witness.

Commemorating the release of the highly anticipated Rise Against Track Pack, virtual rockstars will have the unique opportunity to join Tim McIlrath on the digital stage for performances of Rise Against smash hits. For a chance to rock with the Chicago native in the Game with Fame on March 14th from 1:00 to 3:00 PM Central (11:00 AM to 1:00 PM Pacific) in Guitar Hero World Tour on the Xbox 360(R) video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, send a friend request to the gamertag GHRiseAgainst1.

“Guitar Hero continues to be a platform for artists to deliver new music while gaining invaluable exposure,” says Tim Riley, Vice President of Music Affairs for Activision Blizzard. “We are thrilled that Rise Against was willing to compose and record ‘Death Blossoms’ exclusively for our audience offering fans an opportunity to download music heard nowhere else.”

Rise Against is vocalist Tim McIlrath, bassist Joe Principe, drummer Brandon Barnes and guitarist Zach Blair. In spring 2001, the band released their debut CD “The Unraveling” on Fat Wreck Chords. After two years of solid touring, Rise Against recorded “Revolutions Per Minute” (2002), followed by “Siren Song Of The Counter-Culture” (2004). “The Sufferer & the Witness” was released in 2006 and debuted at #10 on the Billboard Top 200 chart. Rise Against released their fifth studio album, Appeal To Reason, on DGC/Interscope Records last fall and it debuted at #3 on the Billboard Top 200 album chart as well as spending one week at #1 on the iTunes album chart. First single, “Re-Education (Through Labor),” was a top 2 hit at modern rock radio and new single “Audience Of One” is poised to top the charts as well. Rise Against will embark on a summer headlining tour with special guest Rancid.

The Rise Against Track Pack will be available March 12th on Xbox LIVE(R) Marketplace for Xbox 360(R) for 440 Microsoft Points and on the PlayStation(R)Store for the PLAYSTATION(R)3 computer entertainment system for $5.49. “Death Blossoms,” “Audience of One” and “Ready to Fall” will be released individually as downloadable singles for Xbox 360 for 160 Microsoft Points, PLAYSTATION 3 system for $1.99 and Wii(TM) for 200 Wii Points each.

Guitar Hero World Tour transforms music gaming by expanding Guitar Hero’s signature guitar gameplay into a cooperative band experience that combines the most advanced wireless controllers with new revolutionary online* and offline gameplay modes including Band Career and 8-player “Battle of the Bands,” which allows two full bands to compete head-to-head online. The game features a slick newly redesigned guitar controller, drum kit controller and a wired microphone, as well as an innovative Music Studio music creator that lets players compose, record, edit and share their own rock ‘n’ roll anthems. Music creators are also able to share their recordings with their friends online through GHTunes(SM) where other gamers can download and play an endless supply of unique creations.

Guitar Hero World Tour is now available for Xbox 360, PLAYSTATION 3 computer entertainment system, the Wii home video game system from Nintendo and the PlayStation(R)2 computer entertainment system. The game is rated “T” for Teen by the ESRB. For more information on Guitar Hero World Tour, please visit worldtour.guitarhero.com.

About Activision Publishing, Inc.

Headquartered in Santa Monica, California, Activision Publishing, Inc. is a leading worldwide developer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment and leisure products.

Activision maintains operations in the U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Sweden, Spain, the Netherlands, Australia, Japan and South Korea. More information about Activision and its products can be found on the company’s website, www.activision.com.

This gives you a chance to turn down the lights, whip out your lighter, and belt out some emotional tunes over the mic while your drummer takes it easy, giving him time to develop that nasty drug habit and leave the band citing “creative differences”. Remember kids, friends don’t let friends turn into drug-addled superstars, so throw your timekeeper a bone and rock out to a metal tune every now and again, won’t you?

In addition to the acoustic songs coming from The Shins (“New Slang”), Incubus (“Drive”), and Ryan Adams (a cover of “Wonderwall”) on February 12, and the three songs from McCartney’s post-Beatles vehicle, Wings (February 19), you’ve got a Bob Seger track pack, which will include “Old Time Rock and Roll”, “Her Strut” and a live version of “Get Out of Denver”, all available for download February 26.

Each pack will run you 440 Microsoft points or $5.49 in non-gamer currency over the Playstation Network. They will also be available as singles for a lower price, and 200 points on the Wii.

From Activision:

GUITAR HERO® WORLD TOUR‘S DOWNLOADABLE CONTENT SET LIST CONTINUES TO EXPAND WITH NEW TRACK PACKS IN FEBRUARY

SANTA MONICA, CA – January 27, 2009 – Having already delivered fans over 70 rockin’ downloadable tracks for Activision Publishing, Inc.’s (Nasdaq: ATVI) Guitar Hero® World Tour since the game’s October 2008 launch, three new Track Packs spanning a variety of musical genres and multiple artists will be available throughout February 2009 to Guitar Hero® fans across the globe.

On February 12th, rockers Incubus, The Shins and Ryan Adams turn off the amps and electric guitars in the Acoustic Track Pack.  Coming to Guitar Hero World Tour are Incubus’ “Drive,” The Shins’ “New Slang” and Ryan Adams’ GRAMMY® Award nominated version of “Wonderwall.”

Following their debut appearance on disc in Guitar Hero World Tour with “Band on the Run,” Paul McCartney’s Wings return to the Guitar Hero stage with the Wings Track Pack.  “Junior’s Farm,” “Hi Hi Hi” and “Jet,” three top-ten hits from the band’s diverse catalog of music, will be available for download on February 19th.

GRAMMY Award winner, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee and Academy Award nominee Bob Seger will make his Guitar Hero downloadable content debut with the Bob Seger Track Pack.  After making an appearance in ads highlighting different celebrities jamming on instruments from Guitar Hero World Tour, Seger’s legendary hit “Old Time Rock and Roll” joins “Her Strut” and a live-recording of “Get Out of Denver” in the Bob Seger Track Pack, available for download on February 26^th.

The Acoustic, Wings and Bob Seger Track Packs will be available on Xbox LIVE® Marketplace for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft for 440 Microsoft Points and on the PlayStation®Store for the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system for $5.49.  The songs in each Track Pack will be released as downloadable singles for Xbox 360 for 160 Microsoft Points, PLAYSTATION 3 system for $1.99 and Wii^TM for 200 Wii Points.

Guitar Hero World Tour transforms music gaming by expanding Guitar Hero’s signature guitar gameplay into a cooperative band experience that combines the most advanced wireless controllers with new revolutionary online* and offline gameplay modes including Band Career and 8-player “Battle of the Bands,” which allows two full bands to compete head-to-head online.  The game features a slick newly redesigned guitar controller, drum kit controller and a wired microphone, as well as an innovative Music Studio music creator that lets players compose, record, edit and share their own rock ‘n’ roll anthems.  Music creators are also able to share their recordings with their friends online through GHTunes^SM where other gamers can download and play an endless supply of unique creations.

Guitar Hero World Tour is now available for Xbox 360, PLAYSTATION 3 computer entertainment system, the Wii home video game system from Nintendo and the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system.  The game is rated “T” for Teen by the ESRB.  For more information on Guitar Hero World Tour, please visit worldtour.guitarhero.com.

About Activision Publishing, Inc.

Headquartered in Santa Monica, California, Activision Publishing, Inc. is a leading worldwide developer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment and leisure products.

Activision maintains operations in the U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Sweden, Spain, the Netherlands, Australia, Japan and South Korea.  More information about Activision and its products can be found on the company’s website, www.activision.com.

We brought this to the attention of Nyko, and upon further investigation, they found that a recent PS3 firmware update is causing the FrontMan input mechanism to change. When playing Rock Band II on the PS3 with firmware version 2.52, setting the FrontMan dongle to “Rock Band” causes the guitar to not work with the game. Versions prior to this firmware work just fine, as does Rock Band I.

Full statement from Nyko:

It has come to our attention that a recent firmware update for the PlayStation3, version 2.52, has caused some changes to the input mechanism of the Nyko Technologies FrontMan guitar.

Nyko Technologies is committed to improving the gaming experience with the best quality peripherals available on the market, combined with unique value-add features that cannot be found on any other product at the time of launch. We regret that the latest firmware may cause some trouble to Rock Band II players using the FrontMan, but we fully acknowledge this issue and provide the simple afore-mentioned solution. We will continue to do our best in providing gamers with accessories that they can enjoy with the best games, and our customer support team is prepared to provide assistance to ensure a great experience with our products.

This was a big conundrum last year when we realized Activision and Harmonix weren’t going to play nice and let us use their guitars on the competing games.

We’re looking into what happened, but for sure we know that the Guitar Hero III guitar works in Rock Band 2 on PlayStation 3.

GameSpot has a good, slightly dated chart for other games.

We do not know if the Rock Band 2 special edition guitar works on Gutar Hero III or World Tour yet.

But one interesting twist, the Nyko FrontMan guitar that we love so much does still work with all games. However, it does not work in Rock Band 2 on “Rock Band Mode.” There is a switch on the Frontman’s receiver that selects between “Guitar Hero” and “Rock Band” modes — and that switch has to be on “Guitar Hero” in order to play Rock Band 2.

Multi-platinum alternative rockers The Killers are putting out entirely new music, and it will be seen for the first time on Guitar Hero: World Tour, Activision announced today.

The release comes on the heels of the release of the band’s third album, Day & Age. The Killers downloadable content will be available at the same time as the album’s release on November 25 and will feature the singles “Human” and “Losing Touch.”  Grammy nominated hit “Mr. Brightside,” from The Hot Fuss album, will also be on the track pack.

The Killers Track Pack will be available on Xbox LIVE Marketplace for 440 Microsoft Points and on the PlayStation Store for $5.49. Each song will also be released as single downloadable songs for Xbox 360 for 160 Microsoft Points, PlayStation 3 for $1.99 and Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection for Wii for 200 Wii Points.

•         311 – “Beautiful Disaster”
•         30 Seconds To Mars – “The Kill”
•         Airbourne – “Too Much Too Young”
•         The Allman Brothers Band – “Ramblin’ Man”
•         Anouk – “Good God”
•         The Answer – “Never Too Late”
•         At The Drive-In – “One Armed Scissor”
•         Beastie Boys – “No Sleep Till Brooklyn”
•         Beatsteaks – “Hail to the Freaks”
•         Billy Idol – “Rebel Yell”
•         Black Label Society – “Stillborn”
•         Black Rebel Motorcycle Club – “Weapon of Choice”
•         blink-182 – “Dammit”
•         Blondie – “One Way or Another”
•         Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band – “Hollywood Nights”
•         Bon Jovi – “Livin’ On A Prayer”
•         Bullet For My Valentine – “Scream Aim Fire”
•         Coldplay – “Shiver”
•         Creedence Clearwater Revival – “Up Around The Bend”
•         The Cult – “Love Removal Machine”
•         Dinosaur Jr. – “Feel The Pain”
•         The Doors – “Love Me Two Times”
•         Dream Theater – “Pull Me Under”
•         The Eagles – “Hotel California”
•         The Enemy – “Aggro”
•         Filter – “Hey Man, Nice Shot”
•         Fleetwood Mac – “Go Your Own Way”
•         Foo Fighters – “Everlong”
•         The Guess Who – “American Woman”
•         Hush Puppies – “You’re Gonna Say Yeah!”
•         Interpol – “Obstacle 1″
•         Jane’s Addiction – “Mountain Song”
•         Jimi Hendrix – “Purple Haze (Live)”
•         Jimi Hendrix – “The Wind Cries Mary”
•         Jimmy Eat World – “The Middle”
•         Joe Satriani – “Satch Boogie”
•         Kent – “Vinternoll2″
•         Korn – “Freak On A Leash”
•         Lacuna Coil – “Our Truth”
•         Lenny Kravitz – “Are You Gonna Go My Way”
•         Linkin Park – “What I’ve Done”
•         The Living End – “Prisoner of Society”
•         Los Lobos – “La Bamba”
•         Lost Prophets – “Rooftops (A Liberation Broadcast)”
•         Lynyrd Skynyrd – “Sweet Home Alabama (Live)”
•         Mars Volta – “L’Via L’Viaquez”
•         MC5’s Wayne Kramer – “Kick Out The Jams”
•         Metallica – “Trapped Under Ice”
•         Michael Jackson – “Beat It”
•         Modest Mouse – “Float On”
•         Motörhead – “Overkill”
•         Muse – “Assassin”
•         Negramaro – “Nuvole e Lenzuola”
•         Nirvana – “About a Girl (Unplugged)”
•         No Doubt – “Spiderwebs”
•         NOFX – “Soul Doubt”
•         Oasis – “Some Might Say”
•         Ozzy Osbourne – “Crazy Train”
•         Ozzy Osbourne – “Mr. Crowley”
•         Paramore – “Misery Business”
•         Pat Benatar – “Heartbreaker”
•         R.E.M. – “The One I Love”
•         Radio Futura – “Escuela De Calor”
•         Rise Against – “Re-Education Through Labor”
•         Sex Pistols – “Pretty Vacant”
•         Silversun Pickups – “Lazy Eye”
•         Smashing Pumpkins – “Today”
•         Steely Dan – “Do It Again”
•         Steve Miller Band – “The Joker”
•         Sting – “Demolition Man (Live)”
•         The Stone Roses – “Love Spreads”
•         Stuck In The Sound – “Toy Boy”
•         Sublime – “Santeria”
•         Survivor – “Eye of the Tiger”
•         System of a Down – “B.Y.O.B.”
•         Ted Nugent – “Stranglehold”
•         Ted Nugent’s Original Guitar Duel Recording
•         Tokio Hotel – “Monsoon”
•         Tool – “Parabola”
•         Tool – “Schism”
•         Tool – “Vicarious”
•         Trust – “Antisocial”
•         Van Halen – “Hot For Teacher”
•         Willie Nelson – “On The Road Again”
•         Wings – “Band on the Run”
•         Zakk Wylde’s Original Guitar Duel Recording

From Activision:

When the house lights go down this fall, a new generation of guitarists, drummers and fearless frontmen will come together and rock with Guitar Hero World Tour.  The latest installment in the #1 best-selling video game franchise of 2007, Guitar Hero World Tour transforms music gaming by expanding Guitar Hero’s signature guitar gameplay into a cooperative band experience that combines the most advanced wireless controllers with new revolutionary online* and offline gameplay modes including Band Career and 8-player “Battle of the Bands,” which allows two full bands to compete head-to-head online for the first time ever.  The game features a slick newly redesigned guitar controller, drum kit controller and a microphone, as well as an innovative Music Studio music creator that lets players compose, record, edit and share their own rock ‘n’ roll anthems.  Music creators will also be able to share their recordings with their friends online through GHTunes where other gamers can download and play an endless supply of unique creations.

The two acts add to an already huge list of artists — just about everyone will be in either Guitar Hero World Tour, Rock Band 2 or both — Sting will lend his vocie and likeness as a playable character, busting out sngs like “Demolition Man.”

As for Tool, you’ll get to play “Parabola” and Grammy-award winning “Schism” from Tool’s critically-acclaimed 2001 album Lateralus in addition to “Vicarious” from their 2006 Grammy-award winning album 10,000 Days. The game will also feature an all-new venue designed in collaboration with the band and highlighting the art style that has become a staple in their music videos, live shows and album artwork.

From Activision:

When the house lights go down this fall, a new generation of guitarists, drummers and fearless frontmen will come together and rock with Guitar Hero World Tour. The latest installment in the #1 best-selling video game franchise of 2007, Guitar Hero World Tour transforms music gaming by expanding Guitar Hero’s signature guitar gameplay into a cooperative band experience that combines the most advanced wireless controllers with new revolutionary online* and offline gameplay modes including Band Career and 8-player “Battle of the Bands,” which allows two full bands to compete head-to-head online for the first time ever. The game features a slick newly redesigned guitar controller, drum kit controller and a microphone, as well as an innovative Music Studio music creator that lets players compose, record, edit and share their own rock ‘n’ roll anthems. Music creators will also be able to share their recordings with their friends online through GHTunesSM where other gamers can download and play an endless supply of unique creations.

Jimi Hendrix, one of the most influential and iconic music makers of the 20th century will be featured in Guitar Hero: World Tour as both a playable character and with two of his songs: “”Purple Haze” (Live edition)” recorded in 1969 at the San Diego Sports Arena and ““The Wind Cries Mary.””

Additional songs will follow as downloadable content.

“”Guitar Hero games have become the virtual rock stage for the industry’s most beloved artists and Guitar Hero World Tour continues that tradition by honoring the great Jimi Hendrix and celebrating some of his greatest work,”” said Tim Riley, vice president of music affairs for Activision Blizzard. “”His presence in the game will serve to satisfy multiple generations of his fans and Guitar Hero devotees, as well as create new fans by reintroducing his genre-defining guitar style through the unique Guitar Hero experience.””

Being developed by Neversoft for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, Vicarious Visions for Wii and BUdcat for PlayStation 2, Guitar Hero: World Tour is slated for a launch later this year.

Harmonix’s Rock Band 2 was by far the most powerful music gaming release of the convention. It will release on all four major consoles this fall.

All old Rock Band songs are compatible with the new installment, said Alex Rigopulos, president of Harmonix, at Microsoft’s press conference. While there are 84 songs on the Rock Band 2 disc, over 500 songs will be available for play.

Almost all the Rock Band CD songs can be imported into Rock Band 2 automatically, which means no disc swapping, said Rigopulos.

Some major additions have been made to the Rock Band library. A brand new track from Guns N’ Roses will be added to the collection courtesy of Axle Rose. For the first time, Bob Dylan has licensed his songs to a music video game; in Rock Band’s case, his hit song Tangled Up In Blue. AC/DC will also be exclusively on Rock Band 2.

Twenty bonus tracks will be downloadable in the fall before the release of Rock Band 2.

While Activision withdrew from E3 before the convention, some new information was also released by Microsoft about Guitar Hero: World Tour.

The Guitar Hero franchise has sold more than 5 million copies on the Xbox 360, said Kai Huang, president and founder of Red Octane.

The new game features a new wireless drum kit complete with cymbals and a touch slide guitar. The game has more than 85 songs on the disc, though there will be many more available at the launch of World Tour and beyond.

In addition to new instruments, the game features new modes like an online band career and 8-player battle of the bands.

Guitar Hero: World Tour, the next game in the top selling franchise of 2007, gives players not only the ability to improve their timing and button pressing skills of the previous iterations but also brings in a couple of new friends in the form of a drum kit and microphone, for the first time in the Guitar Hero series. The unique wireless drum kit features three drum pads, two raised cymbals, and a bass kick pedal.

Take that, Rock Band, with your one less cymbal.

“The drum kit is unique because it’s wireless, and it’s velocity sensitive, meaning that the harder you hit the drum, the louder the note,” said Brian Bright, Guitar Hero’s project director.

So just how realistic is the new drum kit?

“It’s as real as you can get,” said Chad Smith, drummer for The Red Hot Chili Peppers, who tested it out recently. “If it can hold up to me beating on it, it should do pretty good. Playing guitar? — That’s all great, But hitting stuff? Awesome.” Smith and other drummers including The Police’s Stewart Copeland checked out World Tour at a press event recently.

Guitar Hero: World Tour may sound a lot like Rock Band — rightfully so. But it’s not just another band simulation game. World Tour also gives players the ability to create their own music. With the new innovative Music Studio, players can create, edit and record their own music and share it online with other players. 

This gives it some longer legs. 

But don’t let the ability for players to create their own music discourage those of you who just like playing along to your favorite tunes. Guitar Hero: World Tour promises to offer the most extensive catalog of classic to modern rock tunes in a video game to date. 

Noted inclusions thus far: Van Halen, Linkin Park, The Eagles and Sublime.