The Calling's Alex Band Violent Abduction/Beating HOAX to Promote Band's 'Big 2013 Comeback?' Singer Releases 'Severe' Injury PHOTOS/911 Call, 'Captors Took Mercy for My Baby!'

TMZ reports that over the weekend, Alex Band (lead singer of the popular rock band The Calling) was abducted on the streets of Michigan. The 32-year-old "Tonight" crooner was violently beaten, robbed, and abandoned by a crew of unidentified van bandits. Photos of Band's "severe" injuries have since gone viral online, and police are currently investigating the situation. But was the whole "kidnapping" scenario simply a stint to promote The Calling's "big" 2013 comeback? Band heatedly insists that his near-death experience was definitely NOT a hoax - the only reason his captors gave mercy is because his wife's expecting a baby soon, and the abductors allegedly said that they "don't kill fathers." Read More »