CLASSIC ROCK NUGGETS (Updated 07-17-18)

Lukather bio

Select shows on Paul Rodgers’ upcoming tour with Jeff Beck and Ann Wilson will be available for download immediately afterwards. A portion of the proceeds will benefit Willows Animal Sanctuary, a UK charity supported by Paul and his wife Cynthia. The tour starts Wednesday in West Valley City, Utah.

An autobiography by Toto guitarist Steve Lukather, titled The Gospel According to Luke, will be published on September 18th. He will also narrate the audiobook.

Tickets to Paul McCartney’s three U.K. shows in December – Liverpool, Glasgow and London – sold out immediately. One fan complained, “Been waiting since 9:30am to get tickets, but as soon as it turned 10am all tickets had gone.”

When Gene Simmons played the Masters of Rock festival in the Czech Republic Sunday, he was joined by German singer Doro Pesch to perform the KISS song "War Machine." Simmons produced her 1990 album, Doro.

 The Rock & Brews restaurant chain, owned by Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, will begin selling Def Leppard Pale, the band’s beer. Singer Joe Elliott says, “Rock & Brews celebrates everything that is rock and roll and is the perfect place for fans to indulge themselves with a cold Def Leppard Pale."

Rick Nielsen, commenting on his invitation to take part in Joe Satriani’s G4 Experience in January, asked, “Am I there for some much needed guitar lessons or the eye candy or needed levity?” Neal Schon and former Guns n’ Roses guitarist Bumblefoot will also be on hand.

Brian May commented on England’s World Cup loss (without blaming Mick Jagger, who some think is the team’s jinx). “I feel this brilliant bunch of young men did exactly what their admirable coach asked them to do. They restored respect for English football. But more than that, they gave us all a reason to feel proud and unified in a country that has slipped into despair over the Brexit shambles and lack of leadership. These guys actually gave us back a glimpse of hope. All Hail England's footy!"

Former Allman Brothers Band guitarist Dickey Betts will film his July 21st show at the St. George Theater on Staten Island, New York for a DVD release.

Ringo Starr is on King of the Road: A Tribute to Roger Miller, which will be out on August 31st.

Paul McCartney will play his first-ever show in Krakow, Poland on December 3rd. He says, "I’ve always wanted to see Krakow and have heard so many great things about it. We had such a blast on our last trip to Poland, so we know this is going to be another special night for us and we can’t wait to get back."

The owners of 3 Savile Row in London, the onetime home to The Beatles’ Apple office and studio, will install a plaque to commemorate the band’s final live performance on the rooftop. There are talks to unveil it on January 30th, 2019, the 50th anniversary of that historic event.

Purple


Ian Gillan, Ian Paice and Roger Glover were in Montreux, Switzerland on July 4th for the unveiling of a plaque at the entrance of the building where Deep Purple recorded "Smoke on the Water." The song was inspired by the Montreux Casino fire on the night of a 1971 Frank Zappa concert.

The Scorpions were joined onstage Saturday in Barcelona, Spain by former Motorhead guitarist Phil Campbell for a rendition of his old band’s “Overkill.” Motorhead drummer Mikkey Dee is now in the Scorps.

Jimmy Buffett stopped by Wrigley Field last Friday to take in a Cubs game. He will perform at the historic ballpark this Friday.

Moody Blues bassist John Lodge has announced U.S. dates for October:  

·         12 – Nashville, TN - City Winery

·         14 – Washington, D.C. - City Winery

·         15 – Sellersville, PA – Sellersville Theater

·         17 – New York, NY - City Winery

·         19 – Plymouth, NH - Flying Monkey

·         20 – Norfolk, CT - Infinity Hall

·         21 – Greenwich, RI – Odeum

·         23 – Arlington, MA - Regent Theatre

The Beatles' "All You Need Is Love" was played inside Russia's Samara Arena on Saturday after England defeated Sweden two-nil to advance to the semi-finals of the World Cup.

Friday’s Steely DanDoobie Brothers show at the PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel, New Jersey was postponed until July 16th due to illness. It’s not known which musician was under the weather. All previously purchased tickets will be honored.

Moody Blues bassist John Lodge has begun rehearsing with his 10,000 Light Years Band and will soon announce fall dates in the U.S.

 Rick Nielsen of Cheap Trick, Neal Schon of Journey and others will perform with Joe Satriani at his G4 Experience V 5.0 in January in Palm Springs, California.

An international lineup of stars have covered The Beatles' "With a Little Help From My Friends" on a British single to benefit the nation’s health service. Out now, the recording features members of UB40, Engelbert Humperdinck, Nile Rodgers, Rick Astley, Seal and former Spandau Ballet singer Tony Hadley.

Neil Young's performance of Buffalo Springfield’s “Broken Arrow” last Tuesday in Detroit was the first time he had done it since that band’s reunion gig at Bonnaroo in 2011.  

We still don’t have an exact release date for the upcoming Rod Stewart album, Blood Red Roses, but we’re getting closer. Rod told the crowd at his Hollywood Bowl show in L.A. last week that it will be out in September.

Gretsch Guitars will honor late AC/DC rhythm guitarist Malcolm Young with another signature Jet model. But unlike the Young Salute model that went for $10-grand, this one will sell for just under $4,000 when it comes out in November.

Ted Nugent has a new album, The Music Made Me Do It, on the way later this month.

The Queen movie, Bohemian Rhapsody, won’t be done until fans add their voices to it. The producers are looking versions of “Bo Rhap” for consideration as part of the crowd singing during a concert scene. For details go to PutMeInBohemian.com.

Rolling Stone polled artists, critics and industry insiders to create the 100 Greatest Songs of the Century – So Far. Elder statesmen on the list include David Bowie (“Blackstar”) at number-18, Bob Dylan (“Mississippi”) at number-30 and U2 (“Beautiful Day”) at 40. The list is topped by “Crazy in Love” by Beyonce.

Former Yes member Trevor Horn will sit in with the non-originals line-up in Philadelphia on July 20th and 21st for a show and a Fan Convention.

Tommy S.

There are quite a few classic rock releases scheduled for today (Friday). Among them are:

  • Yes - The Steven Wilson Remixes - a five-album set
  • Tommy Shaw - Sing for the Day! (Backed by The Contemporary Youth Orchestra)
  • Buffalo Springfield - What's That Sound: Complete Albums Collection
  • David Bowie – three vinyl reissues: Welcome to the Blackout (Live London '78), Christiane F. - Wir Kinder Von Bahnoff Zoo and David Bowie in Bertolt Brecht's Baal
  • Chicago - Chicago 2: Live on Soundstage
  • Carl Palmer’s ELP Legacy - Pictures at an Exhibition - A Tribute to Keith Emerson

Paul Shaffer joined Peter Frampton onstage Wednesday night at New York’s Radio City Music Hall, sitting in on “Baby, I Love Your Way.”

After a two-week break, Def Leppard and Journey resume their tour Sunday in Atlanta. During the break, Def Lep singer Joe Elliott went home to Dublin, Ireland, where he went to see Billy Joel perform and paid him a backstage visit.

Yes featuring Jon Anderson, Trevor Rabin and Rick Wakeman will release Yes, 50th Anniversary Live at the Apollo on DVD, Blu-ray, two CDs and three LPs on September 7th. It was recorded last year in Manchester, England.

The John Fogerty - ZZ Top Blues and Bayous tour ends this Friday in Welch, Minnesota.

Robert Plant brings another North American leg of his tour to an end Friday night in Vancouver. He’s off to tour Europe before coming back for more shows starting on September 8th in St. Louis.

J.D. Souther’s first two albums for Asylum and his fourth album for Warner Brothers will be reissued on vinyl in September. Among the notable tracks: "How Long," from his 1972 debut disc, which was covered by the Eagles on 2007's Long Road Out of Eden; and "Simple Man, Simple Dream," from Black Rose, which found a second life as the title track of Linda Ronstadt's 1977 album that featured "It's So Easy."

The Cars

Hallmark now has a line of musical birthday cards. An exclusive seven-inch vinyl record with two songs comes in a sleeve on the card's cover. Among the initial artists featured are The Cars and Tina Turner.

Clark County, Nevada officials say that the official cause of Vinnie Paul's death is still open and that it will take several days for that info to be released. Paul reportedly died of a heart attack on Friday.

New Orleans soul legend Irma Thomas will receive the 2018 Lifetime Achievement Award for Performance at the 17th annual Americana Honors and Awards on September 12th at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville.

A movie of I Slept With Joey Ramone, the memoir written by the late singer’s brother, Mickey Leigh, is in the works. Nick Cassavetes (Face/Off, Alpha Dog) will direct. He and Leigh reportedly plan to put a real band together to play The Ramones.

The big four Grammy categories -- Album of the Year, Song of the Year, Record of the Year and Best New Artist -- will be expanded from five nominees to eight starting with the 2019 awards.

Skynyrd

A street is being named after Lynyrd Skynyrd in their hometown of Jacksonville, Florida. The exact name has yet to be announced.

Led Zeppelin could be busy in October, which marks the 50th anniversary of their first tour and the publication of their photography book, Led Zeppelin by Led Zeppelin.

A report out of their native England says that while they won't play together, there is talk of a tribute concert in London where they could possibly join in.

There is also talk of them making the media rounds to promote the book.

Commenting on the death of D.J. Fontana, the drummer in Elvis Presley’s early band, Max Weinberg says, “As a five-year-old, D.J.'s drum roll in ‘Hound Dog’ was an explosion for me. That drum roll, that triple roll, was shocking… that's what got me started playing the drums. D.J. Fontana was my hero.”

Tony Iommi tells Kerrang he will “carry on playing” but is “taking it easy...just to figure out what and pick things that I want to do… I've been doing a lot of charity stuff and eventually I will start writing and putting some stuff together." He was presented with the Icon Award at last week’s Kerrang Awards.

Dead & Company, the Grateful Dead offshoot consisting of John Mayer, Bob Weir, Bill Kreutzmann and Mickey Hart, did their 100th show last week in suburban Cleveland. Weir says, “I think we have a few hundred more in us.”

beach boys

Commenting on Brian Wilson‘s 76th birthday Wednesday, Steve Van Zandt said that it is totally appropriate that it falls on the day before summer starts “because Brian Wilson invented summer.” Van Zandt says, “I did not properly appreciate [The Beach Boys] when I was young. I liked the music but at first I was turned off by the image of the band. But then Keith Moon made the striped shirts cool!”

U2 tops Billboard’s Top Facebook Live Videos chart for a performance last month at Third Man Records. It racked up 1.7-million views on the social media site in its first seven days.

Bryan Adams tweeted his “congratulations to the Canadian government on the legalization of recreational marijuana.”

A toy banjo that Robbie Robertson had as a kid is back in his hands. He says, “After many decades this instrument has found its way home. Thanks to family on [the] Six Nations [Reservation in Canada] for keeping it safe all these years.”

Ian Hunter joined the Hollywood Vampires on “All the Young Dudes” the other night in Birmingham, England. Hunter was in his homeland rehearsing for three festival shows with his old band Mott the Hoople starting this weekend in Spain followed by England and Sweden.

Graham Nash continues to post demos for his next album, Over the Years, which will be out on June 29th. The latest is “Just a Song Before I Go,” following “Our House” and “Teach Your Children.”  

Rock Hall

Steve Miller tells Billboard that he and Peter Frampton plan to release an album culled from the blues jams they’ve been doing during their joint tours the past two summers. Miller says they’ve played all their favorite blues songs and have recorded every show. He’s not sure exactly when it will be released, but says it will most likely be in 2019. 

Like Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi says he would also like to see Black Sabbath perform at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in the band’s hometown. He tells the Birmingham Mail, “I think that it would be a great thing to do to help represent Birmingham. I'm up for it. Let's see what happens."

Joe Perry and Jason Bonham will be part of the Rock and Roll Fantasy Camp in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida on November 8th.

Eddie Money's AXS-TV reality series Real Money has been renewed for a second season.

Wolfgang Van Halen is mixing his first solo album.'

Deep Purple singer Ian Gillan and his 1962 band, The Javelins, have recorded an album for release in August. It includes covers of songs by Buddy Holly, Chuck Berry, Howlin’ Wolf and Ray Charles.

Amazon will start streaming this year’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony on July 1st. The Moody Blues, Dire Straits, The Cars, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Nina Simone and Bon Jovi are the artists who were honored.

Breaking the Band: Van Halen, featuring new interviews with Michael Anthony and Sammy Hagar, premieres on Reelz this Saturday at 10 pm ET. 

Mark Knopfler says his next album will be out in the fall. It has not yet been titled.

James Corden says one of the songs he sang with Paul McCartney during the filming of Carpool Karaoke last week in Liverpool was The Beatles’ “Drive My Car.” Corden says it “makes sense.” The Late Late Show with Corden and McCartney will air next week.  

Original Stone Pony owner Robert "Butch" Pielka passed away on June 8th. He was 72. He opened the Asbury Park, New Jersey club in 1974 and sold it in 1991.

Foreigner’s Mick Jones and Whitesnake’s David Coverdale have cut a video in which they discuss the history of their bands ahead of their summer tour, which starts Friday in Bangor, Maine.

Fleetwood Mac have been added to the iHeartRadio Music Festival in Las Vegas in September. Stevie Nickssays, “The beauty of an event like this is that it is a true representation of the power of radio. It’s an opportunity for artists across all genres to share one stage and what we all love most -- music!" They will join Lynyrd Skynyrd and numerous younger acts.

A box set of all the shows The Grateful Dead did in the Pacific Northwest in 1973 and ’74 will be released on September 7th. Pacific Northwest ’73-’74 The Complete Recordings contains six shows on 19 discs. Less complete configurations will also be available.

Beatles cohort Klaus Voorman joined Ringo Starr and His All-Starr Band on stage Monday night in Hamburg, Germany. Afterward, Ringo tweeted, “Great to catch up with Klaus. Hamburg is a very special place to me, loads of great memories.” Jeff Beck paid Ringo a backstage visit last week in the Netherlands.

Edgar Winter, Sebastian Bach and former Great White singer Jack Russell have been added to next February’s Rock Legends Cruise, which will be headlined by Roger Daltrey.

Toto have extended their 40 Trips Around the Sun tour. Tickets for shows beginning August 23rd in Windsor, Ontario go on sale Friday.

That cover of Toto’s "Africa" is Weezer's first Billboard Hot 100 hit in a decade, as it debuts at number-89. Their last track on that chart was "(If You're Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To,” which reached number-81 in 2009. Wednesday is Rivers Cuomo’s birthday.


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