Violet Grohl lands deal with Republic Records

January 23, 2026 by Classic Rock 93.9

After releasing some singles on her own, Dave Grohl’s daughter Violet Grohl has landed herself a record deal.

The 19-year-old has just signed with Republic Records through her own imprint, Auroura Records, and will be working on her first album.

“From the moment we met Violet, it was clear that she represents the next generation of artists,” Kristina Grossmann, senior vice president of A&R/Operations at Republic Records, says. “The music is immediate, intentional and her voice holds a rare duality. She is unapologetically cool and is a fearless female voice. We couldn’t be more excited to help bring her vision and this album to life.”

“Violet brings a rare combination of perspective, artistry, and reverence for the craft,” David Wolter, executive vice president/head of A&R at Republic Records, adds. “She understands the history of music, but she’s also pushing it forward. She is the future.”

Violet has already given fans a taste of her music with the release of singles “THUM” and “Applefish.” She also released the track “What’s Heaven Without You” on Tuesday, as a tribute to the late director David Lynch on what would have been his 80th birthday.

Violet has performed with her father several times, including alongside the reunited Nirvana at the 2025 FireAid benefit concert.

The Beatles lose UK album chart record to Robbie Williams

January 23, 2026 by Classic Rock 93.9

The Beatles have lost one of their long-standing U.K chart records.

The legendary band’s record as the artist with the most U.K. #1 albums, has just been snatched by pop star Robbie Williams, whose recent album Britpop has topped the U.K. Official Chart this week, making it his 16th U.K. #1.

The two artists have been tied for the record since Williams’ Better Man soundtrack went to #1 last January.

According to Billboard, The Beatles had held the record for the most #1s since the 1967 release Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band topped the chart. At the time it was their eighth #1 album, which pushed them past Elvis Presley, the previous record holder.

Overall, The Beatles have had 15 #1s on the U.K. chart, their first being their 1963 debut Please Please Me and their last being the compilation album 1, which was released in 2000. In the U.S., The Beatles hold the record for the most #1 albums with 19.

But while they may have lost one U.K. record to Williams, they have far surpassed him when it comes to another U.K. chart record. They currently hold the record for the act with the most weeks at #1 on the U.K. chart, with 176. Williams has only spent a total of 38 weeks at the top.

Metallica teams with Dr. Martens for new collection

January 23, 2026 by Classic Rock 93.9

Metallica fans can now represent their band on their feet.

The band has teamed with British boot maker Dr. Martens for a new footwear collection. There are three options, with two of them paying homage to their 1980s tours.

The collaboration will consist of the 1460 Metallica Boot, featuring graphics from the band’s 1988 Damaged Justice world tour, and the 1461 Metallica Shoe, featuring images from their 1986 Damaged Inc tour. Images on both options were originally created by the artist Pushead. Both feature a Metallica “M” heel stud, along with special-edition dog tags, and a secondary set of laces that read, “Boredom comes from a boring mind.”

There will also be a Metallica exclusive 1460 Boot inspired by their 1991 self-titled release, often referred to as The Black Album. As the title suggests, the boot will be all black. It will feature the band’s logo embossed on the ankle, with the heel marked with “5th Member” as a reference to the band’s fans. The boot will also include an “M” heel stud and dog tags, but its secondary set of laces will be marked with “5th Member.”

The Dr. Martens x Metallica collection will be available Jan. 29. The 1460 Metallica Boot and 1461 Metallica Shoe will be available at drmartens.com and all Dr. Martens retail stores, while the black-on-black shoe will be exclusive to Metallica.com.

Rush releases live ‘Kid Gloves’ performance from ‘Grace Under Pressure’ reissue

January 23, 2026 by Classic Rock 93.9

Rush is giving fans a preview of the upcoming reissue of their 1984 album, Grace Under Pressure. The Canadian rockers just released a performance of “Kid Gloves” from their Sept. 21, 1984, concert at Toronto’s Maple Leaf Gardens.

The full concert is part of the super deluxe edition of Grace Under Pressure, due out March 13. Portions of that show previously appeared on the band’s 1986 Grace Under Pressure Tour home video and CD. The new release will feature the concert, now called Grace Under Pressure Tour: Live in Toronto 1984, on CD and Blu-ray, and will include 37 minutes of previously unreleased footage.

In addition to the concert, the set includes a newly remastered version of the original album and a new stereo mix taken from the original analog recordings. The Blu-ray also includes new mixes of the album, including a Dolby Atmos mix. It features remastered videos for songs like “Distant Early Warning,” “Afterimage,” “The Enemy Within” and “The Body Electric.”

Grace Under Pressure: Super Deluxe Edition will be released as a limited-edition four-CD + Blu-ray set with a 52-page hardcover book. It will also be available digitally and as a five-LP + Blu-ray set. The original eight-track album will be released digitally on Dolby Atmos, and a remastered Grace Under Pressure Tour: Live in Toronto 1984 video will be released to digital outlets.

All formats are available for preorder now.

Former Scorpions bassist Francis Buchholz dies after battle with cancer

January 23, 2026 by Classic Rock 93.9

Francis Buchholz, bassist for German rockers Scorpions during their most successful years as a band, has died at the age of 71. His death was announced by his family in a Facebook post.

“It is with overwhelming sadness and heavy hearts we share the news that our beloved Francis passed away yesterday after a private battle with cancer,” the post read. “He departed this world peacefully, surrounded by love.”

“To his fans around the world – we want to thank you for your unwavering loyalty, your love, and the belief you placed in him throughout his incredible journey,” they added. “You gave him the world, and he gave you his music in return. Though the strings have gone silent, his soul remains in every note he played and in every life he touched.”

Upon hearing the news of Buchholz’s death, Scorpions members Rudolf Schenker, Klaus Meine and Matthias Jab paid tribute to their former bandmate on Instagram.

“we have just received the very sad news that our longtime friend and bass player, Francis Buchholz, has passed away,” read the post. “His legacy with the band will live on forever, and we will always remember the many good times we have shared together.”

Buchholz was a member of Scorpions from 1973 to 1992. He appeared on 12 of their albums, starting with 1974’s Fly to the Rainbow. He played bass on the band’s biggest hits, including 1984’s “Rock You Like a Hurricane” and their iconic tune “Wind of Change,” from 1991’s Crazy World, Buchholz’s last album with the band. Crazy World also features the song “Kicks After Six,” which is the only track where Buchholz was credited as a writer.

Supertramp celebrates 50th anniversary with vinyl reissues

January 23, 2026 by Classic Rock 93.9

Supertramp is celebrating their 50th anniversary by reissuing some of their classic albums.

The latest releases include 1977’s Even in the Quietest Moments…, their 1979 megahit Breakfast in America and 1982’s …Famous Last Words….

All three albums have been remastered at half-speed at Abbey Road Studios and will be released on vinyl on March 20. They are available for preorder now.

Even in the Quietest Moments…, Supertramp’s fifth studio album, was a top-20 hit for the band and featured the Hot 100 hit “Give a Little Bit.” But it was Breakfast in America that was their breakout album, hitting #1 on the Billboard chart and selling over 22 million records worldwide, thanks to such hit songs as “The Logical Song,” “Goodbye Stranger” and “Take the Long Way Home.”

Finally, …Famous Last Words… was a top-five hit for the band. It was also the last Supertramp album to feature the classic lineup of Roger Hodgson, Rick Davies, Dougie Thomson, John Helliwell and Bob Seibenberg.

The new releases are the latest additions to Supertramp’s 50th anniversary reissue series, which launched in August with the announcement of half-speed remasters of 1974’s Crime of the Century and 1975’s Crisis? What Crisis?

Hear Megadeth’s cover of Metallica’s ‘Ride the Lightning’

January 23, 2026 by Classic Rock 93.9

Megadeth’s self-titled final album is out now, which means fans are finally getting to hear the band’s cover of Metallica’s “Ride the Lightning.”

Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine was Metallica’s original guitar player but was fired from the band in 1983 and replaced by Kirk Hammet. He didn’t actually play on the original “Ride the Lightning,” which appeared on Metallica’s 1984 sophomore album. However, he’s credited as a co-writer on the song as it uses a riff that he came up with.

Mustaine first confirmed that Megadeth’s album contained the Metallica cover in an October interview with Rolling Stone.

“Our intentions were pure,” he said of rerecording the song. “I didn’t have any reason I was going to say, ‘Oh, hey man, this thing that we’ve had for 40 years where you guys will never tour with me, me doing the song is going to change things.’ That wasn’t it at all. It was more about: This is my life going forward. I want to do things that are respectable.”

Next up, Megadeth is set to kick off a farewell tour of North America, starting in Canada on Feb. 15 in Victoria, British Columbia. They will hit the U.S. starting in September. A complete list of dates can be found at Megadeth.com.

Queen rereleasing ‘Live Killers’ and ‘The Platinum Collection’ on vinyl

January 23, 2026 by Classic Rock 93.9

Queen is revisiting their 1979 album, Live Killers.

The band is set to reissue the live album on two-LP black vinyl on Jan. 30, marking the first time it’s been available on vinyl in years.

The double live album was originally released in June 1979 and featured songs recorded during the European leg of their Jazz Tour, which ran from January 1979 to March 1979.

The album includes performances of “We Will Rock You,” “We Are the Champions,” “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “Killer Queen,” “Don’t Stop Me Now” and “You’re My Best Friend.”

Live Killers is available for preorder now.

But Live Killers isn’t the only Queen album getting a vinyl rerelease. The band also recently announced they will be releasing their box set The Platinum Collection on black vinyl for the first time. The six-LP set features all three of the band’s Greatest Hits albums in one collection.

It will also be released Jan. 30 and is available for preorder now.

R.E.M., Bonnie Raitt & more protest AI theft with Stealing Isn’t Innovation campaign

January 22, 2026 by Classic Rock 93.9

The members of R.E.M. — Michael Stipe, Mike Mills, Bill Berry and Peter Buck — along with Bonnie Raitt, Cyndi Lauper, Duran Duran‘s Simon LeBon and others, have signed their names to a new campaign targeting artificial intelligence.

The Stealing Isn’t Innovation campaign, backed by the Human Artistry Campaign, blasts big-tech companies that use copyrighted works for AI without authorization.

“Artists, writers, and creators of all kinds are banding together with a simple message: Stealing our work is not innovation. It’s not progress. It’s theft – plain and simple,” reads the statement on the campaign’s website. “A better way exists – through licensing deals and partnerships, some AI companies have taken the responsible, ethical route to obtaining the content and materials they wish to use.”

It adds, “It is possible to have it all. We can have advanced, rapidly developing AI and ensure creators’ rights are respected.”

Other musicians supporting the Stealing Isn’t Innovation campaign include Chaka Khan, Smashing Pumpkins‘ Billy Corgan, OK Go, MGMT, CAKE, Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks, Warren Haynes, and The Zombies.

Joe Walsh’s annual VetsAid concert raised $600,000 for veterans organizations

January 22, 2026 by Classic Rock 93.9

Joe Walsh has revealed that the 2025 edition of his annual VetsAid benefit concert, which took place in his hometown of Wichita, Kansas, resulted in $600,000 in grants being disbursed to national and community veterans organizations.

“I always say each year that VetsAid is the greatest night of my life but Wichita in ‘25 was above and beyond… because it’s where I was born, where my parents are resting in peace and where my entire family hails from,” the Eagles guitarist wrote on Instagram. “It was a celebration of the America we strive to be and a celebration of the veterans and their families who bring us ever closer to that American dream.”

According to the post, all the money distributed will be “spent on the ground in Kansas.”

“Thanks to our team, crew and wonderful supporting artists – you’re part of my family now whether you like it or not!” he added.

The post included video from the 2025 show and events surrounding it, with Walsh adding, “stay tuned as we get to work on VetsAid ‘26. It’s gonna be a big one!”

The 2025 edition of VetsAid featured performances by Vince Gill; Ryan Bingham and The Texas Gentlemen; and a “super-set” from Walsh, joined by Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks of Tedeschi Trucks Band, Nathaniel Rateliff and others.

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