Classic Rock 93.9

Ringo Starr is entering the NFT universe with a new collection of digital tokens that feature animated virtual depictions of artwork he’s created, which will be auctioned off at JuliensAuctions.com on June 13 at 11 a.m. PT.

The “Ringo Starr NFT Collection — The Creative Mind of a Beatle” will include five unique NFTs, each featuring an original animated painting accompanied by a custom-made drum track played and recorded by Starr, and an audio/visual motif echoing his time with The Beatles and his subsequent music career.

Those who purchase the NFTs will also receive a 25-by-25-inch canvas print of the artwork signed by Ringo and will be granted access to join the legendary drummer on an exclusive virtual tour of a gallery of his digital art, called RingoLand.

The winning bidders will receive a private invitation following the auction that will allow them to join the virtual gathering, which was created by Spatial.io, via the web, VR platforms or mobile devices.

Four limited-edition NFTs of each of the five designs will be available, for a total 20 NFT packages that will be auctioned as part of the sale.

“I only ever wanted to be a drummer yet you never know where a new idea or path will lead you,” says Starr. “This new technology is so far out it’s inspired me and I loved creating these NFTs combining my art and my music. Who’d have thought I would be spreading Peace and Love in the MetaVerse.”

Among the NFTs are self-portraits that depict Starr during his early days with The Beatles. Visit JuliensLive.com for more details.

A portion of the proceeds raised by the auction will benefit Ringo’s Lotus Foundation, which funds and supports charitable projects that focus on various social welfare causes.

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Aerosmith has canceled the band’s first batch of Las Vegas residency dates due to frontman Steven Tyler entering a treatment program.

“As many of you know, our beloved brother Steven has worked on his sobriety for many years,” the “Dream On” rockers write in a social media statement posted Tuesday. “After foot surgery to prepare for the stage and the necessity of pain management during the process, he has recently relapsed and voluntarily entered a treatment program to concentrate on his health and recovery.”

As such, Aerosmith won’t be playing the Vegas dates scheduled for June and July while Tyler “focuses on his well-being.”

“We are devastated that we have inconvenienced so many of you, especially our most loyal fans who often travel great distances to experience our shows,” the statement reads. “Thank you for your understanding and for your support for Steven during this time.”

Those who purchased tickets to the affected shows will receive refunds.

Aerosmith plans to resume the residency in September.

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The Scorpions have released “The Language of My Heart” as their latest single, a bonus track from the French version of their new studio album Rock Believer.

The track is available now as a digital download and via streaming services, while a lyric video has premiered at the veteran German rockers’ official YouTube channel.

The touching ballad is a celebration of Paris, inspired by the brutal terrorist attacks that took place at the historic Bataclan theater and other parts of the city in November 2015 and left 130 people dead and hundreds more wounded.

“It’s a tribute to France, with its wonderful culture and our fantastic fans,” says Scorpions frontman Klaus Meine.

The Scorpions were the first band to stage a concert in Paris following the attacks, just 10 days later, when they played the AccorHotels Arena for a crowd of 20,000.

Last week, the band gave “The Language of My Heart” its live debut during a new concert at the Paris venue. The show kicked off a European tour in support of Rock Believer that runs through a July 18 concert in Lisbon, Portugal. The Scorpions recently announced dates for a North American leg that also will feature Whitesnake and that gets underway on August 21 in Toronto.

Check out the band’s full tour schedule at The-Scorpions.com.

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After a six-year break from the road, Bruce and the band are back.

Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band have announced a 2023 tour, which will include U.S. shows in arenas starting in February followed by stadium shows in Europe, and then a second North American leg in August.

In a statement, the Boss said, “After six years, I’m looking forward to seeing our great and loyal fans next year. And I’m looking forward to once again sharing the stage with the legendary E Street Band. See you out there, next year — and beyond.”

So far, only the European shows have been announced, starting April 28 in Barcelona. U.K. shows will be announced at a later date, as will the U.S. dates. 

These are the first tour dates for Bruce and the band since The River Tour wrapped up in Australia in 2017, though they did perform on Saturday Night Live in 2020 to promote their most recent album, Letter to You.

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A permanent Blue Plaque marker commemorating the late Jimi Hendrix‘s last residence in London, then known as the Cumberland Hotel and now the site of the Hard Rock Hotel in the Marble Arch section of the U.K. capital, will be unveiled on June 10.

The unveiling will be presented by the Hard Rock Hotel London in partnership with Experience Hendrix L.L.C., the family company that oversees the guitar legend’s music and legacy.

The new marker will become the second Blue Plaque honoring Hendrix in London. The first, which was unveiled in 1997, is located at the building where Jimi resided in 1968 and ’69 in the city’s Mayfair section. While living at the Cumberland Hotel, Hendrix wrote lyrics to his sings “Look Over Yonder” and “Suddenly November Morning” on the hotel’s stationary.

In conjunction with the new plaque’s debut, a special ticketed event will be held at the Hard Rock Hotel that will include a screening of the 2020 documentary Music, Money, Madness…Jimi Hendrix in Maui, and a Q&A with longtime Hendrix studio engineer Eddie Kramer; the film’s director, John McDermott; and Experience Hendrix CEO Janie Hendrix, Jimi’s sister.

“I’m so proud of my brother Jimi and his being honored again in London,” says Janie. “His mission was to spread love across the world through his music, and we continue to see that come to fruition all these years later. Eddie, John and I all look forward to interacting with people on June 10, whose lives were touched by Jimi in London — a city that was so important to him and his career.”

Tickets for the screening and Q&A can be purchased at Universe.com.

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Stevie Nicks is one of the many artists confirmed to appear on the soundtrack to Elvis, the upcoming biopic about rock ‘n’ roll icon Elvis Presley by Moulin Rouge! and Romeo + Juliet director Baz Luhrmann.

The album also will include “original songs and recordings” from Elvis himself, as well as contributions from Chris Isaak, Rufus Thomas, Jack White, Gary Clark Jr., Kacey Musgraves, Jazmine Sullivan, Tame Impala, Doja Cat, Måneskin, Eminem and CeeLo Green, and Elton John collaborators Pnau.

A track list for the soundtrack has yet to be announced.

Meanwhile, a second official trailer for Elvis debuted May 23 at Warner Bros. Pictures’ YouTube channel.

Elvis stars Austin Butler in the title role and Tom Hanks as his manager, Colonel Tom Parker. The film premieres in theaters on June 24.

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REO Speewagon will reissue its 14th studio album, Building the Bridge, on May 27 on CD. The record also will be released for the first time via digital music services that day.

The band will be selling CD copies of Building the Bridge during its Live and UnZoomed tour this year with Styx and Loverboy. The net proceeds from the sales will be donated to REO and Styx’s Rock to the Rescue foundation. In addition, a vinyl version of the album will be released later in 2022.

While Building the Bridge failed to chart when it was released in 1996, REO frontman Kevin Cronin says in a statement he felt it was “the album that truly solidified the current REO lineup, and its songs are some of our strongest ever.”

Cronin continues, “From the title song, which I sang with Bill Clinton on his 1996 campaign trail, to ‘Haven’t We Lost Enough (I Still Love You),’ which I co-wrote with my musical hero, Stephen Stills, to the production collaboration with the late, great Greg Ladanyi, I feel this record is pound for pound one of our best.”

The Building the Bridge reissue, which will be released by Jimmy Buffett‘s Mailboat Records label, features remastered audio and updated artwork.

Adds Cronin, “I am excited to give new life to this long forgotten, but powerful album.”

You can preorder the Building the Bridge reissue now.

The Live & UnZoomed tour kicks off May 31 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and is mapped out through a September 18 show in Bangor, Maine.

Here’s the full Building the Bridge track list:

“Can’t Stop Rockin'”
“Haven’t We Lost Enough (I Still Love You)”
“Building the Bridge”
“When I Get Home”
“Then I Met You”
“Look the Other Way”
“After Tonight”
“Hey, Wait a Minute”
“One True Man”
“She’s Gonna Love Me”
“Ballad of the Illinois Opry”

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The first trailer for the upcoming official David Bowie documentary film Moonage Daydream has debuted at Bowie’s official YouTube channel.

The promo features a variety of clips of Bowie performing live during different periods throughout his career, as well as segments from some of his music videos and films. It includes a voice-over of Bowie saying, “All people, no matter who they are, wish they’d appreciated life more. It’s what you do in life that’s important, not how much time you have … or what you wish you’d done. Life is fantastic.”

The trailer’s arrival comes just in advance of Moonage Daydream‘s premiere, which, according to Variety, is taking place tonight, May 23, at the Cannes Film Festival’s “Midnight Screenings” section.

As previously reported, Moonage Daydream was written and directed by Brett Morgen and is the first film to be officially sanctioned by Bowie’s estate. The movie is described as “a sublime kaleidoscopic experiential cinematic odyssey that explores Bowie’s creative, spiritual, and philosophical journey.”

Moonage Daydream includes previously unseen footage and performances, as well as unheard music, and will feature Bowie’s own narration. The film includes 47 musical tracks, mixed from the original recordings. Bowie’s longtime friend, collaborator and co-producer Tony Visconti is serving as the musical producer of the project.

According to the caption for the trailer on YouTube, Moonage Daydream will get its premiere in cinemas worldwide in September.

Billboard recently reported that the movie will get its TV premiere on HBO and HBO Max in the spring of 2023.

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Even back when Harry Styles was in One Direction, his resemblance to a young Mick Jagger was often mentioned. He’s since played on that resemblance, portraying the Rolling Stones front man on Saturday Night Live and allegedly taking inspiration from Jagger’s ’70s-era outfits. However, Jagger doesn’t really think he and Harry have much in common at all.

Asked by The Times of London if he feels that he’s inspired Harry, Jagger said, “I like Harry — we have an easy relationship,” but points out, “I mean, I used to wear a lot more eye makeup than him. Come on, I was much more androgynous.”

Jagger goes on to say, “And he doesn’t have a voice like mine or move on stage like me; he just has a superficial resemblance to my younger self, which is fine — he can’t help that.”

While Jagger may insist he was “much more androgynous” than Harry, the legendary singer never wore a dress on the cover of Vogue.

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Guns N’ Roses‘ scheduled headlining set at Florida’s Welcome to Rockville festival over the weekend was canceled due to extreme weather.

In a tweet following the announcement, guitarist Slash called the cancellation a “massive disappointment.”

“We were really looking forward to the show,” Slash wrote. “But the weather had other ideas. We sympathize with all you guys who got rained out along with us, it f***ing sucks. Another time, sooner than later!”

Welcome to Rockville, which takes place in Daytona Beach, was besieged by bad weather throughout the festival. Before GN’R got canceled Saturday, The Daytona Beach News-Journal reported that Friday’s schedule was also cut short by weather, forcing sets by Korn, Skillet and Breaking Benjamin to be scrapped, as well.

For U.S. GN’R fans, the cancellation is especially tough, given Welcome to Rockville was the only announced stateside date on the band’s calendar for 2022. The “Welcome to the Jungle” legends are set to return to the road in June for a European tour, followed by trips to South America, Mexico and Australia later in the year.

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