Coinciding with today’s release of John Mellencamp‘s latest studio album, Strictly a One-Eyed Jack, the famed singer-songwriter has released a new single from the record called “Did You Say Such a Thing.”
The gritty-sounding blues-rock tune, which is available now via digital formats, features backing vocals from Bruce Springsteen, and is one of three collaborations with the Boss featured on the album.
You can check out a visualizer video for “Did You Say Such a Thing” on Mellencamp’s official YouTube channel.
Mellencamp wrote and self-produced Strictly a One-Eyed Jack at his Belmont Mall Studios in Bloomington, Indiana. He’d previously released one of the other Springsteen collaborations, “Wasted Days,” as an advance single back in September of last year.
Strictly a One-Eyed Jack is currently available everywhere.
Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock, a reboot of the original show created by the late Jim Henson, is now streaming on Apple TV+, and a soundtrack has also been released, with the hardest-rocking song coming courtesy of Foo Fighters.
The band, which had previously been announced as making a “special appearance” in the new series, has recorded a song called “Fraggle Rock Rock” for the soundtrack. The album also features guest stars like Patti LaBelle, Saturday Night Live‘s Kenan Thompson and The Office‘s Ed Helms. All the songs are featured in the new 13-episode series.
You can watch a clip of Dave Grohl and the guys rocking out with the Fraggles on Instagram.
The show stars Andy Day as the leader of a rock band called The Odd Socks that’s made up of a group of his offbeat friends. May will appear as the Godfather of Rock in an episode titled “Planet Rock” that will premiere on January 24 on the BBC iPlayer and January 27 on the CBBC channel.
On the program, May’s character will join Andy and the Odd Socks to play the “best jam ever” and also will help the group overcome what’s described as a “a global ‘rocktastrophe.'”
The plot of the episode involves The Odd Socks visiting Planet Rock to seek the Godfather’s help in reuniting them with the group’s guitarist, Rio, who has lost his confidence, and his beloved air guitar.
In conjunction with the show, May has recorded a new song with Andy and the Odd Socks called “Planet Rock” that will be released on February 18.
“I have loved working with the Odd Socks! Playing the role of their Godfather of Rock was actually a very emotional experience,” May says. “The episode is a wonderful message of hope to kids who lose their self-confidence. The symbolic use of air guitar is beautifully apt. And on a broader scale I absolutely align with Andy and the Band in their quest for every kid to feel proud of their individual qualities.”
He adds, “I’m backing their anti-bullying campaign to the hilt!”
Meanwhile, Day notes, “Working with Brian has been a musical dream come true, as I am a huge Queen fan, but most importantly he completely understood the ethos and message of inclusivity we share in everything we do.”
Theo Wargo/Getty Images for American Museum of Natural History
The 2022 Boston Calling Music Festival will take place May 27-29, 2022 at the Harvard Athletic Complex in Boston, will feature performances by Foo Fighters, Metallica and Cheap Trick.
Foo Fighters and Metallica will headline the first and last days of the festival, respectively, while The Strokes will be the headliners for day two. Cheap Trick is part of the May 27 lineup.
Other artists on the bill for the three-day event include Weezer, HAIM, Glass Animals, Modest Mouse, Run the Jewels, The Struts, Avril Lavigne and the late Michael Jackson‘s daughter, Paris Jackson. Check out the full lineup at BostonCalling.com.
Tickets are on sale now, with packages ranging from $370 to $2,000.
Photos from a 1991 gig Nirvana played six days after the release of Nevermind are being turned into NFTs, with some of the proceeds from their auction going to charity.
Forbes reports that the pictures were taken at J.C. Dobbs in Philadelphia on October 1 by photographer Faith West, as the band played to about 150 people. To mark what would have been Kurt Cobain‘s 55th birthday, the NFTs are going up for auction on February 20 via Pop Legendz, a website West founded, and the NFT platform Rarible.
There are four unique NFTs created from 10 never-before-seen images, and bidding starts at 67 Ethereum, a digital currency, which is worth about $250,000. Each buyer will also get a fine-art print of one of the images, signed by the photographer. The 10 images are also being auctioned off individually as NFTs, in both black-and-white and color versions.
A second tier will allow 200 Nirvana fans to buy 14 artworks that have been created from three of the images, for $499. 100 copies each of 21 still images will be sold for $99 each. You can buy those with either Ethereum or a credit card.
According to the Pop Legendz site, half of the auction’s proceeds will benefit The Trevor Project, which works to prevent suicide among at-risk LGBTQ+ youth. Additionally, a portion of the other half of the proceeds will go to Grid Alternatives, which brings solar power to working poor families.
The music world is mourning the death of Bat Out of Hell singer Meat Loaf, who passed away Thursday at the age of 74. A cause of death is unknown at this time. The singer and actor, born Marvin Lee Aday, sold more than 100 million albums worldwide, appeared in more than 65 movies, and won a Grammy in 1994 for “I Would Do Anything For Love (But I Won’t Do That).”
Among the many stars saluting Meat Loaf on social media were Queen guitarist Brian May, Randy Bachman of The Guess Who and Bachman-Turner Overdrive fame, and current Queen singer Adam Lambert, who played Eddie — the character Meat Loaf portrayed in The Rocky Horror Picture Show — in the 2016 TV revival of the musical film.
Other tributes came from Meat’s former duet partner Cher, Ted Nugent, Rob Thomas and Bonnie Tyler who, like Meat Loaf, also recorded hit songs by the late Jim Steinman.
Here’s what the music world is saying about the larger-than-life singer with the powerhouse voice:
Brian May: “Completely gutted that Meat Loaf has left us. Always full of madness, with the innocent sense of naughtiness of a 5-year old, Meat was forever young. I called him Mr Loaf, and he called me when he wanted some wacky guitar playing. We had so much fun so many times, and, just three months younger than me, he felt like a brother. Dear Meat, the world is mourning and will miss your fine and powerful presence for a very long time. RIP.”
Randy Bachman: “What a legend, what a career, what a legacy. Rest In Peace, Meatloaf. Thank you for the lifetime of music that will stay with us forever.”
Adam Lambert: “A gentle hearted powerhouse rockstar forever and ever. You were so kind. Your music will always be iconic. I’m sure you’re singing concerts in the great beyond. Rest In Peace sir.”
Cher: “Had So Much Fun With Meatloaf When We Did “Dead Ringer”. Am Very Sorry For His Family, Friends, & Fans. Am I imagining It, or Are Amazing Ppl In The Arts Dying every other Day⁉️”
Ted Nugent: Rest in peace my soulbrother soulmusic bloodbrother! A great man great American rocksolid in the asset column of the American dream! The wonderful Meatloaf force of nature will be with us forever.
Rob Thomas: “I was sitting in a hotel lobby one evening with friends when a nice woman came over and said ‘Loaf would like you to come up to his room’ I was taken aback but you gotta go where the loaf tells you to go. I went up to his room and he was sitting on his bed listening to a cassette of my local band, pre Matchbox, Tabitha’s Secret. It turned out he had been listening to that since the late 90s and was a big fan and just wanted to connect. It was a surreal and wonderful moment with a legend and I’m thankful for it. #rip Marvin and Long Live Loaf.”
Bonnie Tyler: “I am shocked & saddened by the sudden death of Meat Loaf. He was, as you might imagine, a larger than life character with a voice & stage presence to match & is one of those rare people who truly was a one off talent and personality. Rest In Peace.”
Living Colour guitarist Vernon Reid: “A complete original. Meatloaf was the exact opposite of what ‘success’ in Rock & Roll was SUPPOSED to look like. The Anti-Plant. He WORKED being a Mystery Date ‘Dud’ into the ‘100 Million Sold’ that’s the ONLY reason he’s relevant to the Fancy Folk pretending to love him now.”
The Zombies were scheduled to return to the road next month for their first tour of their U.K. homeland since 2018, but the trek has now been postponed until 2023.
According to a note on the group’s Facebook page, the postponement is necessary because “one of the band members requires an urgent (but non-life-threatening) medical procedure, and a full 6 weeks of recovery time before he can perform.”
The message continues, “We truly appreciate the patience and understanding of our fans, many of whom have held on to their tickets, despite this tour already being postponed twice due to COVID.”
The U.K. shows, which were to have taken place in February and March of this year, are now scheduled for April and May of 2023. A few new British dates also have been added to The Zombies’ itinerary.
Tickets to the postponed shows will be honored for the rescheduled dates, but refunds also will be available at the point of purchase.
According to their website, the rest of The Zombies’ 2022 tour plans remain unchanged. The band is scheduled to take part on the Flower Power Cruise, which sets sail from Miami on March 28, and then are slated to launch a U.S. trek that’s mapped out from an April 1 show in Orlando, Florida, through a May 1 concert in Fall River, Massachusetts.
The band also has a few Canadian shows scheduled for July, as well as a July 15 concert in Everett, Washington, and a July 28-30 engagement in Park City, Utah. The group also has a tour of mainland Europe set to take place in September.
John Mellencamp‘s first studio album in five years, Strictly a One-Eyed Jack, was released today.
As previously reported, Bruce Springsteen appears on three of the album’s 12 tracks — “Wasted Days,” “Did You Say Such a Thing” and “A Life Full of Rain.”
In a new interview with USA Today, Mellecamp discusses the inspiration for “Wasted Days,” which was released as an advance single back in September 2021.
The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer, who turned 70 last year, notes that the song finds him reflecting on his mortality.
“I figure I’ve got about 10 summers left…I’ve had 70 summers and it’s just a math problem,” he maintains. “When you’re a kid, summers go on forever. But on the sliding ruler, you start pushing it toward time and you realize that 70 summers have come and gone, you don’t want to waste them. I’ll never perform in the summer again because I want to enjoy the summer.”
Mellencamp tells the newspaper that the album’s title refers to a cynical character he devised as the narrator of the songs, noting, “The most dangerous card in the deck is the one-eyed Jack…he has a sword behind his back.”
The album kicks off with the song “I Always Lie to Strangers,” in which, as Mellencamp explains, the character tells the listener “don’t trust me, I’m gonna lie to you and I know you’re gonna lie to me.” John adds, “[T]he whole thing comes to a head in the last verse, ‘this world is run by men much more crooked than me.’ He’s telling you, ‘I know I’m a scoundrel, but the people you pay attention to are bigger liars than me.'”
Strictly a One-Eyed Jack is now available on CD, vinyl and digitally. Here’s the full track list:
“I Always Lie to Strangers”
“Driving in the Rain”
“I Am a Man That Worries”
“Streets of Galilee”
“Sweet Honey Brown”
“Did You Say Such a Thing” (with Bruce Springsteen)
“Gone So Soon”
“Wasted Days” (with Bruce Springsteen)
“Simply a One-Eyed Jack”
“Chasing Rainbows”
“Lie to Me”
“A Life Full of Rain” (with Bruce Springsteen)
The news was confirmed in a statement on the rocker and actor’s Facebook page.
“Our hearts are broken to announce that the incomparable Meat Loaf passed away tonight with his wife Deborah by his side,” the statement reads. “Daughters Pearl and Amanda and close friends have been with him throughout the last 24 hours.”
The post notes Meat Loaf’s “amazing career,” which spanned six decades. Meat Loaf, birth name Marvin Lee Aday, sold 100 million album sales worldwide and starred in over 65 movies including Fight Club, Rocky Horror Picture Show and Wayne’s World. His 1977 album Bat Out of Hell is one of the top selling albums of all time and he scored a number one hit with 1993’s “I’d Do Anything for Love (But I Won’t Do That).”
The statement continues, “We know how much he meant to so many of you and we truly appreciate all of the love and support as we move through this time of grief in losing such an inspiring artist and beautiful man…From his heart to your souls…don’t ever stop rocking!
Patti Smith has announced plans for a special livestream event that will take place February 2 at Electric Lady Studios in New York City, that will feature her performing songs, telling stories, and reciting some of her poetry and prose.
Patti will be joined by her longtime band mates Lenny Kaye and Tony Shanahan during the presentation, which will be available exclusively to paid subscribers to her Substack page.
Substack subscribers also can submit questions and requests that Smith may respond to or fulfill during the show. After the livestream, which begins at 8 p.m. ET, the presentation will be available on demand for 24 hours.
You can check out a video message from Patti sharing details about the livestream and her Substack page.
Substack is an online platform that’s geared toward writers interested in connecting directly with their audiences. Smith joined the platform last year, and has been using it to debut weekly installments of her first serialized long-form work, The Melting.
The Melting began as a series of writings from Patti’s private pandemic journal, and has expanded into covering other topics, incorporating elements of science fiction and including reflections on the climate crisis. The ongoing work, which so far is made up of almost 40 installments and is nearing completion, also features audio recordings and photos.
Meanwhile, the 75-year-old Rock & Roll Hall of Famer and her band are scheduled for their first concert of 2022 on February 22 in Brooklyn, New York. You can check out her full itinerary at PattiSmith.net.
