Classic Rock 93.9

Bryan Adams‘ new album So Happy It Hurts, released today, was created during the pandemic lockdown of 2020. But unlike some artists who made records during that time because they didn’t have anything else to do, Bryan says this particular album was always on his “to-do” list.

“I was going to make a record, but once the lockdown kicked in, I just completely immersed myself in it,” Bryan tells ABC Audio. “And it didn’t take very long ’cause I had a fair amount of ideas.”

“I finally got to clear all the pieces of paper out of my coat pockets that had all these things written on them, and put them all on a big board in the studio,” he adds. “And just one by one, [I] went through them to see which ones were working.”

But due to the pandemic, Bryan says he had to do all the recording himself.

“I decided to live my lifelong dream of being a drummer,” he explains. “Every day I would go in and mess around with the songs and put down rough drum tracks. And if in the next morning it didn’t sound great, I would just record it again.”

The album’s sole guest is Monty Python legend John Cleese, who delivers a dramatic yet comedic intro to the song “Kick A**.”  Bryan first met Cleese when he photographed him for a charity project, and then unexpectedly ran into him again.

“We were [seated] together at a lunch and I had this song…,” Bryan recalls. “I’d put my voice at the beginning, and I didn’t really like it. So when I was talking to him, I was just noticing how well he spoke. And I said, ‘John, would you be interested in doing the narration for a song?’ And he went, ‘Well, of course!'” 

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Here’s some exciting news for KISS fans: According to the promoter of the Creatures Fest event, taking place May 27-29 in Nashville, founding guitarist Ace Frehley and drummer Peter Criss will reunite to perform a few songs together during the first night of the festival.

Frehley and Criss, as well as two other surviving former KISS members — guitarists Vinnie Vincent and Bruce Kulick — already had been announced as part of the Creatures Fest lineup, but promoter Neil Davis announced in a video message posted on Facebook that Peter had just agreed to join Ace during the latter musician’s previously scheduled May 27 headlining performance.

“They both spoke, said they were excited about being at Creatures Fest, they were excited about seeing you, the fans,” Davis says in the clip. “And they just thought that what would be great for the fans, for all of us, is if they got together and played some songs during Ace’s set.”

Neil continued, “I don’t know about you, but I’m speechless about this…It’s gonna be very, very cool. I know talking to them that they are both really excited about doing this together, about playing some songs.

Davis added, “I don’t know what they’re gonna play. I don’t know if they’re going to let us know. It’ll probably a secret, but whatever it is. How cool!”

Creatures Fest also will feature performances by Vincent and Kulick on May 28 and May 29, respectively. Also performing at the festival will be Quiet Riot, Vixen, Enuff Z’Nuff, ex-Motley Crue singer John Corabi and others.

The event, which will be held at the Sonesta Nashville Airport Hotel, also will feature ticketed meet-and-greets with the various performers, a pool party, expos and more.

Visit CreaturesFest.com for more info.

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Sure, you can buy a $50 Elton John concert t-shirt if you go see his Farewell Tour, but if you’ve got deeper pockets and more upscale taste, a new collection is launching Friday that features Elton’s mug plastered across some high-end streetwear.

Palace, the London-based skateboard and clothing brand worn by the likes of such contemporary pop stars as Justin Bieber, Rihanna and The Weeknd, is bringing out a capsule Elton John collection called “The Bitch Is Back,” after Elton’s hit of the same name. 

It features short- and long-sleeved tees decorated with iconic photos of Elton at the height of his career in the ’70s, with a focus on images from his legendary show at Dodgers Stadium in 1975.  “An extraordinary time in my career, a very happy time in my life,” Elton says in a video in which he shows off the new merchandise. 

There’s also a sweater, two tracksuits and a rug with one of the Dodgers Stadium images on it.

The pièce de résistance, though, is the custom skateboard deck featuring an image of Elton in his Dodgers Stadium outfit, with the word “Palace” written across his chest, rather than “Dodgers.”

All the items will become available online Friday at 11 a.m. ET, and in the Palace stores in New York and Los Angeles at 11 a.m. local time.

“It’s so cool to have your face on a skateboard; I never thought that would happen,” Elton says in the video. “That’s so cool!”

The website Hypebeast quotes Elton as saying of the collection, “It really captures the essence of youth and freedom from my time on the road in the ’70’s. I’ve never been a skateboarder but that’s not going to stop me wearing the lot!”

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Ozzy Osbourne will make a ghoulish guest appearance in the music video for a new song by U.K. rocker Yungblud called “The Funeral,” that will premiere Friday, March 11 at midnight ET.

Earlier this week, Yungblud took to his social media pages to announce that he’d be releasing the new track on March 11, and in the last few days he’s also posted a behind-the-scenes clip and a montage from the video that shows the Prince of Darkness in macabre makeup.

The behind-the-scenes video shows Ozzy and wife Sharon Osbourne with Yungblud on the set of the shoot, accompanied by a note that reads, “bringin some mates to my funeral.” Ozzy, Sharon and their daughter Kelly are tagged in the post.

The montage ends with a scene that shows Ozzy standing behind a raised coffin in which Yungblud is lying, and we see the Metal Madman look around and declare, “Hang on, is this a f***ing funeral? Where the f*** is everybody?”

Meanwhile, Ozzy also posted a message about the video on his social media sites that reads, “I just did a guest appearance in @Yungblud’s new music video…F***ing great song!” and is accompanied by a black-and-white photo of him and Yungblud together.

(Video contains uncensored profanity.)

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Jackson Browne has joined the star-packed lineup of the 2022 Love Rocks NYC! benefit concert, which takes place tonight at the Beacon Theatre in New York City and also will be livestreamed for free online.

Browne will appear as a special guest during the show, which, as previously reported, is being headlined by Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards and his solo band The X-Pensive Winos.

The Love Rocks NYC! concert raises money for the God’s Love We Deliver charity, which provides nutritious meals to seriously ill people in the New York City area who have difficulty leaving their homes or cooking for themselves.

You can access a link to watch the event for free by signing up at LoveRocksNYC.com, while you’re also encouraged to contribute funds to the charity, which is offering a special “$20 = 2 Meals” donation option. Donations also can be made at Give.GLWD.org.

The show’s lineup also features Melissa Etheridge, Mavis Staples, ex-Allman Brothers Band singer/guitarist Warren Haynes, Hozier, Jimmy Vivino and many more.

The event will be co-hosted by Mario Cantone, Gina Gershon, Kiefer Sutherland, Steve Schirripa and Michelle Buteau.

The concert’s house band will be led by longtime CBS Orchestra bassist Will Lee, and will include former Bob Dylan and Levon Helm touring guitarist Larry Campbell, Eric Clapton touring drummer Steve Gadd and Fleetwood Mac touring keyboardist Ricky Peterson.

More information about the concert is available at LoveRocksNYC.com and GLWD.org.

Meanwhile, Browne, who last year released a new studio album titled Downhill from Everywhere, will kick off a Canadian leg of his joint tour with James Taylor on April 21 in St. John’s, Newfoundland.

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On his recent collaborative album The Lockdown Sessions, Elton John teamed up with a lot of famous artists, perhaps none more legendary than his old friend Stevie Wonder, with whom he recorded the song “Finish Line.” Now, an emotional and heartwarming music video for the tune has premiered on Elton’s official YouTube channel.

The clip, which was directed by Zack Sekuler, features a montage of vintage home movies, other footage and photos depicting or capturing pivotal moments in people’s lives, including couples with their babies, weddings, family gatherings, retirement parties and more.

The video also includes recent footage of scenes from the pandemic, including nurses and other front-line workers, and people going about their everyday lives while wearing masks. In addition, the clip boasts film clips and photos of Elton and Stevie together at various events throughout their lives, including concert performances, as well as in the music video for “That’s What Friends Are For,” their 1985 chart-topping hit that also featured Dionne Warwick and Gladys Knight.

On his official website, Elton explains that after almost 50 years of friendship, “Finish Line” marked his first-ever vocal duet with Stevie, who also played harmonica and acoustic piano on the track.

“It sounds simply incredible. Stevie sounds like he’s 19 again,” Elton says. “It was a special experience making this record with Stevie.”

Released in October 2021, The Lockdown Sessions peaked at #10 on the Billboard 200 and topped the U.K. albums chart.

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Mike Cross, the original guitarist for the ’90s alt-rock outfit Sponge, has died.

“It is with heavy heart that we share the news of the passing of Mike Cross,” reads a post on the Sponge Facebook page. “One of the musical architects and founding member of Sponge. His influence and talent will be missed.”

Cross was 57, according to Blabbermouth. The cause of death was not announced.

Cross co-founded Sponge in 1992 alongside his brother Tim Cross and vocalist Vinnie Dombroski after the three had played together in the Detroit band Loudhouse. Sponge released their debut album, Rotting Piñata, in 1994, which spawned rock and alternative radio hits in “Plowed” and “Molly (16 Candles Down the Drain).”

Sponge released two more albums, 1996’s Wax Ecstatic and 1999’s New Pop Sunday, before the Cross brothers left the group in 2000. The band has since released six more albums, with Dombroski as the sole remaining original member.

Cross, meanwhile, had recently started a new project called MC Roads. The band’s debut EP, No Nostalgia, was released just last September.

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A Billy Joel biopic has just been green-lit, but, unfortunately, it seems that none of the Piano Man’s legendary hits will be included in the project.

Variety reports that the movie, called Piano Man, will focus on Billy’s early years, starting with when he was discovered at age 16 by his first manager, Irwin Mazur. The film will follow Billy as he performs in various bands in the ’60s, through to 1972, when a live recording of his song “Captain Jack” went viral on East Coast radio and led to him to sign a deal with Columbia Records.

However, a rep for Billy says that because the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer isn’t involved in the project, no rights to his music, life story, name or likeness will be granted.

So how will the movie be made? Variety reports that the studio has acquired the life rights of Mazur, who managed Billy from 1965 to 1972. Mazur will be an executive producer and Variety quotes him as saying the film will depict “the real-life events I witnessed first-hand.”

Adam Ripp, whose dad Artie Ripp signed Billy to his first solo recording deal and produced his debut album, Cold Spring Harbor, will also executive-produce the movie, in addition to writing and directing it.

In a statement, Adam says, “Billy Joel has been a part of my life since my father signed him to his record label when I was 4 years old…it’s been a dream of mine as a filmmaker to explore and celebrate the untold story of how Billy Joel became the Piano Man.”

In 2019, Billy told Billboard that if a biopic is ever made of his life, “I just hope they don’t get a short, fat, ugly guy to play me.”

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Bruce Springsteen returned to his hometown of Freehold, New Jersey, on Tuesday to unveil plans for a new exhibition space in partnership with the Bruce Springsteen Archives and Center for American Music at Monmouth University.

The exhibition, located at the Freehold Fire Department building on Main Street, is expected to open in 2024 and will include artifacts and photographs, as well as film, concert footage and interviews from the Jersey rock legend’s life and career, according to Variety.

“Everything I learned of deep importance, I learned in this town,” said Springsteen, adding, “I had all the usual joy and heartbreak of growing up in a small town like this, and the minute the opportunity arose, I got the hell out.”

Springsteen called the firehouse “the coolest building in town,” adding that “it feels bizarre, I sat three blocks from here, came up with a few songs about things that I liked and the idea that 50 years later anybody was going to be interested in it at all, I mean what are the odds, folks? They are very small.”

Bruce, who currently lives just 15 minutes away in Colts Neck, concluded by saying, “I come to town very, very often. I’ll be sitting in Federicis or I’ll just drive through on my own — I still do all the time. So, I’m watching you. It’s been wonderful having this town as the center of my art and my life. I look forward to doing that until they put me in a box.”

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The story of a legal battle that John Lennon fought with a notorious mob-connected music mogul during the 1970s is the subject of a new book that will be published on May 1.

Lennon, the Mobster & the Lawyer: The Untold Story was written by Jay Bergen, a lawyer who represented the former Beatles star in a lawsuit against Roulette Records owner Morris Levy, who’d released an unauthorized album of bootleg recordings from the sessions for John’s 1975 covers project Rock ‘n’ Roll.

While Lennon was still working on Rock ‘n’ Roll, Levy released a collection of raw versions of the tracks under the title Roots. In response, Capitol Records quickly released Rock ‘n’ Roll, and Levy responded by suing John for breach of contract, claiming that Lennon had verbally promised to promote Roots on TV. John then countersued Morris.

The book features Bergen’s recollections of his experience representing Lennon in the lawsuits, as well as John’s own words taken from the trial transcripts of his testimony. Lennon’s testimony included details about his recording process, and the making of the Rock ‘n’ Roll album; and explanations of why he decided to record an album of vintage rock tunes, and why he felt the release of Roots could damage his musical legacy.

The book features a foreword penned by famed rock photographer Bob Gruen, who snapped some of the most iconic images of Lennon during his years living in New York City.

Gruen writes in his intro, “Lennon, the Mobster & the Lawyer: The Untold Story reveals the John Lennon I knew as he describes his artistic process and shows his keen sense of humor. Jay tells many stories of his interactions with John and what he was like as a person.”

You can pre-order the book now at LennontheMobsterandtheLawyer.com.

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