Mick Fleetwood tapped by pop star Harry Styles as the face of Styles’ new Pleasing campaign

March 8, 2022 by Classic Rock 93.9

Many fans know that Stevie Nicks is very close with pop star Harry Styles, but now Harry has tapped one of Stevie’s Fleetwood Mac‘s band mates to star in the new campaign for his beauty and lifestyle brand, Pleasing.

Fleetwood Mac drummer Mick Fleetwood, 74, is starring in the campaign for Pleasing’s new Shroom Bloom line of products, out on March 15. According to Vogue, the line features face and nail products, including four new shades of polish, as well as limited-edition apparel. The campaign was shot at Fleetwood’s home in Maui, Hawaii, and even includes a guest appearance from his pet pig, Tilly.

Mick and Harry first met eight years ago when the drummer took his twin daughters, who were 12 at the time, to see One Direction and then backstage for a meet-and-greet. But since Mick is six-foot-five, he wasn’t exactly fading into the background, and Harry, a huge Fleetwood Mac, noticed him. That’s how their friendship started.

In the photos, Fleetwood is wearing theatrical, colorful outfits and different colors of nail polish. “Oh, I loved that. I kept the varnish on for two weeks!” Mick tells Vogue. “Back in the day in London, I used to wear nail polish and all sorts of stuff, and the attitude was, ‘so what?’ It didn’t have anything to do with sexuality. It’s not about that. It’s about having fun.”

As for why Styles chose Fleetwood for the campaign, he tells Vogue that the drummer “is a magical man,” adding, “Mick is someone who brings me — and countless others — great joy.” He continues, “I felt there couldn’t be a better embodiment of Pleasing, or a person who could so naturally capture the wizardry that we love.”

Bob Dylan publishing new book, ‘The Philosophy of Modern Song,’ in November

March 8, 2022 by Classic Rock 93.9

Bob Dylan undoubtedly knows a thing or two about writing songs, having composed hundreds during his 60-plus-year career. Now the folk-rock legend will publish a new book later this year in which he examines what he’s learned about the craft.

The Philosophy of Modern Song, which will be released on November 8, will feature Dylan’s musings about various aspects of writing tunes, reflections on various musical genres, and more than 60 essays about songs written by other artists, spanning from Stephen Foster to Elvis Costello.

Topics Dylan touches on in the book include the use of easy rhymes, how adding a syllable can affect an entire tune and much more. The Philosophy of Modern Song also will include more than 150 photos.

The book, which Dylan began writing in 2010, is a follow-up to his best-selling 2004 memoir, Chronicles, Volume One, and is his first book since he became the first songwriter to be honored with the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2016.

“The publication of Bob Dylan’s kaleidoscopically brilliant work will be an international celebration of songs by one of the greatest artists of our time,” says Simon & Schuster president and CEO Jonathan Karp. “The Philosophy of Modern Song could only have been written by Bob Dylan. His voice is unique, and his work conveys his deep appreciation and understanding of songs, the people who bring those songs to life, and what songs mean to all of us.”

An audiobook version of the publication will be partly narrated by Dylan, along with a mix of other readers.

The Philosophy of Modern Song can be pre-ordered now. For more information, visit SimonandSchuster.com.

Meanwhile, Dylan recently launched a spring U.S. tour that runs through an April 14 show in Oklahoma City.

Stevie Nicks, Green Day headlining 2022 Sea.Hear.Now festival in Asbury Park, New Jersey

March 8, 2022 by Classic Rock 93.9

Stevie Nicks and Green Day are set to headline the 2022 Sea.Hear.Now festival, taking place September 17-18 is Asbury Park, New Jersey. The Fleetwood Mac singer will top the bill on the event’s first day, while the veteran pop-punk group will close out the fest on the 18th.

The bill also includes Gary Clark Jr., Cage the Elephant, My Morning Jacket, Michael Franti and Spearhead, Skip Marley and Courtney Barnett, among others.

In addition to the music, Sea.Hear.Now festival-goers can also enjoy two-day surfing contest.

Tickets go on sale this Wednesday, March 9, at 10 a.m. ET. For the full lineup and all ticket info, visit SeaHearNowFestival.com.

Nicks is confirmed to perform at four other U.S. festivals this year — on May 7 at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival; on June 19 at Bonnaroo in Manchester, Tennessee; in early September at the JAS Aspen Snowmass event in Snowmass, Colorado; and at the Sound on Sound festival, which is scheduled for September 24 and 25 in Bridgeport, Connecticut.

Green Day, meanwhile, has three other U.S. festival appearances lined up this year — on March 19 at the Innings Festival in Tampa, Florida; April 29 at the Shaky Knees Music Festival in Atlanta; and September 24 at the Firefly Music Festival in Dover, Delaware.

Bush plans to finish new album in May

March 8, 2022 by Classic Rock 93.9

Bush won’t be letting too many days go by before recording a new album.

In an interview with Australia’s May the Rock Be with You, frontman Gavin Rossdale reveals that the “Glycerine” rockers plan to have their next record finished in the coming months.

“I’ve just written 18 songs,” Rossdale says. “We start on Monday with a producer, rearrange — hopefully not too much — the stuff I’ve done. We choose the songs we’re gonna do. We either might use what I’ve started, the tracks, or we might just try nixing them and doing it fresh. Each song will dictate that.”

He adds, “It should be done by the summer, be done by May.”

Bush’s most recent album is 2020’s The Kingdom, which features the single “Flowers on a Grave.”

Meanwhile, Bush just this week announced a U.S. tour alongside Alice in Chains and Breaking Benjamin, which launches in August.

It’s Cold Gin time! KISS launches new addition to its Drink It Up line of liquors in the US

March 8, 2022 by Classic Rock 93.9

Last November, KISS announced its new “Drink It Up by KISS” line of liquors. Now the latest addition to the alcohol brand, KISS Cold Gin, has been launched in the U.S. and can be ordered online.

Named after the band’s Ace Frehley-penned 1974 tune “Cold Gin,” the liquor features a five-time distilled base that includes juniper, lemon peel and various fine spices, and is made without the use of artificial flavors or added sweeteners, says the band.

“Now it REALLY is ‘Cold Gin time,'” KISS frontman Paul Stanley says in a statement. “If gin is your thing, then this is the one to bring. Like the song, this one’s a classic!”

To celebrate the arrival of KISS Cold Gin, a new promotion has been launched offering fans who by a four-bottle bundle four free exclusive guitar picks with each boasting a design inspired by the makeup of the band’s four members — The Starchild, The Demon, The Catman and The Spaceman. Those who purchase one bottle of the gin will receive one guitar pick randomly chosen.

KISS Cold Gin is the fourth liquor from the Drink It Up brand to be released in the U.S., following last year’s launch of the of KISS Rum Kollection, which includes KISS Black Diamond Premium Dark Rum, KISS Detroit Rock Premium Dark Rum and the limited-edition Monstrum Ultra Premium Dark Rum.

As previously reported, to produce the Drink It Up line, KISS partnered with the Epic Rights licensing company and the award-winning Swedish spirits producer Brands for Fans.

Visit DrinkItUpbyKISS.com to order bottles of the liquor and for more information.

Check out new lyric video for Keith Richards solo song “999,” from his 1992 album, ‘Main Offender’

March 8, 2022 by Classic Rock 93.9

A new lyric video for “999,” the lead track off Keith Richards‘ 1992 sophomore solo effort Main Offender, has premiered at the Rolling Stones guitarist’s official YouTube channel in advance of the March 18 release of the album’s 30th anniversary reissue.

The clip features archival footage of Richards performing with his solo backing band The X-Pensive Winos, with whom he recorded Main Offender. Keith co-wrote the song with two key Winos members — drummer Steve Jordan and guitarist Waddy Wachtel.

Richards also has posted a recent video clip of him playing a segment of “999” solo on an acoustic guitar at his social media pages.

As previously reported, the Main Offender reissue will be available in multiple formats and configurations, including a limited-edition super-deluxe box set featuring remastered CD and vinyl versions of the album, as well as a bonus live album on CD and two LPs.

The live album featured in the box set, titled Winos Live in London ’92, features Keith and his band playing select songs from Main Offender and Richards’ 1988 solo debut album, Talk Is Cheap, as well as renditions of The Stones’ “Gimme Shelter,” “Before They Make Me Run” and “Happy.”

The super deluxe collection also features an LP version Main Offender pressed on smoke-colored vinyl; an 88-page, leather-bound book offering rare photos and Keith’s handwritten lyrics; and collectibles including a guitar pick, a bumper sticker and posters.

You can pre-order the reissue now.

Prog-rock supergroup Asia’s classic self-titled first album celebrates 40th anniversary today

March 8, 2022 by Classic Rock 93.9

1980s prog-rock supergroup Asia released its self-titled debut album 40 years ago today.

While all four band members had plenty of success with their respective previous groups — drummer Carl Palmer with Emerson, Lake & Palmer, guitarist Steve Howe with Yes, singer/bassist John Wetton with King Crimson and U.K., and keyboardist Geoff Downes with The Buggles and Yes — the Asia album was the first #1 album in the U.S. for any of them.

Asia spent nine weeks atop the Billboard 200, and yielded two hit singles — “Heat of the Moment” and “Only Time Will Tell,” which peaked at #4 and #17, respectively, on the Billboard Hot 100. Asia wound up being the best-selling album in the States in 1982.

Palmer tells ABC Audio that he wasn’t surprised that the band members had immediate chemistry, since he, Howe and Wetton already were quite familiar with each other.

“The DNA between Steve and myself [and] John, all very close, you know,” Carl explains. “So from my point of view, it was a natural group…And obviously, Geoffrey, when he came in, having that success with The Buggles and [Yes]…all of that was great…And it worked immediately.”

Palmer says Asia’s success is all the more impressive because prog-rock wasn’t popular on radio during the early ’80s. Carl notes that the band realized that it needed to incorporate more mainstream-rock elements into its music if it wanted to get radio airplay, and it also successfully utilized music videos to promote the group as MTV was such a popular media outlet then.

Palmer says Asia was one of the few albums he recorded that he actually played “back to back several times at home,” noting, that “the melodies [of the hits] were so strong.”

Here’s Asia‘s full track list:

“Heat of the Moment”
“Only Time Will Tell”
“Sole Survivor”
“One Step Closer”
“Time Again”
“Wildest Dreams”
“Without You”
“Cutting It Fine”
“Here Comes the Feeling”

Billy Joel’s charity foundation donating $250K to help the Ukrainian people

March 7, 2022 by Classic Rock 93.9

Billy Joel’s charity foundation donating 0K to help the Ukrainian people — Taylor Hill/Wireimage

In the past couple of years, Billy Joel‘s charity foundation has pivoted from funding music education programs to helping with pandemic-related causes, such as providing PPE for healthcare workers and helping with food insecurity. Now, the Billy Joel Foundation is providing aid to the people of Ukraine.

Billy’s foundation is donating $250,000 to BStrong, a charity started by Bethenny Frankel that has been providing “direct and immediate aid to refugees at the Ukrainian/Polish border.” The money will go to, among other things, survival supply kits, transportation, short and long-term shelter and food relief as the Russian military continues their invasion of the Eastern European nation.

In a statement, the Foundation notes it continues to monitor the situation to determine what will be needed in the coming weeks, and asks those who want to help to donate at Bethenny.com/BStrong.

Foo Fighters ponder possibility of ‘The Colour and the Shape’ 25th anniversary plans: “Let’s take this one”

March 7, 2022 by Classic Rock 93.9

Foo Fighters‘ new movie Studio 666 is full of blood and gore, but if you really want to shock Dave Grohl, just mention that The Colour and the Shape is turning 25 this year.

Originally released in May 1997, the sophomore Foo Fighters album spawned the future classic “Everlong,” as well as the singles “My Hero” and “Monkey Wrench.”

In response to ABC Audio asking him about the record’s upcoming milestone, Grohl says, “Our reaction is it’s exactly what just happened: [guitarist] Pat [Smear] goes, ‘Wow!’ and we look at each other, like, ‘Oh my god!'”

He laughs, “I don’t even think we realized it.”

In 2020, the Foos had mapped out a giant celebration to mark the 25th anniversary of their 1995 self-titled debut. Then, of course, came the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced Grohl and company to stay home during their big year.

While Grohl says that he doesn’t currently have any plans to mark The Colour and the Shape‘s silver anniversary, he’s open to the idea of 2022 making up for what they missed out on in 2020.

“We lost our last 25-year [anniversary], so let’s take this one,” Smear says.

“I know, I think 2020 was supposed to be our big 25, our big 25th anniversary,” Grohl adds. “So yeah, let’s take this one.”

While the Foos ponder that idea, you can catch the band on the silver screen in Studio 666, which is in theaters now.

Alice in Chains announces 2022 US tour with Bush & Breaking Benjamin

March 7, 2022 by Classic Rock 93.9

Alice in Chains has announced that it will tour the U.S. later this year with Bush and Breaking Benjamin.

The summer and fall outing will kick off August 10 in Burgettstown, Pennsylvania, and will come to a close October 8 in Mansfield, Massachusetts.

Tickets go on sale this Friday, March 11, at 10 a.m. local time. For the full list of dates and all ticket info, visit AliceinChains.com.

Alice in Chains released their latest album, Rainier Fog, in 2018. Bush dropped their newest album, The Kingdom, in 2020. Breaking Benjamin’s most recent release is their acoustic compilation, Aurora, which also arrived in 2020.

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