Founding Dire Straits member David Knopfler and former Pretenders guitarist Robbie McIntosh are among the many respected musicians who are contributing to a new instrumental project called Held by Trees.
The collective, led by composer, producer and multi-instrumentalist David Joseph, will release a new single called “Mysterium” on November 12, and is planning to issue its self-titled debut album in the spring of 2022.
Joseph describes Held by Trees’ music as somewhere between David Gilmour-era Pink Floyd and the later, prog-rock-influenced work of British new wave band Talk Talk.
The latter is no surprise, considering the fact that several musicians who worked with Talk Talk — and on the solo recordings by that group’s late frontman Mark Hollis — are featured on “Mysterium.” They include McIntosh, drummer/percussionist Martin Ditcham and keyboardist Laurence Pendrous.
The track also includes the talents of veteran blues singer/songwriter Eric Bibb.
Judas Priest is postponing the remainder of the North American leg of the band’s 50 Heavy Metal Years tour because guitarist Richie Faulkner has been hospitalized with a “major medical heart condition.”
“It is with deep regret that we have to postpone the rest of our [U.S.] tour,” Priest says in a statement. “Richie Faulkner has major medical heart condition issues which have landed him in the hospital where he is being treated. In the meantime, we are all sending love to our Falcon to wish him a speedy recovery.”
The tour was expected to continue Wednesday in Denver, and was scheduled run through a November 5 show in Hamilton, Canada.
“As soon as we have any updates from [Faulkner’s] doctors on when we can reschedule the dates, we will of course announce them,” Priest adds.
Judas Priest had just performed at the Louder than Life festival Sunday in Louisville, Kentucky. The set included a special version of their Fleetwood Mac cover “The Green Manalishi (With the Two Prong Crown)” featuring a guest appearance by Metallica‘s Kirk Hammett.
Alan Lancaster, original bassist of the veteran U.K. rock band Status Quo, died Saturday at age 72 after a long battle with multiple sclerosis.
Lancaster’s death was announced by Australian broadcaster Craig Bennett, who wrote on his Facebook page, “At the request of his loving and deeply cherished family, I am heartbroken to announce the passing of Alan Lancaster, British born music royalty, guitar God and founding member of iconic band, STATUS QUO.”
Lancaster played with Status Quo from the band’s 1967 inception until 1985.
A tribute to Alan posted on Status Quo’s official website notes that during his tenure with the band, “Quo opened Live Aid, sold countless tens of millions of records, appeared on [popular U.K. TV show] Top of the Pops dozens of times, and had around 30 hit singles and 30 hit albums, two thirds of which went Top 10, with five reaching Number One. That was just his UK track record.”
Lancaster also was featured on the group’s sole U.S. chart hit, the 1968 psychedelic gem “Pictures of Matchstick Men,” which reached #12 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Lancaster reunited with the other members of Status Quo’s classic 1970s lineup — frontman Francis Rossi, guitarist Rick Parfitt and drummer John Coghlan — known as “The Frantic Four,” for major tours in 2013 and 2014.
In homage to Lancaster, Rossi wrote, “I am so sorry to hear of Alan’s passing. We were friends and colleagues for many years and achieved fantastic success together as the Frantic Four alongside Rick Parfitt and John Coghlan. Alan was an integral part of the sound and the enormous success of Status Quo during the 60s and 70s.”
Lancaster is survived by his wife of over 40 years, Dayle, three children and five grandchildren.
Bob Dylan has scheduled his first tour dates since the start of COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. The folk-rock legend, who turned 80 this past May, has unveiled a series of fall 2021 U.S. concerts kicking off November 2 in Milwaukee and running through a December 2 show in Washington, D.C.
Tickets for most of the dates will go on sale to the general public starting this Friday, October 1. Pre-sale tickets also will be available; visit BobDylan.com for more details.
According to Dylan’s website, the U.S. leg will mark the start of a worldwide tour in support of Bob’s most recent studio album, 2020’s Rough and Rowdy Ways, that will run until 2024.
The stateside trek features multiple-nights stands at New York City’s Beacon Theatre on November 19, 20 and 21, Port Chester New York’s Capitol Theatre on November 23 and 24 and Philadelphia’s The Met on November 29 and 30.
Dylan’s most recent trek ended in December 2019. This past July, a new livestreamed performance by Bob and his longtime backing band, called Shadow Kingdom, was made available via the Veeps.com platform.
In conjunction with the compilation’s release, Dylan premiered a video on YouTube capturing an in-studio performance of the Infidels track “Don’t Fall Apart on Me Tonight,” featuring Bob accompanied by Dire Straits frontman Mark Knopfler and ex-Rolling Stones member Mick Taylor on guitars, as well as Dire Straits keyboardist Alan Clark, legendary reggae drummer Sly Dunbar and bassist Robbie Shakespeare.
A rare electric guitar that The Ramones‘ Johnny Ramone played and recorded with from 1977 to 1996 sold for more than $900,000 at a rock memorabilia auction held over the weekend in Boston.
The 1965 Mosrite Ventures II model, which the late guitarist used at every Ramones gig from November 1977 through the band’s final concert in August of ’96, fetched $937,500, according to the Boston-based RR Auction company.
Ramone, born John Cummings, played the Mosrite at nearly 2,000 shows and also used it to record most of The Ramones’ albums.
The guitar has a white body and a black pickguard, and Johnny signed the back in black marker, “Johnny Ramone, My Main Guitar, 1977-1996.”
The instrument was one of many Ramones-related items sold at the auction, which offered memorabilia from a collection belonging to veteran producer and musician Daniel Rey, a longtime associate of the legendary punk band.
“The consignor was thrilled with the results and is very happy that the guitar is in the hands of someone who will curate Johnny Ramone’s Mosrite for future generations to enjoy,” says RR Auction executive Bobby Livingston.
The winning bidder wished to remain anonymous.
Among the other items sold at the auction was a blue Mosrite Mark-2 Johnny Ramone signature model guitar owned and played by Johnny, which brought $46,875. In addition, three Shure microphones that Ramones frontman Joey Ramone used at the group’s final concert, which took place in Los Angeles in August 1996, fetched $13,125.
You can check out the full results of the sale at RRAuction.com.
Metallica continued to celebrate the 30th anniversary of The Black Album at his past weekend’s Louder than Life festival.
For their second of two headlining sets at the event, the metal legends performed their iconic 1991 record in its entirety and in reverse order, starting with closer “The Struggle Within,” and ending the main set with “Enter Sandman.”
While Black Album singles “Sandman” and “Nothing Else Matters” are staples in Metallica’s sets, the band hadn’t played deeper cuts such as “Struggle” or “Don’t Tread on Me” in concert since 2012.
Earlier this month, Metallica released a deluxe reissue of The Black Album in honor of its 30th anniversary. They also put together The MetallicaBlacklist, a 53-track tribute compilation featuring covers of every song off the record.
The Rolling Stones kicked off their first tour ever without longtime drummer Charlie Watts on Sunday at The Dome at America’s Center in St. Louis.
The show began with a tribute to Watts, who died August 24 at age 80, and marked the band’s first official concert with Charlie’s handpicked fill-in, acclaimed drummer Steve Jordan.
The Stones played a 19-song set made up mainly of classics from their back catalog, and also included a rendition of their 2020 single, “Living in a Ghost Town.”
A few days before the concert, fans were given the chance to vote on one song that would appear in the set, and the 1971 hit “Wild Horses” was chosen over “Angie,” “Fool to Cry” and “Ruby Tuesday.”
The Rolling Stones kicked off the show with “Street Fighting Man” and wrapped things up with their signature tune “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction.” As the band gathered at the front of the stage at the end of the gig, a photo of Watts appeared on the screen behind them.
Frontman Mick Jagger has posted a brief video clip from the show on his socialmediapages showing him singing a segment of “Midnight Rambler,” and accompanied by the message, “Thanks St. Louis for a great night!”
In addition, the band has posted an image of guitarist Ronnie Wood‘s illustrated set list for the St. Louis concert at the band’s own socialmediasites, and limited-edition prints of the hand-drawn list have been made available for purchase at Wood’s official online store.
The Stones’ 2021 No Filter Tour of the U.S. continues this Thursday, September 30, with a show in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Here’s the band full set list from the St. Louis concert:
“Street Fighting Man”
“It’s Only Rock ‘n’ Roll (But I Like It)”
“Tumbling Dice”
“Under My Thumb”
“19th Nervous Breakdown”
“Wild Horses”
“Can’t Always Get What You Want”
“Living in a Ghost Town”
“Start Me Up”
“Honky Tonk Women”
“Happy”
“Slipping Away”
“Miss You”
“Midnight Rambler”
“Paint It Black”
“Sympathy for the Devil”
“Jumpin’ Jack Flash”
“Gimme Shelter”
“(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction”
Last year, former Blue Öyster Cult drummer Albert Bouchard released a reimagined version of his old band’s 1988 concept album, Imaginos, aptly titled Re Imaginos. Now Bouchard has announced plans for a sequel record that will be the second installment of a planned Imaginos-themed trilogy.
Imaginos II — Bombs over Germany (minus zero and counting), which will be released on October 22, continues the story based on the writings and poems of late Blue Öyster Cult manager, producer and songwriter Sandy Pearlman about an alien conspiracy that comes to fruition during the late 1800s and early 1900s through the actions of an evil character named Imaginos.
The new album features guest contributions from longtime Blue Öyster Cult members Eric Bloom and Donald “Buck Dharma” Roeser and the group’s former bassist, Joe Bouchard, and current multi-instrumentalist Richie Castellano, as well as from Dictators guitarist Ross the Boss.
Imaginos II features new versions of a variety of early Blue Öyster Cult songs, including “Cities on Flame with Rock and Roll,” “The Red and the Black” and “Dominance and Submission.”
The album’s lead single, an updated rendition of the 1973 BÖC tune “OD’d on Life Itself,” has been released as an advance digital track, and a lyric video for the song has premiered on YouTube.
“This version of ‘OD’d on Life Itself’ is a very different take on the song that was recorded for BÖC’s second album, Tyranny and Mutation,” Albert explains. “The lyrics return to the original lyrics written by Sandy Pearlman, much less sarcastic and much more spooky.”
Imaginos II can be pre-ordered now on CD at MerchBucket.com, and limited-edition bundles also can be purchased that include an autographed CD and poster, plus a T-shirt and a guitar pick.
Here’s the album’s full track list:
“When War Comes”
“Independence Day”
“7 Screaming Dizbusters”
“OD’d on Life Itself”
“Il Duce”
“Bombs over Germany”
“Before the Kiss (A Redcap)”
“Three Sisters”
“Quicklime Girl (Mistress of the Salmon Salt)”
“The Red and the Black”
“Dominance and Submission”
“Shadow of California”
“Cities on Flame (with Rock and Roll)”
“Half Life Times”
Spencer Elden, who was photographed as a baby for the cover of Nirvana‘s Nevermind album cover, is pleading with the band to censor his genitalia on all future reissues of the album.
The album artwork famously depicts the then-infant Elden swimming naked underwater while reaching for a dollar bill on a fishing hook. Last month, he sued Nirvana for child pornography.
According to Billboard, Elden has amplified his grievances by demanding the band censor the artwork, which includes the 30th anniversary reissues of Nevermind that arrive November 12.
In a statement obtained by Billboard, Elden’s attorneys declare, “Today, like each year on this date, our client Spencer Elden has had to brace himself for renewed unwanted attention from the media and fans alike throughout the world. This is a choice that he has never had. It has been thrust upon him, and for 30 years he has dealt with its devastating and painful consequences. Our message to Nirvana is clear — redact the image of Mr. Elden’s genitalia from all future album covers.”
Nirvana nor its label, Universal Music Group, have publicly commented on the matter.
The band, comprised of members Dave Grohl, Krist Novoselic and the late Kurt Cobain, released Nevermind on September 24, 1991. It’s since been certified Diamond by the RIAA for over 10 million sales.
The movie focuses on the creatively fruitful period from 1993 to 1995, during which Petty made his acclaimed 1994 studio effort Wildflowers and recorded many other songs that weren’t initially released on the album. The film features previously unseen footage shot during the making of Wildflowers, as well as new interviews with producer Rick Rubin and Heartbreakers guitarist Mike Campbell — who co-produced the album with Tom — as well as with Heartbreakers keyboardist Benmont Tench.
The archival footage not only captures Petty in the studio, but on tour and with his family at home.
In additional to the October 20 screenings of Somewhere You Feel Free, the film will be shown at select theaters on October 21. Visit TomPettyFilm.com to find out where the documentary is playing and to purchase tickets. Then, later this year, the movie will get its worldwide release as a free streaming event in 4K resolution on Petty’s official YouTube channel as part of the YouTube Originals series.
You can check out a preview clip from the documentary on YouTube now that includes archival footage of Petty recording the Wildflowers track “Only a Broken Heart,” as well as recent footage of Rubin, Tench and Campbell chatting about the song.
Somewhere You Feel Free was directed by Mary Wharton, whose credits also include last year’s Jimmy Carter: Rock & Roll President.
An expansive Wildflowers box set titled Wildflowers & All the Rest, which featured a bevy of outtakes from the sessions, was released last year.
