The story of Kurt Cobain is becoming an opera. Or, rather, a story inspired by Kurt Cobain.
The London Royal Opera House has announced an adaptation of the 2005 Gus Van Sant film Last Days, which was loosely based on the death of the Nirvana icon.
Like the movie, the Last Days stage production follows a musician named Blake who has “recently escaped rehab to return home.”
“He is haunted by objects, visitors and memories distracting him from his true purpose — self-destruction,” the ROH’s description reads, adding “this new opera plunges into the torment that created a modern myth.”
Last Days is set to run at London’s Linbury Theatre October 7-11.
By the way, an opera isn’t the only thing Last Days has inspired recently. The Batman writer/director Matt Reeves cited the film in an interview with Empire while describing his Cobain-esque interpretation of the Caped Crusader.
The Clash will mark the 40th anniversary of the band’s classic 1982 album Combat Rock with a special expanded reissue titled Combat Rock/The People’s Hall that will be released on May 20.
The People’s Hall is a 12-track collection compiled by The Clash featuring recordings made at the same time as the Combat Rock sessions in a London building called The People’s Hall located in an area of the city given the name of the Republic of Frestonia, where some residents had attempted to secede from the U.K. in 1977.
Released on May 14, 1982, Combat Rock was the final Clash album by the group’s classic lineup of Joe Strummer, Mick Jones, Paul Simonon and Topper Headon, and the band’s most successful studio effort. The album peaked at #7 on the Billboard Hot 100, and featured the singles “Rock the Casbah” and “Should I Stay or Should I Go,” as well as such gems as “Know Your Rights” and “Straight to Hell.”
The People’s Hall includes unheard, rare and early versions of songs, among them an alternate version of “Know Your Rights,” the previously unreleased instrumental “He Who Dares or Is Tired,” and the outtakes “The Fulham Connection” and “Idle in Kangaroo Court.”
Coinciding with the announcement of the reissue, two previously unreleased versions of two Combat Rock songs featuring The Clash collaborating with late English Beat and General Public member Ranking Roger — “Rock the Casbah” and “Red Angel Dragnet” — have been made available as a digital EP, while a limited-edition vinyl EP featuring the tracks will be issued on May 20.
Combat Rock/The People’s Hall, which can be pre-ordered now, will be available as a two-CD set, a three-LP collection and via digital formats.
Here’s the CD track list:
CD 1: Combat Rock
“Know Your Rights”
“Car Jamming”
“Should I Stay or Should I Go”
“Rock the Casbah”
“Red Angel Dragnet”
“Straight to Hell”
“Overpowered by Funk”
“Atom Tan”
“Sean Flynn”
“Ghetto Defendant”
“Inoculated City”
“Death Is a Star”
CD 2: The People’s Hall
“Outside Bonds”
“Radio Clash”
“Futura 2000”
“First Night Back in London”
“Radio One” — Mikey Dread
“He Who Dares or Is Tired”*
“Long Time Jerk”
“The Fulham Connection” (aka “The Beautiful People Are Ugly Too”)
“Midnight to Stevens”
“Sean Flyn”
“Idle in Kangaroo Court”
“Know Your Rights”*
The Animals‘ long-out-of-print first four U.S. studio albums — their 1964 self-titled debut, 1965’s The Animals on Tour and Animal Tracks, and 1966’s Animalization — will be released as 180-gram vinyl LPs and expanded CDs on May 20.
In addition, a vinyl bundle will be issued the same day, titled The Animals Mickie Most Years and More, featuring the four LPs, plus a 12-inch vinyl reproduction of the group’s 1963 four-song EP, I Just Wanna Make Love to You.
The Animals’ debut album launched the Newcastle, U.K., band into stardom, thanks to the group’s hit cover of “The House of the Rising Sun,” which topped the U.S. and U.K. singles charts. The album itself peaked at #7 on the Billboard 200.
The Animals on Tour included “I’m Crying,” which reached #19 on the Billboard Hot 100. Animal Tracks boasted three top-40 hits — “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood,” “Bring It On Home to Me” and “We Gotta Get Out of This Place.” Animalization also featured a trio of top-40 singles — “Inside-Looking Out,” “Don’t Bring Me Down” and “See See Rider.”
All of the CD versions of the albums feature at least one bonus track dating from the time each record was recorded or released. The Animals includes an unedited version of the album track “Talkin’ ‘Bout You.” The Animals on Tour has three extra tracks, including a New Year’s spot from the band. Animal Tracks boasts five bonus tunes, among them the non-album hit “It’s My Life” and the single version of “We Gotta Get Out of This Place.” Animalization features three extra tracks, including stereo versions of “Don’t Bring Me Down” and “See See Rider.”
You can pre-order the vinyl reissues and the bundle now at ABKCO.com.
Following the tragic 2016 death of Eagles co-founder Glenn Frey, his son Deacon stepped into his father’s footsteps, playing guitar and singing with them during live performances. But after several years of being the “New Kid in Town,” Deacon is “Already Gone.”
In a Facebook post, Eagles co-founder Don Henley writes, “Deacon Frey has devoted the past 4½ years to carrying on his father’s legacy and, after some weeks of reflection, he now feels that it is time for him to forge his own path. We understand, completely, and we support him in whatever he wishes to pursue in the years ahead.”
Henley continues, “In the wake of his dad’s demise, Deacon, at age 24, did an extraordinary thing by stepping from relative anonymity into the very public world of his father’s long illustrious career. We are grateful to Deacon for his admirable efforts and we wish him well as he charts his future.”
“Deacon’s Eagles Family will always be here to surround him with love, support and goodwill, and he is always welcome to join us onstage at any future concerts, if he so desires,” Henley concludes. “We hope our fans will join us in wishing Deacon the very best as he moves into the next phase of his career.”
No word yet on whether Deacon will be replaced. The Eagles will kick off the next leg of their tour April 19.
In 2017, Henley said of the younger Frey, “It’s extraordinary what that young man has done…his first gig with us was at Dodger Stadium. He had done some gigs with his father — private parties, clubs, in front of maybe 200 people. To go from that to 55,000 people is extraordinary. I don’t know many people who could have done that without freaking out.”
A new NFT collection featuring photos of various famous artists taken by legendary rock photographer Neil Zlozower, as well as signed prints of the pics, will be up for bid via an online auction taking place Monday, May 16, at JuliensAuctions.com.
The sale, dubbed “FU Rock’n’Roll Portraits: Neil Zlozower Premier NFT Collection and Signed Prints,” will feature 45 one-of-a-kind NFTs boasting images of Jon Bon Jovi, Eddie Van Halen, Steven Tyler, Def Leppard‘s Joe Elliott, Ozzy Osbourne, Slash, Mötley Crüe, Joan Jett, Judas Priest‘s Rob Halford, KISS‘ Eric Singer, Red Hot Chili Peppers‘ Chad Smith, Green Day‘s Billie Joe Armstrong, Poison‘s Bret Michaels, Ronnie James Dio and more. Every pic captures the famed rockers holding up their middle fingers to the camera.
Each lot will include a digital version of the photo as an NFT minted on the Ethereum blockchain that also will include audio narration from Zlozower, as well as a print of the pic signed by the photographer.
The auction will begin at 11 a.m. PT on May 16. Julien’s Auctions now accepts a variety of cryptocurrencies as payment. Visit JuliensLive.com to check out all of the lots.
Zlozower began his photography career over 40 years ago, and his images have appeared on the covers and/or in the pages of such popular magazines as Rolling Stone, Guitar Player, Metal Hammer and Guitar World.
Founding Foreigner singer Lou Gramm is featured on a song titled “A Little Outside” on the upcoming self-titled debut album by Lips Turn Blue, a band featuring the members of veteran Upstate New York rock group DDrive.
DDrive was led by vocalist Phil Naro and guitarist Don Mancuso, who played with Gramm in the pre-Foreigner group Black Sheep and also is a former member of Lou’s solo band. Shortly after putting the finishing touches on what was intended to be DDrive’s latest album project, Naro died of cancer in May of 2021. The group then recruited a new singer named Iggy Marino and decided to rechristen itself Lips Turn Blue and release the album under that moniker.
The album will be released on May 4, a year and a day after Naro’s passing. The band is now planning to start booking tour dates in support of the record.
“We feel we have a great singer and fellow musician in place that the music touches and motivates,” says Mancuso. “We want to get this amazing music out there. It needs to be played to as many music fans as possible. After our period of mourning Phil’s loss, we now have the drive and experience to take this music on the road and finish our next album, which is already well in the works.”
Meanwhile, Gramm has three performances lined up for 2022 — on May 21 in Lynn, Massachusetts, July 28 in Springfield, Missouri, and August 12 in Lincoln, Rhode Island. Visit LouGrammOfficial.com for more info.
Judas Priest canceled their concert on Monday, April 4, at the Tsongas Center in Lowell, Massachusetts, because of a reported “non-[COVID] related illness,” and now comes word that the cancellation was due to frontman Rob Halford battling a cold.
Blabbermouth.net reports that in an interview Tuesday with East Coast Live, Judas Priest guitarist Richie Faulkner explained that the band was “resting up,” and that “the reason for [the cancellation] is so that we can preserve our health and get better,” while noting, “Rob’s got a bit of a cold.”
Faulkner added that the band is now aiming to “get back on track and do the rest of the shows in Canada.”
The North American leg of Judas Priest’s 50 Heavy Metal Years tour has four more concerts scheduled, all in Canada — on April 7 in Halifax, Nova Scotia; April 10 in Quebec City; April 11 in Laval, Quebec; and April 13 in Hamilton, Ontario.
Faulkner also told East Coast Live, “[W]e all get sick from time to time. It’s gonna happen. When you’re on the road, it’s a rigorous schedule. And even pre-COVID, now post-COVID, so to speak, you’re gonna catch bugs and stuff like that; it’s just part of the life we lead.”
He continued, “[I]f it was me or [bassist] Ian [Hill] or [drummer] Scott [Travis] or [guitarist] Andy [Sneap], I think we could maybe just hammer through it, but obviously when your instrument’s your voice, it’s a bit harder to do. So [Rob is] resting up, he’s resting his voice, he’s on some meds, and he’s gonna get through it.”
Fans who had tickets to the Lowell, Massachusetts, concert can get refunds at the point of purchase. Judas Priest also says they’re “hooping to make this show up in the near future.”
Mammoth WVH‘s stint on the Young Guns tour has ended earlier than expected: Wolfgang Van Halen and company are canceling the final six shows on the tour, which also features Dirty Honey. The reason for the cancellation? COVID, of course.
Van Halen says in a statement, “After an incredible weekend in Las Vegas with my family for the Grammys, I flew back yesterday to meet up with my band and crew in North Carolina to continue the Young Guns tour. This morning, as everyone took COVID tests to re-establish the bubble that has served us on the tour, we came to find that members of our band and crew who didn’t travel with me were positive.” Van Halen himself is negative.
“With only 6 shows left in the tour, it breaks my heart that we unfortunately won’t be able to continue,” he adds. “Mammoth WVH will do our very best to make up the dates that we missed to the fans in those markets in the future.”
Dirty Honey will still perform on the affected dates, which include tonight’s show in Raleigh, NC, as well as April 6 in Charlotte, April 8 in Nashville, April 9 in Dothan, AL, and April 10 and 12 in Orlando, FL. Refunds are available at point of purchase.
Mammoth WVH will return to the road April 29 for a series of headlining shows.
The Doobie Brothers, Metallica and longtime Tom Petty guitarist Mike Campbell and his solo group The Dirty Knobsare among the many artists set to play the 2022 Bourbon & Beyond festival, taking place September 15-18 in Louisville, Kentucky.
The Doobies — featuring the band’s 50th anniversary tour lineup, including Michael McDonald, Tom Johnston, Pat Simmons and John McFee — will headline the festival’s final day, along with Grammy-winning country star Chris Stapleton. Campbell and The Dirty Knobs also will perform on September 18. Pearl Jam will headline the fest’s third day September 17, alongside contemporary rockers Greta Van Fleet.
This year’s other headliners are Jack White, Alanis Morissette, Kings of Leon, Greta Van Fleet and Brandi Carlile. Other performers include Jimmie Vaughan, Crowded House, Elle King, Robert Randolph Band, Marcus King, St. Vincent, Cold War Kids and more.
Billed as “The World’s Largest Bourbon & Music Festival,” the four-day event will showcase more than two dozen craft bourbons, and also will feature special culinary experiences and much more.
Tickets are on sale now. For the full lineup and all ticket info, visit BourbonandBeyond.com.
Bob Dylan has won a lawsuit brought against him by the widow of Jacques Levy, who co-wrote seven songs on Dylan’s 1976 album Desire, seeking a portion of Bob’s lucrative catalog sale to Universal.
Billboard reports that a New York appeals court announced Tuesday that it had rejected a lawsuit Claudia Levy filed against Dylan, Universal Music Group and other parties last year alleging she was owed a $7.25 million stake in the $300 million catalog sale to Universal.
The court upheld a ruling by a trial judge in August 2021 that Jacques Levy had signed away his catalog rights to the songs long ago, noting that under a 1975 agreement, the compositions, “with all the copyrights, were to be Dylan’s ‘sole property.'”
The court added, “Nothing submitted by plaintiffs concerning music industry custom and practice supports a reading otherwise, or even suggests an ambiguity in the relevant contractual language.”
Among the songs Levy co-wrote with Dylan for Desire were the hit “Hurricane,” “Mozambique” and “Isis.”
Claudia Levy originally filed her lawsuit in January 2021, and after the trial judge rejected the case while characterizing Jacques’ 1975 deal with Dylan a work-for-hire-agreement. Claudia appealed the decision, claiming that her late husband was being written “out of Dylan’s history.”
This past January, Dylan described the attempted appeal of the lawsuit as an “opportunistic attempt” at an “unjustified windfall.”
According to Billboard, Levy can appeal the decision once more, in front of New York’s Court of Appeals, although the magazine notes that “such reversals are rare.”
Dylan attorney Orin Snyder tells Billboard, “Today’s decision puts the nail in the coffin of this opportunistic lawsuit. We are pleased the court has again rejected this sad attempt to profit off of Bob’s recent catalog sale.”
