Pearl Jam touring member and former Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist Josh Klinghoffer has been sentenced to probation and community labor for a misdemeanor charge of vehicular manslaughter without gross negligence, Rolling Stonereports.
The charge alleged that Klinghoffer hit and killed a 47-year-old pedestrian, Israel Sanchez, with his car while failing to yield during a March 2024 accident in California.
In court proceedings held Wednesday, Klinghoffer pleaded no contest to the charge. The sentence, which also requires the completion of a driver safety class and a to-be-determined restitution payment, allows Klinghoffer to avoid jail time.
Klinghoffer’s lawyer tells ABC Audio there will be no public comment.
Klinghoffer also faces a wrongful death lawsuit filed by Sanchez’s family in July 2024.
Talking Heads are continuing the celebration of their 50th anniversary with the release of a new super deluxe edition of their sophomore album, More Songs About Buildings and Food.
The three-CD/Blu-ray release will include the remastered album, as well as 11 rarities, four of which are previously unreleased versions of album tracks. There’s also a live album, featuring a recording of the band’s August 1978 show at New York’s Entermedia Theatre.
The Blu-ray includes Dolby ATMOS and 5.1 surround sound mixes of the album. There’s also footage from the Entermedia concert, plus another concert, recorded at Sproul Plaza at the University of California, Berkeley.
The set also includes a hardcover book featuring previously unseen photos, as well as liner notes from the four members of Talking Heads: David Byrne, Tina Weymouth, Chris Frantz and Jerry Harrison.
As a preview of the set, Talking Heads have shared a previously unreleased alternative version of the track “Found A Job,” which is now available.
The set will also be released as a four-LP vinyl edition, featuring the original album, rarities and a live New York concert. There will also be a second version, available on the band’s website, featuring the bonus reissues of four international 7-inch singles, as well as a two-LP black vinyl version and a red vinyl pressing.
More Songs About Buildings and Food (Super Deluxe Edition) will be released July 25 and is available for preorder now.
Released in July 1978, More Songs About Buildings and Food was a top-40 hit for Talking Heads, peaking at #29 in the U.S. It contained the band’s first hit single, a cover of Al Green’s “Take Me To The River,” which also peaked at #29.
The Rolling Stones hit #1 with “Brown Sugar,” the opening track and lead single from their ninth studio album, Sticky Fingers.
The tune, written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, spent two weeks at #1 in the U.S., but failed to reach the top spot in the U.K., peaking at #2.
Previously a staple at The Stones’ live shows, in 2021 the band announced they’d be removing the song from their set list, reportedly due to the tune’s controversial lyrics.
Bruce Springsteen is offering up another preview of his upcoming box set, Tracks II: The Lost Albums.
The latest is the song “Adelita,” from the album Inyo, described as a “ten-song thematic collection set throughout the border states of California and Texas (plus one detour to New Jersey).”
“Inyo was a record I wrote in California during long drives along the California aqueduct, up through Inyo County on my way to Yosemite or Death Valley,” The Boss shares. “I was enjoying that kind of writing so much. [On The Ghost Of Tom Joad tour] I would go home to the hotel room at night and continue to write in that style because I thought I was going to follow up The Ghost of Tom Joad with a similar record, but I didn’t. That’s where Inyo came from. It’s one of my favorites.”
“Adelita,” inspired by female soldiers in Mexico who helped fight for the country’s independence, is available now.
Tracks II: The Lost Albums is due out June 27 and is available for preorder. It features seven previously unheard Springsteen records, featuring 83 songs, all of which were originally recorded between 1983 and 2018.
Springsteen and the E Street Band are currently on the Land of Hope and Dreams tour in Europe. The tour hits Marseille, France, on Saturday. A complete list of dates can be found at BruceSpringsteen.net.
John Forgerty turned 80 on Wednesday but age isn’t slowing him down.
The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer just announced he’ll release a new album, Legacy: the Creedence Clearwater Revival years, on Aug. 22, featuring a track list made up of newly recorded versions of his classic CCR tunes.
Forgerty announced the new album onstage during his 80th birthday celebration at New York’s Beacon Theatre Wednesday night. He returns to the venue for a second show on Thursday.
The album, produced by Fogerty and his son Shane, comes two years after Fogerty fully regained the rights to his CCR catalog. The rocker is backed on the album by both of his sons, Shane and Tyler.
Songs on the 20-track album include “Proud Mary,” “Bad Moon Rising,” “Fortunate Son,” “Have You Ever Seen the Rain,” “Born on the Bayou” and more. All are labeled (John’s Version), similar to what Taylor Swift has done when rerecording her early albums.
“For most of my life I did not own the songs I had written,” says John. “Getting them back changes everything. Legacy is my way of celebrating that—of playing these songs on my terms, with the people I love.”
A documentary about Billy Joel is set to open this year’s Tribeca Festival on June 4, but Billy won’t be in the house for the event.
Billy’s publicist confirms to ABC Audio a report in the New York Post that the Piano Man will not attend the film’s premiere, amid the revelation that he’s been diagnosed with normal pressure hydrocephalus. The condition refers to a buildup of cerebrospinal fluid that causes issues with hearing, vision and balance.
The documentary is called Billy Joel: And So It Goes, named after a song on Billy’s 1989 album Storm Front. It’ll debut on HBO and HBO Max this summer after premiering at New York’s Beacon Theatre.
According to HBO, the movie, directed by Susan Lacy,will explore “the love, loss, and personal struggles” that fuel Billy’s songwriting and will feature “unprecedented access to never-before-seen performances, home movies, and personal photographs,” plus “extensive, in-depth one-on-one interviews.”
Tribeca Festival co-founders Robert De Niro and Jane Rosenthal said in a statement that their “hearts are with Billy Joel and his family.” They added, “As a New York icon and global music legend, he has profoundly shaped the cultural fabric of this city and touched audiences around the world. We send our love and full support and wish him strength and a healthy recovery.”
“We’re deeply honored that this year’s Opening Night celebrates his remarkable legacy and enduring influence on New York’s cultural landscape. This is the perfect moment to recognize a creative force whose work reflects the very soul of our city — and the heart of Tribeca,” they said.
The Rock for Ronnie tribute concert honoring the late Ronnie James Dio raised $100,000 for the Stand Up and Shout Cancer Fund.
The event took place on May 18 at Griffith Park in Los Angeles, and was headlined by Sebastian Bach. In between all the music, Dr. David Wong of the UCLA School of Dentistry was presented with a $25,000 check to be used towards the development of a saliva swab test for early cancer detection.
The Stand Up and Shout Cancer Fund was founded in memory of Dio, who died of stomach cancer in 2010 at age 67. It aims to raise awareness and money for cancer prevention, education and research.
Along with Rock for Ronnie, the Stand Up and Shout Cancer Fund hosts the Bowl for Ronnie celebrity bowling tournament. The 2025 Bowl for Ronnie will be held Nov. 13.
Bono has been talking a lot lately about the new U2 album they’ve been working on, and it sounds like it took a lot for them to get back in the studio.
In a new interview with Esquire to promote his Apple TV+ documentary, Bono: Stories of Surrender, Bono discusses some of the issues U2 dealt with in recent years, including drummer Larry Mullen Jr.’s back issues.
“We were a little broken,” he says. “There was a period of reflection where we had to figure out, do we have anything to offer?”
U2 has since gone back into the studio and is working with Brian Eno, the producer behind their albums The Joshua Tree, Achtung Baby and Zooropa. But it sounds like Bono isn’t necessarily a fan of the recording process.
“I’m the only one who doesn’t like recording,” he says. “I just like to play live.” He notes that putting out an album “provides us with a reason to leave home. You want to have some very good reasons to leave home.”
As for fan expectations, Bono shares, “I hope they’re going to still be there for us. We’ve pushed them to their elastic limit over the years. And now it’s a long time that we’ve been away. But I still think that we can create a soundtrack for people who want to take on the world.”
Bono: Stories of Surrender premieres Friday on Apple TV+.
Bono is also featured in Esquire’sFor The Record YouTube series, where he reflects on highlights from U2’s career, including their first Grammy win, and talks about meeting Pope Francis.He even shares his thoughts on Adam Sandler’s impression of him, noting, “I’ve been out Bono’d by more than a few. He’s right up there.”
Drummer Zak Starkey is clarifying his recent Instagram post in which he suggested he was “retired” from The Who, making it clear he was indeed fired by Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey.
“This is f**** total bollox,” he writes in a new Instagram post. “I was fired. Roger’s new word for it is ‘retired’ to complete my other musical projects.”
Starkey, son of BeatleRingo Starr, says he told Roger he had completed his projects, explaining he had a single coming out but after that, “I was completely available for the foreseeable future,” adding Roger “was a little surprised but understood.”
“It’s true – I have no plan’s whatsoever for the fall as I thought I was touring with The Who,” he shares. “So this is simply a load of bollox … Am I fired , retired, deffo not tired as I’m 20 years younger than these guys as they keep saying.”
Starkey’s original firing happened in April after issues arose during The Who’s March shows in London. Daltrey seemed to be upset with Starkey’s performance, but in his new post, Starkey argues the issue was “not a firing offence,” noting of The Who, “if it was perfect it would be so f****** boring.”
After his April firing, Starkey was rehired by the band, only for The Who to announce on May 18 he was once again let go. The Who then revealed Scott Devours, drummer of Daltrey’s solo band, would be taking over behind the drum kit for their upcoming The Song Is Over North American Farewell Tour, which kicks off Aug. 16 in Sunrise, Florida. A complete list of dates can be found at TheWho.com.
KISS rocker Gene Simmons is set to be celebrated at Operation Smile’s annual Smile Fiesta gala.
Simmons will be honored with the Universal Smile Award.
Also being honored at the gala is actor Harrison Ford, who’ll receive the Dr. Randy Sherman Visionary Award, named after the late founder of Operation Smile’s Southern California chapter.
Operation Smile, founded in 1982, is a nonprofit that provides cleft lip and palate repair surgeries to children worldwide. Since 2022, the organization’s services have been available at 38 smile centers around the world.
The gala is set to take place June 3 at Candela La Brea in Los Angeles. Proceeds will benefit Operation Smile Los Angeles.
