Classic Rock 93.9

Former Guns N’ Roses drummer Frank Ferrer is speaking out following the recent announcement that he’s departing the band after playing with them for the last 19 years.

“The outpouring of love I have felt from the incredible fans of Guns N’ Roses and my peers over the past 24 hours has been tremendous,” he shares on Instagram. He adds that while he has “immense gratitude and love always” for GNR frontman Axl Rose and the band, he also feels some “disappointment that this chapter came to an end.”

“It has been an incredible 19 years. Guns N’ Roses has given me life-changing memories and experiences,” he adds. “A huge thanks to management, the crew, and fans for giving me memories that I will cherish for my lifetime. I hope I see you all again soon!”

Ferrer joined GNR in June 2006, replacing drummer Brain aka Brian Mantia, who had been with the band since 2000. His spot behind the drum kit is being taken over by Isaac Carpenter, who’s played in AWOLNATION for the last decade.

GNR is set to launch a world tour on May 1 in Incheon, South Korea. A complete list of dates can be found at GunsNRoses.com.

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The 50th anniversary reissue of Venus and Mars, the 1975 album from Paul McCartney‘s band Wings, is out now. To mark the release they’ve shared some new performance clips of songs from the record.

The videos are for the tracks “Letting Go” and “Rock Show,” which have now been remastered in 4K. Both clips were recorded during the 1975 Wings Over The World tour and feature Paul, his late wife Linda McCartney, Denny Laine, Jimmy McCulloch and Joe English.

The new half-speed mastered vinyl reissue of Venus and Mars was created by Miles Showell at Abbey Road Studios using the original master recordings from 1975. It features a reproduction of the original U.K. pressing and a recreation of the original artwork by Hipgnosis.

The album is also now out on Dolby Atmos for the first time, with Giles Martin and Steve Orchard behind the new mix.

The follow-up to the hit album Band on the Run, Venus and Mars was released May 30, 1975, and hit #1 on the Billboard 200 Albums chart. It featured the #1 single “Listen to What the Man Said.”

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Jack Black has released a new song called “I Feel Alive” featuring Dave Grohl on drums.

The track was recorded for the soundtrack to A Minecraft Movie, which stars the Tenacious D frontman alongside Jason Momoa, Danielle Brooks and Emma Myers.

“I Feel Alive” also features guitar by Queens of the Stone Age‘s Troy Van Leeuwen. You can listen to it now via digital outlets and watch its lyric video on YouTube.

A Minecraft Movie, based on the video game Minecraft, premieres in theaters April 4.

Grohl, by the way, has also played drums on every Tenacious D album.

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Dire Straits is set to celebrate the 40th anniversary of their hit album Brothers in Arms with a new reissue.

Brothers in Arms 40th Anniversary Edition will be released May 16 as a five-LP or three-CD set. It features the original album, along with a 14-track previously unreleased concert recorded at the Municipal Auditorium in San Antonio, Texas, during their Live in 85 tour.

As a preview of the live album, Dire Straits has released a performance of the song “Walk of Life.”

Both formats include a booklet featuring new liner notes, culled from new interviews with Dire Straits band members Mark Knopfler, John Illsley and Guy Fletcher. The three-LP version also includes exclusive art prints.

There will also be a Blu-ray release that features five mixes of the album, including the 2023 Dolby Atmos mix. The one-LP version is being reissued in its original configuration for the first time since the album’s 1985 release.

Brothers in Arms 40th Anniversary Edition is available for preorder now.

Released May 17, 1985, Brothers in Arms was the fifth studio album from Dire Straits, and their most successful. In fact, it’s considered one of the world’s bestselling albums, having been certified nine-times Platinum in the U.S. It was also the first album in history to sell over 1 million CDs.

Brothers in Arms spent nine weeks at #1 on the Billboard Albums chart. It contains the #1 song “Money For Nothing,” as well as “Walk of Life,” which went to #7, and “So Far Away.”

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The music of Neil Young is being celebrated on an upcoming tribute album, and now we have another preview.

Two new tracks from Heart of Gold: The Songs of Neil Young have jut been released: a cover of the “The Needle and the Damage Done” from Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder and Stephen Marley’s take on “Old Man.” Both songs originally appeared on Young’s 1972 album, Harvest.

You can listen to “The Needle and the Damage Done” and “Old Man” now via digital outlets.

Heart of Gold: The Songs of Neil Young is divided into two volumes, with the first dropping April 25. Other artists paying tribute to Young on volume one include The Doobie Brothers’ Michael McDonald with Allison Russell, Brandi Carlile, Mumford & Sons, Lumineers, Fiona Apple, Courtney Barnett and Steve Earle.

Proceeds from the album will benefit The Bridge School, an educational institution for children with severe speech and physical disabilities.

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Neil Young is no longer planning to play a free concert in Ukraine.

In early March, Young announced that he and his band The Chrome Hearts were in talks to open their love earth tour with the free concert, although he didn’t announce a date or exact location for the show. Well, now he says the show is canceled due to safety concerns.

“We had a good venue, close to a shelter, but the changing situation on the ground was too much,” Young explains in a post on his Neil Young Archives website. “I could not in good conscience take my crew and instruments into that area. My apologies to all.” He added, “Ukraine is a great country with a good leader. Slava Ukraini.”

Young’s love earth tour is set to kick off June 18 in Rättvik, Sweden. It hits the U.S. Aug. 8 in Charlotte, North Carolina, wrapping with a show at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles on Sept. 15.

A complete list of dates can be found at NeilYoungArchives.com.

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Ramones frontman Joey Ramone has inspired a new children’s book.

Gabba Gabba We Accept You: The Wonderous Tale of Joey Ramone, being released June 27, is described as a “picture book telling the story of a misfit kid who grew up to be a punk rock hero – that is, Joey Ramone.”

The description notes that the book, from visual artist Lucinda Schreiber and author Jay Ruttenberg, “offers valuable punk lessons for young folks navigating the increasing complexities of growing up,” teaching children that “their individual personalities have an important place in this world.”

“My daughter just turned 11, so I’ve spent recent years in children’s book land. I think I’ve read her 97 books about Abraham Lincoln and 12,984 about Ruth Bader Ginsburg,” Ruttenberg shares. “It occurred to me that a lot of the life lessons I’ve been trying to teach her weren’t learned through my family or school, but through punk stuff: the importance of being your own person, following your own radar instead of a group’s, embracing uniqueness, etc.”

He adds, “The Ramones, and in particular Joey, seemed like the perfect embodiment of that.”

Gabba Gabba We Accept You: The Wonderous Tale of Joey Ramone is available for preorder now.

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Supergroup The Brothers will return to Madison Square Garden in April for another tribute to the Allman Brothers Band, and music fans are getting a little taste of what to expect.

The Brothers staged their first Allman Brothers tribute at MSG in 2020, and a performance video from that show was released Thursday. The clip shows the band performing “Trouble No More,” a song originated by Muddy Waters and later recorded by the Allman Brothers Band. The clip features last surviving Allman Bothers founding member Jaimoe, along with later members Warren Haynes, Derek Trucks and others.

All three are set to return for the two new Brothers shows on April 15 and April 16. Also joining the lineup are ABB members Oteil Burbridge, Marc Quiñones and Chuck Leavell, as well as guests Joe Russo on drums, Reese Wynans on keyboards and Isaac Eady on drums.

The Brothers’ first show took place March 10, 2020, and lasted over four hours. The show was one of the last concerts at MSG before the concert industry was temporarily shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

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Lynyrd Skynyrd has a new record label: the band has just signed a deal with Frontiers SRL. Their first release will be Celebrating 50 Years – Live At The Ryman, a special live album and DVD of the band’s historic 50th anniversary concert, which took place in November 2022.

“50 years for Lynyrd Skynyrd… Wow! We are so grateful to the devoted fans for their support throughout the years of transitions and losses,” frontman Johnny Van Zant shares. He notes the concert was filmed before the 2023 loss of Gary Rossington, the last founding member of Skynyrd.

“It was a very special night with incredibly talented guests as we honored the iconic musicality of Skynyrd,” he adds. “We are so grateful to the Ryman and to all of those who have worked so hard to make this project become a reality! This will forever be a keepsake in our hearts, and we are so happy to be able to share it with our Skynyrd Nation.”

So far a release date for Celebrating 50 Years – Live At The Ryman has not been announced.

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Back in February, Stray Cats frontman Brian Setzer revealed that he had been diagnosed with an autoimmune disease that left him unable to play guitar. Now he’s sharing a health update with fans.

“I just want to let you all know that I’m getting better day by day. The progress I’m making is excellent!” he shared on Instagram. “My dream is to visit Japan, the States, and Europe with Stray Cats, and of course, one of my biggest thrills would be bringing back the BSO Christmas show tradition,” referring to his other band, the Brian Setzer Orchestra.

“Thank you all for your love and support—it truly means the world to me,” he added. “I was deeply touched. I love you guys, and only we can truly understand what this sound means to us!”

In his initial announcement, Setzer said he discovered he had an autoimmune disease after suffering cramping at the end of the last Stray Cats tour in 2024. He said he was being treated at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, telling fans, “I know I will beat this, it will just take some time.”

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