Classic Rock 93.9

Legendary rock band the Grateful Dead will be the subject of another course at Stanford University this spring.

Composition, Interpretation, and Improvisation: The Music of the Grateful Dead, part of Stanford Continuing Studies, is a six-week course running from April 8 to May 13. It’s taught by David Gans, producer and host of the nationally syndicated Grateful Dead Hour.

According to the description, the course “offers a comprehensive exploration of their distinctive musical style —where individual contributions converge into a cohesive sound that creates ‘gestalt magic,’” with each class focused on five or six select pieces of Dead music.

The course will feature a variety of Dead-related guest speakers, including Rob Barraco, keyboardist and vocalist of Grateful Dead tribute band Dark Star Orchestra; Jeff Mattson, also of Dark Star Orchestra, who performed with Bob Weir’s RatDog and Dead & Company; and keyboardist Bob Bralove, who played with the Grateful Dead from 1987 to 1995.

“Whether you’re a lifelong Deadhead or new to their music,” the description says, “this course provides a valuable opportunity to appreciate the Grateful Dead’s enduring impact on modern music and culture.”

Registration for the course is now open.

This isn’t the first time Stanford Continuing Studies has held a course about The Dead. In fall 2024 they ran an eight-week course called Did It Matter? Does It Now? The Music and Culture of the Grateful Dead.

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Rod Stewart and Def Leppard are among the artists set to headline Festival d’Été de Québec, an 11-day music festival held July 3-13 in the heart of Quebec City, Canada.

Stewart is set to open the festival on July 3, while Def Leppard is booked for July 6.

George Thorogood and the Destroyers are also on the bill, performing July 5 ahead of headliner Benson Boone.

The festival, whose name translates simply as Québec Summer Festival, is now in its 57th year. Other artists booked for 2025 include Shania Twain, Richard Marx, Extreme, Simple Plan, Pixies, Avril Lavigne, Maren Morris and Slayer.

Tickets are on sale now and compared to other festivals, it’s relatively cheap: You can get one pass for the entire 11 days for $115. You can also share your pass with friends and family if you don’t feel like going on any particular day.

Visit FEQ.ca for the full lineup.

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Billy Idol is back with new music.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame nominee just released the new tune “Still Dancing,” the first single off his upcoming album, Dream Into It, which will be released April 25.

“‘Still Dancing’ is really a reflection of my whole journey,” Idol shares. “From the punk rock
period through to now. And I’m still looking towards the future, still living the life I set out to live.”

The album, Idol’s first full-length release since 2014’s Kings & Queens of the Underground, will feature guest appearances by Joan Jett, Avril Lavigne and The Kills‘ Alison Mosshart.

Dream Into It is available for preorder now.

Following the release of the record, Idol will hit the road on the It’s A Nice Day To … Tour Again tour, featuring special guest Joan Jett & the Blackhearts. The tour will kick off April 30 in Phoenix and wrap Sept. 25 at Los Angeles’ Kia Forum. A complete list of dates can be found at BillyIdol.net.

Here is the track list for Dream Into It:
“Dream Into It”
“77” (featuring Avril Lavigne)
“Too Much Fun”
“John Wayne” (featuring Alison Mosshart)
“Wildside” (featuring Joan Jett)
“People I Love”
“Gimme The Weight”
“I’m Your Hero”
“Still Dancing”

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Paul McCartney has written another book.

The Beatles legend is set to release Wings: The Story of a Band on the Run, which is described as “a landmark account” of the rocker’s “triumphant musical reinvention in the 1970s and the subsequent rise of one of the decade’s most iconic bands.”

The book, edited by historian Ted Widmer, is culled from interviews with McCartney and other important players in the band. It centers around Wings’ nine albums, which featured such classic tunes as “Live and Let Die,” “Band on the Run,” “My Love,” “Jet,” “With a Little Luck,” “Silly Love Songs,” “Let ‘Em In” and more.

“I’m so very happy to be transported back to the time that was Wings and relive some of our madcap adventures through this book,” McCartney shares. “Starting from scratch after The Beatles felt crazy at times. There were some very difficult moments and I often questioned my decision. But as we got better I thought, ‘OK this is really good.’”

He adds, “We proved Wings could be a really good band. To play to huge audiences in the same way The Beatles had and have an impact in a different way. It was a huge buzz.”

Wings: The Story of a Band on the Run will be released Nov. 4.

This isn’t McCartney’s first book. In 2021 he released The Lyrics: 1956 to the Present, based on conversations McCartney had with the Irish poet Paul Muldoon. In it McCartney recounted the inspirations behind over 100 of his songs.

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Kurt Cobain‘s hair is up for auction again.

Two strands that were once attached to the late Nirvana frontman’s head are going under the hammer via Potter & Potter Auctions as part of its Punks, Monsters, Smut & Madmen sale. 

According to the lot description, the hairs were collected by barber Tess Osbourne while giving Cobain a haircut in 1989. She then gave them to a friend of Cobain’s, Nicole DePolo.

Cobain hair cut by Osbourne was previously auctioned in 2021 for about $14,000, though that sale included six strands. The estimate for the latest hair auction is between $600 and $800.

You can place a bid now via Auctions.PotterAuctions.com. A live auction will be held on March 6.

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The 1972 concert film of Pink Floyd playing Pompeii is returning to theaters.

The newly restored Pink Floyd at Pompeii – MCMLXXII will be released in select theaters and IMAX on April 24. It is a recording of their October 1971 performance at the ancient Roman amphitheatre in Italy, which was the first live concert ever to take place at the site. The film also features behind-the-scenes footage of Pink Floyd at Abbey Road studios as they begin work on their iconic album The Dark Side of the Moon.

As a preview of the film, a video featuring a portion of the band’s performance of the more than 23-minute Meddle track “Echoes” has just been released to YouTube.

“Pink Floyd: Live At Pompeii is a rare and unique document of the band performing live in the period prior to The Dark Side Of The Moon,” Pink Floyd’s Dave Mason shares.

Tickets for Pink Floyd at Pompeii – MCMLXXII go on sale March 5.

In addition to the film, the live album Pink Floyd at Pompeii – MCMLXXII will be released on May 2, marking the first full-length live record of the concert. It will be released on CD, LP, Blu-Ray, DVD, digital audio and Dolby Atmos.

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A Dave Grohl-signed guitar sold for over $50,000 at the Give a Frock charity auction, which raised money for Los Angeles wildfire relief.

The signature Pelham blue Epiphone DG-335 brought in a total of $50,800, 25 times its $2,000 estimate. In addition to featuring Grohl’s signature, the guitar was adorned with his handwritten lyrics to the Foo Fighters songs “Rescued” and “These Days.”

Other items that sold in the auction were the tracksuits the Beastie Boys wore on their 2004 tour, which went for $38,100; Shirley Manson‘s dress from Garbage‘s “I Think I’m Paranoid” video, which went for $31,750; and Hayley Williams‘ outfits from the Paramore “This is Why” video and a gig opening for Taylor Swift‘s Eras Tour, which went for $16,250 and $13,000, respectively.

Grohl also contributed his signed Crown Royal cape that he wore for a 2023 Super Bowl commercial, which went for $7,620.

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On This Day, Feb. 26, 1995…

Led Zeppelin members Jimmy Page and Robert Plant kicked off a tour together in Pensacola, Florida.

The tour followed the November 1994 release of the joint album, No Quarter: Jimmy Page and Robert Plant Unledded.

The album was a recording of the duo’s MTV Unledded special, which was filmed in London and Wales and aired in October of that year. It featured orchestrations of Led Zeppelin tunes, with the duo backed by a Moroccan string band and an Egyptian orchestra. It also included four new songs.

The tour featured a set heavy on Led Zeppelin tunes, including “Kashmir,” “Dazed and Confused,” “Dancing Days” “Immigrant Song” and more.

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Folks who didn’t get to catch Bono’s Stories of Surrender book tour will finally get a chance to see what they missed.

Apple TV+ is set to air the new documentary, Bono: Stories of Surrender, on May 30. The doc will feature what’s described as a “reimagining” of the U2 frontman’s one-man stage show, Surrender: An Evening of Words, Music and Some Mischief, which coincided with the release of his memoir, Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story, released in November 2022.

The doc will feature footage from one of his shows at New York’s Beacon Theatre, which had him sharing stories of about his life, family, friends and more, along with performances of some U2 songs “that have shaped his life and legacy.”

And for those with Apple Vision Pro, Bono: Stories of Surrender (Immersive) will also premiere on May 30, giving viewers an immersive experience of the film, recorded in 8K with Spatial Audio to produce a 180-degree video. It will be the first feature-length film to be available on Apple Vision Pro.

Bono’s Stories of Surrender book tour kicked off in November 2022 at the Beacon Theatre in New York, and had him hitting 14 cities in the U.S. and around the world. He later added a longer residency at the Beacon.

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The 90-track compilation album Good Music to Lift Los Angeles raised $275,000 in just 24 hours to help those affected by the California wildfires.

The album featured previously unreleased recordings, including covers, remixes, live tracks and unreleased demos. One such song was a previously unreleased R.E.M. live recording of the New Adventures in Hi-Fi song “Electrolite,” from the Montreux Jazz Festival on July 6, 1999.

The album also featured a live cover of the R.E.M. track “The One I Love” by Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit.

Other artists contributing to the compilation included Soul Asylum, Dawes, The Postal Service and Death Cab for Cutie, Jeff Tweedy, Modest Mouse and Tenacious D.

Good Music to Lift Los Angeles was released Feb. 7 on Bandcamp and was available for 24 hours. All of the net proceeds from the record are being donated to California Community Foundation’s Wildfire Recovery Fund and the LA Food Bank. In addition, Bandcamp is donating 100% of its share of album sales to MusiCares’ relief efforts.

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