The Black Crowes bringing back their Crowe-Mafia fan club

February 5, 2025 by Classic Rock 93.9

The Black Crowes are resurrecting their fan club.

Frontman Chris Robinson announced the return of the Crowe-Mafia on social media, with the post describing it as a “community to connect with us and each other.”

Chris also shared a video in which he detailed all the bonus material fans will get by signing up.

In addition to early presale ticket access and early access to venues, members will get to hear exclusive audio content from the band’s archives. Among the first of these never-before-heard recordings is “Wiser Time” with Jimmy Page, taken from an upcoming box set for their 2000 album, Live at The Greek, as well as a video of “No Speak No Slave” with Page.

“For years since we’ve put the band back together, I have been extensively going through the vaults of all sorts of material while we were working on the box sets,” Chris shared in the video. “We keep finding loads and loads of honey holes of stuff that only you are going to appreciate.”

He added they plan to upload live shows from the vaults every month, including “stuff that you guys have deemed important later this year.”

Chris also teased other box sets they’ve been working on, including one for their third studio album, Amorica, promising “a bunch of other rarities and things that you’ve never heard before, which is also very exciting.”

More info on joining the fan club can be found at theblackcrowes.com.

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers’ Benmont Tench releasing new solo album, ‘The Melancholy Season’

February 5, 2025 by Classic Rock 93.9

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers keyboardist Benmont Tench will release his second solo album, The Melancholy Season, on March 7 and has shared the first preview of the record with the release of the title track.

In a post on his website, Tench reveals that the song was inspired by a poem he wrote while looking at the constellation Orion.

“At the house where I lived for many years, in the hills overlooking the San Fernando Valley, Orion was only visible in the fall and winter,” Tench writes. “I associated the constellation with that time: ‘Oh, there’s my friend.’ But that season, when it starts getting cold in California, has always been a bit melancholy to me.”

He adds that the tune is “about a guy looking across the backyard at his wife by the pool. She’s about to kick off her shoes. It’s cold, the pool is heated and the steam is rising off the water. The idea was the alienation between these two people.”

This is Tench’s first solo release since his debut solo album, You Should Be So Lucky, came out in 2014.

The Melancholy Season is available for preorder now.

Tench is set to kick off a five-show residency at New York’s Café Carlyle Feb. 18 and will then hit the road for a short tour that starts March 12 in Los Angeles. A complete list of dates can be found at benmonttench.com.

Elton John unveils collaborative album with Brandi Carlile, ‘Who Believes in Angels?’

February 5, 2025 by Classic Rock 93.9

The Who‘s Pete Townshend inadvertently spilled the beans on it in December 2023, but now it’s been confirmed: Elton John really did make an entire album with Brandi Carlile — and it’s coming out on April 4.

The album, Who Believes In Angels?, teams Elton and Brandi with producer Andrew Watt; they also worked together on Elton’s Oscar-nominated song “Never Too Late.” The album is available for preorder and the title track is available now, as is a “making of” video. If you preorder the album, you’ll have a chance to buy tickets to An Evening With Elton John & Brandi Carlile, a one-night-only concert at The London Palladium on March 26.

Elton and Brandi started recording the album in October 2023, with the goal of completing it in just 20 days. It features songs sung by both Elton and Brandi, and lyrics by Brandi and Bernie Taupin. Backing them up are Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith, bassist Pino Palladino and guitarist Josh Klinghoffer.

Elton says in a statement, “This record was one of the toughest I’ve ever made, but it was also one of the greatest musical experiences of my life. It has given me a place where I know I can move forward. Who Believes In Angels? feels like going into another era and I’m pushing the door open to come into the future.”

“I have everything I’ve done behind me and it’s been brilliant, amazing. But this is the new start for me,” he adds. “As far as I’m concerned, this is the start of my career Mark two.”

Brandi adds, “The world is a wild place to live in right now. It’s hard to find peace and triumph. It’s a radical act to seek out joyful and euphoric happenings. And that is what this album represents to me.”

Here’s the track listing:
“The Rose Of Laura Nyro”
“Little Richard’s Bible”
“Swing For The Fences”
“Never Too Late”
“You Without Me”
“Who Believes In Angels?”
“The River Man”
“A Little Light”
“Someone To Belong To”
“When This Old World Is Done With Me”

Ringo Starr, Foreigner, Pat Benatar set for Bourbon & Beyond Festival

February 5, 2025 by Classic Rock 93.9

Ringo Starr and his All-Starr Band, Foreigner, and Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo are confirmed to play this year’s Bourbon & Beyond Festival, happening Sept. 11-14 in Louisville, Kentucky.

More than 120 artists are booked for this year’s edition, which features headliners Phish, Noah Kahan, Jack White, Sturgill “Johnny Blue Skies” Simpson and The Lumineers.

Other artists on the bill include The Baseball Project, featuring members of R.E.M., Goo Goo Dolls, Third Eye Blind, Alabama Shakes, 10,000 Maniacs, Spin Doctors, Blind Melon, John Waite and Blues Traveler.

A complete lineup and ticket information can be found at bourbonandbeyond.com.

Jimmy Page tested ‘Becoming Led Zeppelin’ director before agreeing to the film

February 5, 2025 by Classic Rock 93.9

The new documentary Becoming Led Zeppelin may never have happened had the film’s director, Bernard MacMahon, not accepted an invitation from the band’s legendary guitarist Jimmy Page.

In a new interview with The Guardian, MacMahon says he kew going into the project there was a good chance he’d have trouble getting the surviving band members – Page, John Paul Jones and Robert Plant – to agree to the film.

He tells the paper he knew “it was incredibly likely that once I put in a phone call, the group might say they were not interested. There was every chance we would not even get a meeting.”

It was Page who was the first to agree to a meeting, at a London hotel in 2017. They spent seven hours talking, with Page quizzing him on band facts and also showing him “old diaries, dating back to the ’60s.” In the end, Page agreed to the project, telling the director, “I’m in – but you have to get the others on board.”

But it seems Page’s decision had conditions. He later asked MacMahon to join him at Pangbourne, the boathouse where he once lived and the band rehearsed, and luckily he agreed.

“Later he revealed it had been a test,” the film’s producer, Allison McGourty, says. “If you had said no to Pangbourne we wouldn’t have done the film.’”

MacMahon eventually got Jones and Plant to sign on to the project, and the members were then interviewed in 2018, with MacMahon telling the paper none of the rockers had any editorial demands regarding the film.

Becoming Led Zeppelin will open exclusively in IMAX theaters on Feb. 7, with early access screenings in 18 markets starting Feb. 5. It will then hit theaters nationwide on Feb. 14.

On This Day, Feb. 5, 1983: Def Leppard’s ‘Pyromania’ makes ‘Billboard’ 200 chart debut

February 5, 2025 by Classic Rock 93.9

On This Day, Feb. 5,1983…

Def Leppard’s third album, Pyromania, made its Billboard 200 chart debut.

The record, which featured the hits “Photograph,” “Foolin’” and “Rock of Ages,” spent a total of 124 weeks on the Billboard 200, although it never made it to #1, and had to settle for #2.

Pyromania was the band’s first album to feature guitarist Phil Collen. It went on to become Def Leppard’s most successful record, selling over 10 million copies, and being certified Diamond by the RIAA.

In 2024, in celebration of the album’s 40th anniversary, Def Leppard released a deluxe edition of Pyromania featuring unheard demos from the band’s archives.

Black Sabbath to reunite for one final show, joined by all-star lineup

February 5, 2025 by Classic Rock 93.9

After talking about it for ages, Black Sabbath has finally confirmed they’ll be reuniting for one final show in their hometown of Birmingham, England.

Original members Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward will headline the all-star show, titled Back to the Beginning: The Final Show, which will see them performing together for the first time in 20 years.

Scheduled for July 5 at Villa Park, the show will feature Ozzy playing a short solo set, followed by him joining Sabbath for what’s described as his “final bow.” There will also be performances by Metallica, Slayer, Pantera, Gojira, Halestorm, Alice in Chains, Lamb of God and Mastodon.

“It’s my time to go Back to the Beginning … time for me to give back to the place where I was born,” Ozzy shares. “How blessed am I to do it with the help of people whom I love. Birmingham is the true home of metal. Birmingham Forever.”

In addition to those previously mentioned bands, the show will feature performances by a “supergroup of musicians,” including Smashing Pumpkins’ Billy Corgan, Guns N’ Roses’ Slash and Duff McKagan, Korn’s Jonathan Davis, former Van Halen frontman Sammy Hagar, Mammoth WVH’s Wolfgang Van Halen, Limp Bizkit’s Fred Durst, Zakk Wylde, and more, with Rage Against the Machine’s Tom Morello both performing and serving as musical director.

“This will be the greatest heavy metal show ever,” said Morello.

Tickets for Back to the Beginning go on sale Feb. 14 at 10 a.m. GMT. Proceeds from the concert will be donated to several charities, including Cure Parkinsons, Birmingham Children’s Hospital and Acorn Children’s Hospice, a Children’s Hospice.

KISS’ Paul Stanley visiting South Florida on art tour

February 5, 2025 by Classic Rock 93.9

KISS‘ Paul Stanley is set to promote his latest art collection with two upcoming appearances in South Florida.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer will stop by two Wentworth Gallery locations in the Sunshine State: at the Boca Raton Town Center Mall on Feb. 22 and at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood on Feb. 23.

The collections will feature new original paintings, hand-painted guitars, mixed media originals, hand-painted acrylic sculptures and more. It will also include three new series by Stanley — the “Black Series,” “World in Chaos” and “Joy & Rebellion” — as well as pieces from earlier collections, like his “Forever Flowers” series, patriotic pieces and more.

“I don’t really have a style other than what connects all of my pieces – which is vibrant color,” Stanley shares. “Because, to me, color is the representation of life. I view my life, on its worst day, as a miracle. I think life is amazing. And I represent it with color.”

Stanley’s appearances will include a limited number of private VIP “Painting with Paul” experiences. Those interested can contact the Wentworth Gallery for more information.

Stanley has been creating art for decades, and actually designed and created the iconic KISS emblem. About 10 years ago he returned to painting, creating portraits and abstract work, earning tens of millions of dollars for his work.

DEVO announces dates for the 50 Years of Devolution … Continued tour

February 4, 2025 by Classic Rock 93.9

DEVO has announced a new set of tour dates for 2025.

The band will hit the road on their 50 Years of Devolution … Continued tour, starting May 1 in Philadelphia, hitting such cities as Brooklyn, Boston, Washington, D.C., Cleveland, Cincinnati, Oakland and Seattle before wrapping the tour Aug. 29 in Chicago.

“Join us as we celebrate five decades of de-evolution with a mind-melting live experience,” reads a message on the band’s Instagram. “Expect high-energy performances, iconic visuals, and all your favorite anthems of de-evolution!”

Tickets for all shows go on sale Friday at 10 a.m.

Next up, DEVO is set to play SNL50: The Homecoming Concert, taking place Feb. 14 at Radio City Music Hall in New York. It will stream live on Peacock starting at 8 p.m. ET.

R.E.M. contributes song to Good Music to Lift Up Los Angeles benefit compilation

February 4, 2025 by Classic Rock 93.9

R.E.M. has contributed a song to a 90-track compilation album raising money for those affected by the California wildfires.

Good Music to Lift Up Los Angeles will feature previously unreleased recordings, including covers, remixes, live versions and unreleased demos, and will be available on Bandcamp for only 24 hours starting Friday at noon PT.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Famers revealed on Instagram that their contribution to the album is a previously unreleased live recording of the New Adventures in Hi-Fi track “Electrolite,” from the Montreux Jazz Festival, July 6, 1999.

Other artists contributing to the compilation include Soul Asylum, Dawes, The Postal Service and Death Cab for Cutie, Jeff Tweedy, Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, Modest Mouse and Tenacious D.

Proceeds from the album will go to California Community Foundation’s Wildfire Recovery Fund and the LA Food Bank.

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