Slash has premiered the video for his cover of “Papa Was a Rolling Stone,” featuring vocals by Demi Lovato.
The clip features footage of the Guns N’ Roses guitarist and the pop star recording in the studio, cut with clips of disco-era Detroit. You can watch it streaming now on YouTube.
Slash’s version of “Papa Was a Rolling Stone,” which was originally made famous by The Temptations, was recorded for his new blues covers album, Orgy of the Damned. The set also includes collaborations with AC/DC‘s Brian Johnson, Aerosmith‘s Steven Tyler, ZZ Top‘s Billy F Gibbons and Iggy Pop.
Orgy of the Damned is out now, and Slash will launch a U.S. tour behind it in July. You can also catch him perform on ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live! May 20-22.
Two pages of handwritten lyrics by Bob Dylan are set to go up for auction in June.
The recently discovered and previously unknown lyrics, written on telephone message pads from the Ritz Carlton Hotel in New York, are believed to be from the 1980s.The lyrics, written in ballpoint pen, have Dylan referencing the Bible; New School University professor Anne Margaret Daniel, who has researched his archives, suggests they are from the time Dylan was working on the album Infidels, which was released in October 1983.
One of the documents comes with a harmonica that was said to have been given to the manuscript’s previous owner by Dylan.
Both lyric sheets will be on sale at Lion Heart Autographs on June 5. More info can be found at lionheartautographs.com.
In other Dylan news … an exhibit of the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer’s art is set to open at the Fenimore Art Museum in Cooperstown, New York. Bob Dylan Remastered: Drawings from the Road, which includes 92 art pieces signed by Dylan, opens May 25 and runs through September 15.
“This exhibition allows everyone, including Dylan’s fans, to experience another aspect of the range of talents possessed by this music legend,” said Chris Rossi, director of exhibitions at Fenimore Art Museum. “We all recognize him as an accomplished singer/songwriter and visitors will be equally amazed when discovering his work as a visual artist.”
The Zombies have announced details for their second annual Begin Here Festival, happening in their hometown, St Albans, England, about 20 miles outside of London.
This year’s festival is happening November 8-10 and will feature Colin Blunstone performing his debut solo album One Year for the first time, backed by a full band and strings, with The Zombies performing a show on the final night.
The festival will also include a Battle of the Bands, a Zombies tour of St Albans and a record signing, along with a screening of the band’s 2023 documentary, Hung Up On a Dream.
A presale for Zombies fans begins May 28, with tickets going on sale to the general public May 29. More info can be found at thezombiesmusic.com.
The Zombies, best known for their classic hits “She’s Not There” and “Time of the Season,” held their first-ever Begin Here Festival in November 2023.
Based on recent interviews with Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey, fans of The Who may be worried that they’ll never see their favorite band again — but Townshend is now giving them some hope.
In a March interview with The New York Times, Townshend said he no longer got a “buzz from performing with The Who” and that he was only “touring for the money.”Then in April, Daltrey told the Miami Herald that if Pete wasn’t into touring he wouldn’t do it, noting, “I don’t want to be back with the Who on the road, at 81, with someone who doesn’t want be there.”
But in a new interview with MOJO, Townshend seems to have changed his tune, insisting, “The Who are not done yet” and noting that his relationship with Roger is “better than it’s ever been.”
“I wish it were more intimate, but that’s not possible because we are so different,” he says. “But we value and respect each other more.”
Regarding their working relationship, Townshend says, “The Who are a brand and a friendship, but it’s not a band. It’s not a hard-working, complicated, growing and evolving f****** jazz group. We’re not challenging each other to work musical miracles, but we’re playing music we know so well.”
“So never say never,” Pete offers about the future of the group. “I don’t want to do what I did before and say we’re never going to work again.”
One of Ed Sheeran‘s favorite things to do is drop in on schools unexpectedly and meet with music students. But on May 16, he went one step further during a surprise visit to The Sheffield College in Northern England.
During his visit to the campus of the music career-focused college, Ed walked onstage during a workshop that was being held in the theater and performed with several students. Nineteen-year-old Lol Bailey was singing Ed’s hit “Shape of You” when the singer appeared.
“It really threw me off when Ed Sheeran walked on stage but it was brilliant,” Bailey told The Star.
Another student, 18-year-old Brad Lyne, got the chance to rap alongside Ed. He told The Star, “It was so cool. He’s a global superstar and an absolute legend but he was a normal dude who gave us some great advice. It made me think if he can achieve success, we can too.”
You can watch footage of both performances on Instagram. According to the college, Ed also performed “Castle on the Hill” during his visit and answered students’ questions about the music industry.
David Gilmour has added more shows to his upcoming Luck and Strange tour.
After initially announcing two shows each in New York and Los Angeles, the Pink Floyd rocker has now added one additional LA show and two more in the Big Apple.
Gilmour previously announced he’d be headlining Los Angeles’ Hollywood Bowl on October 29 and 30; the newly added show is on October 31. In New York, he’s playing Madison Square Garden on November 4 and 5, with the new additions of November 6 and 9. The two cities will be Gilmour’s only North American concert appearances.
Tickets for all shows go on sale to the general public starting Friday, May 17, at 10 a.m. local time.
The tour is in support of Gilmour’s new solo album, Luck and Strange, which drops September 6. It is his first album of new material in nine years.
Kevin Kane/WireImage for Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
It looks like we may soon be getting new music from Steve Perry.
In an interview with Rolling Stone, the former Journey frontman opens up about his musical future, sharing good news for fans.
“I just signed with a new label,” Perry says. “I’m very excited about it, and I’ll have an opportunity very soon to work with these very, very musically creative people.” He adds that he’s “working on stuff.”
Perry released Traces, his first solo album in 22 years, in 2018 and then followed it up with the holiday album The Season in 2021. While fans had to wait over two decades for a new record, they’ve been waiting even longer to see Perry back out on tour. Well, the wait may be over soon.
“It’s something that I’m absolutely missing terribly,” he says. “I can’t even tell you how much, but there’s been a big soulful reclaiming of this original feeling that I had about singing that I needed to get back to.”
In the same interview, Perry, who sang on the iconic tune “We Are the World,” talked about the recent making-of documentary The Greatest Night in Pop, noting, “Watching it was a big bag of emotions.”
“Seeing it for me was more emotional than being there,” he shares. “I just remember being so intimidated by all these people, from Bruce (Springsteen) to Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross, Lionel Richie. It just went on and on. Tina Turner was there! That completely killed me.”
He adds, “I just wish this could happen again today for a great cause. With the times we’re in, it saddens me that the possibility of such a thing seems remote.”
Black Sabbath played their final concert in 2017, but Ozzy Osbourne feels the band’s story didn’t come to a satisfying conclusion.
During the latest episode of his Madhouse Chronicles show, Ozzy’s co-host, Billy Morrison, asks him if he’s “happy with the arc of the legend of Black Sabbath.”
“No,” Ozzy replies. “Because it wasn’t Black Sabbath that finished it. It’s unfinished.”
Ozzy is referring to the fact that Sabbath’s final gig did not feature founding drummer Bill Ward. While he was originally set to be part of Sabbath’s reunion when it was announced in 2011, Ward ended up not taking part amid a falling out between him and the rest of the band. Tommy Clufetos, who plays drums in Ozzy’s solo band, manned the kit for the final Sabbath tour, while Rage Against the Machine‘s Brad Wilk played on their final album, 2013’s 13.
“It wasn’t really Black Sabbath,” Ozzy says of the Ward-less album and tour. “If you had [late Cream drummer] Ginger Baker playing with The Beatles, it wouldn’t be The Beatles.”
Ozzy adds that he would “jump at the chance” to play “one more gig” with Ward.
“Do you know what would be cool?” he says. “If we went to a club unannounced and we just got up and [played] … ’cause we started up in a club.”
In other Black Sabbath related news, bassist Geezer Butler‘s memoir, Into the Void, will be available on paperback June 18. The book was first released in 2023.
While the Super Bowl is a big deal for American football fans, the Champions League Final is just as huge for those who enjoy European football (aka soccer). Lenny Kravitz is about to entertain fans of the latter.
The rocker is set to headline the UEFA Champions League Final Kick Off Show presented by Pepsi on June 1 at London’s Wembley Stadium. The performance happens just ahead of the game, which is considered the “biggest final in the club football calendar.”
“I’m really looking forward to my performance for the UEFA Champions League Final Kick Off Show presented by Pepsi inLondon, a city which holds a special place in my heart,” Kravitz shares. “It’s going to be such an exciting event ahead of a final that means so much to so many. We can’t wait to show you all what we have in store.”
The news comes as Lenny is getting ready to release his new album, Blue Electric Light, on May 24. It is his first album since 2018’s Raise Vibrations.
L-R: Steven Tyler, Chris Robinson, Jimmy Page and Rich Robinson backstage at London’s Eventim Apollo, 15th May 2024/ Photo Credit: Ross Halfin
The Black Crowes brought their Happiness Bastards tour to London’s Eventim Apollo on Wednesday, May 15, where they were joined by a very special guest: Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler.
Tyler came out for the final song of the night, joining The Crowes for a cover of the Aerosmith classic “Mama Kin.” It was Tyler’s first public performance since fracturing his larynx in September, which forced the postponement of Aerosmith’s Peace Out final tour.
“If it is alright with y’all, we wanna play one more song. We wanna dedicate it to somebody who is a dear friend, and a hero, and a legend, Mr. Steven Tyler,” Chris Robinson shared. “We will be touring with Aerosmith soon, so we wanna play one of his songs.”
The Crowes were special guests on the Peace Out tour and will join Aerosmith again when the tour resumes September 20 in Pittsburgh.
Meanwhile, Tyler wasn’t the only rock superstar to take in The Crowes’ London show. The band shared a picture on Instagram revealing that Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page was also backstage. They captioned the clip, “Rock Royalty Reigned last night at the #HappinessBastardsTour at the @eventimapollo in London.”
Next up, The Black Crowes bring their Happiness Bastards tour to Newcastle on May 17. A complete list of date can be found at theblackcrowes.com.
