Classic Rock 93.9

Rocker Bryan Adams is narrating a new video for the animal rights group PETA, which is calling out the Canadian Armed Forces for the bearskin caps worn by the military.

The clip features footage of recreational hunters in Ontario setting traps for bears and then killing, disemboweling and dismembering the animals in order to sell off their skins. According to PETA, it takes at least one bear to have enough skin for each cap.   

“Shot bears don’t always die right away. Desperate and in pain, some bears flee the hunters and endure a slow, painful death from infection or blood loss,” Adams, who is a longtime vegan, says in the video. “Nursing mothers are sometimes shot, leaving behind cubs who starve, unable to survive on their own.” 

The rocker, a native of Kingston, Ontario, adds, “The Canadian government is endorsing this cruelty by using real bear fur on its military caps, even though military-grade faux bear fur now exists.” He implores the public to “tell the Canadian government to end the cruelty and go fur-free.”

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Stone Temple Pilots are fans of Kate Hudson‘s cover of “Vasoline.”

In a Facebook post, the “Interstate Love Song” outfit has shared the Almost Famous actor’s rendition of the Purple classic, which she performed during an appearance on The Howard Stern Show.

“Kate !!!” STP writes in the caption, alongside a heart emoji.

You’ll likely be hearing “Vasoline” on STP’s upcoming tour with Live, during which they’re celebrating the 30th anniversary of Purple. The outing kicks off in August.

Hudson, meanwhile, is releasing her debut album, Glorious, on May 17.

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Lenny Kravitz is once again giving fans a look at his exercise routine.

In a new video posted to social media, a shirtless Lenny (of course) is doing an impressive set of ring pull-ups on what appears to be the roof of an outdoor seating area. At one point, he holds himself up for several seconds before spreading his legs out in a “V.” 

Unlike his previous workout video, Lenny skips the leather pants this time, opting instead to work out in jeans.

The entire clip is soundtracked by his latest single, “Human,” and shared alongside the caption, “Another day… another life. Give thanks.” 

“Human” is on Lenny’s upcoming album, Blue Electric Light, which will be released May 24. It is available for preorder now.

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Deadheads are getting another preview of the Grateful Dead’s upcoming 50th anniversary deluxe edition of From The Mars Hotel.

The latest sneak peek is the live performance of “Ship of Fools (Live at University of Nevada 5/12/74).” The entire previously unreleased concert is one of the many bonus features on the deluxe edition.

“Debuting at Winterland in San Francisco on February 22, 1974, less than three months before the Reno show, ‘Ship Of Fools’ was one [of Jerry Garcia‘s] two mellower-tempo’d songs on Mars Hotel along with ‘China Doll,’” Dead Legacy manager and audio archivist David Lemieux writes. “It was a mainstay of Grateful Dead setlists from its debut right through 1995, although it was only played a half dozen times in 1994 and 1995 combined.”

“Ship of Fools (Live at University of Nevada 5/12/74)” is available now via digital outlets.

From The Mars Hotel (50th Anniversary Deluxe Edition) includes a remastered version of the album, along with previously unreleased demos and the University of Nevada concert. It will be released June 21 as a three-CD and digital set. The remastered version of the album will also be released as a single black vinyl; a limited-edition neon pink vinyl; a limited-edition “Ugly Rumors” custom vinyl, sold exclusively on Dead.net; and a specially designed zoetrope picture disc.

All formats are available for preorder now.

In other Dead news … ANALOGr is set to launch a new Grateful Dead auction on May 15. The Dead Forever auction features more than 300 lots from The Dead, including items from Garcia and Bob Weir. The auction is being held one day before Dead & Company launch their Dead Forever residency at Sphere Las Vegas on May 15. A complete list of dates can be found at deadandcompany.com.

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Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Dave Mason is ready to tell his story.

Mason is set to release his memoir, Only You Know and I Know, on September 10, making him the first member of Traffic to write their memoir.

“I am thrilled to finally share my journey in Only You Know and I Know, offering fans a firsthand account of the incredible experiences and relationships that have shaped my life in music,” Mason shares. “This memoir is a testament to the power of rock ‘n’ roll and the enduring impact it has had on my career and personal life.”
 

According to the description, the book will feature never-before-seen photographs and will have Mason sharing “captivating tales from his remarkable rock ‘n’ roll journey, recounting the many extraordinary situations he found himself in throughout his illustrious career,” including recording sessions with The Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney and Fleetwood Mac.

Only You Know and I Know is available for preorder now.

Mason is currently on his 2024 Traffic Jam tour. He plays Kent, Ohio, on May 22, with dates confirmed through October 3 in San Diego. A complete list of dates can be found at davemasonmusic.com.

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Nirvana has shared the letter the late Steve Albini sent them ahead of working on their 1993 album, In Utero.

In the letter, Albini, who preferred the term “engineer” to “producer,” lays out his “recording methodology and philosophy,” including his famed opposition to taking royalties.

“I do not want and will not take a royalty on any record I record,” Albini wrote. “No points. Period. I think paying a royalty to a producer or engineer is ethically indefensible.”

“The band write the songs. The band play the music,” he continued. “It’s the band’s fans why buy the records. The band is responsible for whether it’s a great record or a horrible record. Royalties belong to the band.”

You can read the entire letter on Nirvana’s Facebook page.

Albini passed away the night of Tuesday, May 7, at age 61. Others who’ve paid tribute include Pixies, The Breeders, PJ Harvey, Sonic Youth‘s Thurston Moore, Jack White, Lamb of God and Rage Against the Machine‘s Brad Wilk.

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On This Day, May 9, 1974 …

A 24-year-old Bruce Springsteen opened for Bonnie Raitt at the Harvard Square Theater in Boston. Rock critic Jon Landau was in the audience and was so impressed that in a review for Boston’s The Real Paper he wrote these famous words: “I saw rock and roll future and its name is Bruce Springsteen.”

Landau and The Boss struck up a friendship, and he was eventually hired by Springsteen as a record producer. His first album with Bruce was 1975’s Born To Run, with Landau co-producing all of Bruce’s albums through 1992’s Human Touch and Lucky Town, with the exception of 1982’s Nebraska.

Landau later became Springsteen’s manager, a position he holds to this day.

Springsteen, of course, proved Landau’s words true. At age 74, he is still on tour, with his latest trek with The E Street Band hitting Belfast, Ireland, on May 9. He released his most recent album, Only The Strong Survive, in 2022.

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The Beatles‘ 1970 documentary Let It Be is now streaming on Disney+, the first time the film has been made available to the public in more than 50 years. To celebrate the momentous occasion, The Beatles are set to drop a new music video for the title track on Friday, May 10, at 9 a.m. ET.

The video will not only include clips from the film, which has been restored by Peter Jackson’s Park Road Post Production, but also unseen outtakes.

Originally released in April 1970, Let It Be follows The Beatles inside the studio as they record what would wind up being their final album, Let It Be. It also includes footage from their January 1969 Apple Corps rooftop concert. It was released one month after the band officially broke up.  

Footage from the film was used in Jackson’s 2021 Emmy-winning docuseries, The Beatles: Get Back, which also aired on Disney+.

Disney is the parent company of ABC News. 

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Billy Joel has been alive for “The Longest Time:” He turns 75 on May 9.

The Piano Man will celebrate the milestone by doing the same thing he did when he turned 65 in 2014: He’ll be performing at New York’s Madison Square Garden. Back then, his residency, which started in January of that year, was fairly new. The May 9 performance, however, will be the residency’s third-to-last show and his 148th career show overall at the iconic venue. 

Billy’s residency ends for good in July with his 150th career show at the Garden, but unlike his former tour mate, Elton John, he’s not quitting the road. He’s got stadium shows booked throughout the rest of this year, some on his own and some with Sting, Stevie Nicks and Rod Stewart.

In his five-decade career, Billy has sold more than 160 million records worldwide. He’s won five Grammys, been inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Long Island Music Hall of Fame, and received both the Kennedy Center Honors and the Library of Congress’ Gershwin Prize for Popular Song.

Billy’s married to Alexis Roderick, his fourth wife, with whom he shares two daughters: Della and Remy. He also has an adult daughter, Alexa Ray, with ex-wife Christie Brinkley.

In February, Billy released “Turn the Lights Back On,” which returned him to Billboard‘s Hot 100 and Adult Contemporary charts — as an artist, not just a writer — for the first time since 1998. He recently told USA Today that for years, when he sang his song “The Entertainer” and got to the line, “You’ve heard my latest record / It’s been on the radio,” he’d shake his head “no.”

He added, “Not any more.”

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As Lenny Kravitz gets ready to release his new album, Blue Electric Light, he’s looking back at his career with Vulture.

In the interview, Kravitz credits his debut single, “Let Love Rule,” as the tune where he truly found his voice for the first time, sharing that the inspiration for the track came from an unlikely place.  

“’Let Love Rule’ came toward the end of that album. It was something that came to me when I was living in Soho,” he shares. “I’d written ‘Let Love Rule’ on the wall, next to the elevator, so that people would see it coming and going from the apartment.”

He says that while he would constantly see the words, it took a while before they would inspire him to write the track.  

“Then one day I walked in the apartment, looked at it again, went and picked up a guitar, and it just came,” he says. “I thought it was just a nice phrase. “

As for finding his voice, Kravitz notes, “When I did that song, it was the beginning of me accepting my voice. That was the first time I had heard myself and went, ‘Okay, that’s me.'”

When it comes to Blue Electric Light, due out May 24, Lenny chose it as the album that’s his “biggest creative rejuvenation.”

“I wanted fresh energy, new energy, and youthful energy, because youth isn’t only an age,” Kravitz, who turns 60 on May 26, shares. “Youth is also a feeling and a place to be. I’ve never been older than I am today, sure, but I’ve never felt younger than I feel today, which is an interesting place to be.”

Blue Electric Light is available for preorder now.

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