Joan Jett & The Blackhearts, Foghat and Night Ranger are among the acts booked for The Mountain Music Festival, taking place Aug. 23-25 in the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee.
The three-day fest at the Gatlinburg Convention Center in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, features a lineup of over 20 artists, with Tesla, 38 Special, Quiet Riot, Great White, Slaughter, Aldo Nova and more also on the bill.
Tickets for the festival are on sale now. More info on tickets and the complete lineup can be found at themountainusa.com.
Sammy Hagar took to social media Thursday to wish his bandmate and friend Michael Anthony a happy birthday.
“On this day, a long, long time ago, the world was blessed with this bad a**, bass playing, singing rock ‘n’ roll superstar,” Hagar wrote on Instagram. “Ladies and gentlemen I present to you the one. The only Mr. Michael Anthony.”
In an accompanying video, Hagar called the former Van Halen bassist “my brother from a different mother,” sharing, “I can’t tell you how much I love having you as a friend, having you as a bandmate, a partner in crime.”
“We have more fun than any 10 monkeys on the planet,” he added.
Hagar was dressed in a suit jacket in honor of the occasion, telling Anthony he wanted to be “first class today for you.”
He said he would stay that way all day and would be having a cocktail to celebrate, but when the camera pulled back it revealed Hagar was actually only dressed up from the top up. He was actually wearing pink shorts with palm trees on the bottom, and noted, “Got to get this monkey suit off.”
And Anthony apparently loved the message.
“Hahahaha, thanks, brother, haven’t seen you that dressed up in a long time!!!” he commented. “We’ve been through a lot, and we ain’t finished yet!! I love ya….and I’ll be right over for that birthday cocktail.”
Hagar is set to kick off his The Best of All Worlds tour, featuring Anthony, Joe Satriani and Jason Bonham, on July 13 in West Palm Beach, Florida. A complete list of dates can be found at redrocker.com.
Paramount+ has announced a new docuseries called Nöthin But a Good Time: The Uncensored Story of ’80s Hair Metal.
The three-part show features interviews with ’80s metallers including Poison‘s Bret Michaels, Ratt‘s Stephen Pearcy, Extreme‘s Nuno Bettencourt, Skid Row‘s Dave “Snake” Sabo and Headbangers Ball host Riki Rachtman. Additionally, Slipknot‘s Corey Taylor and Jackass’Steve-O will make appearances.
“This docuseries is a celebration of the most outrageous decade in rock ‘n’ roll,” says director Jeff Tremaine, who also helmed the Mötley Crüe biopic The Dirt. “It’s my love letter to the ’80s.”
Nöthin But a Good Time, which, of course, includes an umlaut in the title, is based on the 2021 book Nöthin’ But a Good Time: The Uncensored History of the ’80s Hard Rock Explosion. A premiere date has yet to be announced.
If you’ve ever wanted to learn more about the German rock band Scorpions, you’ll soon get your chance.
Deadline reports that a Scorpions musical biopic, titled Wind of Change, after their 1991 top-five hit, is in the works from ESX Entertainment.
According to the description, the film will follow three friends – Rudolf Schenker, Klaus Meine and MatthiasJabs – “whose passion for rock n’ roll fueled their rise from the ashes of post-World War II Germany to the global stardom in the 1980s as the multi-platinum rock band Scorpions.”
“The Scorpions’ music has penetrated our culture in a big way,” producer Ali Afshar tells Deadline. “There is an evocative quality to their sound that is unmatched in the genre, which is one of the reasons hits like ‘Rock You Like a Hurricane’ and ‘Still Loving You’ continue to get so much airplay and fill movie soundtracks, and their music continues to connect with a new generation of fans across the globe.”
Production on Wind of Change is expected to begin in Europe later this year, with a planned 2025 release, which will also be the band’s 60th anniversary.
Billy Joel is getting ready to wrap his Madison Square Garden residency in July, and while fans got a taste of the show when his 100th concert aired on CBS earlier this year, Billy wasn’t exactly the biggest fan of the telecast.
“I’m never crazy about doing TV. I don’t think I’m telegenic anyway,” he tells Variety. “I think I’m one of those artists who should be heard and not necessarily seen.”
He adds, “I don’t like being on camera. I’m camera-shy. … it just doesn’t feel rock ‘n’ roll when you’re on camera.”
Fans at home wound up upset when CBS mistakenly cut the telecast short in the middle of his “Piano Man” performance, with Joel sharing he “wasn’t surprised” it happened.
“I’ve never been really happy with the way music is presented on television,” he says. “I wasn’t surprised that it got cut off short because I’ve always kind of been cut short by TV.”
Joel says he’s looking forward to playing other venues in New York City when the residency ends, something he wasn’t allowed to do because of an exclusivity clause. He does think he’ll miss the place, noting the venue’s “acoustically perfect.”
But even though he’s saying goodbye, it doesn’t mean he’ll never be back.
“I am kind of remorseful about not playing there anymore, for the time being,” he says. “It doesn’t mean we can’t go back there any time. … And if we get an opportunity to play the Garden again, we probably will.”
Billy Joel’s final Madison Square Garden residency show is happening July 25. A complete list of show dates can be found at billyjoel.com.
on Jovi recently released their new album, FOREVER, but hasn’t announced a tour due to Jon Bon Jovi‘s voice problems: He had major vocal cord surgery in 2022 and is still recovering. In fact, Jon told EW that the band won’t tour in 2024. But luckily, Jon says playing live has never been the most important thing for him.
“You know, I’ve always had the same list of priorities,” he told ABC Audio. “One was writing. Two was recording, to see if what you’ve written was worth it. And three was sharing it with an audience.”
“I enjoy it when we’re out there. I’m quite good at it. But I don’t need that high,” he revealed. “You know, it’s really not what motivates us. For me. It doesn’t motivate me, I should say. Writing the song is first and foremost.”
However, Jon does allow that performing songs live serves an important purpose.
“When you release a record and it’s on the radio, folks are listening to it. But I don’t know the reaction to the song, you know?” he notes. “So going out and doing it live is great.”
In the absence of a tour, we’ll just have to content ourselves with listening to the new album and watching the Hulu documentary Thank You, Goodnight: The Bon Jovi Story.
Paul McCartney has added more dates to his Got Back tour.
The two-time Rock & Roll Hall of Famer is returning to Mexico this fall with two shows: Nov. 8 in Monterrey and Nov. 12 in Mexico City.
“The shows at Foro Sol were a highlight of last year for me. What a magical time we all had,” McCartney shares, referring to his November 2023 shows in Mexico City. “I can still hear your singing ringing in my ears!”
He adds, “Mexican audiences are so special. We always have a massive party together. I’m really looking forward to getting back and to rocking n’ rolling with you all as well as my first ever visit to Monterrey!”
A ticket presale kicks off June 24 at 9 a.m., with tickets going on sale to the general public June 28 at 1 p.m.
The Mexico dates are just the latest additions to McCartney’s Got Back tour. He also recently announced shows in South America and Europe. A complete list of dates can be found at PaulMcCartney.com.
Scott Weiland‘s widow, Jamie Weiland, says that the late Stone Temple Pilots frontman did not die from an overdose.
Speaking with the Appetite for Distortion podcast, Jamie remarked, “When [Scott] died, everybody was kind of like, ‘That’s tragic, but, of course, he overdosed,’ which he didn’t f****** overdose … he didn’t.”
“Because he had drugs in his system, the coroner had to rule it an overdose,” Jamie continued. “But the truth is Scott died because the main artery in his left ventricle was 95% blocked. That came from 10 years of heroine use. That came from an entire adult life of chain-smoking. His heart stopped.”
Following his passing in December 2015, it was ruled that Weiland died of an accidental mixed drug toxicity involving cocaine, alcohol and the drug MDA. The report also noted asthma, cardiovascular disease and Weiland’s years of drug use as significant conditions.
“Did [Scott] have trace amounts of drugs in his system? He did,” Jamie said. “Did I know he was using? No, I didn’t, because he lied to me.”
“That was not an overdose,” she continued. “He was not using heroin, he did not overdose on drugs. His heart stopped because his heart had been through so much abuse. Because of prior drug use in his life, and smoking, and heavy drinking.”
Queen has reportedly made a lot of money selling off their catalog.
According to Variety, sources have confirmed a report first revealed on Hits that the British rockers are selling their catalog to Sony Music for a reported $1.27 billion.
The catalog includes such Queen hits as “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “Another One Bites the Dust,” “We Are The Champions” and “We Will Rock You.” The deal reportedly includes revenues for everything but the band’s live performances.
There have been rumors for months that the Queen catalog was up for sale, with Sony often mentioned as the front-runner. The latest report claims another buyer was in the running, but would not go over $900 million for the catalog.
Disney has owned the Queen recorded-music rights in the U.S. and Canada since 1991, and that will continue. The band also currently has a distribution deal with Universal, which will expire in either 2026 or 2027, and then it will be transferred to Sony outside the U.S. and Canada.
Queen isn’t the first act Sony has shelled out big bucks for. It previously purchased Bruce Springsteen’s catalog for a reported $500 million, and reportedly paid even more for 50% of Michael Jackson’s catalog.
Music fans know Stevie Van Zandt as the legendary guitarist in Bruce Springsteen‘s E Street Band, but he’s a lot more than that, as they’ll learn watching the new documentary Stevie Van Zandt: Disciple.
Director Bill Teck tells ABC Audio he’s been a Van Zandt fan since his teens and wanted to make the film to show people all sides of the rocker.
“I felt like people knew some of the story, but not all the story,” Teck says. “Some of the work, but not all the work.”
The film covers Van Zandt’s early days starting out with Springsteen in Asbury Park, his solo career, his acting career and his role as a rock historian. It also focuses on his activism, including his 1985 all-star charity single “Sun City,” which helped end apartheid in South Africa.
The doc features previously unseen footage, including long-lost video of Stevie’s wedding to his wife of over 40 years, Maureen, in which Springsteen was best man and Little Richard performed the service. There’s also very early footage of Stevie’s days with Springsteen and Southside Johnny.
Teck notes, “For me, as a lifelong fan, to be able to show other fans this great stuff was very fulfilling.”
Of course covering everything about Van Zandt wasn’t easy, and Teck says the original cut of the doc was quite long.
“There’s all the many lives of Stevie. He’s Miami Steve, he’s Little Steven, he’s the activist, the entrepreneur. There’s the friendship with Springsteen. There’s the love for rock ‘n’ roll,” Teck notes. “There’s so many different threads, so it was challenging to get all that in.”
You can see how he does it when Stevie Van Zandt: Disciple premieres June 22 on HBO and streams on Max.
