Classic Rock 93.9

MusiCares, the charitable arm of the Recording Academy, has named Jon Bon Jovi its Person of the Year for 2024.

That means Jon will be the guest of honor at the MusiCares annual gala, which will takes place February 2 at the Los Angeles Convention Center, two nights before the Grammy Awards. At the event, a star-studded lineup is expected to perform Jon’s songs.

On social media, Jon offered his thanks and shared a video that his “dear friend” Paul McCartney made, telling him he’d be receiving the honor.

Laura Segura, executive director of MusiCares, says in a statement that Jon’s “remarkable contributions to rock and roll have not only left an indelible mark on the music industry, but also in the hearts of countless fans around the world.”

She also noted he’s getting the award for his philanthropic work as well, adding, “His long-standing commitment to serving food-insecure and unhoused individuals inspires us all. We’re looking forward to celebrating him and the many ways he has made a difference in this world.”

“Humbled” by the honor, Jon notes in a statement, “Philanthropic work has been a cornerstone of my life and has always run in tandem to my music career and achievements. I know this for sure: helping one’s community is helping one’s self.”

The money raised by the gala goes toward MusiCares’ programs that help those in the music community with physical and mental health, addiction recovery, preventive clinics, unforeseen personal emergencies and disaster relief.

Tickets to the event are available at personoftheyear.musicares.org.

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Mick Mars is teasing fans with some big news.

On Wednesday, October 18, the former Mötley Crüe guitarist launched a 13-day countdown on his social media accounts, meaning something is coming on October 31. The countdown posts feature a desolate forest, with Mars’ face popping up at the end.

Many fans are speculating that Mars is about to release some solo music, and they certainly seem excited by the prospect.

“if mick drops a solo album on Halloween I will spontaneously combust,” one fan commented, while another added, “if this is new music i’ll explode.”

Meanwhile another speculated, “In 13 days he’s rejoining the Crue for one last reunion tour!” That, however, seems unlikely, considering Mars sued his former bandmates in April for decreasing his share of the profits after he retired from the road.

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Billy Joel will turn 75 next year, and to celebrate the milestone, he’s doing the same thing he did when he turned 65.

Just like he did in 2014, Billy will spend his birthday — May 9 — onstage at Madison Square Garden. It’ll be the third-to-last show of his residency and his 148th lifetime show at the famous venue. However, this particular show is subject to change if it conflicts with a playoff game. 

Citi cardmembers will have access to a presale starting October 23 at 10 a.m ET via citientertainment.com. The general onsale starts October 27 at ticketmaster.com.

As previously reported, Billy will conclude his residency in July with his 150th career show at the Garden. Billy’s next show at the venue is Friday, October 20. He has two shows with Stevie Nicks left in 2023: November 10 in Minneapolis and December 8 in Phoenix. Billy will ring in 2024 with a New Year’s Eve show at USB Arena in Elmont, NY.

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Singer-songwriter Dwight Twilley, who gained fame in the ’70s and ’80s with hits like “I’m On Fire” and “Girls,” passed away Wednesday, October 18, at the age of 72. The Church Studios in Tulsa confirmed the news of his death on Facebook. 

“With heavy hearts, we share the devastating news of Dwight Twilley’s passing. Today, he peacefully departed this world, surrounded by the love of his life, Jan, and close friends,” they wrote. “The loss is immeasurable, and our words can’t capture the depth of our grief. Dwight’s musical prowess touched countless lives, leaving an indelible mark on the hearts of many. We are profoundly thankful for the enduring musical legacy he has bestowed upon us all.”

The Dwight Twilley Band, which also featured Phil Seymour, had their first Billboard hit in 1975 with their debut single, “I’m On Fire,” which peaked at #15. They released their debut solo album, Sincerely, in 1976, although it failed to have much chart success, peaking at #138.

Seymour left the Dwight Twilley band in 1978, and Twilley went on to launch a solo career, releasing his first album, Twilley, in 1979. His biggest hit as a solo artist was the track “Girls” from his 1984 album, Jungle, which peaked at #16 on the chart.

He released his last album, Always, in 2014.

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Pearl Jam‘s sophomore album, Vs., is now 30 years old.

Released on October 19, 1993, Vs. was the follow-up to PJ’s hit 1991 debut, Ten. While Ten was initially released to little fanfare, Vs. arrived in a post-Nevermind world. With the grunge explosion in full force, which helped Ten reach #2 on the Billboard 200 in 1992, Pearl Jam had become a household name alongside Nirvana, leading to increased hype and expectation around Vs.

Upon its release, Vs. gave Pearl Jam their first #1 album on the Billboard 200 and set a new record for first-week album sales that stood for five years. It spawned the singles “Daughter,” “Go,” “Animal” and “Dissident,” as well as the fan favorite cut “Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town.” Today, it’s certified seven-times Platinum by the RIAA.

While it was recorded and titled ahead of time, the era of Vs. was also defined by the battle of Pearl Jam vs. Ticketmaster. The ticketing giant’s implementation of service fees — which, as Taylor Swift fans can tell you, persists today — upset the group, who had made an effort to keep ticket prices low.

In 1994, guitarist Stone Gossard and bassist Jeff Ament testified before Congress in protest of Ticketmaster’s practices, and the band as a whole began a boycott of the company. The summer 1994 tour was canceled, and Pearl Jam endeavored to only play non-Ticketmaster venues. The boycott lasted until 1998.

Pearl Jam followed Vs. with 1994’s Vitalogy, their last with drummer Dave Abbruzzese. Their most recent album, their 11th studio effort, is 2020’s Gigaton.

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On This Day, October 19, 1979…

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers released their third album, Damn the Torpedoes.

The record became their first top 10 album, peaking at #2. It featured the band’s first top 20 singles,  “Don’t Do Me Like That,” which peaked at #10 and “Refugee,” which peaked at #15.  Two other songs,  “Here Comes My Girl” and “Even the Losers,” went on to become Petty classics.

The album’s title is a reference to an apocryphal quote by Admiral David Farragut, who, during a Civil War battle in 1864, allegedly said, “Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!”  

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On October 17 in Sydney, Australia, the surviving members of INXS reunited for the first time since 2017 — and were surprised with a special award commemorating four billion global streams of their hit-packed catalog — a number that sax player Kirk Pengilly says is almost too big for him to comprehend.

“We thought we were just getting together with the record company and some media … so it was a big surprise,” Kirk told ABC Audio after the ceremony.  “But it’s just hard to even fathom that — y’know, that’s half the world’s population!”

Kirk called the reunion “really lovely,” adding, “Hopefully we can do it a little more often!”  And there’s plenty going on in INXS land that might lead to that.

Out now is Calling All Nations — A Fan History of INXS, a book compiling testimonials from hundreds of fans around the world, detailing their devotion to the Aussie band who brought us “Need You Tonight,” “Never Tear Us Apart,” “New Sensation” and more.

Kirk loves the book because it’s from “the people that mattered: our fans.” He notes, “Reading through it is quite emotional … [to see] just how much we meant to so many of the fans.”

“I sort of forgot how much we did connect with our fans on a face-to-face level,” notes Kirk. As for why they were so chummy with their fans — handing out VIP passes and tickets and hanging with them for hours — Kirk laughs, “We’re Australian!”

But also, he says, “I think we spent so much time together, we ran out of things to talk about — so meeting fans was fun! New blood! New conversations!” 

Coming next: a limited-edition Record Store Day release, a Dolby Atmos 30th anniversary mix of Full Moon, Dirty Hearts, and a set of 12″ vinyl remixes.

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The new animated short film Peter & The Wolf reimagines Sergei Prokofiev’s classic symphony as a contemporary tale following 12-year-old Peter, who’s grieving the loss of a parent.

The film features music and narration by composer Gavin Friday and illustrations by U2’s Bono, based on their 2003 project for the Irish Hospice Foundation.

Friday, who spearheaded the project’s transition to the screen, is a longtime friend of Bono’s and was quite familiar with his artistic talent, but says it wasn’t easy to turn the rocker’s drawings into what fans will see in the film.

“The biggest challenge was how do you animate these drawings because they’re quite freeform and expressive,” Friday tells ABC Audio. 

Bono briefly appears in the film to help that transition, with the film’s co-director Elliot Dear explaining it was their goal to stick to the rocker’s mostly monochromatic look.

He shares, “We’ve kind of taken as much as we can from Bono’s lead on that stuff to try and maintain some fidelity to the original artwork.”

When it came to his narrator duties, Friday says he tried to imagine what the movie would’ve been like if Tim Burton directed it.

“It went all black and white in my head and it went sort of semi gothic,” he says. “In a fun way, almost like kids like to be sort of scared, but not totally scared. So that was the sentiment.”

On screen, Gavin’s narrator is a not-so-scary fly given the nickname Gavin Flyday.

“He’s the fly on the wall,” co-director Stephen McNally explains, with Friday adding, “We all found it quite tongue in cheek that this tiny little creature with wings has a deep and dark voice.”  

Peter & the Wolf premieres Thursday, October 19, on Max.

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Peter Gabriel left Genesis in 1975, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t still have an interest in his old band. In fact, the rocker attended the group’s final live performance at London’s O2 Arena in March 2022, and he is now explaining why he decided to attend. 

“Me going was a rite of passage, really,” he told Mojo. “I’d been part of the creation of Genesis so I wanted to be there at the end.” 

While Gabriel was on hand to see the show, he didn’t join his former bandmates onstage. As for what he thought of the performance, he noted, “Phil (Collins) wasn’t in as great a shape as he used to be, but they did a great job.”

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A very special Night Ranger concert is coming to AXS TV.

The special, 40 Years And A Night with Contemporary Youth Orchestra, is set to air Saturday, October 21, at 8 p.m. ET, with an extended 90-minute version airing Saturday, November 18, at 9 p.m. ET. 

The special captures the band’s November 9, 2022, performance at Key Bank State Theatre in Cleveland, Ohio, where they were backed by the Contemporary Youth Orchestra, made up of musicians ages 12 to 18 from over 40 schools in the state. 

“It was a dream come true to have Night Ranger music accompanied by an entire symphonic band … including our own!” Jack Blades shares. “Although now, we’re spoiled, and we want to carry the orchestra with us everywhere we go!!”

Brad Gillis adds, “I can check this one off my bucket list. Having the CYO backing us for this show was just amazing and it really took Night Ranger to another level.” 

An album of the concert, also called 40 Years and a Night with Contemporary Youth Orchestra, is set to drop Friday, October 20, on CD, vinyl, DVD, Blu-ray and digitally. It is available for preorder now.

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