Classic Rock 93.9

When it comes to the subject of artificial intelligence, Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic‘s feels that if it’s good enough for The Beatles, it’s good enough for him.

In an interview with NME, Novoselic was asked if he’d be open to using AI to complete any unfinished Nirvana recordings that might possibly exist, akin to the upcoming “last Beatles record,” which used AI to “extricate” the late John Lennon‘s voice from an old demo.

“That’s a good idea!” Novoselic replies. “I’m going to bring that up with Dave [Grohl] and Pat [Smear]!”

“I can hardly wait to hear a new Beatles song,” he adds. “Come on, it’s The Beatles! I want to hear a new Beatles song! And if AI helps it, then absolutely — that’s the way it is today.”

As for whether there’s actually any existing leftover Nirvana material that could be finished with AI, Novoselic isn’t sure.

“We’ve got the start talking about this,” he says. “That’s a good idea. There could be. There’s a point where it’s like, ‘Is this Nirvana on AI?’ There’s a lot of that stuff already on YouTube, and that’s a debate that’s going to have to be settled when it comes to copyright and disinformation.”

Novoselic also notes that, of course, late frontman Kurt Cobain is “not here in the present” to give his input.

“Everything has got to be done right,” he says.

By the way, AI’s already been used on the live recordings included in Nirvana’s upcoming 30th anniversary In Utero reissue, due out October 27.

“We took the digital audio tapes from the soundboard in Rome, Seattle and Los Angeles, then the AI can separate all the instruments and we got a really good mix out of it,” Novoselic shares.

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Ringo Starr took a little tumble onstage during a concert in New Mexico on Wednesday.

Video posted by TMZ shows The Beatles legend walking up some stairs to return to the stage; as he heads toward his microphone, he trips, hitting the stage hard. 

The rocker’s band was in the middle of singing “Give Peace A Chance” at the time of the fall, and he got back on his feet to join his bandmates on the chorus. He joked, “I fell over just to tell you that,” referring to the song’s classic refrain.

Ringo and His All-Starr Band, made up of Toto‘s Steve Lukather, Men at Work‘s Colin Hay, Edgar Winter, Warren Ham, Hamish Stuart and Gregg Bissonette, next play Kansas City, Missouri, on September 22. A complete list of dates can be found at ringostarr.com.

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U2 guitarist The Edge is doing what he can to help musicians who lost their instruments in the Maui wildfires this summer.

The rocker’s charitable organization, Music Rising, which he founded with producer Bob Ezrin after Hurricane Katrina, has launched Music Rising Lahaina, which is offering replacement instruments and equipment to musicians who lost their belongings in the August fires. They’re also offering financial assistance to musicians in need.

Additionally, the organization is donating proceeds from any Music Rising merchandise sold from now until November 2023 to the Music Rising Lahaina effort. Applications for assistance are now open at musicrisinglahaina.org.

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Iron Maiden frontman Bruce Dickinson is going solo again. The rocker announced he’ll drop his new solo album The Mandrake Project next year, marking his seventh solo release and his first since 2005’s Tyranny of Souls.

Dickinson is already planning to take his new project on the road, announcing dates in Mexico and Brazil, starting April 18, 2024, in Guadalajara, Mexico, and wrapping May 4, 2024, in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

“This album has been a very personal journey for me and I am extremely proud of it,” Dickinson shares. “I’m even more excited at the prospect of getting out on the road with this amazing band that we have put together, to be able to bring it to life.”

He adds, “As for what The Mandrake Project actually is… all will be revealed soon!”

A complete list of Dickinson dates can be found at themandrakeproject.com.

In the meantime, Iron Maiden is gearing up to play Power Trip, happening October 6-8 at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California. Maiden is set to play opening night with Guns N’ Roses. The rest of the lineup includes Metallica, AC/DC, Judas Priest and Tool.

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Roger Waters is giving fans yet another preview of his upcoming album, The Dark Side of the Moon Redux, which has him reimagining Pink Floyd’s classic album.

The rocker just dropped “Speak To Me,” with added spoken lyrics not featured in the original, as well as “Breathe.”

You can listen to both songs now via digital outlets and on YouTube.

The tracks are the third and fourth songs Waters has shared from The Dark Side of the Moon Redux following “Time” and “Money.”

The Dark Side of the Moon Redux will be released October 6 and is available for preorder now. It features Waters’ reworkings of all the tracks on the original Floyd album. A double LP edition of the release will also include a 13-minute bonus track, “Original Composition,” which was inspired by the rerecording. 

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On This Day, September 21, 1985…

Dire Straits hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 with “Money for Nothing,” the band’s first and only chart topper. It spent three weeks in the top spot.

The song, written from the point of view of two working-class men, featured background vocals by The Police frontman Sting.

“Money for Nothing” was the second single from Dire Straits’ album Brothers in Arms. The song’s popularity was aided by its 3D animated video, which got regular play on MTV.  It went on to win Video of the Year, as well as Best Group Video at the MTV Video Music Awards.

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Bonnie Raitt has once again been recognized for her single “Just Like That.” 

The track was named Song of the Year at the Americana Honors & Awards in Nashville on Wednesday, September 20, where she beat out the likes of Allison Russell and Brandi Carlile, Zach Bryan, Margo Price and Charley Crockett.

“Thank you to @americanafest, and congratulations to all of tonight’s winners including Bonnie’s ‘Just Like That’ for Song of the Year!” read a post on Raitt’s Instagram account. “Bonnie was so honored to stand alongside all the talented songwriters nominated this year and loved getting to perform and once again be a part of this wonderful celebration!”

This is the second big honor for “Just Like That,” which earlier this year took home the Grammy for Song of the Year.

Raitt performed the Just Like That… track “Made Up Mind” on the Americana Awards, which also featured tributes to two artist who passed this year. According to Variety, singer Logan Ledger performed “Come Monday” in honor of the late Jimmy Buffett, while the show ended with an all-star performance of The Band’s “Up On Cripple Creek,” in honor of the late Robbie Robertson.

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Nirvana‘s In Utero is now 30 years old.

Released on September 21, 1993, In Utero had the difficult and unenviable task of following Nirvana’s giant 1991 album, Nevermind, which had made worldwide stars out of Kurt Cobain, Krist Novoselic and Dave Grohl, and brought the grunge and alternative rock movement of the ’90s to the mainstream.

Coming off of Nevermind, Cobain was deemed the “voice of a generation” that spoke for the angsty and disaffected youth of the day. It’s a role he seems to speak to on the opening In Utero track “Serve the Servants” with the line, “Teenage angst has paid off well/ Now I’m bored and old.”

Meanwhile, Cobain’s increased fame put scrutiny on his personal life. His marriage to Hole‘s Courtney Love, with whom he had a daughter, Frances Bean, had become tabloid fodder, along with reports of the couple’s drug use.

In Utero was produced by Steve Albini, with whom Cobain wanted to collaborate due to his work with bands including Pixies and The Breeders. The harsher sound of the record prompted mixed feelings from Nirvana’s label, as well as among the band members themselves, who at one point considered rerecording the album. Eventually, frequent R.E.M. producer Scott Litt was brought in to remix future singles “Heart-Shaped Box” and “All Apologies.”

Upon its release, In Utero was a critical and commercial success, even while Walmart and Kmart refused to sell it until the album artwork was changed. It debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 and has been certified five-times Platinum by the RIAA.

Later in 1993, Nirvana recorded their legendary MTV Unplugged performance. Cobain died by suicide in April 1994, making In Utero Nirvana’s final studio record.

A 30th anniversary reissue of In Utero will be released October 27.

If you are in crisis or know someone in crisis, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741. 

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KISS‘ Gene Simmons is giving fans a shot at purchasing some unique collectables, and it’s all for a good cause.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer has signed some Funko figures and sets, with all the proceeds going to the charity Mending Kids, which provides free lifesaving surgical care to sick children worldwide.

Items currently up for bid include a one-of-a-kind KISS Funko Jumbo 10-inch The Demon, a figure with Simmons’ KISS makeup and a tongue sticking out, just like the iconic rocker. There’s also a one-of-a-kind signed Pop! Yourself Gene Simmons of KISS figure, which has the rocker without the KISS makeup.

Some of the other collectables in the charity auction include: a KISS Deluxe Moment Alive II Tour 1978 set, featuring collectables of the whole band; a KISS Deluxe Album Destroyer set, with figures of all band members and the album cover art; plus autographed 4-inch versions of The Demon.

In a video showing him signing the 10-inch Demon collectable, Simmons reassures fans that all the money raised will go to the organization.

“Literally no money for administration, none of it’s gonna be taken for lunch for the people that work there,” he says. “Everybody contributes their time for free so that children who don’t have insurance and are not lucky, who don’t have money are still gonna get the operations they need.”

Bidding on eBay is open now and ends Sunday, September 24.

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Eurythmics star Annie Lennox was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2022, and now some of her props are on display for fans to enjoy.

Lennox has contributed some new artifacts to the Hall’s “Right Here, Right Now” exhibit, including the hat she wore while performing “Jolene” with Dolly Parton and other inductees during the 2022 ceremony’s finale. There’s also the baton prop she used during her induction performance of Eurythmics classic “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This).”

Lennox is one of several artists contributing memorabilia to the “Right Here, Right Now” exhibit. Others include Taylor Swift, Brandi Carlile, Olivia Rodrigo, Billie Eilish and Harry Styles.

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