Classic Rock 93.9

Heart’s Ann Wilson is set to drop some new music. The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer announced on Instagram that she’ll be releasing the new album Another Door, with her backing band Tripsitter, on September 29.

“All these songs were written by me and some musicians of the finest caliber,” Wilson shares in her post. “And I think if you give it a listen, it’ll blow your mind. Will you walk through the door with us?”

And if you weren’t excited enough, the music is already getting a glowing endorsement from Ann’s sister and bandmate, Nancy Wilson. She commented on the post, “I’ve heard a few cuts already and this promises to be a great album!”

Another Door is available for preorder now.

Wilson first teased the new music with Tripsitter back in May, when she announced a set of new tour dates with the band. Her next show is happening August 23 in Hampton Beach, New Hampshire. A complete list of dates can be found at annwilson.com. 

Here is the track listing for Another Door:

“Tripsitter”
“This Is Now”
“Rain Of Hell”
“Stranger In A Strange Land”
“Waiting For Magic”
“Ruler Of The Night”
“Still”
“Rusty Robots”
“What If”
“Little Things”
“Miss One & Only”

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Pearl Jam is raffling off a signed poster to raise money for those affected by the ongoing wildfires devastating Maui, Hawaii.

The poster is from Eddie Vedder and company’s 1998 Hawaii shows. It’s autographed by all five current PJ members, along with touring keyboardist Boom Gasper, who was born and has long lived in Hawaii.

The raffle will be run by the platform Fandiem and closes September 3. The more you donate, the more entries you’ll receive in the contest.

For more info, visit Fandiem.com.

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A classic Van Morrison album just got a new high fidelity reissue.

Morrison’s 1970 album, His Band and the Street Choir, is the latest release in Rhino High Fidelity’s new series of limited-edition, high-end vinyl reissues. The pressing is limited to 5,000 individually numbered copies and includes an exclusive interview with the album’s engineer, Elliot Scheiner, as well as a lyric sheet.

“Every take with this guy was just brilliant,” Scheiner says in the interview. “The best Black singer I ever met was Ray Charles. The best white singer was Van Morrison.”

His Band and the Street Choir was Van Morrison’s fourth studio album and featured the top 10 single “Domino.” The track reached #9 on the Billboard Hot 100, which was higher than Morrison’s signature hit, “Brown Eyed Girl,” which peaked at #10.

The Rhino High Fidelity reissue of His Band and the Street Choir is available now for $39.98.

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Sammy Hagar is among the many stars expressing their grief over the devastation caused by wildfires in Maui, Hawaii.

“There are no words to describe the heartbreak that my family and I are feeling for the people of Maui,” he writes on Instagram. “We called the island our home for over 20 years and remain forever attached to the community.”

He shared his “deepest gratitude” to the employees of his restaurant, Sammy’s Beach Bar & Grill, who helped folks who were stranded at the Kahului Airport. 

“Since day one, our Beach Bar & Grill has given back to the island that has graciously made us part of their community,” he writes. “We will continue to show our love and support for our island family and we are actively working to be a part of the island’s relief efforts.” 

Van Halen’s Michael Anthony commented on the post, revealing that he and his wife, Sue, were in Maui during the wildfires, but were able to get out safely before the airports closed.

“It was heartbreaking to see the fires from our hotel as we were just at Mick Fleetwoods restaurant on front St. having a relaxing dinner on Sat!!” he writes, referring to the Fleetwood Mac founder’s restaurant, which has been destroyed by the fires. “Our hearts go out all our Ohana on the island.” 

Fans did ask Sammy what they could do to help; he urged them to make sure they do their research before donating any money, but he offered up some suggestions. He shares, “I like Maui food bank, and some local church shelters i feel are a safe bet and are much needed for the local people on Maui.”

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On This Day, August 11, 1979 …

Led Zeppelin headlined their second night at the Knebworth Festival at Knebworth House, Hertfordshire, England. It would be their final U.K. show with all four original members.

The festival was the band’s first live show in the U.K. in four years and some of their first concerts after a two-year hiatus following the death of Robert Plant’s son. The performance received some negative reviews from critics, who suggested they were a bit rusty.

The set included such classic tunes as “The Song Remains The Same,” “Celebration Day,” “The Rain Song,” “Achilles Last Stand,” “Stairway to Heaven” and “Whole Lotta Love.”

Although the band went on to play a small European tour following the festival, Knebworth would wind up being their final U.K. show with the all original members, as drummer John Bonham passed away in September 1980 and the band broke up.

Surviving members Plant, Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones did play the U.K. one more time: they reunited, along with Bonham’s son Jason on drums, for the Ahmet Urtegun tribute concert at London’s O2 Arena on December 10, 2007.

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Queen is back with episode 29 of their weekly YouTube series Queen The Greatest Live, as they continue to show the many ways they’ve surprised their audiences over the years.

The new clip focuses on their historic concert in Hungary during 1986’s Magic Tour, the first time a Western European rock band played a concert behind the Iron Curtain.

To make the crowd feel at home, the band added a personal touch to their acoustic mini set — a performance of the traditional Hungarian folk song “Tavaszi Szél Vizet Áraszt,” which roughly translates to “Spring Wind Floods Water.” During the performance, frontman Freddie Mercury can be seen reading the lyrics that were written phonetically on the palm of his hand. The crowd, naturally, goes wild and eventually sings along with the band.

The Hungarian concert was later released as a film, Queen: Live In Budapest (later renamed Hungarian Rhapsody), and was certainly a memorable one for the group.

“That night was amazing, with the Hungarian folk song and the whole atmosphere,” guitarist Brian May shared. “It may sound like an exaggeration, but it was like we took a step into infinity that night.”

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Another Seattle sports team has announced a Pearl Jam Night.

The OL Reign of the National Women’s Soccer League will celebrate the grunge icons during their October 6 game against D.C.’s Washington Spirit. In addition to the Pearl Jam-related festivities, the game will mark the final home match for Reign player and World Cup winner Megan Rapinoe before her retirement.

Given the team’s name, we hope that the stadium plays Pearl Jam’s cover of The Who‘s “Love, Reign o’er Me” during the game.

A portion of ticket proceeds will benefit PJ’s charity organization, the Vitalogy Foundation. Ticket buyers can also receive a limited-edition Pearl Jam-themed OL Reign scarf.

The Seattle Mariners baseball team has also held many Pearl Jam nights, and guitarist Mike McCready often performs the national anthem at Mariners and Seattle Seahawks football games.

Meanwhile, Eddie Vedder‘s favorite baseball team, the Chicago Cubs, have created a signature jersey for their Pearl Jam Day on September 6.

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August 13 marks 50 years since the release of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s debut album, (Pronounced ‘Lĕh-‘nérd ‘Skin-‘nérd), which features some of the band’s most well-known songs.

Recorded in Jacksonville, Florida, in a rehearsal space Skynyrd called Hell House, the album launched the Southern rockers to superstardom, thanks to tracks like “Simple Man,” “Gimme Three Steps,” “Tuesday’s Gone” and their iconic track “Free Bird.”

Most of those songs are as popular today as they were in the ’70s, and current Skynyrd guitarist Rickey Medlocke believes it all comes down to the lyrics, co-written by the band’s original frontman, Ronnie Van Zant. 

“Ronnie was a genius,” Medlocke tells ABC Audio of Ronnie’s lyrics, which he says “people could relate to.”

Ronnie’s younger brother, and Skynyrd’s current frontman, Johnny Van Zant, agrees. “I think it was the lyrics, it’s the music, you know, I think it just touches generations,” he says. “And Ronnie was a poet and a writer for the common people of the world.” 

(Pronounced ‘Lĕh-‘nérd ‘Skin-‘nérd) went on to be certified double Platinum by the RIAA and peaked at #27 on the Billboard album chart.

Sadly, every Skynyrd member who played on the album has now died; Ronnie and vocalist Steve Gaines died along with four others in a 1977 plane crash following a concert in South Carolina. The last surviving original member of Skynyrd, guitarist Gary Rossington, passed away in March 2023.

But the music of Lynyrd Skynyrd lives on. The current lineup, which features Johnny and Rickey, is currently on their Sharp Dressed Simple Man Tour with ZZ Top. It hits Wheatland, California, on Friday, August 11. A complete list of dates can be found at lynyrdskynyrd.com.

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Bon Jovi appears to be thoroughly impressed by music fans in Belfast, Ireland.

Video circulating on social media shows thousands of fans at the Féile [FAY-la] Dance Night in Belfast singing along to the New Jersey rockers’ classic hit “Livin’ on a Prayer,” with the whole crowd loudly belting out the song’s chorus.

The band caught wind of the clip and shared it on their social media account, calling the performance “epic!”

“Livin’ On A Prayer,” written by Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora and Desmond Child, was the second single off Bon Jovi’s third album, Slippery When Wet. It was the band’s second consecutive #1, following “You Give Love A Bad Name.” It went on to become a signature tune for the group.

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A new book may just be the perfect gift for any Beatles fan who also loves to travel.

Beatles Blackouts: Trips Around the World in Search of Beatles Monuments is written by Jack Marriott, a Beatles fan who embarks on a two-year journey through 23 countries to find tributes and monuments to the legendary band all over the world. 

Described as “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas meets a drunken Eat, Pray, Love,” Marriott set off on his quest after dealing with some personal problems, including alcohol issues and a girlfriend who left him. The trip leads him to discoveries of Beatles monuments in Kazakhstan, Brazil, Mongolia, Peru, Japan and more. 

Beatles Blackouts: Trips Around the World in Search of Beatles Monuments is available to order now and will be in stores September 26.

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