Extreme cancels festival show due to Nuno Bettencourt knee injury

May 5, 2023 by Classic Rock 93.9

Extreme has canceled the band’s set at the upcoming M3 Rock Festival in Columbia, Maryland, after guitarist Nuno Bettencourt injured his knee.

In a statement, M3 organizers say, “It breaks our heart to announce that due to Nuno’s severe knee injury, Extreme will be unable to perform,” adding, “Rest assured, Nuno is going to be OK.”

Extreme has also shared a statement, reading, “We are seriously bummed out that we are unable to perform for everyone at the M3 Rock Festival as we’ve been looking forward to the festival for several months. We apologize for the inconvenience to fans attending the festival.”

Bettencourt appeared to injure his knee while playing basketball during the Monsters of Rock cruise this week. According to Guitar World, Bettencourt performed while sitting down during Extreme’s performance on the cruise.

Extreme will release a new album called Six on June 9. They’ll launch a U.S. headlining tour in August.

Peter Gabriel releases new i/o single, “Four Kinds of Horses”

May 5, 2023 by Classic Rock 93.9

May 5 brought another full moon, which means music fans just got another single from Peter Gabriel. The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer just released the track “Four Kinds of Horses,” from upcoming album i/o. The track features Brian Eno on synthesizer.

“One of the inspirations is the Buddhist parable of the Four Kinds of Horses, which describes different ways a student can approach their spiritual practice, but also the interesting overlap of religion and peace on the one hand and violence and terrorism on the other,” Peter shares. “There was also a wonderful film by Hany Abu-Assad called ‘Paradise Now’ which shows two young men who end up being trained to become terrorists and it’s a real insight into where the head goes.”

As he has with his other full moon releases, Gabriel will be sharing different mixes of the song, the first being the Bright Side Mix from Mark “Spike” Stent. Later this month he’ll release a mix by Tchad Blake (Dark-Side Mix) and Hans-Martin Buff’s Atmos mix (In-Side Mix).

Gabriel’s album i/o is due out sometime this year, although so far he hasn’t revealed a release date. He’ll launch i/o – The Tour in Europe and the U.K. on May 18 in Krakow, Poland, with the North American leg kicking off September 8 in Quebec City, Canada. A complete list of dates can be found at petergabriel.com.

On This Day, May 5, 1981: Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers release ‘Hard Promises’

May 5, 2023 by Classic Rock 93.9

On This Day, May 5, 1981…

Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers released their fourth studio album, Hard Promises.

The album featured the future Petty classic “The Waiting,” as well as “Insider,” a duet with Stevie Nicks, which was recorded around the same time Petty and Nicks recorded her hit “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around,” which Petty and Mike Campbell wrote. It eventually appeared on Nicks’ debut solo album Bella Donna and went to number three on the Billboard Hot 100.

Hard Promises’ release was delayed when Petty and his label, MCA, went to war over the album’s list price. MCA wanted to sell it for $9.98, a dollar more than its other releases. After Petty threatened to call the album Eight Ninety-Eight, MCA backed down.

The Baseball Project, featuring R.E.M.’s Mike Mills & Peter Buck, releasing new album next month

May 5, 2023 by Classic Rock 93.9

The Baseball Club, the supergroup that includes R.E.M.’s Mike Mills and Peter Buck, is ready to drop some new music.

The band, which also features The Dream Syndicate’s Steve Wynn, Scott McCaughey of The Minus 5 and Young Fresh Fellows and Linda Pitmon of Filthy Friends, will release their fourth studio album, Grand Salami Time!, on June 30. The band has also shared the first single from the record, “Journeyman,” which was written by Wynn and Buck.

“I was in a hotel room just outside of Buffalo when I got an email from Peter with an instrumental version of this song,” Wynn shares. “The words came immediately, not surprising since a veteran musician stringing together a series of one-night stands has more than a little in common with a left-handed relief specialist who plays for a dozen teams in a workmanlike career.”

Grand Salami Time! is The Baseball Project’s first album in nine years. It was produced by Mitch Easter, who worked with Mills and Buck in the ’80s on R.E.M.’s early albums, including their debut EP, Chronic Town, and their debut album, Murmur.

Grand Salami Time! is available for preorder now.

The Baseball Project is also set to hit the road in support of the album, with the tour kicking off August 8 in Birmingham, Alabama. A complete list of dates can be found at baseballproject.net.

Here is the Grand Salami Time! track list:

“Grand Salami Time”
“The Yips”
“Screwball”
“Uncle Charlie”
“Journeyman”
“Erasable Man”
“New Oh In Town”
“Disco Demolition”
“Stuff”
“The All or Nothings”
“That’s Living”
“64 and 64”
“Having Fun”
“Fantasy Baseball Widow”
“The Voice of Baseball”

Grateful Dead & Sanuk team up for new summer shoe collection

May 5, 2023 by Classic Rock 93.9

Dead & Company is getting ready to kick off their final tour with a set at the New Orleans Jazz Fest Saturday, May 6, and there’s no doubt many fans will be decked out in their best Grateful Dead gear. Well, now they can represent their favorite band on their feet, as well.

The shoe company Sanuk has teamed up with the Dead for a new capsule collection, featuring 12 styles of men’s and women’s summer shoes — six each — which feature vintage-inspired Dead-themed patches, like their Deadhead logo, dancing bears and lighting bolt.

All shoes in the limited edition Sanuk x Grateful Dead capsule collection are made from natural, repurposed and eco-minded materials, with hemp the main material used. By using hemp for the product, Sanuk has already been able to save 137 million gallons of water and 396,000 millijoules of energy. Plus, they’ve reduced their CO2 equivalent emissions by 82,000 pounds.

The Sanuk x Grateful Dead collection is on sale now.

Bruce Springsteen sings “My Hometown” with fans at a pub in Ireland

May 4, 2023 by Classic Rock 93.9

Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band are set to play a three-night stand in Dublin and it looks like The Boss has been having some fun tooling around Ireland.

Fan-shot footage posted to the Spring-Nuts fan group Twitter page shows the singer sharing a pint and singing his Born in the U.S.A. track “My Hometown” with fans at a pub. At the end he jokes, “You guys, I’m firing the E Street band, I’m hiring (you),” which gets a laugh from the group.

And that’s not the only place Springsteen turned up. On Wednesday, Windmill Lane Recording Studios shared a photo of The Boss with some of their staff, noting that he was recording in the studio. Bruce also paid a visit to The Pogues’ Shane McGowan, with McGowan’s partner Victoria Mary Clarke calling The Boss “a truly wonderful man and a total genius!”

And Springsteen will have plenty more time to enjoy the city. He headlines Dublin’s RSD Stadium May 5, 7 and 9. A complete list of dates can be found at brucespringsteen.net.

Paul McCartney, Roger Waters & more featured in trailer for new doc ‘Squaring the Circle (The Story of Hipgnosis)’

May 4, 2023 by Classic Rock 93.9

A new trailer has just been released for the upcoming documentary Squaring the Circle (The Story of Hipgnosis), which tells the story of the art studio known for some of the most iconic album covers in history.

The studio, run by Storm Thorgerson and Aubrey “Po” Powell, created album covers for artists like Sir Paul McCartney, Led Zeppelin, Def Leppard, Genesis and particularly Pink Floyd, including their classic The Dark Side of the Moon.

The trailer for the Anton Corbijn-directed film includes interview clips from the likes of McCartney, Roger Waters, Nick Mason, Peter Gabriel, Robert Plant, Jimmy Page and Noel Gallagher.

The movie, which had its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival, is set to open in New York on June 7 and Los Angeles June 16, expanding nationwide on June 20.

Sting to perform at 2023 Ivor Awards

May 4, 2023 by Classic Rock 93.9

Sting is set to give a special live performance at the U.K.’s 2023 Ivor Awards, taking place May 18 in London.

As previously reported, The Police frontman will be given the Ivors’ highest honor during the ceremony: he’ll become a Fellow of the Ivors Academy. Previous artists who’ve been named Fellows include Sir Paul McCartney, Peter Gabriel and Kate Bush.

“Of all the awards in the world of music, The Ivors are for me, the most prestigious. Songwriting is a skilled craft and The Ivors Academy are its guild,” Sting previously said about the honor. “So, I am delighted and honored to be offered this Fellowship of the Academy, joining and acknowledging this extraordinary group of fellow songwriters, and all of those who went before us.”

The Ivors, which have been handed out since 1956, are the most prestigious music honor in the United Kingdom. They celebrate excellence in British and Irish songwriting, and are peer awards, voted on by other British and Irish songwriters and composers.

This year’s nominees include Harry Styles, Ed Sheeran, Kate Bush and Glass Animals.

The 2023 Ivors ceremony will be broadcast on the Amazon Music UK channel on Twitch, with artists RAYE and Matilda Mann also performing. The telecast will also include a live red carpet and backstage interviews.

Report: ‘SNL’ booked Foo Fighters for season finale pre-WGA strike

May 4, 2023 by Classic Rock 93.9

Foo Fighters were booked to play Saturday Night Live‘s season finale, Variety reports.

The episode — which, according to the trade, was set to be hosted by Jennifer Coolidge — is now in doubt due the Writers Guild of America’s strike, which began earlier this week.

Due to the strike, SNL‘s episode for this weekend, featuring host Pete Davidson and musical guest Lil Uzi Vert, has been canceled. Variety reports that SNL had two more episodes lined up for this season: May 13 with host Kieran Culkin and musical guest Labrinth, and then the finale with Coolidge and the Foos.

If the finale was set to air that following Saturday, May 20, it would’ve marked Foo Fighters’ first show back since their tribute concerts to late drummer Taylor Hawkins last year and, presumably, would’ve featured the debut of the band’s new drummer, who’s yet to be announced. Currently, the first show on the Foos’ 2023 schedule is May 24 in Gilford, New Hampshire.

Foo Fighters are also frequent SNL guests, having performed on the show nine times. Their most recent appearance was in November 2020.

As for confirmed Foo Fighters news, Dave Grohl and company will headline the 2023 Wildlands Festival, taking place August 4-6 in Big Sky, Montana. The bill also includes The Breeders, Lord Huron and Taipei Houston.

For the full list of dates and all ticket info, visit WildlandsFestival.com.

Foo Fighters are headlining a number of festivals this year as part of their live comeback following Hawkins’ March 2022 death, including Boston Calling, Bonnaroo and Outside Lands.

The B-52s’ Cindy Wilson on the band’s future: “It’s definitely at the end of our career”

May 4, 2023 by Classic Rock 93.9

The B-52s wrapped what they said would be their farewell tour in January, but they aren’t saying goodbye to performing just yet. The band returns to Las Vegas Friday, May 5, for the first of 10 shows — and according to Cindy Wilson, it may be the last chance to see them live.

Wilson tells USA Today the “clock is ticking” on their performing career, telling fans to “come see us while you can.” She does say, “It’s hard to let go completely, so when something does come up, and as long as everybody wants to do it, we will,” but notes “it’s definitely at the end of our career.”

The Las Vegas shows at the Venetian Theatre are happening throughout May, August and September, and Wilson just can’t wait to see their fans.

When asked what her favorite thing about performing is, she shared, “It’s the crowd, your audience, and sharing that emotion and happiness in the here and now.”

She added, “Hearing ‘Dance This Mess Around,’ with all this dark stuff going on, it can be so healthy to just shake your booty.”

Regarding that “dark stuff,” Wilson is particularly upset about all the hate being directed toward drag queens these days. “We’ve been around a long time and a lot of drag queens have said we’ve inspired them and they’ve inspired us right back,” she says. “It’s outrageous what is going on with making trans people and drag queens scapegoats. I wouldn’t want to be in the world without drag queens.”

Tickets for The B-52s’ Las Vegas residency are on sale now.

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