Classic Rock News

Love reigned over Zak Starkey this week! People reports that on Monday, Ringo Starr‘s oldest son and The Who‘s touring drummer since the 1990s got married to his longtime partner and fellow musician, Sharna “Sshh” Liguz.

According to the the magazine, the nuptials took place in West Hollywood, California, at the Sunset Marquis, and featured an intimate gathering of family and friends.

Ringo was on hand to give his son away, while two other rock greats, Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder and former Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr, served as Zak’s best men. Zak played in Marr’s group Johnny Marr & The Healers during the late ’90s and early 2000s.

Zak, 56, and Sharna, 37, have been a couple for almost 20 years, and picked Monday to get hitched because it was the first birthday of their daughter, Luna Lee Lightnin.

In a statement shared with People, Zak and Sharna wrote, “After 18 years together, Luna’s umbilical cord kinda tied the knot but we wanted to make it official and share with our friends and family in the U.S., before doing the same in Jamaica and the U.K.”

Starkey also posted a message on his Instagram page on Wednesday that reads, “Great to be solid with the greatest girl in the world. And to celebrate Luna’s no1 birthday. Thanks to everyone who came from near far wide abstract and online. Our dearest friends in da USA — great to see u at our wedding and experience true party stamina. Feels great to be wed to the woman I have loved for 18 years.”

Zak and Sharna record and perform together as the rock duo Sshh, and also co-founded the record label Trojan Jamaica.

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Dave Grohl has finally unleashed his metal EP as Dream Widow.

The self-titled eight-track collection, which is available now via digital outlets, finds the Foo Fighters frontman channeling his inner ’80s thrasher while performing every instrument and handling lead vocals.

Dream Widow, which takes its name from the fictional band that haunts the Foos in their new Studio 666 horror movie, begins with the lyrics “Take the f***in’ dagger/Draw the pentagram” off the 90-second opening track, “Encino.”

However, Grohl is certainly taking Dream Widow seriously — the collection ends with two songs, “Becoming” and “Lacrimus dei Ebrius,” that push over seven and 10 minutes, respectively.

In between head-banging to Dream Widow, you can watch Studio 666 now on-demand. The film stars the six Foo members as fictional versions of themselves as they try to record an album in a spooky mansion haunted by supernatural forces.

(Video contains uncensored profanity.) 

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The Rocket Man turns 75 today, and Elton John has marked his milestone birthday by issuing a statement summing up his feelings about where he is now in his life and career.

“I’m not usually one to look back or get nostalgic, but 75 is such a milestone birthday. I’ll definitely find time today to take stock and thank my lucky stars for my wonderful family, friends and career,” Elton says in a statement.

“I feel unbelievably lucky that at 75 I still love what I do so much — I’m still so energized about music and excited I get to play, listen and talk about this every single day,” he continues. “Being back on the road is a blast and the thrill of playing live is as amazing as it was 50 years ago.”

He concludes, “I have so much to pass on to the new generation of fans and artists alike, and I’m determined to keep giving back to the industry that has given me so much.”

In celebration of Elton’s birthday, his greatest-hits album Diamonds has been released to streaming platforms in Dolby Atmos, a technology that makes music more immersive and detailed.  In addition, he’s Dua Lipa‘s guest on the new episode of her podcast Dua Lipa: At Your Service.

Elton performs in Des Moines, Iowa, on Saturday, and on Sunday, his 30th annual Elton John AIDS Foundation Academy Awards Viewing Party will take place, hosted by Elton’s husband, David Furnish, along with Lady Gaga, who’s the godmother to Elton’s sons, and Emmy-winning actors Billy Porter and Eric McCormack.

As for Elton himself, the Oscar-winning singer will be performing a Farewell Yellow Brick Show concert in Lincoln, Nebraska, on Oscar Sunday — a date he refused to change, as his fans had waited so long to see him.

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Deep Purple‘s classic sixth studio album, Machine Head, was released 50 years ago today. The record features some of the British rockers’ most enduring tunes, including “Highway Star,” “Space Truckin'” and, of course, the band’s signature song, “Smoke on the Water.”

Driven by the popularity of “Smoke on the Water,” Machine Head became Deep Purple’s highest-charting and best-selling album in the U.S., peaking at #7 on the Billboard 200 and selling over two million copies.

“Smoke on the Water” reached #4 on the Billboard Hot 100, the band’s best-charting U.S. single along with 1968’s “Hush.”

Deep Purple recorded Machine Head in late 1971 in Montreux, Switzerland, on Lake Geneva. While the band was there, the infamous incident occurred that inspired “Smoke on the Water.” Frank Zappa was playing a concert at the Montreux Casino, and during the show, someone in the audience fired a flare gun into the venue’s bamboo ceiling, causing a fire that burned down the building.

After the band had recorded a track featuring guitarist Ritchie Blackmore‘s famous riff, singer Ian Gillan and bassist Roger Glover came up with the lyrics telling the story of the fire.

In 2016, Guitar Player magazine ranked the “Smoke on the Water” riff as the second greatest guitar riff of all time. Blackmore tells ABC Audio that with songs by The Kinks and The Rolling Stones in mind, he intentionally wrote the riff simply figuring it would have wider appeal.

“[M]y whole idea was to pull myself back and think, ‘I want to play something the postman can whistle when he’s…delivering letters,'” he explains.

Ritchie adds, “I think [that’s] why a lot of guitarists go to music shops and play it, because it’s very simple to play.”

Here’s the full Machine Head track list:

“Highway Star”
“Maybe I’m a Leo”
“Pictures of Home”
“Never Before”
“Smoke on the Water”
“Lazy”
“Space Truckin'”

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Metallica has announced the release of seven concert films on the Coda Collection, a music-themed channel on Amazon Prime Video.

The series kicks off today with the premiere of 1998’s Cunning Stunts, which was filmed during a 1997 show in Fort Worth, Texas, and 2009’s Orgullo, Pasión, y Gloria: Tres Noches en la Ciudad de México, which captures three concerts in Mexico City.

The next two weeks will see the debut of newly edited and remixed broadcasts of Metallica’s two 40th anniversary concerts, which took place last December in San Francisco. Night one will air March 31, followed by night two on April 7.

Those will be followed by the 1992 doc A Year and a Half in the Life of Metallica premiering April 21, and then 2009 concert films Quebec Magnetic and Français Pour Une Nuit on May 19 and June 9, respectively.

Metallica announced a partnership with the Coda Collection last year, which is set to include a “full slate of concert films, documentaries, and additional content.”

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The Eagles will bring their long run of dates on the U.S. leg of their Hotel California 2022 Tour to a close with a newly announced concert at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on May 28.

Tickets for the show go on sale to the general public on Friday, April 1, at 10 a.m. PT via AXS.com. A variety of presales opportunites also will be available, starting next Thursday, March 31, at 10 a.m. PT. A limited number of VIP packages also will be sold. Visit Eagles.com for more details about the tour and tickets.

The Eagles kicked off the latest leg of their trek last month, and the band has 17 more shows on their U.S. itinerary, including the Las Vegas gig. The Rock and Roll Hall of Famers launched their Hotel California Tour in 2019 with three sold-out concerts at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

As previously announced, the Hotel California trek features the current Eagles lineup performing the band’s classic 1976 album of the same name in its entirety, as well as other classics, accompanied by an orchestra and a choir. Singer/guitarist Deacon Frey, who joined the Eagles’ touring lineup in 2017 after the 2016 death of his father, founding member Glenn Frey, has been sitting out the 2022 trek because of an undisclosed illness.

Meanwhile, the Eagles won’t be taking it easy after wrapping the U.S. tour leg. They also have five shows in Europe scheduled for June.

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Red Hot Chili Peppers announced last night on their social media sites that a new song from their forthcoming studio album Unlimited Love called “Not the One” would be released this Friday, but the track now has dropped a day early.

“Not the One” is the third advance track to be released from Unlimited Love, following lead single “Black Summer” and “Poster Child.” It’s available now via steaming services and as a digital download.

The introspective ballad features frontman Anthony Kiedis singing in the chorus, “Give me the love and I’ll tell you when I want to come/ Give me the love and I’ll tell you when I want to run/ Blues strides are calling me/ I can’t stop falling/ Give me the love and I’ll tell you when I want to run.”

Unlimited Love will be released on April 1. The Chili Peppers recently unveiled the album’s full track list, featuring 17 songs.

The Peppers will launch a worldwide tour in support of Unlimited Love in early June. A U.S. leg kicks off on July 23 in Denver.

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Foo Fighters will not only be competing for three honors at the the 2022 Grammys, they’ll be performing during the ceremony, too.

The Dave Grohl-fronted band is among a list of newly announced performers for the event, which takes place Sunday, April 3, in Las Vegas. Jon Batiste, H.E.R., Nas and Chris Stapleton also have joined the lineup, alongside previously announced performers Billie Eilish, Olivia Rodrigo, Lil Nas X with Jack Harlow, Brothers Osborne, BTS and Brandi Carlile.

The Grammys for which the Foo Fighters are nominated this year are Best Rock Album for Medicine at Midnight, Best Rock Performance for “Making a Fire,” and Best Rock Song for “Waiting on a War.” The band has won 12 previous trophies.

The 64th Grammy Awards ceremony will be broadcast live on April 3 at 8 p.m. ET on CBS.

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Sixteen-time Grammy winner Paul Simon is the latest artist whose music will be celebrated at a Grammy tribute concert that will air on CBS later this year.

The concert, called Homeward Bound: A GRAMMY Salute to the Songs of Paul Simon, takes place April 6 at the Hollywood Pantages Theater in Los Angeles, and will feature Simon’s songs performed by artists from the worlds of rock, pop, country, reggae and more, underscoring the many musical genres he’s explored during his 50-year-plus solo career.

Dave Matthews, country stars Little Big Town and Brad Paisley, vocal group Take 6, New Orleans legends Irma Thomas and Trombone Shorty, singer/songwriter Brandi Carlile, Americana artist Rhiannon Giddens, reggae superstar Shaggy and world music star Angélique Kidjo will all be performing Simon tunes, with additional performers and guests to be announced later.  Paul himself will also make a special appearance.

Tickets for the tribute concert go on sale Saturday at 10 a.m. PT via Ticketmaster.

The concert is the latest installment of the ongoing “Grammy Salute” series of star-studded concerts that have focused on the music of Elton John, The Beatles, The Bee Gees, Prince, Whitney Houston and others.

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“Prince: The Immersive Experience” will debut on June 9 – two days after the late musician’s birthday – at the Shops at North Bridge on the Magnificent Mile in Chicago.

The interactive experience, presented by Superfly and in partnership with The Prince Estate, will take visitors on a journey through Prince’s life, offering 10 multidimensional spaces to witness the singer’s creative evolution and original sound. 

“It is an absolute honor to partner with The Prince Estate to create an experience that celebrates Prince’s legendary music and the inspirational way that he lived his life,” Superfly Co-founder Kerry Black said in a statement. “I know I will forever be changed by working on this project and hope fans will bring a little Prince inspiration home with them, too.”

One of the spaces will allow fans to “step inside the Purple Rain album cove,r” where they can mix a hit directly out of Prince’s coveted Paisley Park Studio A and boogie down to an audiovisual dance party with an accompanying lighting design. The exhibit will also feature photography, historic instruments and wardrobe pieces and much more. 

Though Superfly is known for creating entertainment-based experiences like “The Friends Experience” and “The Office Experience,” Black says the latest project is “next level,” according to Rolling Stone.

Tickets for “Prince: The Immersive Experience” go on sale Thursday, March 31, exclusively at PrinceTheExperience.com.

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