Classic Rock News

Last year, KISS singer/bassist Gene Simmons and the Gibson company announced that they had partnered to launch a new line of electric guitars and basses called G2, pronounced G-squared.  Now the first offering from the brand has been released: the G2 Thunderbird Bass.

The instrument features a classic Reverse Thunderbird body and headstock design, a mahogany body with a glossy ebony finish, an ebony fingerboard, a pair of T-Bird pickups, a G2 logo on the back of the headstock, and a pickguard boasting a laser-engraved custom Gene Simmons logo.

The G2 Thunderbird Bass is priced at $2,799, and is available around the world at authorized Gibson dealers and via Gibson.com.

“Gibson is an outstanding company and has earned its place as a leading guitar brand with fans around the world,” says Simmons in a statement. “The new G2 Thunderbird basses are all handmade in the USA, with a sound that is off the charts. The design is so beautiful and collectible, they are simply works of art.”

Adds Gibson Brands executive Cesar Gueikian [GOY-kee-en], “The Gibson Gene Simmons G2 Thunderbird Bass guitar has been more than a year in the making. It looks and sounds EPIC, and it is unmistakably Gene. Working with him is such a privilege for all of us at Gibson; he is deeply involved in every aspect of developing the guitars and planning our launch.”

To promote the new bass, a hilarious video has premiered on the Gibson TV YouTube channel starring Simmons and featuring a voiceover by John Stamos. The clip mimics an ’80s infomercial that features a skinny nerd who is picked on by his high school classmates, until he buys a G2 Thunderbird Bass and is transformed into a cool and popular rocker.

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Jane’s Addiction will record new music this year, if frontman Perry Farrell has his way.

Speaking with Consequence about possible fresh tunes from the “Been Caught Stealing” outfit, Farrell shares, “I would love to see us record a couple of tracks this year.”

“Even if it’s two or three tracks,” he adds. “Two tracks, I feel two is nice. I think people can take two, like two aspirin.”

Jane’s Addiction’s most recent song is the 2013 one-off single “Another Soulmate,” which followed the band’s 2011 album, The Great Escape Artist.

In addition to potential new music, Farrell also hopes to add more Jane’s tour dates around their upcoming festival appearances, which include sets at Lollapalooza and Welcome to Rockville.

“We do have ambitions to hit the road this year,” Farrell says. “So it won’t be long before you’ll know if those ambitions have come to fruition.”

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The Doobie Brothers have released a new single from their latest studio album, 2021’s Liberté: the grooving, mid-tempo rock track “Easy.”

The tune was co-written by founding Doobies singer/guitarist Tom Johnston and the new album’s producer, John Shanks.

The band is preparing to launch a busy 2022 touring schedule that will see the Rock and Roll Hall of Famers continue their 50th anniversary trek with a lineup featuring core members Johnston, Pat Simmons and John McFee, along with returning Doobie Brothers singer/keyboardist Michael McDonald.

The group kicks things off with an eight-show Las Vegas engagement at Zappos Theater at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino, running from May 13 through May 28. The tour then hits the road for a summer leg starting June 2 in West Palm Beach, Florida, and mapped out through a July 14 show in Noblesville, Indiana, followed by a series of fall concerts running from a September 2 gig in Pelham, Alabama, until an October 12 performance in Nashville.

Check out the band’s full schedule at TheDoobieBrothers.com.

In addition to the The Doobies’ busy touring schedule, the band will release Long Train Runnin’, an autobiography co-written by Johnston and Simmons, on July 26.

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Get ready to do a little dance and drink a little water while watching the Billboard Music Awards.

Red Hot Chili Peppers are set to perform at the 2022 edition of the ceremony, which airs May 15 at 8 p.m. ET on NBC. The set will mark the “Give It Away” outfit’s first BBMA performance in 23 years.

The Red Hot Chili Peppers have certainly made an impression on the Billboard charts this year.  Their new album, Unlimited Love, debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 with the biggest week for a rock record in over a year, while lead single “Black Summer” is the number-one song on the Alternative Airplay chart, and number three on the Mainstream Rock Airplay ranking.

While the Chili Peppers aren’t BBMA nominees themselves this year — Unlimited Love was released after the 2022 eligibility period — a number of other Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees will be competing for awards at the ceremony, including The Rolling Stones, Genesis, Green Day, The Eagles and Elton John. You can check out a full list of nominees at Billboard.com.

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A few days ago, former Metallica bassist Jason Newsted revealed in an interview with The Palm Beach Post that six months ago he’d jammed with drummer Alex Van Halen and guitarist Joe Satriani in advance of a proposed Van Halen tribute tour that he said had “fizzled.”

Then, on an episode of the Rock of Nations with Dave Kinchen on Monday, Satriani admitted that he’d been talking with Alex and David Lee Roth “for about a year about doing…a tour [or] something like that…that was gonna be a true tribute to Eddie [Van Halen] and the Van Halen legacy.”

Now, Roth has shared an exclusive statement with the Van Halen News Desk fan site regarding a possible Van Halen tribute project that reads, “In my mind Van Halen 4K, in the age of COVID is going to require two of us for every position. Satriani and [Toto guitarist Steve] Lukather, [longtime Van Halen bassist Michael] Anthony and Newsted, Al or [Motley Crue drummer] Tommy Lee. Probably the only one who could do my job today would be Pink.”

Satriani, meanwhile, had more to say about the Van Halen tribute during the podcast.

“For me, it was a terrifying prospect of doing something like that, but I realized that it was something that would be a real labor of love for me,” he explained about being asked to participate. “I was just so honored to take on the challenge.”

He added, “It’s very complicated. And…if it does happen, I know we’ll make it the greatest thing ever for the fans and we’ll all celebrate together, not only the great Eddie Van Halen but the legacy that that band created, the amazing amount of music and the goodwill and good vibes they created as a band.”

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Bob Dylan has announced a new U.S. tour leg that will see the 80-year-old folk-rock legend and his band visiting a variety of West Coast cities.

The trek kicks off May 28 in Spokane, Washington, and is plotted out through a June 18 show in San Diego. The outing will feature multiple-night engagements at three venues — June 1-2 at Seattle’s Paramount Theatre, June 9-11 at Oakland, California’s Fox Theater, and June 14-16 at Pantages Theatre in Los Angeles.

Tickets will go on sale to the general public this Friday, April 22; check out full details at BobDylan.com.

Dylan kicked off his 2022 itinerary with a series of concerts in March and April that stopped in cities throughout the Southern U.S. The tour, which is expected to run into 2024, is in support of Bob’s 2020 studio album, Rough and Rowdy Ways.

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Toni Cornell, daughter of the late Chris Cornell, performed her cover of “Nothing Compares 2 U” during Monday night’s episode of The Late Late Show with James Corden.

The 17-year-old delivered a stirring rendition of the Prince-written track, which Sinéad O’Connor turned into a hit in the early ’90s. Toni previously performed “Nothing Compares 2 U” last December on The Tonight Show. In 2018, Toni released a duet version of the song that she recorded with her dad ahead of his death in 2017.

Proceeds from the duet version will be donated to the International Rescue Committee humanitarian aid organization, for which Toni is an ambassador.

Chris, of course, covered “Nothing Compares 2 U” several times throughout his career. A recording of the cover is featured on the posthumous compilation No One Sings Like You Anymore Vol. 1, which was released in 2020. Both No One Sings Like You Anymore and the “Nothing Compares 2 U” cover were nominated for Grammys this year.

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On Friday, George Thorogood and the Destroyers released a compilation called The Original George Thorogood that focuses on some of the memorable songs written by the beloved roots-rock band’s frontman.

Early in their career, Thorogood and the Destroyers became well-known for recording excellent versions of other artists’ songs, including revved-up renditions of John Lee Hooker‘s “One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer,” Hank Williams‘ “Move It on Over” and Bo Diddley‘s “Who Do You Love,” and George Thorogood tells ABC Audio that may have led to his group being pigeonholed as a cover band.

George says he remembers that years ago he was being interviewed by his friend Bob Costas, who asked him, “How come you don’t do any originals? You only do covers,” which bothered Thorogood, since he actually had written many of his band’s biggest hits.

“I said, ‘Why does everybody say that?…Don’t they know I’ve written some songs?” Thorogood recalls. “I said, ‘Why can’t we get an album that has all those on it, and maybe one or two new ones?'”

George’s long-hope-for compilation finally became a reality when Capitol Records approached Thorogood’s manager and told him they wanted to release an album’s of his original songs.

“You could’ve knocked me over with a feather,” Geoge says, adding, “I’m still pinching myself.”

The Original George Thorogood includes such classic tunes as “Bad to the Bone,” “I Drink Alone,” “Born to Be Bad,” “If You Don’t Start Drinkin’ (I’m Gonna Leave)” and “You Talk Too Much,” as well as a previously unreleased track called “Back in the U.S.A.“

The album is available on CD, via digital formats, and as a two-LP vinyl set pressed on either standard black vinyl or limited-edition orange vinyl.

Here’s The Original George Thorogood‘s full track list:

“Bad to the Bone”
“I Drink Alone”
“Gear Jammer”
“Born to Be Bad”
“If You Don’t Start Drinkin’ (I’m Gonna Leave)”
“Back in the U.S.A.”*
“Rock and Roll Man”
“You Talk Too Much”
“Miss Luann”
“Back to Wentzville”**
“Rock and Roll Christmas”
“Oklahoma Sweetheart”
“Woman with the Blues”**
“I Really Like Girls”**

* = previously unreleased
** = on CD and digital versions only.

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Michael Stipe has collaborated with famed producer Brian Eno on a new single titled “Future If Future” that’s one of about 100 songs that will be released by various artists via Bandcamp this Earth Day, April 22, to benefit groups focused on fighting the global climate crisis and to raise awareness about the issue.

In an interview with U.K. newspaper The Guardian on Friday, Eno revealed that he’d just completed the track with the former R.E.M. singer that day.

“This will be the first time I’ve worked with him, though I did sing with him once on Saturday Night Live or something like that,” Eno explained. “I’m very pleased with the way it’s gone. It’s a very good song, a very Stipe song. Beautiful lyrics, extraordinary piece.”

The Eno-founded EarthPercent organization has launched the Earth Day campaign, which asks artists to contribute new exclusive songs that will be available for download and streaming at Bandcamp. Proceeds raised will go toward organizations developing promising solutions to the climate crisis.

Among the other artists set to contribute songs to the initiative is Coldplay, whose last two studio albums were produced by Eno.

Part of EarthPercent’s mission is dedicated to addressing the environmental impact of the music industry, such as lowering the carbon footprint of touring artists.  EarthPercent is asking the music community and related businesses to pledge a small percentage of what they make to the cause, with a goal of raise about $100 million by 2030.

“People are becoming aware that we can’t just talk about the problem,” Brian tells The Guardian, “we have to do something about it in our own practice.”

Visit EarthPercent.org for more information about the campaign.

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Bon Jovi is currently on their long-delayed tour in support of their album 2020, but let’s hope Jon Bon Jovi’s got an easy way to eat his meals on the road. He admits that while he was away from home during the pandemic, his kids had to order him food on Grubhub so he wouldn’t “starve.”

Speaking to the Indianapolis Star, Jon explains that when he decided to write some last-minute songs for the 2020 album, he chartered a plane and flew from New Jersey to LA.  There, he recorded the additional tracks in a private studio, and stayed in an empty hotel where normal amenities like cleaning and room service had been suspended due to COVID-19.

“I called down to the front desk, and I said, ‘What are you supposed to do about any kind of food?'” Jon recalls. “And they said, ‘Most people call Grubhub, and they’ll deliver food to your door.’ And I’m like, ‘Yeah…Grubhub,’ and thinking to myself, ‘I don’t know what that means. I’m going to starve.'”

He laughs, “I had to call one of my kids, who from 3,000 miles away ordered me a burger and had it delivered to my room!”

Now, after two-and-a-half years, the band’s finally back on the road. But Jon admits that, had there been any further delays, “I honest to God may have considered not doing it.”

“Three and a half years is enough time to think, ‘You know, ‘I’m over it,'” he explains. “But it would be a sin. We’ve worked hard, and we want to share 2020 the album, and I want to go out there and celebrate [our] 40th [anniversary in 2023] and the continued success that we’ve had.”

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