Classic Rock News

Paul McCartney has contributed his 1970 acoustic song “Junk” to The Man/Kind Initiative for use in a video promoting the charity’s campaign to aid the homeless in the Los Angeles area.

The video features footage of various homeless people, and explains what The Man/Kind Initiative has been doing to help, providing food, shelter and personal care items and more to the homeless during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The clip notes that one of the ways that the charity is helping is providing homeless people with temporary mobile shelters called EDAR, which stands for Everyone Deserves a Roof. The The Man/Kind Initiative stocks the shelters with food and personal care items and distributes them to organizations that can provide safe locations, as well as offer on-site sanitation facilities, food services and counseling.

“We’ve all walked past them trying not to notice,” says The Man/Kind Initiative’s founder, Richard Stellar. “I had to find a way to make people see them, to wake them up. We needed to reach millions, and I had to think outside the box on how to make that happen. So, we turned to Paul McCartney, and he delivered. The use of his music may be one of the greatest gifts that a non-profit like ours could get. We now will be able to touch millions with our message, and in turn help tens of thousands of homeless, especially veterans and minorities.”

Visit MankindHomeless.com for more details about the charity.

The video features segments of “Junk” and the instrumental “Singalong Junk,” which both appeared on Paul’s debut solo album, McCartney.

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Foo Fighters are headed back to Austin City Limits.

The long-running PBS music performance series has booked Dave Grohl and company for a taping to air during its upcoming 48th season. The show will take place on April 27.

The Foos previously rocked the ACL stage twice before. Highlights from those shows were compiled into an hour-long ACL special, which premiered in 2021.

“I’m sure I can speak for every musician when I say that being asked to come play Austin City Limits is practically like getting a medal,” Grohl said at the time. “As a musician it’s something to aspire to and if you actually achieve that then you wear it like a badge.”

Other artists set to tape episodes for ACL‘s next season include Arlo Parks, Japanese Breakfast and Cimafunk.

In addition to their trip to ACL, Foo Fighters will be headed to the silver screen with their movie Studio 666, which premieres in theaters this Friday, February 25.

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Members of the rock community have been sharing their tributes to Mark Lanegan following the news Tuesday that the Screaming Trees frontman and Queens of the Stone Age collaborator had passed away at age 57.

The Screaming Trees Facebook shared a post mourning Lanegan as “our true brother.”

“We all truly loved him,” the post reads. “As we say goodbye to Mark, a member of our family, remember he still lives with us all in his music.”

The Afghan Whigs frontman Greg Dulli, who frequently worked with Lanegan and released an album with him as The Gutter Twins, simply posted a photo of the two of them together.

Here are some of the other reactions:

Iggy Pop: “Mark Lanegan, RIP, deepest respect for you. Your fan, Iggy Pop.”

Slash: “RIP #MarkLanegan”

Pearl Jam and Soundgarden‘s Matt Cameron: “RIP Mark [broken heart emoji]”

Lamb of God‘s Mark Morton: “I am so profoundly grateful to have had the chance to make music & become friends with Mark Lanegan. Few artists ever achieve the level of honesty & authenticity that he did. He was absolutely brilliant. Godspeed my friend.”

Ex-New Order and Joy Division bassist Peter Hook: “Mark Lanegan was a lovely man. He led a wild life that some of us could only dream of. He leaves us with fantastic words and music! Thank god that through all of that he will live forever. RIP Mark. Sleep well. Love Hooky.”

Garbage: “Terribly saddened to hear the news of the passing of Mark Lanegan. A very gifted artist blessed with honey dipped tones, gone far too soon.”

Shinedown‘s Brent Smith: “My heart truly aches today, as we have lost an incredible artist…An undeniable pioneer in the late 1980s and early 1990s grunge era, and beyond. A poet, singer, songwriter, author, and creative genius, with a voice like no other. Bless you Sir, and thank you.”

Guns N’ Roses‘ Duff McKagan: “He was such a good man, and friend to my family. RIP Mark Lanegan.”

Against Me!‘s Laura Jane Grace: “Devastating news. What a talent. Will be listening to Bubblegum for the rest of the day.”

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Elton John‘s private jet was forced to make an emergency landing Tuesday after experiencing technical failure at 10,000 feet, according to various reports.

The U.K. tabloid The Sun reported that Elton was flying from England to New York for a concert when the plane on which he was traveling suffered a hydraulic failure about an hour after takeoff.

The pilot made the decision to return to the U.K.’s Farnborough Airport and declare an emergency landing, it was reported.

Witnesses tell The Sun that the pilot made two unsuccessful attempts to land in winds that reportedly gusted to 80 mph before successfully touching down on the third try.

The legendary rocker, 74, was said to be shaken by the ordeal, but he boarded another flight to New York just hours later to make his gig at Madison Square Garden

Elton made it to New York City safely and confirmed that the show would go on as scheduled, tweeting, “Hello New York! See you @TheGarden tonight.” He also has a second concert scheduled at Madison Square Garden tonight.

ABC has not been able to reach Elton’s reps for comment.

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A variety of noteworthy musicians from the rock and pop world, including Ringo Starr, Billy Joel and KISS‘ Paul Stanley, have paid homage to Procol Harum lead singer and pianist Gary Brooker, who died Saturday at age 76 after a battle with cancer.

Brooker, who was most famous for singing and co-writing the classic Procol Harum song “A Whiter Shade of Pale,” led the group for its entire 50-plus-year history, and he also was a member of Ringo’s All Starr Band from 1997 to 1999. The former Beatles drummer posted a tribute note on his Twitter page that reads, “God bless Gary Brooker peace and love to the family,” along with a photo of him and Gary together.

Joel also took to Twitter, where he wrote, “Sorry to hear about the passing of Gary Brooker. Rest in Peace.”

Stanley meanwhile, saluted Brooker with a tweet that reads, “RIP Gary Brooker. You could identify that voice as soon as you heard him sing. Procol Harum…Who can forget ‘A Whiter Shade of Pale’? The man sang with a captivating, grand authority and soul.”

Here are more tributes to Brooker from various other well-known music artists:

Queen‘s Brian May: “SAD NEWS: Procol Harem singer Gary Brooker dies at 76 – RIP.”

Faces and ex-Who drummer Kenney Jones: Very sad to hear the news that Gary Brooker has passed away. My thoughts are with Gary’s wife Franky at this sad time. He was a wonderful man who will be sorely missed. Rest in peace.”

Billy Idol guitarist Steve Stevens: “Safe travels to Gary Brooker of Procol Harum. A truly incredible talent that redefined what rock and roll could be. Big influence on me.”

Former Whitesnake guitarist Bernie Marsden: “So sorry to hear of the passing of Gary Brooker. One of the highlights of my career is playing ‘A Whiter Shade Of Pale’ with him. I was very proud to know him. My condolences to his family and fans.”

E Street Band guitarist Steven Van Zandt: “RIP Gary Brooker. I’m too p***ed off to speak right now.”

Bonnie Tyler: “So sad to hear about Gary Brooker. He was a lovely guy and made incredible music that will live on forever.”

The Alan Parsons Project: “RIP Gary Brooker, who sang lead vocal on the APP track ‘Limelight.'”

Beatles reissue producer (and son of George Martin) Giles Martin: “Rest in peace #GaryBrooker — incredible singer, writer and musician — more than that he was a lovely, lovely man. He and his wife…looked after me and my sis when my parents were away. They gave so much love and warmth to us as kids, I wish I’d thanked him before he passed.”

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Aldo Nova has released a new single called “Burn Like the Sun” that will appear on his recently announced forthcoming EP, The Life and Times of Eddie Gage, which is due out April 1.

The veteran Canadian rocker also has debuted a performance video for the song, which you can check out at his official YouTube channel.

As previously reported, the 10-track EP will serve as the first chapter of a planned 25-song rock opera, also titled The Life and Times of Eddie Gage, which tells the fictional story of a talented young rocker who is tempted and exploited by various characters as he tries to break into the music business. He initially succumbs to drugs, alcohol and other excesses before finding redemption when he delves into spirituality.

“The song describes Eddie’s life’s ups and downs and rebirth,” Nova explains of the new tune. “In the opera, ‘Burn Like the Sun’ is the last song that Eddie sings and it sums up his life perfectly with everything coming full circle because it was the only song he had ever written that wasn’t owned by any publishing company or record company, so it’s fitting that the beginning becomes the same song that makes him reborn.”

“Burn Like the Sun” is the second advance track released from The Life and Times of Eddie Gage, following “Free Your Mind.”

After the EP arrives, Nova will release a three-disc set titled Aldo Nova 2.0 Reloaded on April 19 that features updated versions of nine tunes from Nova’s back catalog on the first disc, and those same tracks mixed without vocals and without guitar, respectively, on the second and third discs.

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After it was postponed in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, The Black Crowes hit the road last year on a major tour celebrating the 30th anniversary of their debut album, Shake Your Money Maker.  The veteran rockers have now announced a new 2022 North American leg of the trek.

The outing, dubbed The Black Crowes Present: Shake Your Money Maker, features more than 30 dates. It kicks off June 9 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and runs though an August 27 concert in Miami, Oklahoma.

Tickets for most dates go on sale to the general public this Friday, February 25, at 10 a.m. local time, while a pre-sale offer from the band begins Wednesday, February 23, at 10 a.m. local time. For more details, visit TheBlackCrowes.com.

For each ticket purchased via Ticketmaster in North America, the buyer will receive an exclusive free collectible NFT of the tour poster. This marks the first time that Ticketmaster has teamed up with an artists to offer these unique digital tokens.

The Shake Your Money Maker trek features The Black Crowes playing their 1990 debut album in its entirety, as well as hits and select other songs from their catalog. The group’s current lineup features co-founding siblings Chris and Rich Robinson on lead vocals and lead guitar, respectively, plus longtime bassist Sven Pippien and three other newer members.

The Black Crowes also have some previously announced festival appearances on their 2022 itinerary, including May 1 at the Stagecoach Festival in Indio California; May 6 at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival; May 28 at the BottleRock Napa fest in Napa, California; and June 3 at The Peach Music Festival in Scranton, Pennsylvania.

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Mark Lanegan, frontman for Screaming Trees and various other projects, has died. He was 57.

A statement posted to Lanegan’s Twitter reads, “Our beloved friend Mark Lanegan passed away this morning at his home in Killarney, Ireland.”

“A beloved singer, songwriter, author and musician he was 57 and is survived by his wife Shelley,” the post continues. “No other information is available at this time. We ask please respect the family privacy.”

Lanegan co-founded Screaming Trees in the mid-’80s in Washington State, and helped pioneer the coming grunge explosion of the ’90s. The band released seven albums and earned hit rock radio singles with “Nearly Lost You” and “All I Know” before breaking up in 2000.

In between Screaming Trees activity, Lanegan began a solo career, and in the 2000s, he began collaborating with Queens of the Stone Age, guesting on their albums Rated R, Songs for the Deaf and Lullabies to Paralyze. Lanegan also frequently worked with Greg Dulli of The Afghan Whigs, and in 2008, they released Saturnalia, their first and only album as The Gutter Twins.

Lanegan released a total of 12 solo albums, the most recent of which being 2020’s Straight Songs of Sorrow. He also released three records with Scottish singer-songwriter Isobel Campbell.

Late last year, Lanegan released a memoir called Devil in a Coma, which detailed his “terrifying” battle with COVID-19.

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Mammoth WVH brought some grunge to the Young Guns tour with a cover of Alice in Chains.

During the outing’s stop in Salt Lake City on Monday, Wolfgang Van Halen and company brought out a rendition of the Dirt opener “Them Bones.” Mammoth’s version stayed pretty close to the original, with Wolf and guitarist Jon Jourdan recreating the Layne Staley and Jerry Cantrell harmonies.

You can watch fan-shot footage of the cover streaming now on YouTube.

The Young Guns tour, which also features Dirty Honey, launched over the weekend in Denver. In addition to the Alice cover, Mammoth’s also debuted a new song called “I Don’t Know It All” at the trek’s first shows.

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Gary Brooker, the lead singer, pianist and main songwriter for the veteran British band Procol Harum, died Saturday, February 19, at the age of 76.

A post on Procol Harum’s website reports that Brooker had been receiving treatment for cancer and passed away at his home. The tribute describes Gary as “a brightly-shining, irreplaceable light in the music industry.”

Brooker co-wrote the vast majority of Procol Harum’s songs, mainly with lyricist Keith Reid, including the band’s signature tune, “A Whiter Shade of Pale.”

Released in 1967, “A Whiter Shade of Pale” was considered one of the anthems of the Summer of Love, peaking at #1 on the U.K. chart and reaching #5 on the Billboard Hot 100. The tune has become one of the most successful singles in history, selling over 10 million copies worldwide.

Procol Harum’s only other major U.S. hit was a 1972 live rendition of the band’s 1967 tune “Conquistador” that was recorded with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra and reached #16 on the Hot 100.

Procol Harum was active from 1967 to 1977, and then from 1991 to the present, with Brooker being the band’s only consistent member.

Outside of Procol Harum, Gary also played in Eric Clapton‘s touring band, with Bill Wyman‘s Rhythm Kings and in Ringo Starr‘s All-Starr Band.  He also released a number of solo albums and contributed to various other artists records, including George Harrison‘s All Things Must Pass, Somewhere in England and Gone Troppo, and Clapton’s Another Ticket.

In 2003, Brooker was recognized as a Member of the Order of the British Empire for his charitable services.

Procol Harum’s final album, Novum, was released in 2017.

Gary is survived by his wife of 53 years, Franky. Donations in his name can be made to Phyllis Tuckwell Hospice Care.

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