Slash has released a new song with his solo band, Myles Kennedy & the Conspirators.
The track, titled “Fill My World,” will appear on the group’s upcoming album, 4, due out February 11, 2022. You can download “Fill My World” now via digital outlets.
4, the fittingly titled fourth Conspirators effort, also features the lead single “The River Is Rising.”
In addition to recording a new Conspirators record, Slash has spent much of 2021 on the road playing live with Guns N’ Roses. The “Welcome to the Jungle” rockers have been touring pretty regularly since reuniting in 2016, which, as Slash tells CNN in a new interview, wasn’t necessarily the original plan.
“Everybody got along great,” Slash says of his GN’R band mates. “That’s actually why the tour has kept going, because initially it was just going to be a couple of shows.”
Elton John and his pal U.K. pop star Ed Sheeran are making sure fans ring in the holidays with a little extra cheer with their new single, “Merry Christmas.”
The song, which they co-wrote and released on Friday, sees the two powerhouse British singers explaining why it’s important to enjoy the season with those you love.
Sheeran begins the festive song by encouraging listeners to appreciate the season’s wonders by singing, “So kiss me under the mistletoe/ Pour out the wine, let’s toast and pray for December snow/ I know there’s been pain this year, but it’s time to let it go/ Next year, you never know.”
Sir Elton adds, “We’ve both known love, but this love we got is the bеst of all/ I wish you could see it through my eyes, then you would know.”
If that wasn’t enough to help bring some joy back to the holidays after another stressful year, Ed and Elton also released the official and ultra-campy music video for “Merry Christmas.” The two are decked out in several of their best holiday outfits, from sequined tuxedos to very short Santa-like robes, as they rotate through various Christmas-like scenes.
“Merry Christmas” is available to stream and purchase now across all platforms. Proceeds from the single will benefit the Elton John AIDS Foundation and the Ed Sheeran Suffolk Music Foundation.
The track also appears on the “Christmas Edition” of Sheeran’s latest studio album, = (Equals).
Foo Fighters have shared a sneak peek behind their upcoming horror-comedy film, Studio 666.
The 43-second clip offers a brief preview of the supernatural hijinks that befall Dave Grohl and company in the movie. You can watch it now streaming on YouTube.
Studio 666, which stars all six Foo Fighters members, was filmed at the same house where the band recorded their newest album, this year’s Medicine at Midnight. While the movie is, of course, fictional, Grohl repeatedly said in interviews leading up to the record’s release that the house was haunted.
You can buy tickets to Studio 666 now via Studio666Movie.com. The film premieres in theaters February 25, 2022.
Founding Lynyrd Skynyrd guitarist Gary Rossington, the last surviving original member of the legendary Southern rock band, celebrates his 70th birthday this Saturday, December 4.
The band that became Lynyrd Skynyrd formed in 1964, when Rossington teamed up with singer Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist Allen Collins, drummer Bob Burns and bassist Larry Junstrom.
After undergoing a few name changes, in 1969 the band settled on Lynyrd Skynyrd, partly a mocking tribute to their high school gym teacher Leonard Skinner.
A number of lineup changes and additions followed, and in 1973 Lynyrd Skynyrd released its debut album, (Pronounced ‘Lĕh-‘nérd ‘Skin-‘nérd), the first of five successful and memorable albums.
During Lynyrd Skynyrd’s heyday, Rossington co-wrote several of the band’s most popular songs, including “Sweet Home Alabama,” “Simple Man,” “Gimme Back My Bullets” and “What’s Your Name.”
Tragedy struck Lynyrd Skynyrd in 1977, when a plane crash claimed the lives of Van Zant, guitarist Steve Gaines — who’d joined Skynyrd in 1976 — and Steve’s sister, backing vocalist Cassie Gaines.
Following the accident, Gary and Allen went on to form the short-lived Rossington Collins Band. The group’s lead singer, Dale Krantz, went on to marry Rossington in 1982, and later became a Skynyrd backing singer.
Gary and Dale also led The Rossington Band during the late 1980s.
In 1987, Lynyrd Sknyrd reunited, with Ronnie’s younger brother Johnny Van Zant taking over as frontman. Since then, the group has undergone many lineup changes, with Rossington and Van Zant remaining the two constants. 2018 saw Skynyrd launch a planned farewell tour that has been extended multiple times, partly because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Rossington has experienced serious health issues in recent years, and in July of 2021 he underwent emergency heart surgery that forced him to sit out most of the band’s recent tour dates.
Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images; Mark and Colleen Hayward/Getty Images
Fleetwood Mac, The Beatles, Queen and AC/DC are among the top 10 rock artists of 2021, according to Billboard.
The publication has unveiled the 2021 edition of its annual year-end charts, which determine the biggest acts in a variety of different genres using combination of factors including airplay, sales and streaming data for songs and albums, as well as touring revenue and social media activity.
Fleetwood Mac is #4 on Billboard‘s Top Rock Artists chart, followed by the Fab Four at #6, Queen at #7 and AC/DC at #10. Other veteran rock artists ranked high on the tally include Creedence Clearwater Revival at #11, the Eagles at #12, Elton John at #13, Foo Fighters at #15, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers at #16, Nirvana at #17, Journey at #18, Guns N’ Roses at #19, and Metallica at #20.
Contemporary rock act Glass Animals is #1 on the chart.
Meanwhile, the Top Rock Albums chart, which is based on sales data, is dominated by best-of compilations and classic studio albums by veteran artists.
The list is topped Queen’s Greatest Hits, and also features Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours at #3, Elton’s Diamonds at #4, Creedence Clearwater Revival’s Chronicle at #5, Journey’s Greatest Hits at #6, AC/DC’s Back in Black at #7, Petty and the Heartbreakers’ Greatest Hits at #8, and The Beatles’ 1 at #10.
No album released in 2021 made the chart’s top 10.
Dave Grohl and Greg Kurstin were joined by a special guest for night five of The Hanukkah Sessions.
Violet Grohl, daughter of the Foo Fighters frontman, handles lead vocals for the series’ latest cover: Amy Winehouse‘s “Take the Box.”
“Despite this song’s mention of a ‘Moschino bra you bought me last Christmas,’ it’s common knowledge that the amazing woman behind the song was actually Jewish,” Dave says.
You can watch the “Take the Box” cover streaming now on YouTube.
Grohl and Kurstin launched The Hanukkah Sessions in 2020 with covers of eight different Jewish artists for each night of the holiday. This year’s series has so far included Lisa Loeb‘s “Stay (I Missed You),” the Ramones‘ “Blitzkrieg Bop,” Barry Manilow‘s “Copacabana” and Van Halen‘s “Jump.”
Peace may sell, but what about Megadeth-branded cryptocurrency?
Dave Mustaine‘s certainly hoping it will with the launch of $MEGA, described as the “official cryptocurrency of Megadeth and our community.”
“By buying, holding, and transacting with $MEGA, fans will gain access to exclusives and premium benefits,” reads a statement. Members of the Cyber Army fan club will also be able to “unlock additional exclusives, access, and offers.”
A streaming event focusing on a recent concert by Pretenders frontwoman Chrissie Hynde showcasing her 2021 Bob Dylan covers album Standing in the Doorwaywill premiere December 26 on the Veeps.com platform.
The show, Chrissie Hynde & Co. Sing Bob Dylan (and Other Songs), was recorded during a three-night engagement Hynde played this past July at London’s Royal Opera House. The concert featured renditions of all nine Dylan songs Chrissie recorded for Standing in the Doorway, as well as a couple of classic Kinks tunes, selections from The Pretenders’ 2020 album Hate for Sale, and more.
Hynde was accompanied at the shows by Pretenders guitarist James Walbourne — her main Standing in the Doorway collaborator — along with Carwyn Ellis on keyboards and Danny Williams on upright bass.
The show debuts at 3 p.m. ET on December 26. Anyone purchasing tickets will be able to re-watch the concert until January 3, 2022, at 2:59 a.m. ET.
Standing in the Doorway: Chrissie Hynde Sings Bob Dylan was released in May, coinciding with the folk-rock legend’s 80th birthday. The album came together over the course of 15 weeks in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, and includes renditions of nine Dylan songs that Hynde recorded remotely with Walbourne.
We’re pleased to announce the ‘Chrissie Hynde & Co. Sing Bob Dylan (and Other Songs) Streaming Event’ taking place Dec. 26th
Filmed at Royal Opera House, Chrissie Hynde and Co. perform Bob Dylan covers, classic Kinks, Pretenders & more.
The clip features a cartoon Gibbons donning a Santa Claus outfit as he embarks on a snowy adventure to deliver presents in a hot rod that’s been converted into a flying sleigh. Along the way he rocks out on his new Christmas tune with help from a harmonica-playing snowman.
“The animators put me in a hot rod that looks suspiciously like our very own ’34 Ford-based ‘Whiskey Runner’ though they’ve made some few seasonal adjustments,” Billy explains of the video. “There’s considerable snowfall so the wheels are replaced midway by a set of skis and now there’s a pickup bed in the back so gifts can rain down from it. They have me doing a header into a chimney but it’s not clear if I get to to enjoy any cookies and milk for my efforts.”
As previously reported, “Jingle Bell Blues” is 12-bar-blues-infused version of the Christmas classic “Jingle Bells” that’s available now as a digital download and via streaming services. A limited-edition seven-inch vinyl single pressed on red-translucent vinyl will be released on December 10.
The disc, which you can pre-order now at Gibbons’ official online store, comes with an old-school vinyl center hole adapter with “Billy F Gibbons” written on it. The single’s flip side features an etching of a whitewall tire.
Carlos Santana has canceled all the December shows of his Las Vegas show at the House of Blues, because he’s recovering from what’s described as an “unscheduled heart procedure.”
The 74-year-old guitar legend tweeted a video in which he explains that last Saturday, he asked his wife to take him to the hospital because “I had this thing happening in my chest.”
“We found out that I need to take care of it, so I am,” Carlos goes on. “So I’m gonna be taking time out for a little bit to make sure that I replenish and I rest….so that when I play for you, I will play the way I’m used to and give you 150%. I wouldn’t show up unless I could do that.”
Santana will resume his shows in January of 2022. A statement from his manager further explains that Santana’s “procedure” “impacted his performance,” but adds that Carlos is “doing fantastic and is anxious to be back on stage soon.”
Santana has canceled all December 2021 at the House of Blues Las Vegas as he recovers from an unscheduled heart procedure. We look forward to returning to perform at the House Of Blues in January 2022. pic.twitter.com/8cHcVDjFhv
