The former Beatles drummer’s class, which is scheduled to premiere on November 22, will feature him teaching drumming and creative collaboration.
The announcement of Starr’s MasterClass took place during a special event held this week at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City that included videos previews of the upcoming classes, a live performance by pop superstar Christina Aguilera and DJ sets by Questlove of The Roots.
Other music artists who also will host upcoming MasterClass sessions include Aguilera and Mariah Carey, whose classes will both debut in the spring of 2022.
A video featuring highlights of the announcement event and previewing the various forthcoming tutorials can be viewed at the official MasterClass YouTube channel.
For a $180 annual payment, viewers can access all available tutorials. For more information, visit MasterClass.com.
Well-known musicians who have hosted previously released MasterClass sessions include Carlos Santana, Metallica, Tom Morello, Sheila E., Herbie Hancock and Questlove.
The Doors‘ Robby Krieger, The Cars‘ Elliot Easton, Randy Bachman and Guns N’ Roses‘ Slash are part of a star-studded cast of musicians featured on an upcoming compilation paying homage to late Mountain frontman Leslie West.
Krieger teams up with current Rainbow singer Ronnie Romero for a version of “The Doctor.” Easton and Romero contribute a rendition of “Sittin’ on a Rainbow.” Bachman joins forces with his son Tal for a medley of “Money (Whatcha Gonna Do)” and “By the River.” Slash plays guitar on a version of Mountain’s signature song, “Mississippi Queen,” with vocals from Marc LaBelle of the up-and-coming band Dirty Honey.
Other contributing artists include Twisted Sister‘s Dee Snider and Eddie Ojeda, Quiet Riot bassist Rudy Sarzo, ex-Jethro Tull guitarist Martin Barre, Deep Purple guitarist Steve Morse, former Rainbow singer Joe Lynn TurnerDokken‘s George Lynch, and Yngwie Malmsteen.
Wylde’s version of “Blood of the Sun” is available now as an advance track via digital outlets.
Legacy initially had been planned as West’s next album project, which was to feature him playing new versions of standout songs from throughout his career with some guest artists. Unfortunately, Leslie died at age 75 in December 2020, two weeks before the sessions were scheduled to start. Instead, it was decided to make the record a tribute album.
Here’s Legacy: A Tribute to Leslie West‘s full track list:
“Blood of the Sun” — featuring Zakk Wylde
“Nantucket Sleighride (To Owen Coffin)” — featuring Joe Lynn Turner & Marty Friedman
“Theme for an Imaginary Western” — featuring Dee Snider, Eddie Ojeda, Rudy Sarzo, Mike Portnoy, Francesco Saglietti
“For Yasgur’s Farm” — featuring Joe Lynn Turner & Martin Barre
“Why Dontcha” — featuring Steve Morse & Ronnie Romero
“Sittin’ on a Rainbow” — featuring Elliot Easton & Ronnie Romero
“Never in My Life” — featuring Dee Snider & George Lynch
“The Doctor” — featuring Robby Krieger & Ronnie Romero
“Silver Paper” — featuring Charlie Starr
“Money (Whatcha Gonna Do)/By the River” — featuring Bachman & Bachman
“Long Red” — featuring Yngwie Malmsteen & Teddy Rondinelli
“Mississippi Queen” — featuring Slash & Marc LaBelle
Stone Temple Pilots have canceled two upcoming tour dates due someone within the band’s “organization” testing positive for COVID-19.
“During routine Covid-19 testing of our band and crew, we have discovered that a member of our organization has tested positive for the virus,” reads an Instagram post from the “Plush” rockers.
The affected dates include STP’s set at the Welcome to Rockville festival in Daytona, Florida, as well as a headlining performance this weekend in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Fortunately — or as fortunate as this kind of thing can be — the canceled shows were the last two dates on STP’s fall tour.
“Thank you to everyone that came out to see us this fall, it was wonderful to see all of your beautiful faces in person again,” the band says. “We hope to be able to do this again with you all very soon.”
Founding Moody Blues drummer Graeme Edge died today, according to separate messages posted by his longtime band mates Justin Hayward and John Lodge. He was 80.
“It’s a very sad day. Graeme’s sound and personality is present in everything we did together and thankfully that will live on,” Hayward wrote in a message posted on the band’s official website. “When Graeme told me he was retiring I knew that without him it couldn’t be the Moody Blues anymore. And that’s what happened. It’s true to say that he kept the group together throughout all the years, because he loved it.”
Justin added, “In the late [1960s] we became the group that Graeme always wanted it to be, and he was called upon to be a poet as well as a drummer. He delivered that beautifully and brilliantly, while creating an atmosphere and setting that the music would never have achieved without his words.”
In his own tribute, Lodge wrote on his Facebook page, “To me he was the White Eagle of the North with his beautiful poetry, his friendship, his love of life and his ‘unique’ style of drumming that was the engine room of the Moody Blues…I will miss you Graeme.”
Edge co-founded the band in 1964 and was the only original member to play with the group throughout its entire history. The Moody Blues stopped touring at the end of 2018, several months after the band was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
While Graeme was probably the least prolific of the band members with regard to songwriting contributions, he was best known for writing the poetic interludes that appeared on many of the group’s albums, most famously “Late Lament,” the spoken-word segment recited by keyboardist Mike Pinder that’s heard at the end of “Nights in White Satin.”
Back in March 2018, Edge talked with ABC Audio and revealed some of the things he was most proud of with regards to his long career, including the fact that he wasn’t involved in any scandals, The Moodies sold out Madison Square Garden five times in one week, and the band had the reputation of being “proper professionals” with its fans and promoters.
Graeme continued, “I’m proud of the music we’ve done. I bear not too much responsibility for that, but Justin and John and Ray [Thomas] and Mike have written some sterling songs, and it was just a privilege to play with them.”
Edge also noted, with a laugh, “I’m proud and grateful for the career that we’ve had, which has been successful but not made me too rich. You know, I think I could have been an a**hole if I’d have been too rich.”
Edge is the second member of The Moody Blues’ classic lineup to pass away, following Thomas, who died in January 2018 at age 76.
Joe Walsh has unveiled plans for his fifth annual VetsAid charity concert, which, like last year’s event, will be held virtually.
This year’s fundraiser, which has been dubbed VetsAid 2021: The Basement Show, will be streamed online on December 18 at 8 p.m. ET via the Veeps.com platform. Tickets for the event, as well as special VIP merch bundles, are available now at VetsAid.Veeps.com, with prices spanning from $15 to $500. All proceeds will benefit veterans services charities.
The show will feature Walsh performing live with Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers keyboardist Benmont Tench and three legendary session musicians — guitarist Waddy Wachtel, bassist Lee Sklar and drummer Russ Kunkel — plus some surprise guests.
In addition, unaired footage from the four previous star-studded VetsAid events will be shown as part of this year’s presentation. Those who purchase tickets will be able to watch the streamed event on demand through December 25.
“With variable COVID rates throughout the summer and fall, I wasn’t comfortable putting together the kind of live festival that our fans and performers have come to expect and deserve,” says Walsh about deciding to do a virtual show again. “I was so pleased with last year’s streaming festival that I thought we could try something even cooler this time around.”
He adds, “Join me and my buddies for an old-fashioned basement jam live from my house to yours where I will debut some brand-new songs, play some favorites, share some never-before-seen footage and performances from past VetsAid shows and…who knows who will show up and what might happen?!”
So far, VetsAid has distributed almost $1.8 million to charities supporting veterans and their families. This year’s event will focus on organizations helping homeless veterans and the resettlement of Afghan allies.
After Bruce Springsteen paid a visit to CBS’ The Late Show with Stephen Colbert a couple of weeks ago, The Boss appeared on the program again on Wednesday night in a new — likely pre-recorded — interview segment.
Springsteen took part in an installment of the program’s ongoing “Colbert Questionert” segment, during which host Stephen Colbert fires off 15 questions to a celebrity guest designed to help people “truly get to know” that star.
Here are some of the questions Bruce was asked, and his responses:
What is the best sandwich? “That’s easy. Three a.m. Peanut butter and jelly. Big glass of milk.”
What is the scariest animal? “[It] used to be the shark because I was a surfer…when I was younger, but I have been bit several times by a brown recluse spider…and they leave a nasty necrotic sore.”
Apples or oranges? “Apples.”
Have you ever asked someone for their autograph? “Yes. I was with my son watching the New York Yankees in 1998, and…we had a baseball that the whole team signed.”
What do you think happens when we die? “Individual consciousness, adios. But our souls and our spirits, I think, grow and live on with the people that we’ve loved and who’ve loved us and with people we’ve had impact on with our work or with our in our daily experience. So I’m going with that.”
Having already learned to fly, Foo Fighters will soon be faced with an entirely different mode of transportation.
The “Everlong” rockers are set to perform at the upcoming Formula 1 Grand Prix race in Abu Dhabi. The race takes place December 10-12 on Yas Marina Circuit, with the Foos taking the stage for an after-show on the final night.
The Grand Prix performance looks to cap off an eventful Foo Fighters year, which included the release of the new album Medicine at Midnight and induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
The Foo excitement will continue in 2022 with the premiere of Studio 666, a horror-comedy film starring Dave Grohl and company. The movie’s set to debut February 25.
Trying to follow up one of the biggest songs of the last 20 years or so is a tall order, which is why Rob Thomas says he isn’t concerned about whether or not “Move,” his new duet with Carlos Santana, is as successful as their first duet, “Smooth.” But Rob says the reason he specifically doesn’t worry about that stuff is because of some advice that Carlos gave him 21 years ago.
“I’m three years younger now than Carlos was when we first did ‘Smooth,'” Rob tells ABC Audio. “And at that very, very young age, Carlos taught me something that was very, very important that I hold on to, which is: The world is not as complicated as you make it seem sometimes, and you really are only in control of your motive, your intention and your purpose.”
According to Rob, Carlos told him, “Those are the three things that you can control. And whatever the outcome is, that’s going to be the outcome, but you can’t worry about it while you’re putting something into [the universe].”
“So, I don’t think I’ve ever really been concerned about whether something was going to perform,” Rob says, addressing the topic of “Move’s” success versus that of “Smooth.”
“When I do something and I’m creative and I’m listening to that frequency in the universe that gives me a song, then I feel like I’ve already succeeded,” the Matchbox Twenty frontman states. “And I think the only time that I fail is if I stop listening to that — or I start trying to control it.”
In addition to “Move,” which in addition to Carlos also features American Authors, Rob has a new holiday album out, Something About Christmas Time.
The new documentary Tom Petty: Somewhere You Feel Free – The Making of Wildflowersgets its worldwide release today at 12 p.m. ET as a free streaming event on Tom Petty‘s official YouTube channel.
The film, which will be shown in 4K resolution, is part of the YouTube Originals series.
As previously reported, the movie focuses on the fruitful recording sessions that yielded Petty’s acclaimed 1994 solo effort Wildflowers, plus many other songs that remained in the vaults until the Wildflowers & All the Rest box set was released last year.
The movie features previously unseen footage shot by director Martyn Atkins during the recording of Wildflowers, archival commentary from Tom, and newly filmed scenes of producer Rick Rubin and founding Heartbreakers guitarist Mike Campbell and keyboardist Benmont Tench sharing recollections of the sessions.
Tench says he considers Somewhere You Feel Free “an illuminating film.”
“[Y]ou get people’s perspective on the making of the record,” he tells ABC Audio. “And…you get Tom speaking about his thoughts about making the record, and where he was at when he made the songs, and where he was at when he decided he didn’t want to do it with all of The Heartbreakers, and do it as a…’solo’ record. And you find out all of this, as well as getting to see footage from the sessions, and getting to see him just messing around and goofing around, which is always good.”
Benmont says among his favorite parts of the movie were the segments capturing him chatting with Rubin and Campbell, who co-produced Wildflowers with Petty. He notes that before they filmed the conversation, the three of them had never sat down to talk about the album before.
“[I]t was fun and interesting,” Benmont declares. “I found out stuff I didn’t know.”
Green Day and Nine Inch Nails are among the headliners for the 2022 Shaky Knees festival, which will take place from April 29 to May 1 in Atlanta.
Billy Idol also is part of the bill, as are My Morning Jacket, Spoon, Travis, CHVRCHES, Death Cab for Cutie and Guided by Voices, among many others.
Green Day and Idol will perform on April 29, while NIN and My Morning Jacket will headline the festival on April 30 and May 1, respectively.
Tickets go on sale Thursday, November 11, at 10 a.m. ET. For the full lineup and all ticket info, visit ShakyKneesFestival.com.
Shaky Knees returned this past October after being canceled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Headliners this year included Foo Fighters and The Strokes.
