Classic Rock News

The music of Neil Young is being celebrated on an upcoming tribute album, and now we have another preview.

Two new tracks from Heart of Gold: The Songs of Neil Young have jut been released: a cover of the “The Needle and the Damage Done” from Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder and Stephen Marley’s take on “Old Man.” Both songs originally appeared on Young’s 1972 album, Harvest.

You can listen to “The Needle and the Damage Done” and “Old Man” now via digital outlets.

Heart of Gold: The Songs of Neil Young is divided into two volumes, with the first dropping April 25. Other artists paying tribute to Young on volume one include The Doobie Brothers’ Michael McDonald with Allison Russell, Brandi Carlile, Mumford & Sons, Lumineers, Fiona Apple, Courtney Barnett and Steve Earle.

Proceeds from the album will benefit The Bridge School, an educational institution for children with severe speech and physical disabilities.

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Neil Young is no longer planning to play a free concert in Ukraine.

In early March, Young announced that he and his band The Chrome Hearts were in talks to open their love earth tour with the free concert, although he didn’t announce a date or exact location for the show. Well, now he says the show is canceled due to safety concerns.

“We had a good venue, close to a shelter, but the changing situation on the ground was too much,” Young explains in a post on his Neil Young Archives website. “I could not in good conscience take my crew and instruments into that area. My apologies to all.” He added, “Ukraine is a great country with a good leader. Slava Ukraini.”

Young’s love earth tour is set to kick off June 18 in Rättvik, Sweden. It hits the U.S. Aug. 8 in Charlotte, North Carolina, wrapping with a show at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles on Sept. 15.

A complete list of dates can be found at NeilYoungArchives.com.

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Ramones frontman Joey Ramone has inspired a new children’s book.

Gabba Gabba We Accept You: The Wonderous Tale of Joey Ramone, being released June 27, is described as a “picture book telling the story of a misfit kid who grew up to be a punk rock hero – that is, Joey Ramone.”

The description notes that the book, from visual artist Lucinda Schreiber and author Jay Ruttenberg, “offers valuable punk lessons for young folks navigating the increasing complexities of growing up,” teaching children that “their individual personalities have an important place in this world.”

“My daughter just turned 11, so I’ve spent recent years in children’s book land. I think I’ve read her 97 books about Abraham Lincoln and 12,984 about Ruth Bader Ginsburg,” Ruttenberg shares. “It occurred to me that a lot of the life lessons I’ve been trying to teach her weren’t learned through my family or school, but through punk stuff: the importance of being your own person, following your own radar instead of a group’s, embracing uniqueness, etc.”

He adds, “The Ramones, and in particular Joey, seemed like the perfect embodiment of that.”

Gabba Gabba We Accept You: The Wonderous Tale of Joey Ramone is available for preorder now.

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Supergroup The Brothers will return to Madison Square Garden in April for another tribute to the Allman Brothers Band, and music fans are getting a little taste of what to expect.

The Brothers staged their first Allman Brothers tribute at MSG in 2020, and a performance video from that show was released Thursday. The clip shows the band performing “Trouble No More,” a song originated by Muddy Waters and later recorded by the Allman Brothers Band. The clip features last surviving Allman Bothers founding member Jaimoe, along with later members Warren Haynes, Derek Trucks and others.

All three are set to return for the two new Brothers shows on April 15 and April 16. Also joining the lineup are ABB members Oteil Burbridge, Marc Quiñones and Chuck Leavell, as well as guests Joe Russo on drums, Reese Wynans on keyboards and Isaac Eady on drums.

The Brothers’ first show took place March 10, 2020, and lasted over four hours. The show was one of the last concerts at MSG before the concert industry was temporarily shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

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Lynyrd Skynyrd has a new record label: the band has just signed a deal with Frontiers SRL. Their first release will be Celebrating 50 Years – Live At The Ryman, a special live album and DVD of the band’s historic 50th anniversary concert, which took place in November 2022.

“50 years for Lynyrd Skynyrd… Wow! We are so grateful to the devoted fans for their support throughout the years of transitions and losses,” frontman Johnny Van Zant shares. He notes the concert was filmed before the 2023 loss of Gary Rossington, the last founding member of Skynyrd.

“It was a very special night with incredibly talented guests as we honored the iconic musicality of Skynyrd,” he adds. “We are so grateful to the Ryman and to all of those who have worked so hard to make this project become a reality! This will forever be a keepsake in our hearts, and we are so happy to be able to share it with our Skynyrd Nation.”

So far a release date for Celebrating 50 Years – Live At The Ryman has not been announced.

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Back in February, Stray Cats frontman Brian Setzer revealed that he had been diagnosed with an autoimmune disease that left him unable to play guitar. Now he’s sharing a health update with fans.

“I just want to let you all know that I’m getting better day by day. The progress I’m making is excellent!” he shared on Instagram. “My dream is to visit Japan, the States, and Europe with Stray Cats, and of course, one of my biggest thrills would be bringing back the BSO Christmas show tradition,” referring to his other band, the Brian Setzer Orchestra.

“Thank you all for your love and support—it truly means the world to me,” he added. “I was deeply touched. I love you guys, and only we can truly understand what this sound means to us!”

In his initial announcement, Setzer said he discovered he had an autoimmune disease after suffering cramping at the end of the last Stray Cats tour in 2024. He said he was being treated at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, telling fans, “I know I will beat this, it will just take some time.”

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Moog Music has announced a new collaboration with Rush rocker Geddy Lee.

The company is debuting a new synthesizer, the Moog Music Geddy Lee Minimoog Model D. It takes inspiration from the original Minimoog Model D, which helped shape Rush’s progressive rock sound on songs like “Tom Sawyer” and “Subdivisions.”

“It’s a thrill to see the Minimoog Model D in that stunning red, so representative of one of the most fertile periods in Rush’s creative history,” Geddy shares. “I’ve always been mad for custom color instruments, many inspired by automotive hues, and I’m thrilled with how it turned out—it’s just so beautiful.”

He adds, “The Minimoog Model D was the first synth that made dreaming big accessible to a schlub like me. Its intuitive design lets you learn waveforms, blend sounds, and experiment with the modulation wheel. That’s its legacy: a fat, sophisticated sound in a package that’s not daunting to get your hands on.” 

The Geddy Lee Minimoog Model D features a custom red satin finish with metallic flecks, which matches Lee’s Grace Under Pressure-era keyboard. It also includes a custom Rush “starman” logo” and other enhanced features, with each Minimoog coming with a 10-inch translucent vinyl copy of Rush tracks “Xandadu” and “Jacob’s Ladder.”

The Moog Music Geddy Lee Minimoog Model D is available now via Reverb.

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Guns N’ Roses have announced a new drummer following the departure of longtime member Frank Ferrer.

Isaac Carpenter, who’s played in AWOLNATION for the last decade, will man the kit for the “Welcome to the Jungle” rockers during their 2025 world tour dates, which begin in Asia in May.

Carpenter also has a connection to GN’R bassist Duff McKagan, having played in his band Loaded.

GN’R announced on Wednesday that they and Ferrer had amicably parted ways. Ferrer, who joined in 2006, leaves the group as the longest tenured drummer in GN’R history.

“The band thanks Frank for his friendship, creativity, and sturdy presence over the past 19 years, and they wish him success in the next chapter of his musical journey,” a press release read.

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Not like he needs the money, but Elton John has just won a $100,000 prize for his artistic accomplishments.

As Toronto’s The Globe and Mail reports, Elton is the 15th recipient of the Glenn Gould Prize, which has been handed out by the Toronto-based Glenn Gould Foundation since 1987. It’s given to a living artist whose “unique lifetime achievement contribution has enriched the human condition.” 

The award is named after the renowned classical pianist Glenn Gould, who died in 1982 and whose life was depicted in the 1993 movie Thirty Two Short Films About Glenn Gould. Elton said in a statement, “After spending decades admiring the virtuosity of Glenn Gould’s work, I am awestruck and honored to receive this award.”

Elton is the fourth pianist — but the only chart-topping pop star — to win the award, which is generally given to classical composers, musicians and artists. Leonard Cohen is the only other Rock & Roll Hall of Famer to received the honor.

No word on what Elton plans to do with the money.

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U2 have been chosen as the next Academy Fellow of The Ivors Academy, the U.K. organization that presents The Ivor Novello Awards to celebrate excellence in British and Irish songwriting.

The band — Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr. — are the first-ever Irish songwriters to earn a fellowship, the highest honor handed out by the Ivors.

“We were a band before we could play, let alone write songs. … In fact it was our inability to play other people’s songs that kicked off our own songwriting,” Bono shared. “Early musical heroes like the Ramones, Patti Smith, The Clash were our inspiration. There’s alchemy at play, turning base metals into gold … your s**** into gold would be another way of putting it.”

“To be recognized in this way by The Ivors Academy feels very special indeed,” Clayton added. “The appreciation of one’s peers is a humbling honor and we are immensely grateful.”

Mullen also shared he was “very grateful” to the Ivors for recognizing them, while The Edge noted, “Songs are kind of magic. The best ones feel like gifts from some other dimension, but to catch them you have to make yourself available. I’m not sure songs can change the world but they sure have changed mine.”

Last year Bruce Springsteen received the honor, becoming the first international songwriter to be chosen as a Fellow. Other recipients include Sting, Paul McCartney, Kate Bush, Elton John and Peter Gabriel.

U2 will be presented with their honor at The Ivors on May 22 in London. Nominees for the Ivor Novello Awards will be announced on April 23.

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