Classic Rock News

The jokes just write themselves, folks: Todd Rundgren has partnered with the Michigan-based company Cheef Cannabis for a collection of two limited-edition strains called, yes, Hello, It’s Weed.

One strain, Michigan Cookies, has a “super-high level of potency,” as well as a “sweet mocha coffee aroma.”  It’ll make you feel “happy and creative” and “socially inspired,” according to Cheef.

The other strain, Dosi Mintz, has a “spicy-nutty herbal flavor and a sharp kick of mint” and will make you feel a “light tingle throughout your entire body,” leaving you “pain-free and happy.”

To mark the partnership, Todd will make in-store appearances at two branches of House of Dank, a Michigan dispensary, while he’s in the state later this month for his tour with Daryl Hall. On November 21 at 12 p.m., he’ll drop by the one in Ypsilanti; he’ll be at the one in Grand Rapids on November 23 at noon. The product will then be made available everywhere Cheef is sold.

In a statement, Todd says, “So if I were to say that I was getting into the branded cannabis market, I think the response would be ‘Duh’. I’ve never made it a secret that I’ve sought inspiration from altered states. And while there’s no guarantee that you’ll create a masterpiece, you may at least find a little peace. Worth a shot.”

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

When Alice in Chains released a 30th anniversary edition of their landmark 1992 album, Dirt, it surprised the band by reentering the top 10 of the Billboard chart. While the album is legendary for its dark, sometimes brutal lyrics about drug addiction, war, death and depression, the band feels that it’s wrong to think of Dirt — and by association, late frontman Layne Staley — as being completely miserable.

Speaking to Variety, guitarist Jerry Cantrell says Staley, who died in April 2002, was “truly a hilarious guy,” and that Dirt “dealt with a wide range of emotions and subject matter, beautiful and dark and everything in between.”

Drummer Sean Kinney adds, “Dirt was never a drug concept album and Layne wasn’t a d**k. He wasn’t tormented, but instead witty, funny and generous.”

Most importantly, Cantrell and Kinney are still incredibly proud of Dirt, which has sold more than 5 million copies worldwide. Released during the time that they, along with other Seattle bands like Soundgarden and Pearl Jam, were leading the grunge movement and changing the music industry, Cantrell notes that era was “one of the few times in my lifetime where it felt like the good guys were winning.”

“Dirt was a hell of a record,” Cantrell tells Variety. “It stands the test of time, and it’s a powerful piece of work without an ounce of fluff.”

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

When Alice in Chains released a 30th anniversary edition of their landmark 1992 album, Dirt, it surprised the band by reentering the top 10 of the Billboard chart. While the album is legendary for its dark, sometimes brutal lyrics about drug addiction, war, death and depression, the band feels that it’s wrong to think of Dirt — and by association, late frontman Layne Staley — as being completely miserable.

Speaking to Variety, guitarist Jerry Cantrell says Staley, who died in April 2002, was “truly a hilarious guy,” and that Dirt “dealt with a wide range of emotions and subject matter, beautiful and dark and everything in between.”

Drummer Sean Kinney adds, “Dirt was never a drug concept album and Layne wasn’t a d**k. He wasn’t tormented, but instead witty, funny and generous.”

Most importantly, Cantrell and Kinney are still incredibly proud of Dirt, which has sold more than 5 million copies worldwide. Released during the time that they, along with other Seattle bands like Soundgarden and Pearl Jam, were leading the grunge movement and changing the music industry, Cantrell notes that era was “one of the few times in my lifetime where it felt like the good guys were winning.”

“Dirt was a hell of a record,” Cantrell tells Variety. “It stands the test of time, and it’s a powerful piece of work without an ounce of fluff.”

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

The closest The Who ever came to doing a holiday song was “Christmas,” a track from their album Tommy, and it’s not very festive or merry. Still, that’s not stopping Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend from headlining a charity Carol Service at St. Luke’s Church in London next month.

The event will benefit Nordoff-Robbins, a charity that promotes music therapy for those affected by life-limiting illness, isolation or disability. Daltrey and Townshend will perform acoustically at the event, which will also feature “Christmas carols, celebrity readings and performances from musical superstars,” as well as mulled wine and mince pies for everyone.

“For while I must admit I didn’t really understand what Roger and I might be expected to do at a Carol Concert,” Townshend says in a statement. “But I now understand that our presence and support is more valuable than whether I can still manage a [harmony vocal] on ‘Angels We Have Heard On High.'”

The Who have actually been longtime supporters of Nordoff-Robbins. Daltrey says in a statement, “Music therapy can reconnect people who may otherwise feel isolated or disconnected from the world — whether a young person with autism, a person living with dementia, or somebody rebuilding their lives after an accident.”

And bringing it back to Tommy, Townshend adds, “I had done research on the early work of music therapy when writing [the album] back in 1967, and continued to research and learn about how it works, when it works, and accepting that it does in fact sometimes — often — work miracles.  Very glad to help out.”

Tickets for the event are on sale now.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Iggy Pop is set to release his new album, Every Loser, on January 6.

His 19th solo album will feature 11 tracks, including the first single, “Frenzy.” The collection is being described as a throwback to Iggy’s “primordial roots” combined with “an undeniably modern lyrical point viewpoint and sonic palette.”

The cover features an original piece of art created by world renowned artist Raymond Pettibon, who’s designed iconic albums for artists such as Sonic Youth and Black Flag.

In addition to streaming services, Every Loser will be available as limited-edition vinyl, cassettes and CDs. And as a tie-in, Iggy will also be releasing an exclusive issue of the legendary fanzine PUNK Magazine.

Here is the Every Loser track list:

“Frenzy”
“Strung Out Johnny”
“New Atlantis”
“Modern Day Rip Off”
“Morning Show”
“The News For Andy”
“Neo Punk”
“All The Way Down”
“Comments”
“My Animus Interlude”
“The Regency”

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

The Lion King will celebrate 25 years on Broadway this weekend, one of only three shows ever to hit that milestone. At a private event, Elton John — who wrote the music for the film that inspired the musical — celebrated the “extraordinary” milestone with a special performance.

While onstage at the event, Elton said, “For a show to have run this long is very rare and it’s extraordinary. It was one of the greatest things to happen in my life in 1993 when Sir Tim Rice rang me up and said, ‘Disney don’t think you want to do this, but will you do The Lion King?’ And I went, ‘Are you kidding me?'”

“It changed my whole life,” Elton added. “Because it’s such a magical show, brilliantly put on the stage by Julie Taymor. Every time you go and see it, you just get goosebumps. It’s extraordinary, and I’m so proud to be a part of it.”

He then performed his 1994 top-five hit “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” from the film, which won him the Oscar for Best Original Song, as well as the Grammy for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance.

The Lion King musical opened on Broadway November 13, 1997. It earned six Tony Awards, including one for director Taymor — the first woman ever to win the Tony for Best Director of a Musical.

Over the years, The Lion King as grossed more than $1 billion, making it the highest-grossing Broadway production of all time. Its various productions have been seen by more than 100 million people worldwide.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

To mark its 20th anniversary, Concert for George — a 2002 concert that memorialized the late George Harrison — will screen in selected theaters worldwide for one night only.

The screening will take place November 29, 20 years to the day that the actual concert was staged. Harrison died on November 29, 2001. Exactly one year later, his friends and colleagues — including Eric Clapton, Tom Petty, Paul McCartney, Jeff Lynne, Ringo Starr, Ravi Shankar, members of Monty Python, Billy Preston and George’s son, Dhani — gathered at London’s Royal Albert Hall to remember the Beatles legend.

Starting Thursday, the 2003 Concert for George album, which documented the event, is available on digital platforms in Dolby Atmos.

In a statement, George’s widow, Olivia, said that years ago, George imagined his ideal gig by saying, “I would like to have a few people who mean something to me.” She describes the Concert for George as “the most deep moving songs written by George … played with heart and soul by a core group of friends.”

She adds, “It is a joy to be able to relive that incredible evening again, on a big screen, 20 years on.”

Dhani adds, “Twenty years ago, I stood on stage beside my father’s dearest friends and celebrated his life and music. It was one of the most beautiful things we could’ve done on that day to mark his passing. There was a lot of love involved in that show, which has been preserved in this Concert for George film. I hope you dig it.”

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Paul McCartney will make sure fans have a “Wonderful Christmastime” by giving them the perfect gift: The 7″ Singles Box.

The collection includes 80, count ’em, 80 7-inch Paul McCartney singles, all personally curated by the Beatles legend. They include, yes, “Wonderful Christmastime,” but also “Live and Let Die,” “Band on the Run,” “Silly Love Songs” and dozens more hits. The box set includes a whopping 163 tracks in total and will also be released digitally.

The physical box set comes in a wooden art crate, along with 148-page book featuring a personal forward by Paul, chart info, liner notes and single artwork. The singles themselves are made up of 65 recreations of the original 7-inch vinyls, including the original B-sides and restored artwork, as well as 15 singles that have never been released in that format before. 

Those 15 singles include songs that were originally put out as picture discs, 12-inch singles, CD singles and promos, digital downloads, videos, unheard demos and a previously unheard 7-inch single edit.

The collection spans from 1971’s “Another Day” through 2022’s “Women and Wives.” Two of the tracks — rare 1971 mono recordings of “Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey” and “Two Many People” — are available now.

In his forward, Macca writes about the impact the 7-inch single had on him growing up, how the Beatles always put a lot of thought into their B-sides and how he still likes browsing for vinyl in record stores. In a statement, he says, “I hope the songs in this box set bring back fun memories for you too. They do for me, and there will be more to come.”

Limited to 3,000 copies, The 7″ Singles Box is available December 2.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Got a cool quarter mil? You may want to invest in a treasure trove of old love letters that young Bob Dylan wrote to his high school sweetheart.

The 42 letters are currently up for sale by the Boston-based RR Auction house, and the starting bid is $250,000. In the letters, addressed to Barbara Ann Hewitt of New Brighton, Minnesota, Dylan — then named Bob Zimmerman — writes about preparing for the Hibbing High School talent show, as well as his dreams of selling 1 million records and changing his name. 

In other letters, he asks Hewitt to go with him to see Buddy Holly in Duluth and discuses the records he’s been listening to, as well as the cars and fashions of the late 1950s. He also, according to the auction house, “professes his never-ending affection,” signing the letters “Love, Bob.” All the letters come with the original envelopes — and there’s even a Valentine’s Day card in there.

The trustees of Hewitt’s estate want to keep the archive together, which is why the letters are being sold as one lot. Individual letters by Dylan have sold for as much as $30,000.

If your pockets aren’t that deep, other items from the Hewitt estate that are up for bid include signed photos, an original sketch, a collection of handwritten poems, and signed and annotated lyric sheets.

If you’re not a Dylan fan, the auction, which ends November 17, also includes items from The Beatles, Pink Floyd, Queen, Led Zeppelin and The Doors.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Sammy Hagar is hopeful that the shelved Van Halen song “Between Us Two” will eventually get released.

As the story goes, the “Panama” outfit originally wrote “Between Us Two” toward the end of the Van Hagar era for the 1996 movie Twister. While the disaster flick featured a theme composed by Eddie and Alex Van Halen, “Between Us Two” didn’t end up making the soundtrack and was eventually lost to time.

Speaking with Consequence’s Kyle Meredith with… podcast, Hagar confirms the song was indeed recorded and is somewhere in the Van Halen “archives.”

“I don’t know if I can resurrect it, but we got it; it’s done,” Hagar says. “It’s in the archives; they’ll find it. They’re looking through the archives right now to try to remaster some of the old stuff from my era. They’ll find it. That’s gonna be a treasure.”

Hagar notes that if the song were to finally come to light, it “would have to go through the Van Halen camp,” which he describes as “a little dysfunctional.”

Of course, given all the drama around the supposed Eddie tribute plans, which the late guitar icon’s son Wolfgang Van Halen said “never even got off the ground,” “dysfunctional” might be an understatement. So for all the “Between Us Two” believers out there, maybe don’t get too excited.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.