Classic Rock News

Scott Weiland‘s widow, Jamie Weiland, says that the late Stone Temple Pilots frontman did not die from an overdose.

Speaking with the Appetite for Distortion podcast, Jamie remarked, “When [Scott] died, everybody was kind of like, ‘That’s tragic, but, of course, he overdosed,’ which he didn’t f****** overdose … he didn’t.”

“Because he had drugs in his system, the coroner had to rule it an overdose,” Jamie continued. “But the truth is Scott died because the main artery in his left ventricle was 95% blocked. That came from 10 years of heroine use. That came from an entire adult life of chain-smoking. His heart stopped.”

Following his passing in December 2015, it was ruled that Weiland died of an accidental mixed drug toxicity involving cocaine, alcohol and the drug MDA. The report also noted asthma, cardiovascular disease and Weiland’s years of drug use as significant conditions.

“Did [Scott] have trace amounts of drugs in his system? He did,” Jamie said. “Did I know he was using? No, I didn’t, because he lied to me.”

“That was not an overdose,” she continued. “He was not using heroin, he did not overdose on drugs. His heart stopped because his heart had been through so much abuse. Because of prior drug use in his life, and smoking, and heavy drinking.” 

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Queen has reportedly made a lot of money selling off their catalog.

According to Variety, sources have confirmed a report first revealed on Hits that the British rockers are selling their catalog to Sony Music for a reported $1.27 billion.

The catalog includes such Queen hits as “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “Another One Bites the Dust,” “We Are The Champions” and “We Will Rock You.” The deal reportedly includes revenues for everything but the band’s live performances.

There have been rumors for months that the Queen catalog was up for sale, with Sony often mentioned as the front-runner. The latest report claims another buyer was in the running, but would not go over $900 million for the catalog.

Disney has owned the Queen recorded-music rights in the U.S. and Canada since 1991, and that will continue. The band also currently has a distribution deal with Universal, which will expire in either 2026 or 2027, and then it will be transferred to Sony outside the U.S. and Canada.

Queen isn’t the first act Sony has shelled out big bucks for. It previously purchased Bruce Springsteen’s catalog for a reported $500 million, and reportedly paid even more for 50% of Michael Jackson’s catalog.

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Music fans know Stevie Van Zandt as the legendary guitarist in Bruce Springsteen‘s E Street Band, but he’s a lot more than that, as they’ll learn watching the new documentary Stevie Van Zandt: Disciple.

Director Bill Teck tells ABC Audio he’s been a Van Zandt fan since his teens and wanted to make the film to show people all sides of the rocker.

“I felt like people knew some of the story, but not all the story,” Teck says. “Some of the work, but not all the work.”

The film covers Van Zandt’s early days starting out with Springsteen in Asbury Park, his solo career, his acting career and his role as a rock historian. It also focuses on his activism, including his 1985 all-star charity single “Sun City,” which helped end apartheid in South Africa.

The doc features previously unseen footage, including long-lost video of Stevie’s wedding to his wife of over 40 years, Maureen, in which Springsteen was best man and Little Richard performed the service. There’s also very early footage of Stevie’s days with Springsteen and Southside Johnny.

Teck notes, “For me, as a lifelong fan, to be able to show other fans this great stuff was very fulfilling.”

Of course covering everything about Van Zandt wasn’t easy, and Teck says the original cut of the doc was quite long.

“There’s all the many lives of Stevie. He’s Miami Steve, he’s Little Steven, he’s the activist, the entrepreneur. There’s the friendship with Springsteen. There’s the love for rock ‘n’ roll,” Teck notes. “There’s so many different threads, so it was challenging to get all that in.”

You can see how he does it when Stevie Van Zandt: Disciple premieres June 22 on HBO and streams on Max.

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Guns N’ Roses members Axl Rose and Slash will appear on an upcoming album from Michael Schenker, My Years with UFO.

As its title suggests, the record features the German guitarist revisiting his work with the band UFO and celebrates the 50th anniversary of his first tenure with the group in the ’70s. It’s due out Sept. 20.

You can listen to the first single, a reworked version of the song “Mother Mary” featuring Slash and former Skid Row vocalist Erik Grönwall, now via digital outlets.

Other guests on My Years with UFO include Twisted Sister‘s Dee Snider and Deep Purple bassist Roger Glover. Here’s the track list:

“Natural Thing” feat. Dee Snider + Joel Hoekstra
“Only You Can Rock Me” feat. Joey Tempest + Roger Glover
“Doctor Doctor” feat. Joe Lynn Turner + Carmine Appice
“Mother Mary” feat. Slash + Erik Grönwall
“This Kids” feat. Biff Byford
“Love to Love” feat. Axl Rose
“Lights Out” feat. Jeff Scott Soto + John Norum
“Rock Bottom” feat. Kai Hansen
“Too Hot Too Handle” feat. Joe Lynn Turner, Adrian Vandenberg + Carmen Appice
“Let It Roll” feat. Michael Voss
“Shoot Shoot” feat. Stephen Pearcy

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On This Day, June 19, 2020 …

Bob Dylan released his 39th studio album, Rough and Rowdy Ways, which was his first album of original songs in almost eight years.

The album peaked at #2 on the Billboard 200 Album chart, but hit #1 on the Top Rock Albums chart. It also went to #1 in several countries, including the U.K., Switzerland and Germany.

The album’s first single, “Murder Most Foul,” ran almost 17 minutes long and addressed the John F. Kennedy assassination. The song landed at #5 on the Billboard Hot Rock and Alternative charts, and hit #1 on the Digital Song Sales chart, making it Dylan’s first #1 single. 

Dylan launched a Rough and Rowdy Ways tour in support of the album in November 2021, which just wrapped in April. 

He’s due to head out on Willie Nelson’s Outlaw Music Festival Tour starting June 21 in Alpharetta, Georgia. A complete list of dates can be found at bobdylan.com.

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Def Leppard recently released the new single “Just Like 73,” and it turns out it was a song they’ve been hanging onto for a while.

Guitarist Phil Collen tells ABC Audio the tune is one he demoed while they were recording their 2022 album, Diamond Star Halos. He notes it all started with “the classic Mike Leander drum sound,” referring to the producer known for working with Gary Glitter on his hits “Rock and Roll Part 1” and “Rock and Roll Part 2.” 

Collen says “Just Like 73″ was inspired by “big hits from the early ’70s” that featured chants like the one featured in the song.

“The backing vocals, we just shout in tune, we don’t sing,” Collen notes. “There’s a lot of bands who do very nice harmonies, which we can do, but it’s more the Sex Pistols kind of school of shouting the stuff out.”

He says the song also has a bit of T-Rex’s Marc Bolan, with the lyrics inspired by David Bowie, who was a huge influence for Collen growing up.

“The three albums by Bowie, Hunky Dory, Ziggy Stardust and Aladdin Sane, my favorites,” he says, noting that music “shaped where I was going musically.”

An added bonus on “Just Like 73” is a guitar solo by Rage Against the Machine’s Tom Morello, who used to cover Def Leppard’s “Rock of Ages” growing up. Collen says Morello heard the demo, loved the song and wanted to be on it.

“It’s been great. And, you know, I love Tom Morello, love Rage Against the Machine,” he says. “So that was really cool.” 

Def Leppard will hit the road with Journey this summer, starting July 6 in St. Louis. A complete list of dates can be found at defleppard.com.

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Paul McCartney celebrated his 82nd birthday on Tuesday, and received a lot of well wishes from famous friends. 

The rocker himself acknowledged the big day on Instagram, writing, “They say it is my birthday and I’m looking forward to being spoilt rotten by my loved ones!”

One of those loved ones was daughter Stella McCartney, who took to social media to mark her dad’s big day.

“On this day, a few years ago, my magnificent Dad was born… ,” she wrote. “My grandma Mary, from Northern Ireland, brought her first baby boy into existence and I raise a glass to celebrate her bringing the most brilliant and incredible human to our world.”  

She added, “I share my father with all of you because you all know him and his creations, and some of you may have had your life changed by him in some way…,” and asked fans to share birthday messages to the rocker.

“It is impossible to say how much I love you in words, so I will just squeeze you later and you can feel it instead xxx,” she concluded.

McCartney also got birthday shout outs from the likes of The Rolling Stones’ Ron Wood, and The Beach Boys’ Brian Wilson, as well as Julian Lennon, son of McCartney’s Beatles bandmate John Lennon.  

“Hoppy Birdy, Uncle Paul! Only love…,” he wrote, next to a video set to The Beatles’ “Hey Jude,” which McCartney wrote to comfort him after Lennon split from his wife and Julian’s mother Cynthia.

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Eagles are extending their time at the Las Vegas Sphere.

After the presale launched for the initial run of eight shows at the state-of-the-art venue, the Rock & Roll Hall of Famers announced four additional concerts. 

The new dates will once again happen on Fridays and Saturdays, Nov. 1 and Nov. 2, and Nov. 8 and Nov. 9.

A presale for the new dates is happening now; tickets go on sale to the general public Friday at 10 a.m.

Eagles – Live in Concert at Sphere kicks off Sept. 20. A complete list of dates can be found at eagles.com.

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Tesla, Extreme, Queensrÿche and RATT’s Stephen Pearcy are among the rockers setting sail on the annual Monsters of Rock cruise, happening March 10-15 on Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Joy.

Over 35 artists are booked for the cruise, including Winger, LA Guns, Vixen, Michael Schenker, Krokus, Extreme and Slaughter.

The Monsters of Rock Cruise, returning for its 13th year, departs from Miami, with stops in Great Stirrup Cay and Nassau, Bahamas.

Reservations are open now at MonstersOfRockCruise.com.

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Stevie Nicks fans may soon hear some new music from the legendary singer.

In an interview with MOJO, Nicks reveals that she’s been working on new music and may begin recording a new album this summer.  

“At the end of [the] pandemic, I finally started to write again,” she tells the mag. “I’ve got this song about women’s rights that I think is really strong. And I wrote a song called ‘The Vampire’s Wife,’ which is one of the best things I’ve ever written. It’s a story song, like ‘Gypsy’s’ a story song, and ‘Rhiannon’s’ a story song.”

She adds, “So maybe that’s the beginning of an album.”

If she does record and release a new album, it would be Nicks’ first solo record since 2011’s In Your Dreams. 

As for when fans may get to hear it, that’s another story. Stevie says her plans are to head into the studio after she wraps up her European tour, which kicks off July 3 in Dublin, and includes a headlining show at London’s Hyde Park on July 12.

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

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