Classic Rock News

The Apple TV+ Vince Vaughn series Bad Monkey features a soundtrack of Tom Petty covers, and the show’s music supervisor, Tony Von Pervieux, says it wasn’t hard to get artists to agree to take part in the project.

In an interview with Vulture, Von Pervieux says the original plan was to include 10 Petty covers in the Florida-set series, but that ballooned to 21, and all the artists they reached out to were quick to jump on board.

“It was the easiest sell to say, ‘Hey, we have this cool show and really cool experience to do a cover. This is the specific way I want this cover to be done based on the scene,’” he says. “And they were all like, ‘Yeah, of course. We’re huge Tom Petty fans. You don’t have to explain.’”

Van Pervieux says it was also important the Petty estate was happy, noting they kept the rocker’s daughter Adria in the loop as the songs progressed.

“I had a little bit of anxiety going through it because you don’t know what you’re going to get out of covers and I didn’t want to make any kind of mockery about the music,” he said, sharing he’d send Adria demos of the covers. “We would get comments like, ‘We really like this one, great job.’” Their only requirement was that no lyrics could be changed. 

The soundtrack, dropping Oct. 4, features covers from artists like Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder, Weezer, Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, Sharon Van Etten and more.

“Tom Petty is just a healthy diet for anyone,” Von Pervieux says. “What we did was bring together a family of artists whom we respected and loved and also respected and loved Tom Petty right back.”

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Def Leppard is set to headline the Harvest Nights Music Festival, happening Nov. 22-24 at the John Jimmie Rodeo Grounds in Immokalee, Florida.

The festival, put on by The Charity Pros, will also feature former Eagles guitarist Don Felder, Train and Tesla, along with country stars Brad Paisley, Tyler Hubbard and more. Def Leppard is set to headline Nov. 23.

Camping and ticketing information can be found at thecharitypros.org.

According to their website, The Charity Pros’ mission is to “advocate for children’s social causes and expand their opportunities to live their best lives.” Proceeds from the festival will go to Southwest Florida’s The Immokalee Foundation, Guadalupe Center and Cancer Alliance Network.

Def Leppard is currently on their Summer Stadium tour with Journey and plays San Francisco on Wednesday, with shows booked through Sept. 10 in West Valley City, Utah. The Harvest Nights Music Festival is their only show on the schedule once the tour wraps.

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Mötley Crüe guitarist John 5 has teamed with PETA to help promote pet adoption. 

The rocker and his rescue dog Churro, a hairless Chinese crested mix, appear in a new campaign for the organization, urging folks to go to shelters to adopt their pets rather than shopping or going through breeders.

In the clip, John 5 shares Churro’s story, revealing that he was left in a box in the dessert in San Bernardino, California, and if he hadn’t been rescued when he was he probably wouldn’t have survived. 

“It’s heartbreaking to even think about,” he says. “We had to get Churro—there were no ifs, ands or buts. We were lucky enough to adopt him, and he’s just the best. … We literally can’t go anywhere without him—he’s always with us. So he is just a part of the family.” 

John 5 then encourages the public to go to shelters when looking for a pet, noting “It’s so important to adopt because you see these helpless animals in there and they just want to be loved.” He adds, “When you adopt it will enrich your life so much. Treat these animals how you want to be treated. … Give them a good home.”

John 5 says in the video that Churro goes on tour with him, and he’s about to head out on a new one. The rocker’s Strung Out Tour 2024 kicks off Sept. 1 in Boston. A complete list of dates can be found at john-5.com.

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Former Roxy Music frontman Bryan Ferry is out with his first new song in over a decade.

Ferry just released the new single “Star,” which will appear on his upcoming box set, Retrospective: Selected Recordings 1973-2023. A celebration of Ferry’s solo career, it will feature 81 tracks culled from his 16 solo albums.

The song is described in a press release as originating as a “sketch by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross of Nine Inch Nails,” then further developed by Ferry and the artist Amelia Barratt, who also sings on the track.

“’Star’ is a collaboration with the painter and writer Amelia Barratt,” Ferry shares. “A couple of years ago I helped her record an audiobook here in my studio. I was very impressed by her writing, and this is the first song we did together. I’m very excited about this new work – there’s a lot more to come.”

You can listen to “Star” now via digital outlets.

Retrospective: Selected Recordings 1973-2023 will be released Oct. 25 in a variety of formats. It’s available for preorder now.

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Billy Corgan and Chloé Mendel have smashing good news.

In an interview with People, the Smashing Pumpkins frontman and his wife announce that they’re expecting a new baby.

“We are overjoyed to announce that our family is growing!” Mendel says. “It’s an exciting time for us, although unexpected!” 

The new addition will be Corgan and Mendel’s third child, following son Augustus and daughter Philomena Clementine.

“While Augustus was overjoyed [about the news], Clementine, the younger of the two, asked if the baby was made already and shed a few tears of concern, which was honestly adorable,” Corgan says. “Now, both kids are beaming, and it makes it so much fun to share the joy of bringing more love into our family. We are truly blessed.”

Corgan and Mendel have long been partners, and they finally tied the knot in 2023. Their wedding is documented in the Billy Corgan’s Adventures in Carnyland reality series, which premiered in May.

The Smashing Pumpkins are currently on tour with Green Day.

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Fleetwood Mac’s Mick Fleetwood and ukulele virtuoso Jake Shimabukuro have released another song from their upcoming album, Blues Experience, which comes out Oct. 18.

The latest is a cover of the Procol Harum classic “Whiter Shade Of Pale.” 

“This is a song I’ve always wanted to play… of course, the song recorded by Procol Harum was a world-renowned classic… with a melody so strong that it became a gift to us!” Mick shares. “And Jake totally commands the full need for dynamics and a passionate delivery. At last, I got to play and record this song!!!” 

“This was a song that Mick suggested. Such an iconic piece of music,” Jake adds. “It truly plays like an anthem. And Mickʻs drumming makes the track feel amazing. I was just transported through his drum sounds.” 

This is the second tune the pair has shared from the record, following their take on the blues classic “Rollin’ N Tumblin’.” 

Blues Experience also has the two artists covering songs like Neil Young’s “Rockin’ In The Free World” and the Christine McVie-penned Fleetwood Mac track “Songbird,” with Mick also adding a spoken word version of the song. Jake penned one original song, “Kula Blues,” about the area in Maui where Mick lives.

Blues Experience is available for preorder now.

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Bruce Springsteen is one of the many artists who recorded a song for the upcoming tribute album in honor of longtime New York City punk fixture Jesse Malin, and now his contribution to the record has been released. 

The track, “She Don’t Love Me Now,” features Jesse’s band backing Springsteen, along with E Street Band saxophonist Jake Clemons. The tune originally appeared on Malin’s 2015 album, New York Before The War. 

“Bruce gave it that Stax-soul-thing that we were dreaming of when we recorded the original. It’s so surreal to me,” Malin shares. “Bruce’s generosity, honesty and support are equally as powerful as his songwriting and performing.”

He adds, “Bruce is one of the guys. He walks it like he talks it. You spend some time with him, and it feels like you’ve known him for years.”

You can listen to “She Don’t Love Me Now” via digital outlets.

This isn’t the first time Springsteen and Malin have worked together; they previously collaborated in 2007 on Malin’s song “Broken Radio.”

The Malin tribute album, titled Silver Patron Saints, will be released Sept. 20. Proceeds will benefit Malin’s Sweet Relief artist fund. The rocker had a spinal stroke in 2023 that left him paralyzed from the waist down.

Other artists on the album include Elvis Costello, Green Day‘s Billie Joe Armstrong, Rage Against the Machine‘s Tom Morello, Bleachers and the late MC5 guitarist Wayne Kramer.

Silver Patron Saints is available for preorder now.

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On This Day, Aug. 28, 1993…

Billy Joel hit #1 on the Billboard 200 Album chart with River of Dreams, his final pop/rock record.

The album, with a cover painted by Joel’s then-wife Christie Brinkley, was Billy’s fourth #1 and spent three weeks on top of the chart.

The album’s title track went on to become a top five hit, Joel’s last on the Billboard Hot 100.

The record also featured “Lullabye (Goodnight, My Angel),” which he wrote as a tribute to his daughter, Alexa Ray.

Although Joel hasn’t released a pop album since, he did release a new pop song in 2024. “Turn the Lights Back On” came out in February, and peaked at #62 on the Billboard Hot 100.

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Looks like the disagreement between Journey’s Neal Schon and Jonathan Cain isn’t completely over. 

On Aug. 22, Schon announced on social media that he and Cain agreed to hire “someone impartial” to help settle any disputes that arose over their company, Freedom 2020, which basically manages the operations of the band. This was something Cain had been requesting when he filed a lawsuit against Schon in July over his excessive spending.

Well, in new legal documents Cain’s lawyer is claiming Schon is now going back on his agreement. 

According to Cain’s lawyer Kasey H. DeSantis, the two parties have been “unable to agree” when it comes to hiring that third party for their company, and they are blaming Schon.

“Mr. Schon is attempting to backtrack on his agreement for the Court to appoint a custodian to serve as a third, deadlock breaking director of Freedom 2020, Inc., and is now seeking to inappropriately limit the role of the custodian,” the documents claim. “This is inconsistent with Respondent’s counsel’s prior communications with the Court … explicitly agreeing to the appointment of a third, deadlock breaking director.”

Cain filed his lawsuit against Schon on July 24 detailing what he claimed was Schon’s overspending, including maxing out a $1 million limit on the company’s American Express credit card and charting private jets. Schon called the claims “absolute rubbish.”

Cain said in a statement the purpose of the lawsuit was to get a judge to appoint a third party to serve on the board of their company to help settle disagreements.

Despite their dispute, Journey is currently on their Summer Stadium tour with Def Leppard. They play San Francisco on Wednesday.

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While there will always be debate over who’s the greatest guitarist of all time, Billboard has decided to instead look at their instruments.

The publication has just come out with its list of the 100 most iconic guitars of all time. It was decided on by a panel of journalists, experts and guitarists across all musical genres, with fans getting to submit suggestions. Among the well-known guitarists who helped decide the list are ZZ Top’s Billy F. Gibbons, Cheap Trick’s Rick Nielsen, Aerosmith’s Joe Perry, Joe Satriani, Metallica’s Kirk Hammett, Jack White and more.

So, which famous axe was dubbed the most iconic? The #1 spot goes to Jimi Hendrix’s 1965 Fender Stratocaster “Monterey,” which he infamously set on fire at the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967.

Landing at #2 is Willie Nelson’s 1969 Martin N-20 “Trigger,” followed by Eddie Van Halen’s legendary homemade “Frankenstein” guitar, known for its red, black and white design, at #3.

Rounding out the top five are B.B. King’s signature “Lucille,” which was a variety of Gibson guitars, and Chuck Berry’s 1955 Gibson ES-350T.

Some of the other guitars making the list include: Angus Young of AC/DC’s Gibson SG at #6; David Gilmour’s 1969 Fender Stratocaster “The Black Strat” at #7; Jeff Beck’s 1954 Les Paul, known as “Oxblood,” at #12; and Queen guitarist Brian May’s The Red Special, which he and his father constructed themselves, at #14.

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