Classic Rock News

Rock & Roll Hall of Famers Grateful Dead and Bonnie Raitt are among the artists who’ll be celebrated at the 47th edition of the Kennedy Center Honors, recognizing their lifetime artistic achievement.

This year’s other honorees include director Francis Ford Coppola and jazz musician Arturo Sandoval, as well as the iconic Harlem venue The Apollo, which will receive a special Honors recognition as an American institution.

“Our Honorees this year have each played an invaluable, pioneering role in developing American culture—not with one act of art but with their decades-long devotion to pushing creative boundaries,” Kennedy Center President Deborah F. Rutter shares.

“It goes without saying that the Kennedy Center Honors represents the highest of reaches for artistic achievement,” Dead members Mickey Hart, Bill Kreutzmann, Phil Lesh and Bobby Weir said in a statement. “The Grateful Dead has always been about community, creativity, and exploration in music and presentation … it also must be said that our music belongs as much to our fans, the Dead Heads, as it does to us. This honor, then, is as much theirs as ours.”

Raitt shared that she was “deeply honored and thrilled to have been chosen” as one of this year’s honorees, noting, “There is no higher level of esteem nor as delightful a celebration and I want to extend my sincere thanks to all who have chosen me to receive this honor.” 

She added, “I look forward to the upcoming ceremony and festivities, which I know will be one of my life’s peak experiences.”

The Kennedy Center Honors will be handed out on Dec. 8, ahead of a CBS broadcast of the event on Dec. 23.

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Lenny Kravitz is teasing his next music video.

The rocker shared a snippet of the video for the Blue Electric Light track “Paralyzed,” with images of three hooded figures walking toward the camera, which then cuts to an image of Kravitz from behind, bathed in light with his guitar strapped to his back and his hands reaching above him.

The video for “Paralyzed,” the third single from Blue Electric Light following “TK421” and “Human,” is set to drop July 24 at 12 p.m. ET, with what Kravitz is calling an “exclusive After Party” to follow for YouTube Premium subscribers.

Blue Electric Light, Lenny’s first new album since 2018’s Raise Vibration, was released in May.

Kravitz is currently on tour in Europe, where over the weekend he interrupted a show to take a call from his “brother” actor Denzel Washington. His next show is happening in Ostrava, Czech Republic, on Sunday.

He brings his show to the U.S. for a five-night stand at Dolby Live in Las Vegas starting Oct. 18. A complete list of dates can be found at lennykravitz.com.

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Yes guitarist Steve Howe is set to release a brand new solo album, Guitarscape, on Sept. 27.

The album features 14 new instrumental tracks, all written and produced by Howe. The rocker plays acoustic, electric, steel and bass guitars on the album, along with keyboards, and is backed by his son Dylan on drums.

“This album has given me the opportunity to do something different,” Howe shares. “I’ve utilized most of the colors, as I like to I think of my styles, and I’m always pleased when I hear them running through and it moves from a steel, maybe, to a Spanish guitar.”

He adds, “Because it’s a different sort of album, I’m not using terribly conventional chord sequences but things that give me a fresh feeling and opportunities to improvise and stretch out as well as be melodic and make this a nice tuneful experience.”

Guitarscape, Howe’s first album since 2020’s Love Is, will be released on CD, vinyl and digitally, including in Dolby Atmos. It is available for preorder now.

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Former Metallica bassist Jason Newsted is parting ways with over 60 instruments from his personal collection in his own Reverb shop.

Among the pieces available are basses that Newsted played on tours supporting …And Justice for All and the Black Album, and that he used to record the ‘Tallica song “Until It Sleeps.”

“The last 30 or 40 years as I’ve traveled around playing music for people, I’ve gathered some cool s***,” Newsted says. “I traveled the world to collect these pieces and many of these pieces have traveled the world with me. I’d like to get them into the hands of other players because I can only play so many at once, and wonderful guitars such as these should not live in cases forever … they deserve to be enjoyed!”

Newsted’s Reverb shop launches July 24. For more info, visit Reverb.com.

(Video contains uncensored profanity.)

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Mike Campbell and The Dirty Knobs have announced new fall co-headlining dates with singer Lucinda Williams.

The Alone Together: Come Hell or High Water tour kicks off Sept. 10 in Midland, Texas, hitting such cities as Austin, Salt Lake City, Las Vegas, Oakland, Los Angeles and more, before wrapping Sept. 29 in Del Mar, California.

Tickets for all shows go on sale to the general public Friday at 10 a.m. A complete list of dates can be found at thedirtyknobs.com.

Mike Campbell and The Dirty Knobs recently released their third studio album, Vagabonds, Virgins & Misfits, which features a guest appearance by Williams on the song “Hell Or High Water.”

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Billy Joel has a chance to add an Emmy to his trophy case. 

The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer just earned an Emmy nod for Outstanding Variety Special (Pre-recorded) for his CBS special, Billy Joel: The 100th –  Live at Madison Square Garden.

He does face some stiff competition, including comedy specials from Dave Chapelle, Trevor Noah and Nikki Glaser, and the CBS special Dick Van Dyke: 98 Years of Magic.

Billy Joel: The 100th – Live at Madison Square Garden aired back in April and, as the title gives away, is a recording of his 100th show at the iconic New York venue.

The airing wasn’t without issues, though, as the beginning of the program was delayed due to the Masters tournament, and the end got cut off in the middle of “Piano Man” in order to cut to local news. CBS wound up apologizing and then re-airing the show a few days later. 

The nomination comes as Billy is getting ready to say goodbye to his MSG residency. His final residency show is happening July 25.

Also earning an Emmy nod this year is the documentary The Greatest Night in Pop for Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special, which means Lionel Richie is up for an award as the doc’s producer. The film is also up for Outstanding Directing for a Documentary/Nonfiction Program.

The Greatest Night in Pop is about the making of the all-star charity single “We Are The World,” which featured musicians like Joel, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, Michael Jackson and others.  

The 76th Emmy Awards will broadcast live on ABC on Sept. 15 from the Peacock Theater at L.A. LIVE and stream the next day on Hulu.

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Ozzy Osbourne has some strong opinions about all those dancing videos Britney Spears shares on social media. 

In the latest episode of The Osbournes podcast, Ozzy and his family — wife Sharon, daughter Kelly and son Jack — are discussing TikTok dancing, when suddenly Ozzy says, “I’m fed up with seeing poor old Britney Spears [dancing].”

“Every f****** day!” he adds.

When Jack replies, “Save Britney,” Kelly chimes in, “I know, I feel so sorry for her.”

“It’s sad,” Ozzy continues. “Very, very sad.”

“Poor little thing,” says Sharon. “Very sad indeed,” Jack notes.

“It’s heartbreaking,” Sharon adds.

Meanwhile, the episode is titled “Are The Osbournes Leaving Hollywood?” and Ozzy and Sharon offer an update on their plans to move back to England, with Sharon revealing Ozzy’s health has delayed their relocation.

“Well, we’re trying to get on a flight,” Ozzy says, before Sharon adds, “Yeah, it just seems that every time we’re set to go, something happens with Ozzy’s health.”

The rocker, who’s set to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame for a second time in October, was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2019 and that same year had several surgeries on his spine.

“We’ll get there,” Sharon said about returning to the U.K. “We want to go back so bad, but we’ll get there. Won’t we, Ozzy?” to which he replied, “Yeah.”

(Video contains uncensored profanity.)

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ZZ Top’s Billy F Gibbons is playing a special concert to help raise funds for an upcoming documentary on Antarctica. 

The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer announced that he and his band the BFGs, featuring Mike Flanigin and Chris Layton, will headline a July 30 fundraiser at Villa at the Vineyard in Driftwood, Texas.

The concert is raising money for the feature documentary True South: An Antarctica Story, from National Geographic award-winning photographer Rodney Bursiel and Australian filmmaker James Douglas Cooper. Production on the film is scheduled to begin in February. 

“Will you help us on our bold mission to create a cinematic, world-class, award-winning independent feature documentary and photography series worthy of a worldwide audience?” reads a post on Gibbons’ Instagram account.

The filmmakers will be at the event, which will include food, drinks and a special auction.

Tickets are on sale now.

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Simon Kirke, drummer for legendary rock bands Bad Company and Free, is ready to share all he’s learned over his more than 50-year career with campers at the upcoming Rock ‘n’ Roll Fantasy Camp in New York.

Kirke has done about nine previous camps, and tells ABC Audio that he got involved years ago when he was touring with Ringo Starr and was asked by the promoter, who also ran the camp, whether he’d be interested in teaching. He says the idea intrigued him.  

“I know this sounds a little trite, but it was a chance to give something back to the fans and people who follow me and my bands over the years,” he says.

Kirke can see how music fans get a lot out of the experience, sharing, “When you get a chance to hang out with your ‘heroes,’ it’s wonderful. And once you put all that sort of aside, you want to learn from them.” 

And the campers aren’t the only ones who learn a thing or two at these camps.  

“I mean, I learn a lot by teaching,” Kirke says. “When you’re trying to impart knowledge to a beginner or relative newcomer, it helps you hone your own knowledge, as it were.”

He adds, “And I do love doing it.” 

Rock ‘n’ Roll Fantasy Camp’s Rock The Apple is happening Thursday through Sunday. In addition to Kirke, counselors include Foreigner’s Lou Gramm and Cheap Trick’s Rick and Daxx Nielsen. More info can be found at rockcamp.com.

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Grateful Dead’s Bobby Weir has announced a set of shows that will have him backed by symphonies from each city he plays in.

Billed as Bobby Weir & Wolf Bros featuring The Wolfpack, the fall tour hits three cities, starting Nov. 13 in Cincinnati, backed by the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra. They’ll then play Chicago Nov. 17-18, with the Chicago Philharmonic, before wrapping the trek Nov. 22-23 in New Orleans, backed by the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra.

Tickets for the shows in New Orleans and Chicago go on sale Friday at 10 a.m., while the Cincinnati show goes on sale Monday at 10 a.m.

Until then, Weir will continue to perform with Dead & Company at their Dead Forever residency at the Sphere Las Vegas. The band returns to the venue Aug. 1, with shows confirmed through Aug. 10. A complete list of dates can be found at deadandcompany.com.

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