Classic Rock News

Gibson Guitars has announced a new collaborative partnership with legendary Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page.

The news was announced during the launch of Gibson Garage London, which officially opens to the public on Saturday, February 24. It’s the guitar company’s first flagship store outside of the U.S.

“When I met with (Gibson President and CEO) Cesar (Gueikian) and he explained what the future of Gibson looked like, I knew I needed to be involved,” Page shares. “There is a spirit in the place; after seeing the people working at the factories and getting a connection with them, I knew that picking up that Les Paul Custom and the Doubleneck all those years ago was certainly the right decision.” 

Details regarding the partnership have not yet been revealed, but Gibson previewed the collab with a video trailer featuring Page posing with his doubleneck guitar.

And Page wasn’t the only superstar guitarist at the Gibson Garage London launch. Black Sabbath’s Tony Iommi and Queen’s Brian May were on hand for the celebration, with May sharing a photo with his fellow guitar greats on Instagram.

“The new Gibson Garage London will be just what we all used to dream a guitar shop should be, a place where a young player can feel welcome and mix with the finest instruments, amps, and ancillary gear-and NOT be told to keep their hands to themselves! It’s a new era in Rock – and the Twang is still the Thang,” May said. 

“It’s really great that Gibson have chosen London to create a new Gibson Garage,” Iommi adds. “It’s not your average guitar shop-it’s a place where musicians can go to get inspired.”

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Eddie Vedder and Post Malone have shared a full video of their collaborative live rendition of Pearl Jam‘s “Better Man.”

As previously reported, the two teamed up onstage during a recent benefit concert supporting the EB Research Partnership, which Vedder co-founded with his wife, Jill. The performance featured Vedder and Post playing acoustic guitar and trading vocals.

Before launching into the song, Vedder said, “I’d like to dedicate to his brother.” Post has previously said that “Better Man” reminded him of his brother.

You can watch the Eddie Malone performance of “Better Man” on YouTube. Stay tuned until the end, when Vedder slips in a bit of Post’s song “Better Now.”

EB Research Partnership raises money toward finding a cure for epidermolysis bullosa, a rare genetic disorder that causes painful skin blisters. The benefit concert, which took place February 17 in Shelbyville, Tennessee, raised over $1 million.

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If the first day is any indication, Elton John stands to make a bundle from the Christie’s auction of the contents of his Atlanta, Georgia, home.

The first day of the sale, February 21, brought in $8 million, according to ArtsandCollections.com. All 49 lots were sold, with the big-ticket item being a work by famed artist Banksy called Flower Thrower Triptych. That went for more than $1.9 million. Another big item was Elton’s 1990 Bentley Continental, which sold for $441,000.

A pair of Elton’s signature silver leather platform boots from 1971 sold for $94,5000, more than 19 times the estimate, while a pair of his equally signature sunglasses went for $22,680, more than 11 times the estimate.

Among the other lots were luxury wristwatches, including a Cartier watch that sold for more than $277,000, and a bunch of Versace silk shirts that went for more than $30,000.

The auction continues Thursday, February 22, and Friday, February 23, and there are two other sessions, February 27 and February 28.

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Ace Frehley has dropped a new video for “Cherry Medicine,” the latest single off his new solo album, 10,000 Volts.

“This is one of my favorite tracks on the album, and we definitely had fun making the video,” the former KISS guitarist shared on Instagram.

The clip opens with Frehley getting out of a cherry red Ferrari, and features a bevy of leather-clad women who frolic with each other, and with the rocker and his band as they are performing the track.

To coincide with the video’s release, Frehley is releasing a limited-edition “Cherry Medicine” vinyl variant. Only 750 copies of the 12-inch are available on 180g half silver/half clear vinyl, with red and blue splatter.

Frehley’s 10,000 Volts, his first solo release since 2020’s Origins Vol. 2, comes out February 23 and is available for preorder now.

Frehley has several performances on the calendar for 2024, including an appearance on the Monsters of Rock Cruise, which runs from May 2-6 out of Miami, Florida. A complete list of dates can be found at acefrehley.com.

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A lawsuit accusing Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler of sexual assault in the ’70s has been dismissed after a judge ruled the plaintiff waited too long to file her case.

The suit was filed in New York in November on behalf of former child model Jeanne Bellino, who claimed she was assaulted by Tyler in the summer of 1975 when she was 17. She accused him of forcibly kissing and groping her. 

Although the alleged assault happened in the ’70s, Bellino filed her suit under New York City’s Victim of Gender-Motivated Violence Protection Act, which granted a two-year window to file suits that would have otherwise fallen outside the usual statute of limitations.

But U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan dismissed Bellino’s case, noting that to qualify under the Victim of Gender-Motivated Violence Protection Act, she would have had to show Tyler’s actions posed a “serious risk of physical injury,” but she didn’t.

Tyler is still facing another lawsuit. In December 2022, a woman named Julia Misley filed a lawsuit in California accusing Tyler of sexual assault, assault and battery, and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

Tyler and Misley were in a relationship for three years starting in 1973, when she was 16 and he was in his 20s. She claimed she was “powerless to resist” the rock star’s “power, fame and substantial financial ability,” and said he “coerced and persuaded” her into believing their relationship was a “romantic love affair.”

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On This Day, February 22, 1989…

The 31st Grammy Awards added a new category, Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance, but it was not without controversy.

Jethro Tull won the award for their album Crest of the Knave, beating out Metallica, who were the favorites to win for their album …And Justice for All.

Other artists nominated in the category included AC/DC, Jane’s Addiction and Iggy Pop.

There was so much controversy over the win, that the following year the Grammys separated the categories into Best Hard Rock Performance and Best Metal Performance, with Metallica winning Best Metal Performance in 1990 for “One.”

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Mark Lanegan passed away February 22, 2022 — two years ago Thursday. Among his many admirers in the music industry is Guns N’ Roses bassist Duff McKagan, who was good friends with the late Screaming Trees frontman.

“I met Mark sometime in the mid-’90s,” McKagan tells ABC Audio. “He’s also from the Northwest. We became friends and I started playing on some of his recordings, just as friends. Because we were both sober guys, to be frank.”

With Screaming Trees, Lanegan helped pioneer the grunge sound that would make Seattle and the Pacific Northwest the defining music scene of the early ’90s. He also had a prolific solo career, and sang with Queens of the Stone Age. In 2008, he released a collaborative album with Greg Dulli of The Afghan Whigs under the moniker The Gutter Twins.

McKagan was a fan of all Lanegan’s work and remembers jamming with The Gutter Twins during a benefit concert some years back.

“It went so well,” McKagan shares. “I played rhythm guitar and I sang, I knew all the songs. I’m like, ‘I’m in! What backup do you want me to sing? I’ll sing that one.'”

According to McKagan, that live collaboration almost continued into the studio.

“They’re like, ‘Man, maybe it’s gonna be The Gutter Trio next record, what do you think?'” McKagan recalls. “I’m like, ‘I’m in!’ But we weren’t able to do that.” 

McKagan’s new solo album, Lighthouse, is dedicated in part to Lanegan.

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KISS fans know Paul Stanley can rock out onstage, but music isn’t his only artistic endeavor. Stanley has had a successful art career for years, and he tells ABC Audio it started as an outlet for him when he was going through some hard times.

“I was going through a divorce and my best friend said to me, ‘You need to paint,'” he shares. “And I was taken aback because that wasn’t something I was expecting to hear, but it somehow resonated with me.”

Stanley describes his art as “very cathartic.” While he’s made millions from his work, he never expected it to be so lucrative. In fact, when he first started out he didn’t think he’d show his pieces to anyone.

“I never could have imagined the kind of success I’ve had,” he says. “If credibility comes from being a struggling artist, I guess I’ve given that up.”

Stanley is set to premiere his latest collection with appearances at two Wentworth Gallery locations in Florida: at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood on February 23 and at the Town Center Mall in Boca Raton on February 24.

Included in the collection are some pieces from Stanley’s The Other Side exhibit, which debuted last August at The Butler Institute of American Art in Youngstown, Ohio. 

Of course, his appearances bring out KISS fans who may have previously thought art wasn’t for them, and Stanley is perfectly happy with that.

“I would like to think that I can break down some of those barriers of elitism and snobbism that ultimately intimidate people from experiencing theater or art,” he says. “Good art is what you like. Art is, like everything else, is subjective.”

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Bonnie Raitt is returning to Austin City Limits. The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer appears on the Saturday, February 24, episode of the PBS series, performing classic tunes and highlights from her 2022 album, Just Like That… .

Raitt taped the episode back in October and was joined by Nashville-based singer/songwriter Sunny War.

Raitt’s appearance is her first ACL performance in over a decade. She made her ACL debut in 1984 and last appeared on the program in 2012, although she did perform on the 40th anniversary special in 2014. She was also inducted into the ACL Hall of Fame in 2016.

In addition to PBS, fans can catch the episode streaming via PBS.org. 

The ACL performance is a preview of what fans can expect when Raitt hits the road this spring. Her tour kicks off April 26 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. A complete list of dates can be found at bonnieraitt.com.

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Mötley Crüe and Judas Priest are among the hard rockers confirmed for the Louder Than Life festival, taking place September 26-29 in Louisville, Kentucky.

Mötley Crüe will headline Saturday, September 28, while Priest is on the bill for Sunday, September 29.

Slipknot, Korn and a reunited Slayer round out the Louder Than Life headliners, with The Offspring, Anthrax, Rage Against The Machine’s Tom Morello, Dropkick Murphys, Clutch, Disturbed and Marky Ramone also on the bill.

For the full lineup and all ticket info, visit LouderthanLifeFestival.com.

The festival is one of a handful of dates Mötley Crüe has on the schedule this year, including appearances at Welcome to Rockville in May and Milwaukee’s Summerfest in June. A complete list of dates can be found at motley.com.

Priest, whose new album Invincible Shield drops March 8, will kick off a U.S. tour on April 18 in Wallingford, Connecticut. A complete schedule can be found at judaspriest.com.

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