Classic Rock News

Over the years, Metallica‘s 2003 effort, St. Anger, has consistently been the band’s most maligned album, with fans often making fun of the sound of Lars Ulrich‘s snare drum on the record. Over 20 years later, Metallica is hoping to get in on the fun, too.

In a Facebook post announcing the addition of St. Anger songs to the Fender Play guitar instruction app, the metal legends write, “Everyone’s favorite album is now on Fender Play!”

The post continues, “Dust off your guitar (sorry, the snare drums will have to wait for another day) and get started on ‘Frantic,’ ‘St. Anger,’ ‘Some Kind of Monster’ and ‘The Unnamed Feeling.'”

St. Anger is also infamous for its chaotic and dysfunctional recording sessions, which were chronicled in the 2004 documentary Metallica: Some Kind of Monster.

In addition to poking fun at St. Anger, Metallica is prepping for their return to the road on their world M72 tour, which supports their latest album, 2023’s 72 Seasons. The U.S. leg launches in August.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

On This Day, January 18, 2016… 

Glenn Frey, Eagles guitarist, vocalist and co-founder, died in New York City at the age of 67 due to complications from rheumatoid arthritis, acute ulcerative colitis and pneumonia.

The previous November, Eagles postponed their Kennedy Center Honors tribute because Frey needed intestinal surgery, but he never had it due to complications from pneumonia and was placed in a medically induced coma. Following his death, Frey’s wife sued the hospital and his gastroenterologist for wrongful death.

Co-founded in 1971 by Frey, singer/drummer Don Henley, guitarist Bernie Leadon and bassist Randy Meisner, the Eagles went on to become one of the bestselling music acts of its era and were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1998. Frey was best known for singing lead vocals on such Eagles songs as “Take It Easy,” “Tequila Sunrise,” “Already Gone,” “Heartache Tonight,” “New Kid in Town,” “Lyin’ Eyes” and more.

He also had a successful solo career, with his biggest hit being the #2 charting “The Heat Is On” from the movie Beverly Hills Cop. Other solo hits include “Smuggler’s Blues” and “You Belong to the City.”

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

The late Robbie Robertson is once again being recognized for his work on Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon.

Nominees for the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) Film Awards have just been announced, and Robertson has earned a nod in the Original Score category, where he’ll compete against the scores for Oppenheimer, Poor Things, Saltburn and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.

Robertson, who passed away in August at the age of 80, previously earned nods for Best Score at the Golden Globe Awards and the Critics Choice Awards. In both cases, he lost to Oppenheimer’s Ludwig Göransson. Robbie’s also on the shortlist for an Oscar nomination.

Winners will be announced at the BAFTA Film Awards ceremony, taking place February 18.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Sammy Hagar is set to auction off his custom 2015 Ferrari LaFerrari at the Barrett-Jackson 2024 Scottsdale Auction, beginning Saturday at WestWorld in Arizona. And while he has had second thoughts about his decision, he tells ABC Audio that passing it on is the right thing to do. 

“I don’t deserve to own it anymore because it’s too much car for me,” the 76-year-old says. “I mean, at my age, that car is so fast. You have to recalibrate your brain when you get in.”  

Sammy believes that holding onto it is like keeping a classic piece of artwork.  

“Things like that you shouldn’t own. You shouldn’t die with that in your possession,” he says. “You should pass it on to someone else that can appreciate it. That’s kind of the way I feel about this car. It’s that special.” 

Sammy’s Beach Bar Cocktail Co. premium sparkling rum canned cocktails will be making their Arizona debut as the “presenting sponsor” of the auction. Sammy’s confident fans will love them, because he does.

Sammy insists he’s very involved in the development of all his liquor and cocktails, noting, “The look and feel, how it’s going to taste, 100% comes from my tongue, my palate, my stomach, what I like.”

In fact, that’s Sammy’s motto when it comes to any of his business ventures. “You please yourself, you say, ‘This is what I like,’” rather than creating something because you think others will like it. He notes, “To go into business like that to me would be ludicrous.”  

The Barrett-Jackson 2024 Scottsdale Auction, featuring about 1,900 collectible cars, trucks and SUVs, is happening January 20-28. More info can be found at scottsdale.barrett-jackson.com.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

While it’s understood that Hollywood sells Californication, it’ll also be producing an Anthony Kiedis movie.

According to Deadline, a film based on the Red Hot Chili Peppers frontman’s 2004 autobiography, Scar Tissue, is in early development with Universal Pictures, which has optioned the rights to the book.

The New York Times bestselling Scar Tissue dives into Kiedis’ difficult childhood and goes into great detail about his drug addiction. The book was previously set to be adapted for TV, first by HBO and then by FX, but the show never materialized.

In other adaptation of rock star lives news, the opera based on Last Days, the 2005 film loosely inspired by Kurt Cobain, is set to make its U.S. debut on February 6 at the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles. The production previously premiered in London in 2022.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

U2 is asking their fans for some help. The Irish rockers are set to return to Las Vegas later this month, and to mark the occasion they are launching a new broadcast channel on Instagram. The issue? They don’t know what to name it.

The band has asked their fans to chime in with suggestions for a name; once they’ve narrowed it down to their favorite four, they’ll hold a poll to pick a winner.

“Please feel free to be as clever as you’d like,” they write, “puns are welcome!” They’ve already received several suggestions, including “Atomic Zoo,” “U2:LV,” “U2LovesUtoo” and “U2ube.”

The new channel’s launch will coincide with the January 26 return of U2: UV Achtung Baby Live at Sphere, following a break of more than a month. The show is set to run through March 2. A complete list of dates can be found at u2.com.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Talking Heads’ iconic concert film Stop Making Sense is headed back to theaters.

Variety reports that in celebration of the movie’s 40th anniversary this summer, A24 is set to rerelease its 4K restoration of the film to theaters in the U.S. and Canada starting January 27. The movie will have residencies in several cities, including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and London.

To coincide with the rerelease, A24 will also launch a new Stop Making Sense merch collection in theaters, and it will release a collector’s edition 4K and Blu-ray edition of the flick, which will be available for preorder staring January 27.

The news follows the announcement earlier this month that a Stop Making Sense tribute album is on the way, featuring 16 artists covering Talking Heads tunes, including Paramore’s take on “Burning Down the House.”

A24’s 4K restoration of Stop Making Sense debuted at the Toronto Film Festival last September, which included a Q&A with the reunited band. It livestreamed at IMAX theaters across the country, selling out 25 theaters to become IMAX’s highest-grossing live event.

Considered by many to be the greatest concert film of all time, Stop Making Sense, directed by Jonathan Demme, was recorded over three shows at Hollywood’s Pantages Theatre in December 1983; the documentary came out the following October.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

The Allman Betts Band is hitting the road this spring.

The group, led by Devon Allman and Duane Betts, sons of the Allman Brothers Band’s Gregg Allman and Dickey Betts, respectively, have announced dates for the King Crawler American Tour, which is set to kick off May 16 in Charleston, South Carolina, and wrap June 9 in Newton, New Jersey.

A complete list of dates and ticket information can be found at allmanbettsband.com.

While this is the Allman Betts Band’s first U.S. tour since 2021, the two artists did hit the road together last year for the 2023 Allman Betts Family Revival, a 16-date tour that also featured Anders Osborne, North Mississippi Allstars’ Luther and Cody Dickinson, and special guests in select cities.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Mötley Crüe is celebrating their 43rd anniversary on January 17, and to mark the momentous occasion, the band has announced the launch of their Crüeseum, which they describe as the “World’s Most Notorious Museum.” 

The virtual museum, developed in partnership with Definitive Authentic/Inveniem, features candid photos, gear, handwritten lyrics and more memorabilia from the band’s personal archives, some of which are being displayed for the first time.

Crüeseum is currently broken down into three different collections: “Shout at the Devil,” dedicated to the band’s 1983 sophomore album; “On With the Show,” delving into the band’s life on the road, and “Home Sweet Home – Los Angeles,” described as “a dirty love letter to the city that made them.” 

And this is just the beginning: The rockers note new exclusive items will be continually added to the Crüeseum.

Of course, like most museums, Crüeseum features a gift shop where fans can purchase a variety of collectables, like prints, tour posters, a Shout at the Devil commemorative album plaque, tour journal and collector’s limited edition cassette.

Mötley Crüe also announced they are reviving their ’80s-era fan club, S.I.N. Club, where members will get exclusive access to show tickets and more.

Fans can check out the Crüeseum experience at crueseum.com.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Ross Valory, bassist and original member of Journey, is set to release his debut solo album, All of the Above, in April, and he’s giving fans their first taste of the record.

Valory, who was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame with Journey, has just dropped the video for the new instrumental single “Tomland,” which features guitarist Miles Schon, son of Journey’s Neal Schon, drummer Prairie Prince and keyboardist Eric Levy.

“I have been revisiting material that has been accumulating, and I am sharing some of my favorite songs for the first time!” Valory shares of the record, noting on YouTube that fans should be “unprepared for a very eclectic album.” 

Here’s the track list for All of the Above:

“Wild Kingdom”
“Nightflower”
“Tomland”
“Touched, Part II”
“Windmill”
“Incident at Neshabur”
“Low Rider”
“No One Wins a War”

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.