Classic Rock News

In 2023, R&B and hip hop artist T-Pain put aside his signature Auto-Tune for a covers album, which included an unexpected rendition of the Black Sabbath classic “War Pigs.” His version has now caught the attention of Ozzy Osbourne, who is a big fan.

In a social media post linking to T-Pain’s live performance of “War Pigs,” the Prince of Darkness writes, “This is the best cover of ‘War Pigs’ ever. Why didn’t you guys call me?”

T-Pain then responded, “You’re always invited. Top of the list, every time!!”

“Thank you so much,” he added. “Means a lot coming from the greatness himself.”

Black Sabbath bassist Geezer Butler also endorsed T-Pain’s cover when it was first released, calling it “great.”

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On This Day, January 11, 1942…

Clarence Clemons, best known Bruce Springsteen’s longtime friend and E Street Band saxophonist, was born in Norfolk County, Virginia.

Clemons first met Springsteen in September 1971 at a bar in Asbury Park, New Jersey, and later appeared on Springsteen’s debut album, Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J., where he played sax on “Blinded by the Light” and “Spirit in the Night.”

As he was getting ready to promote the album on tour, Springsteen hired Clemons to join what would eventually become known as the E Street Band, the formation of which is recounted in the Born to Run classic “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out.”

Known as The Big Man, Clemons was a fan favorite and staple of E Street Band until his death in June 2011 at the age of 69.

He also released several solo records and had a top 20 hit in 1985 with “You’re a Friend of Mine,” a duet with Jackson Browne.

Clemons was posthumously inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2014 as a member of the E Street Band.

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The annual Beatles fan celebration will be happening in New York this year, with the location chosen to help mark a very special anniversary for the band.

The three-day Fest For Beatles Fans is set to take place February 9-11 at the TWA Hotel at John F. Kennedy International Airport, a fitting location considering it was 60 years ago in February that The Beatles first came to America, landing at JFK to a crowd of thousands of screaming fans.

This year also marks the 50th anniversary of the fest, and fans who attend will experience a Beatles marketplace, Beatles museum, an art gallery, an auction of rare items, performances and more.  

There will also be several special guests, including Micky Dolenz of The Monkees; Wings guitarist Laurence Juber; Gary Evans, son of Beatles’ roadie Mal Evans; Jenny Boyd, sister of Pattie Boyd and former sister-in-law of George Harrison; and Angie and Ruth McCartney, Paul McCartney’s stepmother and stepsister.

More details on the festival can be found at thefest.com.

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Bonnie Raitt is using her fame to bring attention to a documentary short film that has a chance at an Oscar nomination this year. 

The singer’s Instagram page is highlighting the film The Last Repair Shop, which recently made the Oscars’ shortlist in the Documentary Short Subject category.

“With the start of the new year, we want to share this beautiful short film from @latimes called @thelastrepairshop,” Bonnie shares, noting the film tells the story of the craftspeople who work at the Los Angeles Unified School District’s instrument repair shop.

The film also talks to the students at the school, who reveal “the impact that music and learning to play an instrument has had on their young lives.” 

“The film is a testament to the diversity of Los Angeles and the power of music education in the lives of young people who invest themselves in opportunities offered to them, free of charge, and open up a whole new world of music to explore,” the post adds.

The Last Repair Shop has already won the 2023 Critics Choice Documentary Award for Best Short Documentary. It is now available to watch on YouTube. 

As for Bonnie, she’s getting ready to hit the road again this spring. The next leg of her Just Like That tour kicks off April 26 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. A complete list of dates can be found at bonnieraitt.com.

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While not quite a reunion, ex-Metallica bassist Jason Newsted guests on his old band’s podcast.

Newsted appears on the latest episode of The Metallica Report, a weekly series hosted by Steffan Chirazi, the editor of ‘Tallica’s online So What! magazine, and Renée Richardson, director of philanthropy for the band’s All Within My Hands charity foundation.

During the show, Newsted, who’s also a painter, talks about what he’s up to nowadays and the possibility of future musical projects.

“Offers come in to play music collaborations,” Newsted shares. “I’m open to those things, but I’m really very, very picky about those proposals these days.”

One of those collaborations that ended up not happening was a proposed Eddie Van Halen tribute tour featuring Newsted alongside Van Halen drummer Alex Van Halen and guitar virtuoso Joe Satriani. Newsted talked about the project in 2022 interview after it had already fallen through.

Elsewhere in the interview on The Metallica Report, Newsted recalls some of his favorite Metallica memories, including playing Colorado’s famed Red Rocks venue in 1989.

“We moved the Earth right then,” Newsted says.

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Selena Gomez announced Tuesday she was taking a break from social media, but before she did, she posted an intriguing photo to her Instagram Story: a copy of Simple Dreams, the memoir by legendary singer Linda Ronstadt. Variety is now reporting that Selena will be playing the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer in an upcoming biopic.

According to Variety, the movie is in preproduction, and producers on the project include Ronstadt’s manager, John Boylan, and James Keach, who produced a 2019 documentary about her called The Sound of My Voice.

Like Selena, Ronstadt is of Mexican descent. Over her career, she’s recorded pop, rock, country and Latin music, as well as standards. Among her many honors, she’s won 11 Grammys, received the National Medal of Arts and Humanities, and has scored 10 top 10 hits.

Ronstadt returned to the conversation last year thanks to the inclusion of her song “Long, Long Time” in the acclaimed third episode of the HBO series The Last of Us.

In an interview from 2015, Selena said that people have always told her she looks like Ronstadt, which is why she started listening to her. She also said Ronstadt inspired the cover art of her album Revival.

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U2 is getting ready to wrap up their Las Vegas residency in March, but before they do they’re giving fans a chance to win a truly unique experience with the band. 

The Irish rockers have just launched a new sweepstakes with Fandiem in which the lucky winner and a guest will receive two VIP tickets to see U2: UV Achtung Baby at Sphere on Saturday, February 24. 

But that’s not all. The prize comes with two guest passes to meet the band before and after the show, plus roundtrip travel and hotel accommodations in Las Vegas, a guided tour of the Zoo Station U2:UV Experience at The Venetian Resort Las Vegas and a merch bundle. 

Fans have until February 14 to enter the sweepstakes. Proceeds will be donated to The Farmlink Project, which helps to fight hunger by making sure food that would be wasted goes to people who need it.

U2 returns to the Sphere on January 26, with the residency set to run until March 2. A complete list of dates can be found at u2.com.

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Rod Stewart, who celebrates his 79th birthday on Wednesday, January 10, is set to take part in BBC Radio 2’s monthlong lineup of Piano Room performances.

The series will feature a lineup of 20 artists backed by the BBC Concert Orchestra, with each musician performing a new song, classic tune and cover.

Stewart will be joined by Jools Holland, Squeeze‘s former keyboard player, for his February 22 performance. On Instagram, he revealed they plan to take on a Billie Holiday cover.

The performance will happen ahead of the release of Rod and Jools’ new album of swing music, Swing Fever, due out February 23. They’ve already released the first single from the record, a cover of “Almost Like Being in Love.”

Other artists taking part in the Piano Room month include Bruce Hornsby, who’ll perform a Don Henley cover; The Smiths‘ Johnny Marr, set for an Iggy Pop cover; Rick Astley, who’ll cover Olivia Rodrigo; and Crowded House, who’ll be performing a Petula Clark cover.

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The 40th anniversary celebration of Talking Heads‘ critically acclaimed concert documentary and live album, Stop Making Sense, will continue this year, with an upcoming tribute album.

A24, the studio that released a newly restored version of the film in 2023, just revealed on social media that a tribute album will be “coming soon,” sharing, “We’ve got a tape we’d like to play you. 16 tracks from 16 artists.”

They also previewed a snippet of the first track from the record, a cover of “Burning Down the House” by Paramore. The video posted shows frontwoman Hayley Williams opening up a box with David Byrne‘s signature big white suit inside and then breaking out a cassette tape of the soundtrack to play for her band.

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.

In addition to “Burning Down the House,” the soundtrack, which was released in September 1984, featured live performances of songs like “Psycho Killer,” “Once in a Lifetime,” “Take Me To the River” and more.

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When KISS wrapped their final tour in December, they introduced fans to the next phase of their career, the KISS avatars. Now, the band’s guitarist Tommy Thayer is sharing his thoughts on the project.

“It’s been interesting doing the avatars so far; it’ll take some time to get the imagery where we want it to be,” he says in a new interview with Guitar World. “I haven’t really thought about what it all means in the big picture, but with technology evolving as quickly as it is, there’s no doubt that this is the direction a lot of entertainment is going.” 

KISS recently revealed that the avatar show won’t be debuting until 2027, but Thayer doesn’t plan to sit back and wait for it to happen, although he’s not sure what’s next for him.  

“I’m not completely ready to retire yet; I have ideas and certainly options on the table,” he says. “I’m not thinking of continuing to play in another band or that sort of thing – that doesn’t appeal to me. But I look forward to an exciting future, working hard and being a part of good things going forward.”

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