Classic Rock News

David Lee Roth has shared another new song with fans.

The former Van Halen frontman just dropped the new tune “Wash and Fold,” the second previously unreleased song he’s released this year. The first, “Manda Bala,” was released in October.

While Roth did not reveal when he recorded “Wash and Fold,” the last time he confirmed that he was recording new music was in 2014 when he went into the studio with current Mötley Crüe guitarist John 5.

Roth hasn’t released an album since 2003’s Diamond Dave, but he has been sharing music with fans since mid- 2022. He’s released new takes on several Van Halen songs, including “Unchained,” “You Really Got Me,” “Dance The Night Away,” “Panama,” “Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love,” “Everybody Wants Some!!” and “Atomic Punk.”

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Bruce Springsteen has been spending his time off the road in his old neighborhood.

New Jersey’s Daily Voice reports that last weekend The Boss was spotted not once but twice at Roberto’s Freehold Grill in his hometown of Freehold, New Jersey.

On Friday, November 17, Roberto’s owner, chef Roberto Diaz, shared a picture on Facebook of him and Springsteen, writing, “The boss is home for the holidays! Thanks Bruce for stopping by and spreading some holiday cheer!”

Then on Sunday, November 19, he posted a photo of the diner’s staff with Springsteen, writing, “Sunday crew with the boss. Great start to the holiday week!”

Springsteen has been off the road since September, when he postponed his tour with the E Street Band to recover from peptic ulcer disease. He is due to return to the road next year, with the tour relaunching on March 19 in Phoenix, Arizona. A complete list of dates can be found at brucespringsteen.net.

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Dire Straits frontman Mark Knopfler is getting rid of some of his guitars.

The BBC reports that Knopfler is putting more than 120 guitars and amps up for auction, including his 1983 Les Paul, which he played at Live Aid and used to record the hit “Money For Nothing” from the 1985 album Brothers in Arms. 

It will also include what is considered the “Holy Grail of electric guitars,” a 1959 Gibson Les Paul with a sunburst finish. It is expected to sell for between $375,000 and over $600,000.

“I hope they all get played,” Knopfler tells the BBC about the instruments being sold. “I don’t think they do too well living in a case all their lives.” He adds, “We’ve had great times together, so I am sad to see some of them go – but I’ve got enough left to play. More than enough.”

Fans will be able to check out the items up for auction when they go on display in New York and London ahead of the January 31 auction at Christie’s in London. A quarter of the proceeds will be donated to various charities, including the Red Cross, the wildlife conservation organization Tusk and the children’s charity Brave Hearts of the North East.

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Metallica‘s Kirk Hammett has teamed up with Epiphone to recreate his signature “Greeny” guitar.

“Greeny” is a 1959 Les Paul Standard and is named after its original owner, late Fleetwood Mac co-founder Peter Green. Before it made its way to Hammett’s hands, it also at one time belonged to late Thin Lizzy guitarist Gary Moore.

Speaking about the collaboration with Epiphone, Hammett shares, “I think Greeny is a guitar of the people and this is an amazing opportunity for more players to experience the spirit of Greeny.”

At $1,499, the Epiphone “Greeny” is a comparatively affordable edition of the guitar. Epiphone’s parent company, Gibson, also offers a “Greeny” recreation for $3,199. The Gibson Custom Shop also offers a limited-edition version for a grand total of $19,999, which you may need to be an actual member of Metallica to afford.

For more info on the Epiphone “Greeny,” visit Epiphone.com.

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R.E.M., The Doobie Brothers and Steely Dan are among the contenders for the 2024 class of the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

The organization just announced the artists in the running for induction next year. All four members of R.E.M. earned a nod in the performing songwriters category, along with Doobie Brothers’ Tom Johnston, Patrick Simmons and Michael McDonald, and Steely Dan’s Donald Fagen and Walter Becker.

Others nominated in that category include: Bryan Adams, Blondie’s Debbie Harry, Chris Stein and Clem Burke, Heart’s Ann and Nancy Wilson, George Clinton, Tracy Chapman, Kenny Loggins, Randy Bachman and Burton Cummings, founding members of The Guess Who, David Gates of Bread and the members of rap group Public Enemy.

Among the nonperforming songwriters who are nominated for induction are Timbaland, known for his work with Justin Timberlake on “Sexy Back” and Missy Elliott on “Get Ur Freak On”; Hillary Lindsey, writer of such songs as “Girl Crush” and “Jesus Take the Wheel”; and Maurice Starr, who wrote New Edition tracks like “Candy Girl” and “Is This the End.”

Some of this year’s nominees have already been in the running for the Hall of Fame. Adams, R.E.M., Blondie, Doobie Brothers and Heart were all nominated last year but failed to make the cut.

Voting is open from now until December 27. The eventual inductees will be honored at a gala in New York City next year.

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Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour recently released Metallic Spheres in Colour, a reimagined and remixed version of Metallic Spheres, a 2010 collaborative album with the British ambient techno act The Orb. Well, now they want fans to have some fun with it.

The artists are asking fans to go to metallicspheres.io to experience the Metallic Spheres In Colour AI project in partnership with Vermillio, which will allow them to reimagine the album’s music and cover art using AI.

Once on the site, users will have the opportunity to listen to a selection of music from the release, and AI will ask them to select how they feel, which will then generate new artwork based on those emotions. They will also be asked to reimagine the audio based on the mood and tempo they want to express.

Fans will be given the opportunity to share the results on social media. In the coming weeks, remixes will be available to purchase. Plus, the reimagined cover art may be used in a video for the album. 

The original album came from a musical project Gilmour was involved in that was designed to raise money to support the case of Gary McKinnon, a British hacker who was facing extradition to the U.S. The proceeds from Metallic Spheres, the album that grew out of that project, were donated to that effort; the extradition was later overturned, and McKinnon escaped prosecution in the U.K.

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Tool‘s show in Toronto on Monday, November 20, got an extra dose of prog courtesy of Alex Lifeson.

The Rush guitarist joined Maynard James Keenan and company onstage for a rendition of their song “Jambi.” According to setlist.fm, the performance also included elements from the Rush tune “A Passage to Bangkok.”

Toronto, of course, is Rush’s hometown. Lifeson is set to play another Toronto show at the upcoming Andy Kim Christmas benefit concert, taking place December 6.

Tool is also staying in Toronto to headline a second night on Tuesday, November 21. That will mark the final date on their fall North American tour; a winter leg is set to launch in January.

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Robert Plant has opened up about Led Zeppelin‘s decision to call it quits in 1980 following the death of their drummer John Bonham.

Although there were rumors that his bandmates Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones wanted to continue, Plant doesn’t have any regrets about the split.

“You have to keep on developing. Probably for everybody and everything it was the right thing, it was right for me,” he shares in a new interview with the Irish Examiner. “I think Jimmy and John Paul, for a while, wanted to keep it going but we all change.” 

He adds, “You have to go from the writing of youth, you’re talking about ‘Bron-Yr-Aur’ and ‘Battle of Evermore’, from writing in that fashion and those visions of a life and an eternal rub between people to the maturity you find along the way; I’m doing the right thing.”

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While The Osbournes Podcast is up and running again, don’t hold your breath for a reboot of The Osbournes reality TV show.

During the latest episode of said podcast, Ozzy Osbourne dismissed the idea of an Osbournes reboot.

“It won’t happen again,” Ozzy declares. “Never in a million years.”

The Osbournes originally aired on MTV from 2002 to 2005 and focused on Ozzy’s home life with wife Sharon and kids Jack and Kelly. In reflecting on the show, Ozzy says that he feels The Osbournes was a good diary of the family’s life at the time, though he found the experience to be “intrusive.”

Though The Osbournes may never be coming back, it was announced in 2022 that Ozzy and Sharon would be starring in an upcoming BBC reality series called Home to Roost.

Meanwhile, The Osbournes Podcast returned in September after a five-year hiatus.

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Ringo Starr is on the cover of the December issue of AARP magazine, where he opens up about his relationship with his Beatles bandmates.

“Paul loves me as much as I love him,” he says of Paul McCartney. “He’s the brother I never had.” It sounds like Ringo was equally close to George Harrison and John Lennon, as he notes, “As an only child, suddenly I got three brothers. We looked out for each other.” 

When the interviewer suggests that Ringo, who never feuded with any of his bandmates, was the person who helped keep the peace within the band, Ringo agrees.

“No, I was the glue,” he jokes. “That’ll be in big letters: I WAS THE GLUE, SAYS RINGO.” 

In an accompanying video, Ringo credits McCartney for encouraging the band to constantly record, which resulted in the release of so much music during their career.

“Paul loved to work more than all of us. John and I would be, like, hanging out in the garden and the phone would ring and we knew it was him,” Ringo says, adding, “I’ve always thanked him for being that guy because otherwise we’d have put, like, three albums out and vanished.”

Speaking of The Beatles output, Ringo also discusses the band’s recently released new song, “Now and Then,” which is being billed as the last new Beatles tune. He notes, “It’s a beautiful song and a nice way to finally close that door.”

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