Classic Rock News

Skateboarding legend Tony Hawk is using a unique piece of Kurt Cobain memorabilia to raise awareness for mental health.

Hawk obtained a skateboard at an auction last year that was hand-painted by the late Nirvana frontman in 1985. The deck, a signature model by late skater Jeff Phillips, features artwork inspired by the cover of the 1981 Iron Maiden album, Killers.

In an Instagram post, Hawk calls Cobain and Phillips “Two icons that had immense influence on their respective fields, both of whom passed away tragically and much too young.”

“We are hoping to make something good of this acquisition by raising awareness for emotional health, and to help provide resources for those who are struggling mentally,” Hawk writes.

More info will be revealed on Monday, February 20, which would’ve been Cobain’s 56th birthday.

Beyond the skateboard, Hawk has another connection to Cobain — last year it was revealed that his son Riley Hawk was dating Cobain’s daughter, Frances Bean Cobain.

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The full lineup for England’s Glastonbury Festival has yet to be announced, but it looks like Blondie will be on it, at least according to their drummer, Clem Burke. 

During an appearance on Foxy Radio, Burke was talking about Blondie’s July show with Iggy Pop at Crystal Palace Park in London when he let it slip that the band’s booked for the famed festival.

“We’re also doing Isle of Wight and we’re doing some other festivals,” Burke said. “I guess it hasn’t really been announced, the full list of artists to be playing Glastonbury, but we are going to be playing Glastonbury, so maybe you got an exclusive there.”

Glastonbury Festival is happening June 21 to 25. So far the only artist officially confirmed for the festival is Elton John, who is headlining June 25.

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A huge auction of guitars once owned by original Fleetwood Mac member Peter Green is set to take place this summer. Guitarist reports The Peter Green Collection auction will happen through the auction house Bonhams from June 16 to 28, featuring over 150 electric and acoustic guitars once owned by the late Rock & Roll Hall of Famer.

“We hope that Peter’s guitars and other items included in the auction will be of great interest to his fans and find good homes,” says a rep from Green’s estate. The auction will also include “several important handwritten lyrics and some of his psychedelic sketches,” including a rare set of lyrics for Fleetwood Mac’s “Man of the World,” which Green wrote.

A full list of the guitars up for auction has yet to be announced, but some that have been confirmed include a 1999 Fender Custom Shop Stratocaster in sea foam green and a 1968 Gretsch White Falcon 6137. Some of the items are set to go on exhibit at the annual Guitar Show in Birmingham, England, happening February 25 to 28.

“Peter Green was one of the greatest guitarists,” said Bonhams’ director of popular culture department, Katherine Schofield. “Even when out of the limelight, the tributes paid to his playing throughout his lifetime continued to highlight his reputation and the esteem his fellow artists held him in. This sale is a celebration of his love for the guitar.”

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Crazy Horse is making music on their own. The group, known for being Neil Young’s backing band, is set to release their own album next month.

All Roads Lead Home, from Crazy Horse members Ralph Molina, Billy Talbot and Nils Lofgren, was recorded during the pandemic, which meant the band couldn’t be together. Instead each member recorded three original songs with other musicians in a variety of locations. The first single released from the record is the Lofgren track “You Will Never Know.”

The album also includes one contribution from Young, a live solo version of the tune “Song of the Seasons,” which originally appeared on the album Barn with Crazy Horse. 

All Roads Lead Home will be released March 31 on vinyl and CD, and will be available on hi-res audio at Neil Young Archives. It is available for preorder now.

Here is the track list for All Roads Lead Home:

“Rain” (Billy Talbot)
“You Will Never Know” (Nils Lofgren)
“It’s Magical” (Ralph Molina)
“Song Of the Seasons” (Neil Young)
“Cherish” (Billy Talbot)
“Fill My Cup” (Nils Lofgren)
“Look Through The Eyes Of Your Heart” (Ralph Molina)
“The Hunter” (Billy Talbot)
“Go With Me” (Nils Lofgren)

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Foo Fighters have shared a tribute to Taylor Hawkins on what would’ve been the late drummer’s 51st birthday.

In a tweet Friday, Dave Grohl and company posted a photo of Hawkins alongside the caption, “Miss you so much.“

Hawkins was born February 17, 1972 — the same day and year as Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong. He passed away unexpectedly on March 25, 2022, just over a month after his 50th birthday.

Foo Fighters honored Hawkins with two giant tribute concerts last September. The group is set to return to the road this year for a number of festival headlining performances, including at Bonnaroo and Boston Calling. A new drummer has yet to be announced.

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RTZ is ready to release his debut album. The musician, born Robin Taylor Zander and son of Cheap Trick guitarist Robin Zander, is set to drop The Distance on April 21.

RTZ, who’s been a touring musician with Cheap Trick since 2016, teamed up with producer Jack Douglas —who’s produced music for John Lennon, Patti Smith and New York Dolls — for the record, which is inspired by RTZ’s love of classic artists like Neil Young and T. Rex, as well as My Morning Jacket‘s Jim James and the Flaming Lips‘ Wayne Coyne.

RTZ has also shared the first single from the record, “High N Low,” which he describes as “an oldie, but a goodie.” He noted he wrote it back in January 2015 but had never released it.

“The production is entirely inspired by the music of the Beach Boys, the Beatles, the Bee Gees, basically, it’s a tip of the hat to them,” RTZ shares. “Their vocals and harmonies are why I sing and write music. It’s a little pop, a little British, a little Beatlesesque.”

He adds, “It’s simple and it’s about people passing from unfortunate events that could have been avoided. It’s about specific people for my life, how we deal with death and how it depends on the person. It’s very honest, but a reassuring song … It’s something I think about a lot when something tough is happening.”

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On This Day, February 17, 1976…

The Eagles released the compilation album Their Greatest Hits (1971-1975), featuring songs from their first four albums, including “Take it Easy,” “Lyin’ Eyes,” “Desperado,” “Take it to the Limit” and others.

The album peaked at number one on the Billboard Album charts and stayed there for five weeks. It went on to spend over 230 weeks on the album chart.

Their Greatest Hits (1971-1975) was the first album to receive a Platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America, and was eventually certified 38 times Platinum. In 2017 the album was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Recording Registry.

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Queen is giving fans yet another peek behind the scenes with the latest episode of their weekly YouTube series Queen The Greatest Live. This week they explore the decisions that go into picking opening numbers for a show.

“The audience want to be blown away at first,” Roger Taylor shares in the clip. “We used to say blind them, deafen them, and then calm down a bit after 20 minutes. You really want to go bang, bang, bang, bang at the beginning of a show.”

Brian May adds that some songs are simply made to be openers. “Sometimes, writing a song, you’re already aware it would be a good opener,” he says. “You see it in that light. The production starts to take place in your head. We’ve had some really good openers and I think generally they’ve come out of the music.”

The episode looks at classic Queen openers like “We Will Rock You” and even “Tie Your Mother Down” during the period they toured with Paul Rodgers. May also talks about how they learned what goes into building anticipation in a show from artists like The Who and Led Zeppelin. 

The band also discusses why they rarely take openers with them when they tour. “Basically, we have a lot to offer on a given night and we like to use the whole evening,” May says. “So we like to do the whole show ourselves. It’s like we kind of do the warm-up ourselves.”

He adds, “In some ways it’s a shame because it’s nice to take a support group out because it gives them a leg up and it gives them a good chance to be seen.”

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Yoko Ono turns 90 on Saturday, and in honor of her big day, she wants you to share your wishes with her.

Since 1996, Yoko has been collecting wishes through Wish Tree art installations, so far collecting close to 2 million wishes from installations in over 35 countries. When she first launched her Wish Tree project she instructed fans: “Make a wish. Write it down on a piece of paper. Fold it and tie it around a branch of a Wish Tree. Ask your friend to do the same. Keep Wishing. Until the branches are covered with wishes.”

Now the Wish Tree is going virtual, with Yoko’s son Sean Ono Lennon launching a Wish Tree website where people can share their wishes online. The site will go live on Saturday in honor of Yoko’s big birthday, and fans will also be able to plant trees in the singer’s honor, thanks to the organization One Tree Planted.

According to the announcement on Yoko’s Instagram page, “We hope to gather as many wishes and plant as many trees as possible to honor this incredible woman.”

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Jon Bon Jovi’s son Jake Bongiovi has landed a movie role that hits a little close to home. Variety reports the 20-year-old has been cast in the film Rockbottom, which centers around a 1980s hair metal band.

In the film, the band CougarSnake never got off the ground and broke up over infighting. When a present-day Gen Z music star mentions in an interview he was introduced to the band by his absentee father, it sparks a push to reunite the group so that they can open for the younger star’s charity concert.

Bongiovi, who is dating Millie Bobby Brown, has been cast to play CougarSnake’s new lead singer, who is struggling with a case of stage fright.

This isn’t Bongiovi’s first acting gig. He will appear in the upcoming Kiernan Shipka holiday comedy Sweethearts.

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