Classic Rock News

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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On This Day, January 10, 2023… 

Legendary guitarist Jeff Beck passed away at the age of 78, after contracting bacterial meningitis.

Beck came to prominence as a member of the Yardbirds, but went on to have a successful solo career, fronting his own Jeff Beck Group.

Considered by many to be one of the greatest guitar players of all time, Beck won six Grammys for Best Rock Instrumental Performance, plus additional wins for Best Pop Instrumental Performance and Best Pop Collaboration with vocals.

He was inducted into Rock & Roll Hall of Fame twice, in 1992 as a member of the Yardbirds and again in 2009 for his solo work.

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Now that Paul Stanley’s finished touring with KISS, he’s got some free time to promote another one of his artistic endeavors – his art.

The rocker is set to premiere his latest art collection at two Wentworth Gallery locations in Florida. The collections will feature new original paintings, hand painted signature Paul Stanley Ibanez guitars, mixed media originals and more. 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.

“I don’t really have a style other than what connects all of my pieces – which is vibrant color,” Stanley shares. “Because, to me, color is the representation of life. I view my life, on its worst day, as a miracle. I think life is amazing. And I represent it with color.”

To celebrate the new collection, Stanley will make two in-gallery appearances: Friday, February 23, at the Wentworth Gallery at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida, followed by an appearance Saturday, February 24, at the Wentworth Gallery in the Town Center Mall in Boca Raton, Florida.

Stanley has been creating art for decades, and actually designed and created the iconic KISS emblem. About 10 years ago he returned to painting, creating portraits and abstract work, earning tens of millions of dollars for his work.

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Scorpions are paying tribute to their former drummer James Kottak, who passed away at the age of 61. 

“Very sad news … our dear friend and Drummer for 20 years James Kottak has passed at the age of 61,” the band wrote on Facebook on Tuesday, January 9. “James was a wonderful human being , a great musician and loving family man.” Calling him their “brother from another mother,” the band said he “will be truly missed. … Rock‘n Roll Forever RIP James.”

Kottak joined the German hard rock band in 1996, replacing original drummer Herman Rarebell. Kottak was the group’s longest serving drummer, playing with the band until his firing in 2016.

Prior to joining Scorpions, Kottak was an original member of another German hard rock band, Kingdom Come. He was with the band from 1987 to 1989, and rejoined them in 2018.

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The Oscars take place in March, and Elton John has confirmed he will host his annual Academy Awards Viewing Party, which raises money for the Elton John AIDS Foundation. Elton started holding these parties in 1992, and they’ve since raised tens of millions of dollars for the foundation, which aims to destigmatize AIDS, fund treatments and find a cure.

“The countdown is on again for our biggest night of the year, #EJAFOscars!” Elton posted on Instagram. The event will take place on March 10 in West Hollywood and will be co-hosted by Tiffany Haddish, Neil Patrick Harris and Harris’ husband, David Burtka. 

In addition to food and musical performances, which will be announced later, the event usually features a silent auction of one-of-a-kind experiences and luxury goods. And as Elton’s post notes, “Every contribution on this special night fuels our mission to end HIV stigma and spread greater love and compassion across the globe.” Last year’s event alone raised $9 million.

And since Elton has teased that he’s releasing a new album this year, perhaps he’ll treat attendees to some of the songs?

The 96th annual Academy Awards, hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, will air live coast to coast on March 10 at 7 p.m. ET on ABC.

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Judas Priest just dropped the video for “Panic Attack,” the first single from their upcoming album Invincible Shield, which is due out March 8.

The clip features performance footage from the band’s gig at October’s Power Trip Festival in Indio, California. It was during the festival that Judas Priest first surprised fans with the news about Invincible Shield, the band’s first new album since 2018’s Firepower.

Invincible Shield is available for preorder now.

Following the album’s release, Judas Priest will kick off a U.K. and European tour starting in Glasgow, Scotland, on March 11. They launch a U.S. tour on April 18 in Wallingford, Connecticut. A complete list of dates can be found at judaspriest.com.

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Robert Plant has taken to social media to offer some birthday wishes to his former Led Zeppelin bandmates Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones, who both celebrated their birthdays in January.

The birthday post came as Page celebrated his milestone 80th on Tuesday, January 9, while Jones celebrated his 78th earlier in the month, on January 3.

“It’s never too late, Happy Birthday John and Happy Birthday Jimmy,” he wrote next to an archival band photo, “here’s to the wonderful dancing days,” a reference to the 1973 Houses of the Holy track “Dancing Days.”

It’s been over 15 years since Plant, Page and Jones performed together as Led Zeppelin. Their last performance took place December 10, 2007, at the Ahmet Ertegun tribute concert in London. They were backed on drums by Jason Bonham, son of their late drummer John Bonham, who passed away in September 1980. The group disbanded shortly after his death.

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Mötley Crüe is getting ready to share something with fans next week. The rockers posted a mysterious tease on Instagram, featuring a collage of black and white archival photos with “soon…” written in red.

They reiterated the “soon” tease in the caption, adding, “1/17/2024,” so whatever they’re planning to reveal is coming on Wednesday. 

Could it be that Mötley Crüe fans will finally get some new music from the band? They first announced they were making new music back in April, when they revealed they were once again working with Dr. Feelgood producer Bob Rock. Then, in December, bassist Nikki Sixx confirmed new tunes would be out in 2024.

If they do release new tracks, it will be the first new music from the band since 2019, when they released the soundtrack to their Netflix series The Dirt, featuring three new songs.

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