The Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan has announced a virtual concert in support of victims of the July 4 mass shooting in Highland Park, Illinois, which killed seven people and injured dozens more.
Corgan has lived in Highland Park for about 20 years, and his Madame ZuZu’s tea shop is located in the Chicago suburb.
“About a week ago, of course, we had the horrible tragedy here on July 4 that took so many lives and has injured so many people, and really has affected us as a community,” Corgan says in an Instagram video.
The concert will air July 27 and will feature a variety of “special guests,” including Pumpkins drummer Jimmy Chamberlin and “other parts of the Pumpkins family.” It’ll stream for free on YouTube, and viewers will be able to donate to the Highland Park Community Foundation and its shooting response fund.
The 13-track collection features two Depp originals alongside an eclectic selection of 11 covers, including songs by The Beach Boys, late Beach Boys drummer Dennis Wilson, The Miracles, Marvin Gaye, The Velvet Underground and The Everly Brothers.
In an exclusive interview to promote 18, Beck says he really enjoyed working with Depp and appreciated his contributions to the project.
“He was a major force on this record,” Beck notes. “I haven’t had another partner for ages.”
Beck says he knew he was taking a risk covering “What’s Going On,” admitting, “I fully expect the full force of criticism because of that song being so precious,” while adding with a laugh, “but I was going through the Motown appreciation time.”
Beck recalls that “Ooo Baby Baby” came about while working on the album at Depp’s home in France. While waiting for Johnny to wake up one day, he laid down the track as a way to get a good audio balance. By the time Depp joined the session, Beck says he started feeling under the weather and went lie down for a bit.
Beck says that when he woke up, “I heard [Johnny] singing ‘Ooo Baby’… He was doing the three-part harmonies, and I crept into the studio without him seeing me. And it was just amazing watching him put these parts together.”
Beck also praised Depp’s songwriting skills, particularly how in “This Is a Song for Miss Hedy Lamarr” he expressed “respect for that actress and what she achieved.”
Here’s the full 18 track list:
“Midnight Walker” (Davy Spillane cover)
“Death and Resurrection Show” (Killing Joke cover)
“Time” (Dennis Wilson cover)
“Sad Motherf***in’ Parade” (Johnny Depp original)
“Don’t Talk (Put Your Head on My Shoulder)” (Beach Boys cover)
“This Is a Song for Miss Hedy Lamarr” (Johnny Depp original)
“Caroline, No” (Beach Boys cover)
“Ooo Baby Baby” (The Miracles cover)
“What’s Going On” (Marvin Gaye cover)
“Venus in Furs” (The Velvet Underground cover)
“Let It Be Me” (The Everly Brothers cover)
“Stars” (Janis Ian cover)
“Isolation” (John Lennon cover)
Following her debut with Demi Lovato‘s band on ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Thursday, Nita Strauss has confirmed that she’s joining the pop star on the road, too.
In an Instagram post Friday tagging Lovato, Strauss writes, “Let’s rock, @ddlovato! Excited to dive into this show and have some fun.”
Lovato’s tour, which supports their upcoming, guitar-driven album Holy F***, kicks off August 13 in Springfield, Illinois.
News of Strauss’ involvement comes after the longtime Alice Cooper touring guitarist announced earlier this week that she wouldn’t be joining the shock rocker on his upcoming fall tour.
“There is no drama whatsoever and my touring year is still VERY full,” Strauss wrote at the time. “In fact, I’m on a flight straight into the next adventure as I post this, and I’ll be on stage again much sooner than you think!”
Outside of her work in Cooper’s band, Strauss released her debut solo album, the instrumental Controlled Chaos, in 2018. Her 2021 solo single, “Dead Inside,” which features vocals by Disturbed‘s David Draiman, became the first song by a solo female artist to hit #1 on Billboard‘s Mainstream Rock Airplay chart in 32 years.
The 14-track collection is the band’s 38th official album and was mostly recorded remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic, although the horns were laid down live at founding trumpet player Lee Loughnane‘s studio in Arizona.
The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees are enjoying some chart success with the album’s lead single, “If This Is Goodbye,” which currently sits at #19 on Billboard‘s Adult Contemporary tally.
You can check out an official music video for the upbeat pop tune on Chicago’s YouTube channel.
Born for This Moment features three songs that founding singer/keyboardist Robert Lamm co-wrote with Ides of March frontman and ex-Survivor member Jim Peterik — the title track, “Crazy Idea,” and “Our New York Time.”
Chicago fans will likely pick up on the fact that the intro to “Our New York Time” recreates the start of the band’s classic 1969 song “Beginnings.”
“That was [producer] Joe Thomas‘s idea to do that there,” Lamm notes. “Initially, I had a little trepidation about it because I always want to hear something new, but the guys felt really positive about it, so I was cool with it.”
Born for This Moment is Chicago’s first album of original material to feature singer Neil Donnell, who joined the group in 2018.
Founding Chicago trombonist James Pankow says of Donell’s contributions, “Not only is Neil a technically gifted performer, he is an amazing, multirange singer … Without a doubt, he is a big asset to the band.”
Chicago currently is on the road with founding Beach Boys member Brian Wilson‘s solo band. The trek continues Friday night in Wantagh, New York, and runs through a July 26 show in Clarkston, Michigan.
Here’s the full Born for This Moment track list:
“Born for This Moment”
“If This Is Goodbye”
“Firecracker”
“Someone Needed Me the Most”
“Our New York Time”
“Safer Harbours”
“Crazy Idea”
“Make a Man Outta Me”
“She’s Right”
“The Mermaid” (“Sereia Do Mar”)
“You’ve Got to Believe”
“For the Love”
“If This Isn’t Love”
“House on the Hill”
Stewart Copeland, the arrestingly kinetic drummer of The Police, celebrates his 70th birthday this Saturday, July 16.
Born in Alexandria, Virginia, Copeland grew up in Beirut, Lebanon, where his CIA agent father was stationed. He later moved to England, and in 1974 he became the drummer of the prog-rock band Curved Air.
After Curved Air broke up in 1976, Copeland formed The Police the following year with singer/bassist Gordon Sumner, a.k.a. Sting, and guitarist Henry Padovani. Guitarist Andy Summers joined as a fourth member later in ’77, and Padovani exited the group soon after.
Offering up a captivating mix of punk, reggae, pop, rock, jazz and world music influences, The Police soon became one of the most popular bands on the planet.
While Sting was the group’s main songwriter, Copeland wrote or co-wrote at least one song on every Police album. His most significant contributions came on 1979’s Regatta de Blanc, which featured six tracks that he wrote or co-wrote.
While with The Police, Copeland released some solo singles and an album under the pseudonym Klark Kent. In 1982, he composed the soundtrack to the Francis Ford Coppola-directed film Rumble Fish.
After The Police broke up in 1986, Copeland worked on many film soundtracks, including Talk Radio and Wall Street.
Stewart also has played in such collaborative projects as Animal Logic, with jazz bassist Stanley Clarke and singer/songwriter Deborah Holland; Oysterhead, with Primus‘ Les Claypool and Phish‘s Trey Anastasio; and Gizmodrome, with ex-King Crimson guitarist Adrian Belew and Level 42‘s Mark King.
In 2003, Copeland was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as a member of The Police. In 2007-2008, the band reunited for a massively successful world tour.
In recent years, Copeland has composed several operas. In 2021, he won a Best New Age album Grammy for Divine Tides, a collaboration with Indian-music composer Ricky Kej.
On the heels of the release of their new studio album, Freedom, Journey kicks off a series of four orchestral concerts Friday night in Las Vegas at the new Resorts World Theatre, a 4,700-seat venue with a modern sound system.
“We’re definitely looking very much forward to playing these first shows … at [concert promoter] AEG’s new venue,” Journey guitarist Neal Schon tells ABC Audio. “It is supposed to be a complete state-of-the-art venue, from what I’ve heard from everyone that’s been there … It’s gonna sound amazing in there.”
Back in December, Journey played a one-off concert with an orchestra at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace, but Schon says the new shows — which are scheduled for July 15, 16, 22 and 23 — will feature some different songs, including some tunes from Freedom.
“It’s gonna be a nice little stay there,” Schon offers.
Schon says the band likely will perform the songs from the new album without orchestral accompaniment, noting, “I think we’re gonna leave those raw and just lay it on the audience.”
According to Schon, among the new tunes from Journey’s back catalog that will be performed with the symphony are “Winds of March” and “City of Hope.”
Meanwhile, Schon says he actually likes the way Journey’s harder-rocking songs sound with an orchestra more than the ballads.
“It’s like the ballads, you can imagine what the symphony sounds like, ’cause they already sound like they’re orchestrated … on the album, with keys and sometimes real strings,” he explains. “But the rock stuff [combined with a symphony] adds a whole different dimension.”
Besides the four Vegas performances, Journey has eight nonsymphonic concerts lined up around the U.S. this year. Visit JourneyMusic.com to check out the band’s full schedule.
Founding Toto keyboardist/singer David Paich has released a second advance track from his forthcoming debut solo EP, Forgotten Toys, which is due out August 19.
“Queen Charade” is available now via digital platforms, and you also can check it out on Toto’s official YouTube channel. The track features ex-Eagles member Don Felder on slide guitar, as well as Toto guitarist Steve Lukather and current Rolling Stones drummer Steve Jordan.
The song was inspired by the opera Queen of Spades and tells the story of a manipulative woman who beguiles men with her skill at playing cards.
Paich says, “This song, about an obsessed gambler and a cunning duchess, was inspired after I worked on Keith [Richards‘ 2015] solo record [Crosseyed Heart].”
As previously reported, Forgotten Toys is a seven-track EP that Paich co-produced with Toto frontman Joseph Williams and features contributions from a variety of well-known music artists, including Williams, Michael McDonald, Brian Eno, Elton John guitarist Davey Johnstone, Ray Parker Jr. and the aforementioned Felder, Lukather and Jordan.
The first advance track from the EP was a song titled “Spirit of the Moonrise,” which Paich co-wrote with Williams. That song also features Williams and McDonald on backing vocals, and lead guitar from Lukather.
Kane Roberts and Alice Cooper in 1987; Jim Steinfeldt/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
After guitarist Nita Strauss announced earlier this week that she was exiting Alice Cooper‘s touring band, the shock rocker has revealed that he’s “welcoming back” Kane Roberts for his September and October tour dates.
The 60-year-old Roberts previously played with Cooper from 1985 to 1988. He lent his talents to a pair of Alice’s studio albums, 1986’s Constrictor and 1987’s Raise Your Fist and Yell, as well as to one track on Cooper’s hit 1989 album, Trash.
“We’ve been friends all this time, and [Kane has] always been one of my favorite guitarists,” Cooper says in a statement. “He’s bringing more muscle to the Detroit Muscle Tour. We’ve always had a swinging door policy where players can come and go, so it’s very exciting to get back on stage with Kane. The fans are in for a real treat at these shows. It’s gonna be a blast.”
Roberts make up a three-guitar attack that also includes Ryan Roxie and Tommy Henriksen.
Strauss, who began playing with Cooper in 2014, announced Monday in a social media post that she was leaving his group and that she also was canceling her solo plans for the rest of the year.
“There is no drama whatsoever and my touring year is still VERY full,” she wrote. “In fact, I’m on a flight straight into the next adventure as I post this, and I’ll be on stage again much sooner than you think! But that’s news for another day.”
Cooper’s U.S. tour kicks off September 7 in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and runs through an October 8 show in Henderson, Nevada.
Alice also will be appearing at the Comicpalooza event this Saturday and Sunday in Houston, where he’ll take part in a panel, sign autographs and more.
After announcing dates for a 2023 U.S. tour leg earlier this week, Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band have unveiled plans to play four concerts in the United Kingdom as part of their previously announced late-spring/early-summer European trek.
The newly added shows will take place May 30 in Edinburgh, Scotland; June 16 in Birmingham, England; and July 6 and July 8 in London’s Hyde Park. Tickets for the U.K. concerts go on sale Thursday, July 21, at 9 a.m. local time. Tickets for the Edinburgh show will be available at LiveNation.co.uk, while tickets for the Birmingham gig can be purchased at AXS.com and for the London concerts at BST-HydePark.com.
Springsteen and The E Street Band’s 2023 U.S. outing is mapped out from a February 1 concert in Tampa, Florida, through an April 14 performance in Newark, New Jersey. The European leg kicks off April 28 in Barcelona, Spain, and runs through a July 25 show in Monza, Italy.
The official trailer for the recently announced four-part Rolling Stones docuseries My Life as a Rolling Stone has debuted on the EPIX network’s YouTube channel.
As previously reported, the series, which celebrates the British rock legends’ 60th anniversary, premieres August 7. Each hour-long episode will focus on one of the band’s four main members — singer Mick Jagger, guitarists Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood and late drummer Charlie Watts.
The trailer features a montage of film clips of The Stones playing live at different periods throughout their career, as well as a variety of archival footage capturing the band members behind the scenes and being interviewed. The promo also includes segments or voiceovers of Jagger, Richards and Wood discussing their bandmates.
At one point, Richards comments, “Mick Jagger is Mick Jagger, a very honorable man…under all that crap.”
We also hear Jagger say, “Keith’s got a reputation as a hell raiser. He’d play The Beatles all the time. [It’d] drive me batty!”
Wood then appears and says about himself, “Number one is learn how to laugh at yourself,” followed by Richards commenting about Watts, “Charlie was the best drummer England has ever produced.”
Near the end of the trailer, Richards declares, “Turning people on for 60 years, we must be doing something right.”
My Life as a Rolling Stone also will feature Rod Stewart, Tina Turner, Chrissie Hynde, Jon Bon Jovi, Joe Walsh, AC/DC‘s Brian Johnson, Metallica‘s Lars Ulrich, Bonnie Raitt, Sheryl Crow, Tom Waits, Dan Aykroyd and more. Actress Sienna Miller narrates the series.
The first episode will profile Jagger and will be available to watch for free via various cable and streaming services. The Richards, Wood and Watts episodes will debut on EPIX on August 14, August 21 and August 28, respectively.
