Classic Rock News

It’s been almost three years since Paul McCartney last played a full-length concert — with his long hiatus due, of course, to the COVID-19 pandemic — but the former Beatles star finally is ready to get back on the road, with a new U.S. tour kicking off tonight in Spokane, Washington.

McCartney’s trek, dubbed the Got Back tour, features a total of 16 dates, and runs through a June 16 performance at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

The outing includes three multiple-night engagements — May 2-3 in Seattle; May 6 and May 8 in Oakland, California; and June 7-8 at Boston’s famed Fenway Park.

With Sir Paul and his band just about ready to kick things off, McCartney has posted a video on his YouTube channel and social media sites featuring some behind-the-scenes and rehearsal footage, as well as audio of a performance of “Get Back.”

In the clip, McCartney says, “Very excited. Final days of rehearsal, and we’re gonna get back out. We’re really excited to see those happy faces, and try and bring ’em some peace, love and a little bit of joy in these dark days.”

The video also features some comments from drummer Abe Laborial Jr., who notes, “I can’t believe how much I’ve missed this. You know, I thought maybe having a couple months off would be nice. Wasn’t expecting it to be two-and-a-half years, so I’ve really missed my family. I’ve missed all of these people.”

To check out Sir Paul’s full U.S. tour schedule and to buy tickets to the shows, visit PaulMcCartneyGotBack.com and PaulMcCartney.com.

After the stateside trek, Sir Paul will be playing a headlining set at the U.K.’s Glastonbury Festival on June 25.

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Devo is among the nominees for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2022, marking the third time that the quirky and influential New Wave band has been in the running for the honor.

Founding Devo member Gerald Casale tells ABC Audio that “it’d be nice” if the band is chosen for induction, and “a feather in [our] cap,” while admitting, “I won’t cry if it doesn’t happen.”

The 73-year-old musician says if Devo is selected to inducted, the band will be up for performing at the ceremony. He notes that if he had to choose the songs that the group would play, “they would have to be the tent poles of Devo, [and]…would certainly have to…include ‘Whip It!,’ ‘Uncontrollable Urge’ and ‘Beautiful World.'”

Gerald also has ideas about who he’d like to see induct Devo into the Rock Hall, pointing out that since David Bowie is no longer with us, “Neil Young would be the first logical choice.”

Young was not only an early Devo devotee, he featured the band in his apocalyptic 1982 cult comedy film Human Highway, and collaborated on some recordings with the group around that time.

“We loved working with him. We actually loved him,” Casale tells ABC Audio. “We had no idea that the…grandfather of granola rock would take to Devo so well and he’d be such an interesting, iconoclastic person, and easy to talk to and [with a] full sense of humor and still [with] boy-like enthusiasm and energy for new music.”

The Rock Hall’s 2022 inductees will be announced in early May. Voting for the online fan poll, which only has minor influence on who gets inducted, ends this Friday, April 29. Devo currently is ranked ninth out of the 17 nominees.

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KISS bassist/singer Gene Simmons has extended an invitation to the band’s founding lead guitarist, Ace Frehley, to join the group during encores at some of the upcoming shows on KISS’ End of the Road farewell tour.

Simmons’ invite was part of a birthday message he sent via Twitter to Frehley, who turned 71 today.

“Happy Birthday Ace…And many more,” Gene wrote. “The invitations still stand. Jump up on stage with us for encores. The fans would love it.”

Frehley last performed with KISS in 2018, when he joined the band’s current lineup to play a few songs during the group’s annual KISS Kruise. That same year, Ace released the solo studio album Spaceman, which included two tracks on which he collaborated with Simmons.

In interviews around that time, Frehley said he wasn’t opposed to rejoining KISS to tour, but insisted the money had to be right.

Meanwhile, as reported last month, Frehley is slated to reunite with original KISS drummer Peter Criss to perform a few songs during the first day of Nashville’s Creatures Fest event, which runs from May 27 to May 29.

KISS’ next show on its End of the Road tour takes place on Thursday, April 28, in Curitiba, Brazil. The band begins a new U.S. leg of the trek on May 11 in Milwaukee.

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Randy Rand, founding bassist of the ’80s glam-metal band Autograph, has died, the group announced Tuesday in a Facebook message.

“It is with great sorrow and heavy hearts to announce the unexpected passing of our cherished friend and founding member of Autograph, Randy Rand,” the message reads. “At the time of death, Randy was surrounded by his beautiful and infinite love, Regina Rand and family.”

Autograph formed in 1983 and enjoyed its biggest success with its 1984 debut album, Sign In Please. The record featured the hit single “Turn Up the Radio,” which Rand co-wrote and which peaked at #29 on the Billboard Hot 100. The album itself reached #29 on the Billboard 200 chart, and went on to be certified Gold by the RIAA for sales of over 500,000 in the U.S.

The band broke up in 1989 but reunited in 2013. At the time of his death, Rand was the only original member still in the group. In January, the band announced that it had signed with the Frontiers label, and a new studio album is expected out soon.

The message announcing Rand’s passing also notes, “Although beyond devastated, we find some comfort and solace knowing the last couple of years have been some of his happiest as an artist and as a performer. Randy was the consummate optimist and was so excited to see the new direction, creativity and renewed energy with the band.”

The note continues, “Collectively in the last couple of years with this formation, we spent numerous hours that turned into something magical while creating an unbreakable bond few bands are fortunate enough to ever experience,” adding, [W]e will continue to honor Randy Rand, as he would want us to and honor our musical commitments and keep his legacy alive.”

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Metallica has announced Rye the Lightning, the latest spirit from the band’s signature Blackened Whiskey brand.

Named after the 1984 ‘Tallica album Ride the Lightning, Rye the Lightning is a 90-proof Kentucky straight rye whiskey with “notes of dried fig, hay, pinewood, pear, and rum cake on the nose, and on the palate, clover honey, mint, corn husk, sugar cane, walnut, and cinnamon.”

As with previous Blackened Whiskeys, Rye the Lightning was made using “Black Noise,” a method that involves playing Metallica songs during the distilling process. Apparently, the low-frequency sound waves of the band’s music helps “shape the flavor” of the whiskey.

Fittingly, the playlist used in crafting Rye the Lightning features Metallica’s reverse-order performance of Ride the Lightning at the 2012 Orion Music + More festival.

“Orion Music + More was an awesome experiment and experience,” recalls bassist Robert Trujillo. “The vibe from the crowd was electrifying, and it’s really cool that we get to capture that energy in this release.”

Adds Trujillo, “We’ve used a few live songs in our playlists before, but never a full live playlist. So to be able to incorporate our fans in the Blackened journey and have them be a part of the whiskey-making process is really unique.”

You can pre-order your bottle of Rye the Lighting now via BlackenedWhiskey.com.

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Foreigner‘s recent eight-show Las Vegas residency at The Venetian Theatre raised more than $100,000 for the American Red Cross’ Ukrainian relief efforts as part a partnership with the charitable organization.

The veteran rockers donated $5,000 from each Las Vegas concert to the American Red Cross’ Ukrainian relief initiative, and also gifted hand-signed guitars to the more than 70 fans at the shows who donated at least $1,000 to on-site American Red Cross reps.

The Red Cross is providing potentially lifesaving humanitarian aid to Ukrainians in need both in their own country and to those who have fled to neighboring countries during the current Russian military invasion. International crisis responders have been deployed by the organization to Poland, Moldova, Hungary and Romania to provide relief.

To date, more than three million people have fled Ukraine to neighboring countries, and its estimated that 18 million will need humanitarian aid. Visit RedCross.org for more info.

Next up for Foreigner will be a tour of Ireland, the U.K. and mainland Europe that runs from a May 10 show in Dublin through a June 18 performance in Dessel, Belgium. The band will then launch a new series of U.S. concerts that begins in late June and is plotted out until late September. Those shows include headlining gigs and concerts supporting Kid Rock on his Bad Reputation tour. Visit ForeignerOnline.com for a full list of the band’s tour dates.

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A new book celebrating the life and music of late Emerson, Lake & Palmer keyboardist Keith Emerson can be pre-ordered now.

The official book, titled simply Keith Emerson, features a bevy of rare photos, as well as recollections, tributes and anecdotes from Emerson’s musical collaborators, fans, friends and family members.

Among the notable artists interviewed for the book are ELP/Asia drummer Carl Palmer, ex-Yes keyboardist Rick Wakeman, Yes drummer Alan White, Yes/Asia keyboardist Geoff Downes, ex-Doobie Brothers guitarist Jeff “Skunk” Baxter and many others.

The book focuses an all aspects of Keith’s musical career, including his work with ELP, The Nice, 3 and his solo band, and also looks at his personal relationships and how his legacy has inspired other musicians.

The Keith Emerson book is available in two versions — a Classic Edition and the pricier Signature edition. The limited-edition latter version is signed by author Chris Welch and Keith’s son Aaron. It comes packaged in a clamshell box and includes an high-quality art print of a portrait of Keith, a CD featuring an unheard interview with Emerson, and specially created sheet music to his first-ever original composition, “Quatermass Boogie Woogie,” which he wrote at age 12.

To pre-order the book, visit KeithEmersonbook.com and Rocket88Books.

Emerson died by suicide in March 2016. He was 71.

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Envy of None, the new band featuring Rush guitarist Alex Lifeson, released its self-titled debut album earlier this month.

The band, which also features bassist Andy Curran of the veteran Canadian rock group Coney Hatch, guitarist/keyboardist Alfio Annibalini and singer-songwriter Maiah Wynne, mostly recorded the album remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic, and has yet to play any concerts.

Curran tells ABC Audio that while he and Lifeson are “not in any rush to get out and start touring in a huge way,” they’re not ruling out doing some performances.

“I think we’re…excited to see where this thing might end up,” Andy says about the Envy of None album, “and if people are excited and if it’s like lightning in a bottle, I think we’d be open to doing…a handful of special shows.”

Curran also notes with a laugh that during a recent interview, Wynne, who at age 25 is far younger than her Envy of None band mates, revealed that her mother “was really hoping that we could play on Jimmy Kimmel [Live!]”

Adds Andy, “So if Jimmy Kimmel reaches out, maybe you’ll see Envy of None on [his show]. But I think it’s kind of like a ‘we’ll see.’ We’re certainly just being open-minded about it at this point.”

Up to now, the members of Envy of None have been promoting the album with select interviews and a few music videos.

On Monday, the band premiered its latest video, for the song “Never Said I Love You.” The clip, which you can watch now at the Kscope label’s official YouTube channel, features footage of a professional dancer named Sapphire Sumpter dancing expressively down the hallway and around a room of a high-rise hotel.

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Triumph: Rock & Roll Machine, the 2021 documentary about the Canadian power trio Triumph, will get its global streaming premiere via the nugs.net platform on Friday, May 13, at 8:30 p.m. ET. The event will begin with an exlcusive Q&A session with the band’s three members — singer/guitarist Rik Emmett, drummer/singer Gil Moore and bassist/keyboardist Mike Levine. 

Tickets for the event cost $19.95, and can be purchased now exclusively at nugs.net/Triumph. Streaming is available everywhere except Canada. Fans who buy tickets will be able to watch the film during the live premiere or can stream it on demand for 48 hours after pressing “play. On-demand access will be available through May 30.

Fans can submit questions that the band members may answer during the pre-screening Q&A at Facebook.com/TriumphTheBand.

Triumph: Rock & Roll Machine got its world theatrical premiere at the 2021 Toronto International Film Festival last September.  The movie profiles the Toronto-based rockers’ rise to popularity during the 1970s and early ’80s, the fallout from Emmett’s unexpected split with the group in the late 1980s, and the band’s 2019 reunion.

Besides interviews with all three band members, the documentary also includes commentary from ex-Skid Row frontman Sebastian Bach, comic actor and metal aficionado Brian Posehn, and Canadian comedy team The Trailer Park Boys.

Meanwhile, a soundtrack album to the documentary will be released digitally this Friday, April 29.

Formed in 1975, Triumph scored a run of five consecutive top-40 studio albums on the Billboard 200 during the 1980s, including 1981’s platinum-selling Allied Forces. Among the band’s best-known songs are “Lay It on the Line,” “Magic Power” and “Hold On,” the latter of which peaked at #38 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1979.

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Bob Dylan has recorded updated versions of some of his well-known songs with acclaimed producer T Bone Burnett in conjunction with Burnett’s plans to introduce a new ultra-high-fidelity audio format, Variety reports.

According to Variety, a press release issued Tuesday announced that the Dylan recordings will be part of a series of releases dubbed “Ionic Originals” that will be put out by Burnett’s newly formed company NeoFidelity Inc. on a new medium that resembles a vinyl LP but is made of aluminum.

According to the statement, the “newly developed discs…advance the art of recorded sound and mark the first breakthrough in analog sound reproduction in more than 70 years.”

No details yet about what songs Dylan re-recorded for the new releases, but the statement notes that he “revisited a personally chosen set of his iconic songs for the first time in decades.”

The new discs bring to apparent fruition a plan Burnett has long been working on that he said would improve on the sound of LPs, CDs and digital formats.

“An Ionic Original is the pinnacle of recorded sound. It is archival quality. It is future-proof. It is one of one. Not only is an Ionic Original the equivalent of a painting, it is a painting,” Burnett said in a statement.  “It is lacquer painted onto an aluminum disc, with a spiral etched into it by music. This painting, however, has the additional quality of containing that music, which can be heard by putting a stylus into the spiral and spinning it.”

The release also notes that Burnett formed NeoFidelity with the intention to record artists across a wide range of musical genres and provide a platform of distribution for Ionic Originals, [as well as to] reset the valuation for recorded music.”

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