Metallica has announced a $500,000 donation to the World Central Kitchen Ukraine Relief Fund to kick off the band’s annual Month of Giving charity initiative.
The money will support World Central Kitchen in its efforts to provide meals to Ukrainian refugees fleeing Russia’s invasion of their home country.
“The work that [WCK founder] Chef José Andrés and the dedicated World Central Kitchen cooks do on the frontlines in a humanitarian crisis is nothing short of incredible,” says Metallica’s Lars Ulrich. “We are inspired, humbled, and beyond proud to support their teams currently in six European countries serving the millions of Ukrainians who have been forced to leave their homes.”
The drummer adds, “WCK represents everything that Metallica and our All Within My Hands foundation stand for by providing meals with dignity and hope worldwide.”
Metallica first launched their Month of Giving campaign in 2020. This year’s program will last over two months, from now through May 31.
Metallica will continue to raise funds for WCK through exclusive merch through their website, as well as various auctions and raffles, one of which will offer the guitars James Hetfield and Kirk Hammett will play during the band’s upcoming Metallica Night with the San Francisco Giants baseball team.
Paul Rovere/The Age/Fairfax Media via Getty Images
Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian is paying tribute to Taylor Hawkins with a series of Foo Fighters covers alongside his son, Revel Young Ian.
In an Instagram post, Ian shares a video of him and 10-year-old Revel, who plays drums, jamming a number of Foo tunes, including “Low,” “Stacked Actors” and “Run.”
Alongside the clip, Ian writes, “We’ve been jamming our favorite Foo’s all week. Healing our hearts with the power of rock.”
Hawkins died unexpectedly on Friday, March 25, at age 50. His passing drew reactions and tributes from throughout the rock world, including from Mick Jagger, Axl Rose, Jimmy Page, Tom Morello and Ozzy Osbourne.
Steven Tyler‘s Grammy viewing party raised millions for charity, and featured a performance by the Aerosmith frontman himself.
The fourth annual event raised $4.6 million for Janie’s Fund, Tyler’s charity that helps girls who’ve been abused or neglected. It’s named after Aerosmith’s 1989 hit “Janie’s Got a Gun.” Some of the money raised came from a silent auction, where one of the items sold included the grand piano that Aerosmith has been using onstage since 2011, signed by Tyler.
Miley Cyrus was supposed to be the night’s entertainment, but she dropped out after testing positive for COVID-19, so British pop star Jessie J filled in, and duetted with Tyler on “Walk This Way.” Tyler himself also performed “Dream On.”
A grateful Tyler told the crowd, “Even in the absence of our 2021 GRAMMY party, so many of you stepped up and made generous contributions which meant we kept them safe and met their needs and ultimately more ‘After Care’ for more girls, in more states than ever before — and that takes my breath away.”
Among the attendees: ZZ Top‘s Billy Gibbons, Twisted Sister‘s Dee Snider, Matt Sorum, and Metallica’s Robert Trujillo.
Wolfgang Van Halen didn’t win a Grammy trophy Sunday, but he did go home with some great memories.
In an Instagram post, the Mammoth WVH reflects on his “wild experience” during ”Music’s Biggest Night,’ alongside a photo of him at the ceremony with his mother, actor Valerie Bertinelli, and his girlfriend.
“We came, we saw, but we did NOT conquer and that’s OK!” Wolf writes in the caption. “I got to have a wonderful night with the two most important women in my world.”
Wolf’s track “Distance” — which was released as his debut Mammoth WVH single in honor of his late father, the iconic Eddie Van Halen — was nominated for Best Rock Song, but it lost out to “Waiting on a War” by Foo Fighters. Other nominees included songs by Paul McCartney, Kings of Leon and Weezer.
“Such an honor to be nominated for the first song I ever released on my own, in a category with artists I’ve looked up to my entire life,” Wolf writes. “I don’t know if that’ll ever fully set in.”
He adds, “Pop didn’t win the first time he was nominated too, so it looks like I’m following in his footsteps quite nicely.”
Eddie’s first Grammy nomination came during the 1985 ceremony, where Van Halen‘s “Jump” was up for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal. He was also nominated that year for Best Rock Instrumental Performance for his song “Donut City.” Eddie and Van Halen would eventually win their first — and only — Grammy in 1992 in the Best Hard Rock Performance category, for For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge.
“Who knows what the future holds,” Wolf says. “All I know is I’m feeling pretty damn grateful. What a wild experience this was.”
The Doobie Brothers will be takin’ it to even more streets on their current 50th Anniversary Tour — they’ve just added 11 new dates to the trek’s second leg.
Tickets for the new dates, which start September 2 in Bridgeport, CT and run through October 12 in Nashville, TN, go on sale April 8 at 10 a.m. local time via Live Nation. The new dates also include shows in Chicago, LA, Phoenix, Dallas and Sacramento. The Nashville date is the trek’s final stop.
The 50th Anniversary Tour features Tom Johnston, MichaelMcDonald, Pat Simmons and John McFee performing together for the first time in more than 25 years. Johnston says in a statement, “We are excited to play more shows in 2022 and will be coming back around to Nashville to wrap things up which is fitting as that’s where we first announced our 50th Anniversary Tour back in 2019.”
As previously reported, the Doobies will do an eight-show Las Vegas limited engagement at Zappos Theater at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino from May 13 through May 28. Tickets to those shows are available via Ticketmaster.com/DoobieBrothersVegas.
The Ides of March frontman and ex-Survivor member Jim Peterik revealed in a recent video update posted on his Facebook page that he’s recovering from a neck operation that has sidelined him during the past several weeks.
In the clip, Peterik, 71, is seen wearing a neck brace while sitting at the console of what appears to be his home studio. He explains that he’d recently been experiencing severe headaches and went to a doctor who told him that arthritis in his neck was impinging on a nerve and that if he didn’t have an operation to address the issue he could be paralyzed in a couple of months.
Peterik says he had the surgery about a month ago and reports that it went very smoothly, while admitting his recovery has been a bit difficult and that he’s experiencing a lot of pain. He points out that former Grand Funk Railroad frontman Mark Farner had a similar operation about four years ago and that Farner told him it took him about a year to recover, adding, “Hopefully it’ll be quicker than that [for me].”
Jim says he’s taking it easy, but has begun rehearsing with The Ides of March for some upcoming shows, the first of which is scheduled for April 27 at the City Winery in Chicago. He also reveals that the group will be playing an as-yet-unannounced special show in June backed by a full orchestra.
Meanwhile, Peterik shared some details about a few music projects he’s been working on, including a collaboration with Chicago‘s Robert Lamm, with whom he’s written songs for that band’s next studio album. Jim says that album will be released at the end of June, and its title is the name of one of the tunes he co-wrote.
Dhani and Olivia Harrison; Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic.com
George Harrison‘s son Dhani Harrison set a unique Grammy record on Sunday night.
Billboard reports that Dhani is now the first child of a Beatles member to win a Grammy. He did so by sharing the award for Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package, presented to the 50th Anniversary edition of George’s 1971 album, All Things Must Pass. His co-winners were his mother, Olivia Harrison, and Darren Evans.
Speaking of Olivia, she’s now the third wife or widow of a Beatles member to win a Grammy, following Linda McCartney‘s wins with husband Paul for the Wings songs “Band on the Run” and “Rockestra Theme,” and Yoko Ono‘s Album of the Year win with the late John Lennon for Double Fantasy.
John Lennon’s son Julian Lennon was nominated for the Grammy for Best New Artist in 1986, but lost to Sade.
As for other veteran performers at the Grammys, Joni Mitchell won for Best Historical Album for Joni Mitchell Archives, Vol. 1: The Early Years (1963-1967). She was also this year’s MusiCares Person of the Year honoree, making her, according to Billboard, the first person to both win a Grammy and be Person of the Year in the same year since Paul McCartney did it 10 years ago.
Backstage at the Grammys Sunday night in Las Vegas, artists answered questions from both reporters who were actually backstage at the MGM Grand Arena, and reporters who’d logged in on Zoom from around the country. But some of the night’s biggest winners didn’t appear backstage.
Olivia Rodrigo and Silk Sonic, both of whom won multiple awards Sunday night, posed for photos, but didn’t talk to reporters. Doja Cat, who won Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group for “Kiss Me More,” also declined to speak with reporters, but her duet partner, SZA, did come backstage, despite the fact that she was on crutches due to, as she put it, “falling out of bed” the day before.
“That’s the way it goes,” she laughed. “Everything awesome in my life has always come with something very random, but it just adds to the energy.”
SZA’s Grammy was her first win after 11 nominations, and R&B songstress Jazmine Sullivan and country duo Brothers Osborne were two other artists who finally won for the first time Sunday night after multiple nominations. Backstage, Sullivan, who actually won two trophies, said, “After losing so many times, I feel like I kinda gave up [hope of ever winning]…so it’s surreal to actually hold these babies!”
TJ Osborne of Brothers Osborne, who admitted that his mother “hates” that he dyed his hair blond, spoke about how “incredibly fulfilling” it’s been to perform for their fans since he came out as gay last year.
But country’s big winner was Chris Stapleton, who took home three trophies, including Best Country Album. Asked backstage who out there he’d like to collaborate with, Stapleton, who’s worked with Taylor Swift, Adele and Santana, among others, said he wouldn’t mind working with Harry Styles.
Country superstar Carrie Underwood won the Best Roots Gospel Album Grammy for her faith-based project My Savior and cried backstage as she spoke about how it “means the world” to her that she won because she’s wanted to make that kind of album “literally my whole career.”
H.E.R., who won the Best Traditional R&B Performance Grammy, was still buzzing from her performance with Lenny Kravitz on the show. “I was having so much fun…growing up, I’d literally study all his videos…he’s one of the reasons why I even wanted to play guitar, so having this full circle moment…I was at a loss for words.”
And The Late Show with Stephen Colbert bandleader Jon Batiste, who had the most Grammys going into the show, also cited Lenny Kravitz as HIS full circle moment: Kravitz announced that Batiste had won the Album of the Year for his project We Are. “We played together when I was 16, so it was surreal,” Batiste told reporters, adding, “Seeing Uncle Lenny up there, it was just like a whole vibe, like, ‘This is far out.'”
Foo Fighters swept the rock categories, but sadly, they didn’t attend due to the death of drummer Taylor Hawkins. St. Vincent won Best Alternative Album for Daddy’s Home and backstage, she mentioned how happy she was that Jack Antonoff, her co-producer on the album, had been named Producer of the Year.
She also spoke about how “times are changing” in terms of women in alternative rock, while rock legend Bonnie Raitt, who won the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, praised the new crop of young female artists, including Billie Eilish and Olivia Rodrigo.
“Across all genres, I think women are kickin’ it,” said Raitt.
The 64th Annual Grammy Awards aired live from Las Vegas Sunday night on CBS, hosted by Trevor Noah.
Here is the complete list of winners in the major categories:
Record of the Year
“Leave the Door Open,” Silk Sonic
Album of the Year We Are, Jon Batiste
Song of the Year
“Leave the Door Open,” Brandon Anderson, Christopher Brody Brown, Dernst Emile II & Bruno Mars, songwriters (Silk Sonic)
Best New Artist
Olivia Rodrigo
POP
Best Pop Solo Performance
“driver’s license,” Olivia Rodrigo
Best Pop Duo/Group Performance
“Kiss Me More,” Doja Cat Featuring SZA
Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album Love For Sale, Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga
Best Pop Vocal Album Sour, Olivia Rodrigo
ROCK/ALTERNATIVE
Best Metal Performance
“The Alien,” Dream Theater
Best Rock Song
“Waiting on a War,” Foo Fighters
Best Rock Performance
“Making a Fire,” Foo Fighters
Best Rock Album Medicine at Midnight, Foo Fighters
Best Alternative Music Album Daddy’s Home, St. Vincent
R&B/RAP
BEST R&B PERFORMANCE (TIE)
“Leave the Door Open,” Silk Sonic
and
“Pick Up Your Feelings,” Jazmine Sullivan
Best Traditional R&B Performance
“Fight for You,” H.E.R.
Best R&B Song
“Leave the Door Open,” Silk Sonic
Best Progressive R&B Album Table for Two, Lucky Daye
Best R&B Album Heaux Tales, Jazmine Sullivan
Best Rap Performance
“Family Ties,” Baby Keem Featuring Kendrick Lamar
Best Melodic Rap Performance
“Hurricane,” Kanye West featuring the Weeknd and Lil Baby
Best Rap Song
“Jail,” Dwayne Abernathy, Jr., Shawn Carter, Raul Cubina, Michael Dean, Charles M. Njapa, Sean Solymar, Kanye West and Mark Williams, songwriters (Kanye West featuring Jay-Z)
Best Rap Album Call Me If You Get Lost, Tyler, the Creator
COUNTRY
Best Country Solo Performance
“You Should Probably Leave,” Chris Stapleton
Best Country Duo/Group Performance
“Younger Me,” Brothers Osborne
Best Country Song
“Cold,” Dave Cobb, J.T. Cure, Derek Mixon & Chris Stapleton
Best Country Album Starting Over, Chris Stapleton
DANCE/ELECTRONIC MUSIC
Best Dance Recording
“10%” by Kaytranada feat. Kali Uchis
Best Dance/Electronic Album Alive, Rüfüs Du Sol
GOSPEL/CONTEMPORARY CHRISTIAN MUSIC
Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song
“Believe For It,” CeCe Winans; Dwan Hill, Kyle Lee, CeCe Winans & Mitch Wong
Best Gospel Album Believe For It, CeCe Winans
Best Contemporary Christian Music Album Old Church Basement, Elevation Worship & Maverick City Music
Best Roots Gospel Album My Savior, Carrie Underwood
LATIN
Best Latin Pop Album
Mendó, Alex Cuba
Best Latin Rock or Alternative Album
Origen, Juanes
Best Regional Mexican Music Album A Mis 80s, Vicente Fernandez
Best Tropical Latin Album Salswing!, Rubén Blades y Roberto Delgado & Orquesta
COMEDY
Best Comedy Album Sincerely, Louis C.K.
MUSICAL THEATER
Best Musical Theater Album The Unofficial Bridgerton Musical, Composers/Lyricists Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear, Producer Emily Bear
MUSIC FOR VISUAL MEDIA
Best Score Soundtrack For Visual Media (TIE)
Caros Raphael Rivera, The Queen’s Gambit
and
Jon Batiste, Atticus Ross and Trent Reznor, Soul
Best Song Written For Visual Media
“All Eyes on Me” (from Bo Burnham: Inside), Bo Burnham
MUSIC VIDEO/FILM
Best Music Video
“Freedom,” Jon Batiste
Best Music Film Summer of Soul, Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, video director; David Dinerstein, Robert Fyvolent & Joseph Patel, video producers
Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for The Recording Academy
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made a surprise appearance at the 64th Grammy Awards and sent a powerful message about the cost of freedom and the healing power of music.
In a pre-taped video, the president spoke from an unknown location in his country, which is being bombarded by Russian bombs in an unprecedented attack to seize control of the country. Zelenskyy remained poised and spoke with a stern, gravel-like tone about the cost of Russia’s ongoing war.
“The war. What’s more opposite to music? The silence of ruined cities and killed people. Our children draw swooping rockets, not shooting stars. Over 400 children have been injured and 153 children died and we’ll never see them drawing,” he said. “Our parents are happy to wake up in the morning. In bomb shelters. Alive.”
Zelenskyy urged, “The war doesn’t let us choose who survived and who stays in eternal silence.”
“Our musicians wear body armor instead of tuxedos. They sing to the wounded in hospitals. Even to those who can’t hear them, but the music will break through anyway,” he continued, noting Russia is bringing “horrible silence with its bombs. The dead silence.”
He urged those at the Grammy Awards to “fill the silence with your music” and to “tell our story” by sharing the “truth” of the Russian invasion “on your social networks, on TV — support us in any way you can.”
While naming the besieged cities of Chernihiv, Kharkiv, Volnovakha and Mariupol, Zelenskyy declared, “I have a dream of them living and free. Free like you on the Grammy stage.”
The Ukrainian president’s speech was followed by John Legend‘s performance of “Free.” He was joined by Ukrainian instrumentalist Siuzanna Iglidan and singer Mika Newton for the inspiring number.
