Classic Rock News

Patti Smith, Iggy Pop and New Order‘s Bernard Sumner are among the music artists who will be taking part in the 2022 Tibet House US virtual benefit concert, scheduled for March 3.

Smith is part of the event’s performance lineup, which also includes Phish‘s Trey Anastasio, Nathaniel Rateliff, Laurie Anderson, Angélique Kidjo and country artists Jason Isbell and Margo Price, as well as actor Keanu Reeves, who you may remember played bass in the ’90s alt-rock band Dogstar.

As for Pop and Sumner, they will be providing “special greetings” during the event.

Influential composer Philip Glass is the event’s artistic director.

Now in its 35th year, the annual concert raises money for Tibet House US, a non-profit organization that works to preserve Tibetan culture. It’s usually held in-person at New York City’s Carnegie Hall, but is taking place online for the second straight year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

You can watch the 2022 Tibet House US concert via the streaming platform Mandolin. For more info, visit Mandolin.com.

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After being canceled in 2020 and 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival is scheduled to return this spring with a lineup that includes headlining performances by The Who, Stevie Nicks, Foo Fighters, Jimmy Buffett,and The Black Crowes.

The festival is scheduled to take place over the course of two consecutive weeks, April 29-May 1 and May 5-May 8. Many of the major artists on the 2022 bill had been scheduled to perform at either the 2020 or the 2021 festival.

The first weekend will feature performances by The Who, Foo Fighters, Lionel Richie, Randy Newman and many, many more.

Weekend two’s lineup will include Nicks, Buffett and his Coral Reefer Band, The Black Crowes, Willie Nelson, Elvis Costello & The Imposters, Melissa Etheridge, Boz Scaggs, blues great Buddy Guy, members of The Neville Brothers, Rickie Lee Jones, The Radiators and Southside Johnny and The Asbury Jukes, as well as a Bob Marley set from Ziggy Marley and a tribute to the late Dr. John.

For the full lineup and all ticket info, visit NOJazzFest.com.

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Jimi Hendrix‘s estate has filed a lawsuit against the heirs of the two other original members of The Jimi Hendrix Experience — bassist Noel Redding and drummer Mitch Mitchell — after those parties threatened to sue Jimi’s estate for millions of pounds in alleged unpaid royalties, Billboard reports.

The Hendrix estate, along with the Sony Music label, filed a suit in a New York City court on Tuesday asking that the court rule they owe no money to Redding’s and Mitchell’s estates.

In documents obtained by Billboard, the Hendrix estate and Sony explain they launched their action after the Redding and Mitchell estates sent them a cease-and-desist letter in December in which they threatened to file a lawsuit in a British court demanding millions of pounds in unpaid royalties dating back to 1973.

Hendrix’s estate and Sony maintain that Redding and Mitchell had signed away rights to Hendrix’s royalties in exchange for a monetary settlement during legal proceedings that followed the guitar legend’s death in 1970.

However, in the December letter, reps for the Redding and Mitchell estates claimed that the agreements Noel and Mitch signed weren’t enforceable.

“For almost half a century, there has never been any claim by defendants or their successors…concerning the copyright ownership, exploitation of these recordings by plaintiffs, or payments of royalties,” the Hendrix estate and Sony wrote in their suit.

The plaintiffs aren’t seeking any monetary damages in the lawsuit; rather, they want the court to declare that they haven’t done anything wrong.

The Jimi Hendrix Experience formed in 1966. Redding left the group in 1969, while Mitchell continued to play with the band until Jimi’s death in September 1970 at age 27. Noel passed away in 2003 at the age of 52, while Mitchell died in 2008 at age 62.

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Elton John‘s much-delayed Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour resumed Wednesday night in New Orleans, with a fresh new addition to his set list.

Not only did Elton play pretty much every hit you’d want to hear, from “Bennie and the Jets” and “Tiny Dancer” to “I’m Still Standing” and “Your Song,” but he also played his current top 10 hit “Cold Heart” live for the first time.  His duet partner Dua Lipa didn’t join him for the song, but her vocals were heard during the performance.

“Cold Heart,” from Elton’s The Lockdown Sessions, is his first U.S. top 10 hit since 1998.

Elton’s North American tour dates run through April, and then he’ll head to Europe. This summer, he’ll return to North America to play stadiums starting July 15 in Philadelphia; he’ll wrap up those dates with two shows at Dodger Stadium in L.A. on November 19 and 20.

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Here’s wishing a very happy birthday to KISS‘ Paul Stanley, who was born 70 years ago today.

The band’s frontman, co-lead singer and rhythm guitarist was born Stanley Eisen in New York City. He was born with a deformed ear caused by a defect called microsia that also left him deaf in that ear.

In his late teens, Paul joined a group called Rainbow that featured bassist/singer Gene Simmons. The band changed its name to Wicked Lester in 1971 and eventually recruited drummer Peter Criss and guitarist Ace Frehley. In 1973, the group again changed its name…to KISS. The band members soon came up with costumes and face makeup for themselves, with Stanley choosing the persona “The Starchild,” featuring a star over his right eye.

With their cartoonish look and over-the-top live shows featuring pyrotechnics and other dramatic effects, KISS soon became one of the most popular rock bands on the planet. Over the years, Stanley has written or co-written many of KISS’ biggest hits and most popular songs, including “Rock and Roll All Nite,” “Shout It Out Loud,” “Detroit Rock City,” “Hard Luck Woman,” “I Was Made for Lovin’ You,” “Lick It Up” and “Forever.”

Stanley and Simmons have continued to lead KISS through the band’s entire history, while a number of musicians have filled the guitarist and drummer slots over the years.

In 2014, Stanley was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as a member of KISS.

Outside of KISS, Stanley is an accomplished painter and also has released a few solo projects. His most recent was the debut album by his side project Paul Stanley’s Soul Station, Now and Then, which arrived in 2021. The album featured covers of a variety of classic soul tunes from the 1960s and ’70s, as well as a handful of originals.

Meanwhile, Stanley has had a rough go of it during the last several months, overcoming two bouts with COVID-19 and undergoing shoulder surgery in late 2021.

Thankfully, Paul appears to be on the mend as KISS prepares to relaunch its End of the Road farewell tour with an Australian leg that kicks off in March.

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The Scorpions celebrate the joy of rocking their fans like a hurricane in the official video for the title track of their forthcoming studio album, Rock Believer.

The clip, which premiered this week at the veteran German hard rockers’ YouTube channel, features new scenes of The Scorpions performing “Rock Believer” in a studio, mixed with archival footage of the band playing at a variety of major concerts and behind-the-scenes footage of the group interacting with fans and having fun offstage.

The video also incorporates glimpses of childhood photos of the band members.

The group has posted a message on its Facebook page about the inspiration behind the song that reads, “Over the years, we’ve heard people say lots of times that rock is dead. But there are still millions of rock believers out there all over the world to prove them wrong. Our fans are the best in the world…We’ll see you someday somewhere out there, because we’re Rock Believers just like you.”

The Scorpions released “Rock Believer” as an advanced digital single last week, while the album, which can be pre-ordered now, is due out on February 25.

In conjunction with the video’s premiere, the band members took part in an online afterparty and Q&A event that was accessible by subscribers of the YouTube Premium service. The 50-minute presentation is available on demand at The Scorpions’ YouTube channel. A free YouTube Premium trial also is being offered.

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KISS has announced new dates for four U.S. shows that were postponed last year, all of which will take place in May.

The concerts, which are part of the band’s End of the Road farewell tour, are scheduled for May 11 in Milwaukee; May 12 in Dayton, Ohio; May 14 in Hartford, Connecticut; and May 17 in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Tickets and VIP packages that were purchased for last year’s shows will be honored for the new dates. Additional information will be emailed directly to those with tickets.

KISS also is scheduled to play a previously announced headlining set at the Rockville 2022 Festival in Daytona Beach, Florida, on May 19.

The band will kick off its 2022 End of the Road itinerary with a series of Australian shows in late March and early April, followed by a South American leg that’s mapped out from late April to early May.

After the U.S. concerts, KISS will head to Europe for a run of shows scheduled from early June to late July.

Visit KISSOnline.com for more details about the tour.

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Toni Cornell has been named an ambassador for the International Rescue Committee humanitarian aid organization.

In her role, the 17-year-old daughter of Chris Cornell will “use her platform to help raise funds and awareness about the International Rescue Committee’s important work in 40+ countries.”

“The International Rescue Committee is excited to welcome our newest and youngest IRC Ambassador, Toni Cornell, to the family,” says IRC President and CEO David Miliband in a statement. “Toni Cornell has been a volunteer, donor, and now Ambassador who will be using her youthful voice to highlight some of the world’s greatest challenges, such as climate change, women and girls’ empowerment and education.”

The Cornell family has long worked with the IRC. Chris’ single “The Promise,” which was his final track to be released prior to his 2017 death, raised money for the organization, as did his duet cover of “Nothing Compares 2 U” with Toni, which was released in 2018.

Toni is set to speak at the upcoming briefing discussing the IRC’s 2022 Emergency Watchlist, taking place this Thursday, January 20, at noon ET.

For more info, visit Rescue.org.

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Giles Martin, son of late Beatles producer George Martin, has shared a touching archival family video that shows his dad telling Giles’ young daughter the story of how he wound up working with the Fab Four.

The clip, which Giles posted on his Twitter feed, shows his elderly father — who died in 2016 at age 90 — sitting on a couch next to the young girl, who appears to be about six years old.

George starts by telling his granddaughter that when he was first told about the band, he thought their name was silly, but it was then explained to him that it wasn’t Beetles, but Beatles with an “a.”

George then explains that he felt he needed to hear the group before deciding to work with them, so they came down from Liverpool to London to meet him.

“And when I listened to what they did, it was OK, but it wasn’t brilliant. It was OK,” George continues. “So I thought, well, ‘Why should I be interested in this?'”

He then notes, “But the magic bit came when I started to get to know them, because they were terribly good people to know. They were funny, they were very clever, they said all lovely things. And they were the kind of people that you like to be with.”

George concludes by saying, “So I thought, ‘Well if I feel this way about them, other people will feel this way about them. So therefore they should be very popular.’ And I made records with them.”

In a note that accompanies the video, Giles — who has overseen and produced many recent Beatles-related projects — writes, “Ordinary people do extraordinary things. Great decisions are made for the simplest reasons.”

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ZZ Top frontman Billy Gibbons has collaborated with Antone’s Famous Po’ Boys to create a signature sandwich in celebration of the popular Houston eatery’s 60th anniversary this month.

The Whisker Bomb Po’ Boy is a fried green tomato sandwich that Gibbons devised in collaboration with Antone’s executive chef Alex Padilla. The sandwich is available now at both of Antone’s full-service sandwich shops in Houston, the bearded rock legend’s hometown.

“Antone’s has been notable for presenting one of the greatest sandwich collections and that fact remains unchallenged,” Billy says in a statement. “Their attention to perfection in the world of po’ boys made the draw a natural for teaming up and bringing a new twist and [a] tasty addition with Antone’s line of flavor sensations.”

The Whisker Bomb Po’ Boy features buttermilk-dipped fried green tomatoes, harissa, chipotle mayo, Gibbons’ Whisker Bomb Have Mercy hot sauce, goat cheese, spices and arugula served on warm French bread.

The po’ boy, which is priced at $9.95, is the last offering in Antone’s “H-Town Originals” sandwich series charity initiative, and will be available until June 1. Proceeds from sales of the sandwich will benefit The Clifford Antone Foundation, an Austin, Texas-based organization dedicated to preserving the local music culture and community “by caring for our elders and investing in our youth.”

Gibbons selected the foundation as his beneficiary because of his connection to the historic Austin venue Antone’s Nightclub.

“It’s surreal to be able to partner with Billy F Gibbons, someone who grew up on Antone’s po’ boys, at the same time I grew up watching him on stage,” Antone’s Famous Po’ Boys CEO Craig Lieberman. “[W]e are honored to have a Texas legend like Billy to be a part of [our 60th anniversary].”

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