Classic Rock News

Journey‘s Jonathan Cain and The Who‘s Roger Daltrey will both take part in a special virtual wine-tasting event scheduled for May 15 that will help raise money for Teen Cancer America, the charity co-founded by Daltrey and his band mate Pete Townshend.

The event, dubbed “Sip & Sing,” will be hosted by Cain and will feature tastings of four different wines, as well as performances of a number of classic Journey songs by Jonathan and some of his musical friends. In addition, Daltrey will appear to deliver a special message.

Cain will be joined by master sommelier Ferdinando Mucerino and vineyard owner Dennis De La Montanya, the latter of whom teamed up with Jonathan in 2008 to launch the Finale Wines brand.

Following the tasting, Cain and some of the other participants will take part in an online Q&A with the virtual attendees.

Those who’d like to attend the wine tasting can order either a four pack, an eight pack or a 12 pack of wines, with the eight pack featuring two bottles of each wine being sampled and the 12 pack featuring bottles of an additional four wines chosen by Cain and Mucerino.

The wine packs will be delivered by the event’s partner, the Wine Insiders online wine marketplace. Orders must be placed by May 10 at 4 p.m. ET.

Proceeds raised by wine purchases will benefit Teen Cancer America, which funds programs and designated social and recreational areas in U.S. hospitals geared specifically toward adolescents and young adults with cancer.

Those who wound like to view the event without participating in the wine tasting can purchase a ticket for $25.

The event streams at 7 p.m. ET, and will be archived for on-demand viewing via a YouTube link.

Visit WineInsiders.com for more details.

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Doors guitarist Robby Krieger has just released three new tracks via digital platforms — reggae-flavored instrumental covers of the 1940s country song “Ghost Riders in the Sky,” Ritchie Valens‘ “La Bamba” and The Bee Gees‘ “Stayin’ Alive.”

Robby recorded all three tracks with two longtime collaborators — bassist Phil Chen and keyboardist Ed Roth. Chen, who died of cancer in December 2021 at age 75, was for many years a member of the bands that Krieger co-led with late Doors keyboardist Ray Manzarek, while Roth plays in Robby’s side group The New Experience.

In addition, a music video for Krieger’s rendition of “Ghost Riders in the Sky” has premiered at The Doors’ official YouTube channel. The clip features footage of Krieger and Roth driving a vintage car in the desert, where they pick up a hitchhiker, who happens to be Robby’s son and current solo band mate Waylon Krieger. The video also includes scenes of Robby playing a sitar, Chen playing bass, and drummer Pride Hutchinson, as well as Krieger and his son jamming on guitars while Roth plays keys.

Last October, Krieger told ABC Audio that he had recorded an entire album of reggae-influenced cover songs with Chen and Roth that was to be called Rocks Meets Dub, but there’s been no official word yet about plans to release the full-length project. Robby reported at the time that tunes they recorded included “Stayin’ Alive,” as well as songs by The Beatles and Bob Dylan.

In other news, Krieger has just announced a series of nine U.S. concerts with his solo group, spanning from a May 3 show in Tempe, Arizona, through a September 25 gig at The Doors’ famed Los Angeles-area stomping ground, The Whisky a Go Go.

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One of the most popular tourist destinations for Beatles fans to visit is London’s Abbey Road Studios and the famous crosswalk in front of the facility, where the Fab Four were famously photographed walking across for the cover of their Abbey Road album.

Now, The Beatles are asking fans to share photos and videos they may have taken for use in an upcoming documentary about the studio, where the band recorded nearly all of their albums.

A message on The Beatles’ social media pages reads, “Have you ever made the pilgrimage to Abbey Road’s crossing, and captured the moment? [The] Ventureland [film production company] are looking for the best crossing selfies, photos and videos throughout the ages, to be included in a feature documentary on Abbey Road Studios. You can email yours in to abbey.road@venture.land.”

The film in question is the documentary If These Walls Could Sing, which Paul McCartney‘s daughter Mary is directing.

Details of the movie were first announced in January 2021 on Abbey Road Studios’ official website.

According to a press release posted on the site, the film will feature interviews with a star-studded cast of musicians and is intended to be the centerpiece of the studio’s 90th anniversary celebrations, which kicked off in last November.

For the making of the documentary, film crews were allowed to have intimate access to Abbey Road Studios’ premises for the first time ever.

Mary is an accomplished photographer who recently contributed photos to the packaging of her father’s latest album, McCartney III. She also co-founded the Meat Free Monday campaign with her father and her sister, Stella, to promote vegetarianism.

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When you heard the new Red Hot Chili Peppers single “Black Summer,” your first thought might’ve been, “Yay, new Red Hot Chili Peppers music!” Your second thought might’ve been, “Wait, why is Anthony Kiedis singing like that?”

Fans were quick to point out Kiedis’ unusual annunciation on certain words throughout the song, which made it sound like he was singing with an accent somewhere between Irish and trying out to play The Mandarin in Iron Man 3. Now, Kiedis has offered an explanation behind his unusual vocal styling.

During an online listening party for the new RHCP album Unlimited Love, which features “Black Summer” as the lead single, Kiedis wrote, “My adopted accent on this one is a tribute to Cate Le Bon,” referring to the Welsh musician.

Whatever you may think about Kiedis’ “Black Summer” accent, the song is doing just fine. “Black Summer” currently sits at number one on Billboard‘s Alternative Airplay chart and number two on the Mainstream Rock Airplay tally, while Unlimited Love debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, with the biggest week for a rock album in over a year.

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The children of Metallica are hitting the road together.

Bastardane, featuring James Hetfield‘s son Castor Hetfield on drums, and OTTTO, featuring Robert Trujillo‘s son Tye Trujillo on bass, have announced a co-headlining tour, making stops in a number of California cities in May and June.

Both Bastardane and OTTTO are also playing the Bottle Rock Napa Valley festival over Memorial Day Weekend, which Metallica is headlining.

By the way, Hetfield and Trujillo aren’t the only Metallica members with kids following in their dads’ rocker footsteps. Lars Ulrich‘s children Myles and Layne Ulrich also have a band, Taipei Houston.

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Sheryl Crow has released a cover of the 1969 Rolling Stones song “Live with Me” that features none other than Mick Jagger playing some blues harmonica licks throughout the track.

The song is featured in her new documentary, Sheryl, and on its accompanying soundtrack. The film will get its television premiere on Showtime on May 6, and the album, titled Sheryl: Music from the Feature Documentary, will be released the same day.

Crow has had a long association and friendship with The Rolling Stones, and performed “Live with Me” in concert with the band as far back as 1994.

According to a press release, the movie “[n]avigates Crow’s seminal yet hard-fought musical career battling sexism, depression, perfectionism, cancer, and the price of fame — before harnessing the power of her gift.”

As previously reported, the album is a 35-track compilation that features the Grammy winning singer and songwriter’s biggest hits, including “If It Makes You Happy,” “Soak Up the Sun,” “All I Wanna Do,” “Strong Enough,” “Everyday Is a Winding Road” and many others.

The album also is packed with deep tracks and three newly recorded songs, one of which is the “Live with Me” cover, as well as collaborations with other stars including Stevie Nicks, Eric Clapton, Sting, Keith Richards and the late Johnny Cash.

Sheryl: Music from the Feature Documentary can be pre-ordered now, and will be available digitally and as a two-CD set.

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Metallica guitarist Kirk Hammett has released a new song called “High Plains Drifter,” the first preview off his upcoming debut solo EP, Portals.

The instrumental piece includes contributions from orchestra conductor Edwin Outwater, who previously collaborated with Metallica for their 2019 S&M2 concerts, as well as Queens of the Stone Age drummer Jon Theodore and members of the LA Philharmonic.

“The music for ‘High Plains Drifter’ initially came from a Flamenco piece I had written,” Hammett explains. “It was a two-and-a-half-minute piece, and I really liked it, but it was one of those riffs that would be hard to integrate into Metallica.”

He adds, “I knew I wanted to do something with it, even though it came out spontaneously. I had been sitting outside messing around with a Flamenco acoustic guitar I’d just bought, and it flowed out in the moment. I was determined it would have a life. It would have its moment.”

“High Plans Drifter” is available now via digital outlets. It’s one of four instrumental tracks included on Portals, which will be released in full on Record Store Day, April 23.

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Queen guitarist Brian May has released his 1998 cover of rock ‘n’ roll great Buddy Holly‘s 1958 hit “Maybe Baby” as a digital single and via streaming services, along with a companion music video.

May’s rendition of “Maybe Baby” will be featured on a bonus disc of the forthcoming deluxe reissue of his second studio album, 1998’s Another World, due out April 22. The song originally appeared on an EP called Retro Rock Special that Brian released under the alter ego T.E. Conway and that was only available at the time to those who purchased Another World.

“I’ve never done a Buddy Holly song, and I did ‘Maybe Baby,'” says Brian, reflecting on the cover. “That song more than probably any other, is the reason that I’m here doing this, playing guitar and being a rock star and being a very fortunate person.”

The “Maybe Baby” video features a montage of fan artwork capturing the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer at various ages, and in various styles.

The paintings and drawings appearing in the clip all come from the new book Another World: The Bri-Art Collection, which celebrates the new reissue and will be released the same day. The book features over 300 pieces created by both professional and amateur artists, and includes a number of images that can be viewed in 3-D with OWL Stereoscopic Viewer designed by May that’s packaged with the volume.

All of the profits from sales of the book will be donated to Brian’s Save Me Trust charity. You can pre-order it at Queen’s online store and LondonStereo.com.

The Another World reissue, which you can pre-ordered now, features a remastered version of the original album, as well as a bevy of previously unreleased remixes, rarities, live tracks and covers.

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Founding Blondie guitarist Chris Stein has announced that he’ll be sitting out the band’s next series of concerts because of an issue with his heart.

In a message posted on his Twitter and Instagram pages, Stein writes, “I’m sad and frustrated to report that I’m not going out with the next bunch of Blondie touring. I’ve been dealing with a dumba** condition called Atrial Fibrillation or AFib which is irregular heart beats and combined with the meds I take for it I’m too fatigued to deal.”

The 72-year-old musician adds, “I’m still all in with recording and other band projects and I should be out for [discussion events, etc.,] later on…That’s it, I’m fine, I’m around here and I love you all.”

Stein also reports that original Sex Pistols bassist Glen Matlock will be playing with Blondie on the band’s upcoming shows.

Meanwhile, in a separate Facebook post, Stein notes that the heart condition was the reason he was sitting down during Blondie’s most recent shows.

He adds, “My brain is doing great and I’ve been writing during [the COVID-19 pandemic],” while revealing that he has a book deal in place in the U.K. for a memoir, while things are pending in the U.S.

Blondie kicks off a 10-date U.K. tour on April 22 in Glasgow, Scotland. The trek runs through a May 7 concert in Birmingham, England, and ex-Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr will open all dates. The band also has a handful of California performances lined up in May, including sets at the 1980s-themed Cruel World festival on May 14-15 in Pasadena.

Then, in August, Blondie will launch a 10-show U.S. trek dubbed the Against the Odds Tour, featuring U.K. punk veterans The Damned as the support act.

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Edgar Winter‘s new album, Brother Johnny: An All-Star Tribute to Johnny Winter, hit stores Friday. As its title suggests, the 17-track collection features Edgar teaming up with a variety of well-known musicians to pay homage to the music of his late brother, blues-rock guitar legend Johnny Winter.

Among the many stars who contributed to the project are Ringo Starr, Joe Walsh, ZZ Top‘s Billy Gibbons, Michael McDonald, ex-Allman Brothers Band members Warren Haynes and Derek Trucks, Toto‘s Steve Lukather, and late Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins.

“I thought this was gonna be a hard album to make, but this turned out to be just a joyous, inspiring, uplifting experience for me,” Edgar tells ABC Audio. “It was just so amazingly beautiful to do this with a lot of my longtime friends, and then a lot of people that I had never met.”

Edgar says one standout track is a version of Johnny’s soulful 1974 ballad “Stranger,” which features Starr, Walsh and McDonald.

Edgar explains that he initially envisioned Walsh playing guitar on a version of Chuck Berry‘s “Johnny B. Goode” that’s included on Brother Johnny, but notes that after Joe heard “Stranger,” he “flipped out,” and insisted on contributing guitar to that track.

After Walsh signed on, Edgar says he felt comfortable enough to ask Ringo, Joe’s brother-in-law, to play drums on “Stranger.” Winter admits that he “was blown away” when Starr agreed.

Edgar tells ABC Audio that it was his wife, Monique, who suggested getting McDonald to sing “Stranger,” which he immediately realized was a great idea.

“I just knew that it would be something special,” he notes. “And I really do feel like it’s a magical vocal, and one of the highlights on the album.”

Here’s Brother Johnny‘s full track list:

“Mean Town Blues” — featuring Joe Bonamassa
“Alive and Well” — featuring Kenny Wayne Shepherd
“Lone Star Blues” — featuring Keb’ Mo’
“I’m Yours and I’m Hers” — featuring Billy Gibbons & Derek Trucks
“Johnny B. Goode” — featuring Joe Walsh & David Grissom
“Stranger” — featuring Michael McDonald, Joe Walsh & Ringo Starr
“Highway 61 Revisited” — featuring Kenny Wayne Shepherd & John McFee
“Rock ‘n’ Roll Hoochie Koo” — featuring Steve Lukather
“When You Got a Good Friend” — featuring Doyle Bramhall II
“Jumpin’ Jack Flash” — featuring Phil X
“Guess I’ll Go Away” — featuring Taylor Hawkins & Doug Rappoport
“Drown in My Own Tears”
“Self Destructive Blues” — featuring Joe Bonamassa
“Memory Pain” — featuring Warren Haynes
“Stormy Monday Blues” — featuring Robben Ford
“Got My Mojo Workin'” — featuring Bobby Rush
“End of the Line” — featuring David Campbell Strings

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