Classic Rock News

Peter Frampton, George Thorogood and doo-wop/rock ‘n’ roll legend Dion DiMucci are among the artists who will be taking part in acclaimed blues guitarist Joe Bonamassa‘s third annual Stream-A-Thon charity event scheduled for Saturday, May 1, at 3 p.m. ET.

The event benefits the Fueling Musicians program launched by Bonamassa’s Keeping the Blues Alive Foundation to help support supports musicians in need. Bonamassa will host the presentation, which will feature over two hours of music performed by more than 25 artists.

In addition to Frampton, Thorogood, Dion and Bonamassa, the lineup includes Litte Feat/Doobie Brothers keyboardist Bill Payne, Eric Gales, Tommy Emmanuel and Mike Dawes.

The Stream-A-Thon will be viewable on Bonamassa’s YouTube channel and Facebook page.

To date, To date, the Fueling Musicians program has raised more than $500,000 for touring musicians who have faced financial difficulties and whose livelihood has been impacted by the the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the music industry.

To find out more information about the Fueling Musicians program and to donate to the cause, visit KeepingtheBluesAlive.org.

“I am so thankful for the incredible support from our industry partners and for the fans who have donated to this program,” Bonamassa says. “Through the generosity of our contributors, we can continue to impact musicians who still need our help.”

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John Fogerty is featured on a new album called Americana Railroad made up of train-themed songs recorded by a variety of artists.

The 19-track collection, which will be released on CD and digital formats on June 17, was the brainchild of veteran roots rocker Carla Olson and her husband and longtime manager, Saul Davis. Olson is known for her series of collaborations with late Byrds member Gene Clark, while an early version of her band The Textones featured future Go-Go’s bassist Kathy Valentine.

Americana Railroad features a mix of traditional and contemporary songs involving trains.

Fogerty contributes a version of the classic Steve Goodman folk song “City of New Orleans” that features Mickey Raphael on harmonica.

Other artists who appear on the album include Rocky Burnette, founding Electric Flag keyboardist Barry Goldberg, former Blasters guitarist Dave Alvin, longtime Paul McCartney touring guitarist Brian Ray, and Gene Clark’s son, Kai.

Olson is featured on three songs, including the album’s lead track, “Here Comes That Train Again,” a duet with Long Ryders member Stephen McCarthy, who also wrote the track. You can check out the tune at PopMatters.com and on YouTube.

Among the other noteworthy songs on the album are renditions of “Mystery Train,” “Train Kept A-Rollin’,” Woody Guthrie‘s “This Train,” Graham Nash‘s “Marrakesh Express” and Curtis Mayfield‘s “People Get Ready.”

“The Americana Railroad album is a collection of both history and metaphor for your listening and thought provoking pleasure,” says Olson.

You can pre-order the album now. It originally was issued as a limited-edition vinyl LP as part of the 2021 Record Store Day Black Friday event.

Here’s the full track list of Americana Railroad:

“Here Comes That Train Again” — Stephen McCarthy & Carla Olson
“The Conductor Wore Black” — Robert Rex Waller Jr. with Chip Kinman
“Mystery Train” — Rocky Burnette with Barry Goldberg
“This Train” — Peter Case
“City of New Orleans” — John Fogerty with Mickey Raphael
“Marrakesh Express” — Dustbowl Revival
“Train Leaves Here This Morning” — Kai Clark with Byron Berline
“Train Kept A-Rollin'” — Gary Myrick
“Southwest Chief” — Dave Alvin
“500 Miles” — Alice Howe
“People Get Ready” — Deborah Poppink
“Steel Pony Blues” — Dom Flemons
“Runaway Train” — John York
“Waiting for a Train” — Paul Burch & Fats Kaplin
“Freight Train” — AJ Haynes of Seratones
“Whiskey Train” — Carla Olson & Brian Ray
“Mystery Train” — James Intveld with Barry Goldberg
“Midnight Rail” — Robert Rex Waller Jr. with Todd Wolfe
“I Remember the Railroad” — Stephen McCarthy & Carla Olson

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A new film titled Moonage Daydream billed as “a definitive…portrait” of the late David Bowie will be released soon, BMG has announced.

The movie, which has been in the works for five years and was written and directed by Brett Morgen, is the first film to be officially sanctioned by Bowie’s estate.

In a press statement, Moonage Daydream is described as “a sublime kaleidoscopic experiential cinematic odyssey that explores Bowie’s creative, spiritual, and philosophical journey.” The movie includes previously unseen footage and performances, and will feature Bowie’s own narration. The film includes 47 musical tracks, mixed from the original recordings. David’s longtime friend and collaborator Tony Visconti is serving as the project’s musical producer.

BMG executive-produced and financed Moonage Daydream with Live Nation Productions. The Neon production company is handling distribution in the U.S. The film will be shown in theaters, including select IMAX cinemas. Cable and streaming rights have been licensed to HBO and HBO Max, where, according to Billboard, the film will get its TV premiere in spring 2023.

Moonage Daydream is the first movie of a multiple-film agreement Morgen has struck with BMG for IMAX productions. Brett’s previous credits include the 2012 Rolling Stones documentary Crossfire Hurricane and 2015’s Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck.

“This has been a five year labour of love to honour one of the greatest song catalogues in music history,” says BMG executive Fred Casimir. “BMG is proud to build on our long-term relationship with the David Bowie estate working hand-in-hand with our partners Live Nation Productions to bring Brett Morgen’s vision to the big screen.”

BMG holds a 25% stake in Bowie’s song catalog dating from 1970 to 1977, including such classics as “Changes,” “Starman,” “Ziggy Stardust,” “Life on Mars,” “Rebel Rebel” and “Fame.”

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Poison frontman Bret Michaels, who was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes as a child, is voicing his support for the Affordable Insulin Now Act, legislation that would put a $35 cap on insulin prices for people with private healthcare plans and Medicare Part D plans.

The Affordable Insulin Now Act was passed by the House of Representatives on March 31, and the legislation is in front of the Senate.

Michaels is encouraging his fans and friends to urge government officials to vote in favor of the act.

“All diabetics deserve a fighting chance to afford insulin,” says Michaels in a statement. “With rising costs for insulin in America skyrocketing, it puts treatments out of reach for many. And, it forces them to make a difficult decision when finances become tighter to decide if they can either ration medication doses or go without it. No one with diabetes should ever go without the opportunity for treatment.”

The 59-year-old rocker has long been involved in raising awareness about the challenges faced by people with diabetes, and the issue is a main focus of his Life Rocks charitable foundation.

“Putting the needs of diabetic children and adults has always been at the forefront of the Life Rocks Foundation,” Bret notes, “and I offer my full support for this bill which will bring costs down for those in need.”

Michaels currently is touring the U.S. on his Nothing but a Good Vibe trek, and in June he and Poison will hit the road on The Stadium Tour, the massive stateside outing that also will feature Def Leppard, Mötley Crüe and Joan Jett & the Blackhearts.

While on tour, Bret meets with other diabetics at every stop to share their experiences, lend support and advocate for helping those with the chronic condition.

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Today marks the 40th anniversary of the release of Van Halen‘s fifth studio album, Diver Down.

Diver Down became the group’s highest-charting album up to that time, peaking at #3 on the Billboard 200. It’s gone on to sell more than 4 million copies in the U.S.

The 12-track collection features five cover tunes, including versions of Roy Orbison‘s chart-topping 1964 smash “(Oh) Pretty Woman,” Martha and the Vandellas‘ 1964 hit “Dancing in the Street,” The Kinks‘ 1965 gem “Where Have All the Good Times Gone,” and Roy Rogers and Dale Evans‘ country classic “Happy Trails.”

Van Halen’s rendition of “(Oh) Pretty Woman,” which was first released as a standalone single three months before Diver Down came out, became the band’s second top 20 hit on the Billboard Hot 100, reaching #12. “Dance the Night Away” had ascended to #15 on the chart in 1979.

The band’s cover of “Dancing in the Street” also was a Hot 100 hit, peaking at #38.

Perhaps the most interesting song on Diver Down was the band’s rendition of “Big Bad Bill (Is Sweet William Now),” an old-timey pop-jazz tune dating back to the 1920s. Van Halen’s recording features none other than Jan Van Halen, Eddie and Alex Van Halen‘s father, playing clarinet throughout the entire track.

Jan had been a professional musician when he was younger, and he passed on his passion for music to his two sons. Sadly, Jan retired from music after losing a finger in an accident in 1972. It was frontman David Lee Roth who suggested that the band cover “Big Bad Bill,” and that they ask Jan to play on the tune. It marked the first time that Jan had played the clarinet since his accident.

Here’s Diver Down‘s full track list:

“Where Have All the Good Times Gone”
“Hang ‘Em High”
“Cathedral” (instrumental)
“Secrets”
“Intruder” (instrumental)
“(Oh) Pretty Woman”
“Dancing in the Street”
“Little Guitars (Intro)” (instrumental)
“Little Guitars”
“Big Bad Bill (Is Sweet William Now)”
“The Full Bug”
“Happy Trails”

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Queen guitarist Brian May has launched a new YouTube series to promote the reissue of his second solo album, 1998’s Another World, which will be released in multiple formats and configurations on April 22.

The first episode of the new series, which premiered Wednesday, features May sharing his recollections of the Another World cover photo, which features Brian positioned next to a twisted juniper tree located on El Hierro in the Canary Islands.

In the episode, titled “Another World: Back to the Tree,” May explains how he first saw a black-and-white photo of the historic tree — which is located in the town of El Sabinar — in a newspaper and was fascinated by it.

Brian notes that he was going though a hard time emotionally back then, and remembers that something about the tree inspired him to visit it.

“This tree [was] living in very adverse circumstances. It’s trying to grow in a place where there’s constantly a driving wind off the oceans, saltwater wind, and it’s still managing to survive,” he says in the video. “How has it survived? By adapting. I thought, I want to visit that tree. So, I found it in a travel magazine…On an impulse…I thought, ‘OK, we have to go there.'”

Brian then shares the story of the photo shoot, explaining how he tried to position his body to resemble the tree. For the YouTube series, May returned to El Hierro in March to see the tree today.

New episodes of the Another World YouTube series will debut weekly through mid-May.

As previously reported, the Another World reissue can be pre-ordered now and will be available on CD, cassette, vinyl and digital formats, and as a deluxe box set, two-CD set and limited-edition vinyl picture disc.

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Fans of ’80s pop rock have a treat in store this summer, as Men at Work, Rick Springfield and John Waite will be hitting the road together for an 18-city U.S. tour.

The cross-country trek gets underway August 5 in St. Augustine, Florida, and is mapped out through a September 3 concert in Las Vegas.

The tour will celebrate the 40th anniversaries of Men at Work’s chart-topping debut album Business as Usual and Springfield’s RIAA-Platinum-certified Working Class Dog.

To check out a full list of shows and to purchase tickets, visit ColinHay.com/MenatWork.

The trek with Springfield and Waite as just part of what’s shaping up to be an extremely busy year for Men at Work frontman Colin Hay. He’s currently playing a series of U.S. headlining shows in support of his recently released solo album, Now and the Evermore, that’s scheduled through a May 12 performance in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Then, starting June 2 in Boston, Colin heads out on tour as a member of Ringo Starr‘s All Starr Band. That trek’s first leg currently is plotted out through a June 26 performance in Clearwater, Florida, while a just-announced second leg is scheduled from a September 23 concert in Bridgeport, Connecticut, through an October 19-20 stand in Mexico City.

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If the new Red Hot Chili Peppers album has you itching to shred yourself, Fender is here to help.

The famed guitar company has announced the addition of Chili Peppers songs to its Fender Play guitar instruction app, which allows users of all levels to play along to hits from some of the biggest names in rock.

Among the RHCP tunes now available in Fender Play include “Suck My Kiss,” “Under the Bridge,” “Californication,” “Scar Tissue” and “Can’t Stop,” as well as “Black Summer,” the lead single off the aforementioned new album, Unlimited Love.

For more info, visit Fender.com/play.

Judging by its first week of sales, a whole lot of people have been jamming along to Unlimited Love. The record debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 with the best sales week for any rock album since Paul McCartney‘s 2020 solo effort, McCartney III.

“Black Summer,” meanwhile, is the number-one song on Billboard’s Alternative Airplay chart, and number two on Mainstream Rock Airplay.

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The Rolling Stones will release a restored and remastered concert film and album titled Licked Live in NYC on June 10 that captures a January 2003 show the British rock legends played at New York City’s famed Madison Square Garden.

The release will be available in several formats and configurations, including as a DVD/two-CD set, an SD (standard-definition) Blu-ray/two-CD set, and as a standalone two-CD package and a three-LP vinyl set.

The Madison Square Garden performance took place during the band’s 40th anniversary Licks World Tour, and featured The Stones playing a deep set that included classics from throughout their decades-long career. Sheryl Crow joined the band for a rendition of “Honky Tonk Women.”

The film of the concert originally premiered in 2003 as an HBO special, and also was featured on the multiple-disc Four Flicks DVD set that was issued that same year.

The Licked Live in NYC DVD and Blu-ray include four previously unreleased songs from the Madison Square Garden show, as well as three bonus performances from a concert that the band played in Amsterdam during the Licks trek, and footage from the group’s tour rehearsals in Toronto.

The CDs and LPs also feature the four unreleased tunes from the MSG concert.

Meanwhile, the SD Blu-ray also features a 51-minute documentary titled Tip of the Tongue that offers a look at the conception and preparation of the Licks tour, which saw The Rolling Stones playing at three different-sized venues at each metropolitan area they visited.

Licked Live in NYC can be pre-ordered now.

Here’s the release’s track list:

Intro
“Street Fighting Man”
“Start Me Up”*
“If You Can’t Rock Me”
“Don’t Stop”
“Monkey Man”
“Angie”
“Let It Bleed”
“Midnight Rambler”
“Tumbling Dice”*
“Thru and Thru”
“Happy”
“Gimme Shelter”*
“You Got Me Rocking”
“Can’t You Hear Me Knocking”
“Honky Tonk Women” — with Sheryl Crow
“(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction”
“It’s Only Rock ‘n’ Roll (But I Like It)”
“When the Whip Comes Down”
“Brown Sugar”
“Sympathy for the Devil”*
“Jumpin’ Jack Flash”

Bonus Content
Live in Amsterdam (DVD and SD Blu-ray only)
“Star Star”
“I Just Want to Make Love to You”
“Street Fighting Man”

Rehearsals (DVD and SD Blu-ray only)
“Well Well”
“Extreme Western Grip”

SD Blu-ray only
—Tip of the Tongue documentary
—Tip of the Tongue – Boston backstage

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