Classic Rock News

Ordinary Man, the star-studded 2020 album Ozzy Osbourne made with producer Andrew Watt, was a huge success — so they’ve made another one, which features even more stars than the last.

Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith broke the news on rocker and wrestler Chris Jericho‘s Talk Is Jericho podcast. Smith played on Ordinary Man, as did Guns N’ Roses bassist Duff McKagan, and they’re both back for the new album, as is Watt.

In addition, Smith boasts that the album, which is currently being mastered, features “the English royalty of guitar players” as guests, including Black Sabbath‘s Tony Iommi, plus Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck.  According to Smith, this will mark the first time Iommi and Ozzy have collaborated outside of Black Sabbath.  They even tried to get Jimmy Page, Smith says, but, he explained, “I don’t think Page plays anymore too much.”

But there are even more guests on the album to make up for Page’s absence, according to Smith: Pearl Jam‘s Mike McCready is part of the project, as are Josh Homme of Queens of the Stone Age, Black Label Society frontman and Ozzy touring guitarist Zakk Wylde and Metallica bassist Robert Trujillo.

No word on when we can expect the album.

(Ozzy album talk is 35:04 into the podcast. Contains uncensored profanity.)

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U2 frontman Bono was honored by the Fulbright Association on Thursday in Washington, D.C., with its 2021 J. William Fulbright Prize for International Understanding, acknowledging the singer’s his dedication to fighting global poverty and health crises, and supporting economic development in the world’s poorest regions.

In conjunction with the prize, Bono received an award of $50,000 to donate to the charities of his choice, which he bestowed on the ONE and (RED) organizations he co-founded.

During his acceptance speech, Bono talked about his passion for rock music, which is all about freedom and liberation, drawing parallels to the ideals of the U.S. and to Ukraine’s current fight for freedom against its Russian invaders.

Reflecting on growing up in Ireland during a time of great conflict there, Bono noted, “We looked to America. We saw a country with its own long-running arguments, its own injustices. We knew this promised land wasn’t always keeping to that promise. We knew America wasn’t living up to all its ideals, but the fact is America had ideals.”

He continued, “We knew that because you wrote them down, you cited them, you held yourself to account on them. They shaped the struggle for civil rights and women’s rights and gay rights. I don’t know how, but I seemed to know that America wasn’t just a country. I felt it was an idea.”

In honoring Bono with the Fulbright Prize, Justice Cynthia A. Baldwin, Fulbright Association Board Chair, said, “The purpose of the Fulbright Prize is to recognize those who promote peace through greater understanding among peoples, cultures, and nations, and there’s no doubt that Bono embodies the best of leadership in times of unrelenting global crises and challenges.”

You can watch a video of the presentation at the Fulbright Association’s YouTube channel.

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Red Hot Chili Peppers‘ new album Unlimited Love is here, and so is the cinematic video for their new single “These Are the Ways.”

In the clip, singer Anthony Kiedis plays a man who’s shoplifting food to feed his pregnant wife. When a cop spots him, he runs out the door, jumps in his car and leads the cops on a chase.  After ditching the car, he escapes on foot.

The rest of the clip shows the cops chasing Kiedis through a variety of houses, motel rooms and apartments, past the residents who are engaged in everyday activities like vacuuming, having dinner, having sex and having a party.  Meanwhile, the band is shown playing the song in a motel room.

At the end, Anthony manages to slow the cops down with an overturned laundry cart, and seemingly escapes to shoplift another day. “These are the ways when you come from America,” he sings.

Unlimited Love features guitarist John Frusciante back on board and, for the first time in years, production by Rick Rubin, who was behind the board for Blood Sugar Sex Magik, One Hot Minute, Californication and many other albums.

Speaking of the Chili Peppers’ continued relevance, Kiedis tells the Los Angeles Times, “It’s nice not to feel like the world has passed you by. I love it when my son’s friends put on their playlists and we’re on there with Kid Cudi or someone.”

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Todd Rundgren‘s joint U.S. tour with Hall & Oates lead singer Daryl Hall begins tonight in Chicago.

Rundgren will open for Hall on the 14-date cross-country trek, which winds down May 22 in Austin, Texas.

Todd, who was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this past October, says his tour with Daryl probably will be “the high point of the year” for him.

“First of all, I get…an hour-long set of my own material to do with a great band…I’ll be with Daryl’s house band,” Rundgren notes. “And [we’re] playing like the most prestigious venues. You know, we’re only doing eight shows in the first leg, but it’s Carnegie Hall [in New York] and Auditorium Theatre in Chicago and the Ryman in Nashville. You know all these classic venues.”

Todd says he also appreciates that Hall has at least one day off between each concert on the trek, which he notes is “just the easiest possible way to get through a tour.”

Meanwhile, Rundgren reveals that he’ll be joining Hall at the end of the shows for “a little encore sing-off thing.”

“[T]hat should be a lot of fun…because Daryl and I kind of challenge each other in little ways,” Todd maintains. “And it gets us both kind of at the edges of our capacities, you know, just trying to keep up with each other.”

Tickets for the tour are available at LiveNation.com.

The trek’s kickoff coincides with the release of Daryl’s first-ever solo compilation, BeforeAfter. The 30-track collection features selections from Daryl’s solo albums, as well as eight performances from his TV/web series Live from Daryl’s House, including a duet with Rundgren on Todd’s 1978 hit “Can We Still Be Friends.”

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Foo Fighters are up for three awards this Sunday night at the Grammys, but should they win, reportedly, they won’t be in the house to accept them.

The band was originally scheduled to perform on the telecast, but Rolling Stone has learned that they will no longer appear, following the March 25 death of drummer Taylor Hawkins.  Foo Fighters have also canceled all their upcoming tour dates.

At Sunday’s ceremony, which airs on CBS, Dave Grohl and company are up for Best Rock Performance for “Making a Fire,” Best Rock Song for “Waiting on a War” and Best Rock Album for Medicine at Midnight.

A CBS official told Variety this week that Hawkins memory will be “honored in some way” at the Grammys, adding, “We want to figure out what is the right thing to do that is respectful to everyone involved. We’re patient. We’ll be planning right up until the very end.”

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Grateful Dead spin-off group Dead & Company has announced plans for a new U.S. summer tour that currently features 20 dates, running from a June 11 concert at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles through a two-night stand July 15-16 at Citi Field in New York City.

The trek features several other two-show engagements — on June 13-14 in Mountain View, California; June 17-18 in Boulder, Colorado; and June 24-25 at Chicago’s Wrigley Field.

Tickets will go on sale to the general public on Friday, April 8, at 10 a.m. local time via DeadandCompany.com. Tickets will be made available through Ticketmaster’s Verified Fan program, which you can register for now through Sunday, April 3, at 12 p.m. PT. A Verified Fan pre-sale will begin on Tuesday, April 5, at 10 a.m. local time and run through Thursday, April 7, at 10 p.m. local time.

In addition, Dead & Company is offering various enhanced experience and travel packages, which go on sale April 5 at 10 a.m. local time. Visit CIDEntertainment.com for more details.

Also on the new trek, the band will continue its sustainability partnership with the nonprofit organization REVERB, and has committed to a comprehensive carbon offset program while also encouraging fans to take action to help the environment via the organization’s Music Climate Revolution campaign.

The summer trek will mark Dead & Company’s seventh tour since the band formed in 2015. The group’s lineup features Grateful Dead members Bob Weir, Bill Kreutzmann and Mickey Hart, as well as singer/guitarist John Mayer, ex-Allman Brothers Band bassist Oteil Burbridge, and RatDog keyboardist Jeff Chimenti.

In January, Dead & Company were forced to cancel their planned annual Playing in the Sand destination festival in Mexico because of spiking COVID-19 cases, including Mayer.

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Metallica’s ongoing series of concert films that are streaming on The Coda Collection — a music-themed channel on Amazon Prime Video — just got a lot more interesting.

Today, the Coda Collection is debuting night one of Metallica‘s two 40th anniversary concerts, which took place last December in San Francisco. But with the new Coda Companion app, watching the concert turns into a Pop-Up Video-type experience. The app syncs to your stream on The Coda Collection channel, and delivers facts and trivia about Metallica as the concert plays.  You can download it for free in the App Store and Google Play.

The Coda Companion experience for night one of the Metallica show features “facts and insight that even devout fans of the band might not know,” according to a press release. The information comes from two members of Metallica’s crew who’ve been with them for decades: Dan Braun, their creative director and scenic designer, and Zach Harmon, their backline manager.

Night two of Metallica’s anniversary show streams April 7, again, along with The Coda Companion experience. It’s also available for The White Stripes‘ 2005 From the Basement, which is also streaming on the Coda Collection. Similar content is launching soon from Pearl Jam, The Rolling Stones and more.

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Madame Tussauds wax museum’s London location has unveiled a new David Bowie figure based on the late rock legend’s Ziggy Stardust-era look.

The figure, which was unveiled Thursday, will be part of the museum’s “impossible line” in the attraction’s Music Festival zone that’s set to open on Friday, April 1.

The Bowie figure was created in partnership with the music great’s estate using information from when David first sat for Madame Tussauds back in 1983. The new figure, which is the second Bowie depiction created for the museum, features him as his alter ego Ziggy Stardust, the alien rock star, donning a red shag hairstyle, a striped jumpsuit and celestial face makeup. According to DavidBowie.com, the statue is based on a photo taken by Masayoshi Sukita in New York city in February 1973.

Bowie’s figure will reside in the relaunched Music Festival section of Madame Tussauds, alongside figures of Freddie Mercury, Jimi Hendrix, Bob Marley, Amy Winehouse, Beyoncé, Ed Sheeran, Dua Lipa and popular U.K. rapper Stormzy.

“David Bowie as Ziggy Stardust transcends generations and music genres, making him the ultimate headliner to launch our new Music Festival zone,” says Madame Tussauds London general manager Tim Waters. “We were honoured to work with his estate in what would have been his 75th year and play our small part in keeping his inimitable legacy alive for generations to come.”

To celebrate the launch of the new display, the figures were filmed at various famous music-related London locations. For example, the Bowie statue was captured at the Hammersmith Apollo, where David played his final concert as Ziggy Stardust almost 50 years ago, while the Mercury and Hendrix figures were filmed, respectively, at Abbey Road Studios and Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club.

Visit MadameTussauds.com for more details.

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As Deep Purple prepares to launch a major European tour in late May, the band has announced that longtime guitarist Steve Morse “will be taking a temporary hiatus” from the band because of a serious family matter.

The group assures fans that Morse remains a full member of Deep Purple, although he won’t be playing the concerts scheduled for May, June and July. Replacing Steve at those shows will be Simon McBride, a veteran rock guitarist who previously has toured with Deep Purple singer Ian Gillan and keyboardist Don Airey, among many others.

In a message, Morse explains, “[M]y dear wife Janine is currently battling cancer. At this point, there are so many possible complications and unknowns, that whatever time we have left in our lives, I simply must be there with her.”

He continues, “I am not leaving the band — I hope that after she gets a clean bill of health, I can re-join the tour. However, I am not seeing any likely situation which would allow me to do overseas touring in the immediate future. I continue to be privileged to be a part of the Purple family tree, and also to get to feel the amazing support of so many loyal fans and the rest of the band.”

Steve also praises McBride as “a certified world class guitarist,” and concludes, “I appreciate all your sincere prayers for Janine and thank you all.”

The rest of Deep Purple adds, jointly, “All of our thoughts are with Janine during her fight against cancer and also with Steve while he supports his wife at a very difficult time.”

The U.S.-born Morse has been a member of Deep Purple since 1994. He also is a co-founder of jazz-rockers the Dixie Dregs and previously played with Kansas.

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U2 frontman Bono was visiting the U.S. Capitol Wednesday and he took time out to meet and chat with members of the Capitol Police.

In a video posted on the U.S. Capitol Police’s Twitter feed, Bono is seen thanking officers for their service during the January 6 attack on the Capitol.

“I haven’t been back since January 6, and you guys saved America, as far as I’m concerned, from so much awfulness on that day,” the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer says in the clip. “And I just want to say, people around the world really respect you.”

The Tweet is accompanied by a caption that reads, “Never know who you will run into on Capitol Hill. Thank you #Bono!”

Some additional photos from Bono’s visit also were posted on the U.S. Capitol Police’s Twitter page.

The singer, activist and philanthropist has been visiting Capitol Hill recently, reportedly meeting with lawmakers to urge the approval of emergency relief funding to help make the COVID-19 vaccine available globally.

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