Classic Rock News

Black Sabbath bassist Geezer Butler has offered a new image from his graphic novel The Antibody, which is being released as a multi-part NFT collection via the NFT marketplace YellowHeart.

Butler posted an animated image on his Twitter feed of a giant demonic-looking horned creature looming over some residential buildings in the rain, along with a snippet of ominous, bass-heavy rock music.

“I know that not everyone is an NFT fan but I had fun putting a story together for this art,” Geezer writes in a note accompanying the tweet. “This clip actually started it all. [The graphic novel’s artist, KOL,] had created a couple of [Aston Villa Football Club] pics of grounds. If it has to do with the Villa & charity…I’m in.”

As previously reported, the first chapter of The Antibody became available as an NFT this past Friday, March 25, at yh.io. The digital book tells the story of a mutated antibody that goes on to wreak havoc on humanity. Each episode will feature original music composed by Butler, and artwork created by the aforementioned KOL, aka Kolin Humphries.

Part of the proceeds raised by the sale of the NFTs will be donated to organizations aiding humanitarian relief efforts in Ukraine, including Save the Children and UNICEF.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

The Scorpions, who recently launched their “Sin City Nights” Las Vegas residency, will head to New York City in May to headline a concert at Madison Square Garden celebrating the 50th anniversary of the country of Bangladesh’s independence.

The Golden Jubilee Bangladesh Concert will take place on May 6, and Chirkutt, one of Bangladesh’s most prominent rock bands, will open the show.

Proceeds from the concert will benefit the United Nations Development Programme’s global campaign to raise awareness about cyber security programs for the young people, particularly underdeveloped nations.

Tickets for the concert go on sale to the general public this Monday, April 4, at 10 a.m. ET via Ticketmaster.com. Members of The Scorpions Rock Zone fan club will have exclusive access to pre-sale tickets starting this Thursday, March 31, at 10 a.m. ET. For more information, visit The-Scorpions.com/RockZone.

Madison Square Garden also was the site of the famous Concert for Bangladesh, which was organized by George Harrison and Ravi Shankar to raise aid and awareness for people affected by the country’s war for independence. The August 1971 event included performances by Harrison, Shankar, Ringo Starr, Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, Billy Preston and other stars.

As previously reported, The Scorpions’ “Sin City Nights” residency is a nine-show engagement taking place at Zappos Theater at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino that began this past Saturday, March 26, and runs through an April 16. Tickets are available now via Ticketmaster.com.

After the residency and the Madison Square Garden concert, the band will launch a lengthy European tour leg that begins May 10 in Lisbon, Portugal. The Scorpions currently are supporting their latest studio album, Rock Believer, which was released in February.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Paul McCartney has joined the long list of famous artists paying tribute to Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins, who died Friday, March 25, at age 50.

In a message posted on his official website and social media pages, McCartney who is a longtime friend of the Foo Fighters, writes, “Taylor’s sudden death came as a shock to me and the people who knew and loved him…Not only was he a GREAT drummer but his personality was big and shiny and will be sorely missed by all who were lucky to live and work alongside him.”

Sir Paul goes on to note, “I was asked by the Foo Fighters to play on one of their tracks. It turned out that they wanted me to play drums! — on one of Taylor’s songs [referring to ‘Sunday Rain,’ from the band’s 2017 album Concrete and Gold]. This request came from a group with TWO amazing drummers! It was an incredible session and cemented my relationship with Taylor and the guys.”

McCartney then reflects on the Foo Fighters asking him to induct them into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame at the 2021 ceremony.

“I sang with them on ‘Get Back,'” Paul notes. “Taylor provided a powerhouse drum part. I’ll never forget that night. All of which made it much more of a desperately sad shock to hear he had died.”

McCartney concludes, “So thanks Taylor for sharing some glorious minutes with me. You were a true Rock and Roll hero and will always remain in my heart. God bless his family and band — Love Paul X.”

Interestingly, McCartney and the Foos will be competing against each other for two honors at the Grammy Awards this Sunday — Best Rock Song and Best Rock Album.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Fleetwood Mac singer/keyboardist Christine McVie has revealed that she has a new solo project that will be released in the coming months and will feature reworked versions of her best-known songs.

During an interview this past week with Take That singer Gary Barlow on his BBC radio program We Write the Songs, McVie announced that she’s “just finished an album,” called Songbird, that’s due out in June.

She described the record as “a compilation of my biggest hits, but they’ve all been produced again by [acclaimed British producer] Glyn Johns,” adding that the tracks feature strings arranged by Grammy-winning composer and arranger Vince Mendoza, who previously has worked with Joni Mitchell, Sting, Chaka Khan and many others.

Christine noted that among the songs on the album is a “fantastic version” of her 1977 Fleetwood Mac ballad “Songbird,” which she said has been recut “with a complete string orchestra and it sounds beautiful.”

She also pointed out the the new recordings “sound completely different” from her original versions.

Asked whether she might schedule some concerts in support of the upcoming album, the 78-year-old Rock and Roll Hall of Famer replied, “That I daren’t comment on yet! I’m very cagey about things like that.”

Christine’s last new music project was her 2017 collaborative album with Lindsey Buckingham, which was simply titled Lindsey Buckingham Christine McVie.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Fifty years ago this week, America‘s self-titled debut album and single “A Horse with No Name” reached #1, respectively, on the Billboard 200 and Billboard Hot 100.

America’s Dewey Bunnell, who wrote “A Horse with No Name,” tells ABC Audio that the song was inspired by his memories the southwestern U.S. when he was young. Bunnell and co-founding band mates Gerry Beckley and Dan Peek were the sons of U.S. military members stationed in the U.K., and formed the group after graduating from the same London high school.

“By the time I wrote that [my family] had been in England about four or five years, so I was really reminiscing about the U.S.,” explains Bunnell. “My dad [was stationed in California] for about a year, [and] we would do day trips into Southern California and over to New Mexico and then Arizona, and [we’d] go through the desert. And I loved the desert.”

Bunnell says the song’s music was influenced by the alternate guitar tunings devised by David Crosby and Joni Mitchell.

“I was playing around with those tunings and came up with one of my own,” Dewey recalls. “[A]nd I found the classic three chords that went together well, and I just started trying to paint a picture of that desert scene.”

Bunnell admits that the success of “A Horse with No Name” caught him off guard. He recalls that during America’s first U.S. tour in early 1972, he was surprised to hear the song all over the radio airwaves.

Shortly after returning to the U.K., the band received word that the single had hit #1 in the U.S.

“I mean, you don’t expect those things,” says Dewey, “and we celebrated accordingly.”

America currently touring the U.S. The band’s next show is Thursday in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Heart‘s Ann Wilson has debuted another advance track from her forthcoming solo album, Fierce Bliss, a hard-rocking original tune called “A Moment in Heaven.”

Wilson explains that the song “tells the story of a one-hit-wonder in the star-maker machinery of Hollywood: the sublime cruelty of transient fame.”

Ann, who’s had her fair share of sobering dealings with the entertainment industry, further notes, “It’s one of those anti-Hollywood screed things, the meat grinder of the music image maker machine and what it feels like to be on the inside of that.”

She adds, “All of a sudden, it’s ‘happening’ on all thrusters, you’ve got a number one record and everyone’s pouring champagne telling you how much you ‘deserve this.’ You’re in heaven! But then the cruel reality comes down…what’s the next one? Can you follow that? It’s all about the short-lived glamour and ecstasy of being successful in the rock business.”

“A Moment in Heaven” is available now via digital formats, while a lyric video for the tune has premiered on her official YouTube channel. The clip features a mix of animation and live action, including footage of Wilson performing with her backing band.

“A Moment in Heaven” is the third advance tune that Ann has released from Fierce Bliss, following an original song called “Greed” and a cover of Eurythmics‘ “Missionary Man.”

As previously reported, Fierce Bliss will be released on April 29, and can be pre-ordered now. Wilson will kick off a series of tour dates with her backing band The Amazing Dawgs in support of the album with a May 4 concert in San Francisco. Among her forthcoming performances are two Canadian shows opening for Journey, on May 13 in Toronto and May 16 in Quebec City.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

The full list of performers for the 2022 edition of Milwaukee’s annual Summerfest has been announced and, as usual, it features popular artists from a wide variety of genres, including quite a few veteran acts.

Among the dozens of stars who will entertain the crowds this year at the festival grounds are Steve Miller Band, Heart‘s Ann Wilson, John Fogerty and The Black Crowes.

The 2022 Summerfest will take place across three weekends — June 23 to June 25, June 30 to July 2, and July 7 to July 9 — at Henry Maier Festival Park in downtown Milwaukee. The 10-day event features more than 100 acts performing on 12 stages.

Other artists on the bill include Blue Oyster Cult, Todd Rundgren, Foghat, Quiet Riot, Skid Row, E Street Band drummer Max Weinberg, War, Ratt‘s Stephen Pearcy, Lita Ford, The Cult, The Fixx, Jimmie Vaughan, Anthrax, Southside Johnny & the Asbury Jukes, The Tubes, Great White, Warrant, Stryper, Slaughter, The Smithereens and Violent Femmes

Tickets to Summerfest will grant you access to performances at the various ground’s stages, although premium seats for select headlining shows will be available for an additional charge. Multi-day passes also are being sold.

Also, a series of separate ticketed events will be held at the American Family Insurance Amphitheater. These include a previously announced July 7 concert featuring Rod Stewart and Cheap Trick.

To buy tickets and check out a full lineup and schedule, visit Summerfest.com.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

As you might have predicted, Foo Fighters‘ tour is not going forward in the wake of the shocking death of drummer Taylor Hawkins.

“It is with great sadness that Foo Fighters confirm the cancellation of all upcoming tour dates in light of the staggering loss of our brother Taylor Hawkins,” reads a statement from Dave Grohl and company.

“We’re sorry for and share in the disappointment that we won’t be seeing one another as planned,” they continue. “Instead, let’s take this time to grieve, to heal, to pull our loved ones close, and to appreciate all the music and memories we’ve made together.”

The band had a series of dates planned for May, July and August, as well as an additional leg that was to have started in September.

Hawkins, 50, was found dead in his hotel room Friday night in Bogota, Colombia, where the band was scheduled to perform at a festival. While an official cause of death hasn’t been announced, officials in Colombia stated that 10 different substances were found in Hawkins’ urine.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Here’s some happy news from Peter Frampton, who announced that he will finally resume his Finale: The Farewell Tour this fall.

The guitar wiz has confirmed three U.K. concerts, scheduled for November 5 in Stoke-on-Trent, November 6 in Glasgow and November 8 at London’s famed Royal Albert Hall.

“My band and I have been chomping at the bit to play and can’t wait to keep our promise to play for you again,” Frampton says in a message posted on his official website and social media sites. “Thanks for your patience.”

Tickets for the shows go on sale to the general public on Wednesday, March 30. Pre-sale tickets also are being offered today; visit SeeTickets.com for more info.

Frampton launched his farewell tour with a North American leg in June 2019 after announcing that he’d been diagnosed with a degenerative muscular disease that he expects will eventually rob him of his ability to play guitar. A European portion of the trek initially had been scheduled to kick off in June 2020, but was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Peter’s health issue made it uncertain whether he would be able to finish his planned tour, so news of him scheduling shows certainly is a positive sign.

In April 2021, Frampton released his latest studio album, Frampton Forgets the Words, a collection of instrumental covers of some of his favorite songs, including tunes by Sly and the Family Stone, Radiohead, Marvin Gaye, Roxy Music, George Harrison, Stevie Wonder and David Bowie.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

As the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ new album Unlimited Love arrives at midnight on Friday, so will a new video for one of the albums 17 tracks.

This video is for the song “These Are the Ways,” and judging from the poster artwork the band posted on Instagram, it seems like it’ll be quite the cinematic experience, involving cops, a distraught woman and some kissing.

Ahead of the album’s release, the band will get a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame this Thursday, March 31. On Sunday, April 3, a Chili Peppers Pop-Up shop at the Melrose Trading Post flea market at Faifax High School in LA will be selling the new album and exclusive merch from 9 a.m to 5 p.m.

The Peppers will launch a worldwide tour in support of Unlimited Love in early June. A U.S. leg kicks off on July 23 in Denver.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.