You have about 24 hours to watch Bob Dylan’s return to the stage

July 19, 2021 by Classic Rock 93.9

Bob Dylan returned to the stage on Sunday for a special livestream show, but if you missed it, you can still watch it on demand until midnight tomorrow, July 20.

According to the New York Post, Dylan’s Shadow Kingdom show was filmed in black and white. It lasted less than an hour and featured the 80-year-old rock legend performing with a four-piece band in a club located in a wooden hut. The “audience members” — actually actors — didn’t applaud and didn’t appear to pay attention. Dylan himself didn’t speak.

In the show — Dylan’s first since COVID-19 put his so-called “Never Ending Tour” on pause — he ran through 13 songs, many of which were deep cuts. The set list included “I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight,” “Queen Jane Approximately,” “Tombstone Blues,” “Forever Young,” “Watching the River Flow,” and “It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue.”

According to the New York Post, the most recent song Dylan performed was 1989’s “What Was It You Wanted,” from the Oh Mercy album.

Visit Veeps.com to purchase a $25 ticket to watch the show yourself.

More than 20 pieces of Jerry Garcia’s digital artwork to be sold as NFTs

July 19, 2021 by Classic Rock 93.9

Jerry Garcia. ‘Junglescape.’ 1992. Courtesy Yellowheart

In May, artwork by the late Grateful Dead frontman Jerry Garcia was put on sale as an NFT, or non-fungible token, which is a unique digital collectible. Now, an entire collection of Garcia’s digital artwork is going on the block in the NFT format.

The three-part collection will be sold via YellowHeart, a platform that accepts both cryptocurrency and credit card payments. It’s a digital artwork series called An Odd Little Place: The Digital Works of Jerry Garcia (1992-1995), featuring 20 pieces from the late legend, created on his Apple computer.

Of the 20 pieces, 17 are limited edition pieces of original digital artwork, and the other three are additional works found in the Garcia Archives in a folder called “Last 48 Hours.” Two of the three date from August 7 and August 8, 1995, while the third is believed to be unfinished. Garcia died on August 9, 1995.

You can get a glimpse of the collection now on YouTube. Yellowheart is also teaming with the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame for a preview event on August 5, which will be attended by members of Garcia’s family. An exhibit of the artwork opens to the public the next day.

The first part of the collection launches today, along with ticket sales to the Rock Hall preview event. There are five VIP Vault Tour Experiences, which cost $10,000 each, and 20 Exhibition Preview Experiences, which cost $2,500 each.

The second partof the exhibition will be revealed August 1, which would have been Jerry’s 79th birthday. The third part is an auction of those three final works, starting August 5 at 3 p.m. ET.

To lessen the environmental impact of creating NFTs, the Garcia Family will donate a portion of the proceeds to charity.

Journey escaping to Las Vegas for symphony performance

July 19, 2021 by Classic Rock 93.9

Journey has scheduled a one-night-only performance in Las Vegas this December.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Famers will take the stage at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace on Saturday, December 18, but what makes the show special is that they’ll be performing with a symphony orchestra.

The show will feature Journey’s new lineup, which includes former American Idol judge Randy Jackson on bass and famed producer Narada Michael Walden on drums, along with Neal Schon on guitar, Jonathan Cain and Jason Derlatka on keyboards and Arnel Pineda on vocals.

As previously reported, Journey’s classic 1981 album Escape was recently RIAA-certified Diamond for more than 10 million sales.

Journey will be one of the headliners at Lollapalooza on July 31.

The Smashing Pumpkins’ Jeff Schroeder starts “new chapter of…my musical life” with debut solo song

July 19, 2021 by Classic Rock 93.9

Longtime Smashing Pumpkins guitarist Jeff Schroeder has released his debut solo single: “Haenim,” a cover of a song originally written by Korean guitarist Shin Joong Hyun, who pioneered the rock scene in the country in the ’60s and ’70s. As Schroeder tells ABC Audio, the track is a fitting introduction to who he is as a musical artist now, and who he’s been as a person his whole life.

“People like Shin Joong Hyun, basically their gigs were to play these clubs that were for U.S. military people, because that kind of music really wasn’t popular amongst the Korean population,” Schroeder explains. “It was really for, I think, a lot of these military base nightclubs where these musicians would go and play.”

Since his mother, who’s Korean, met his father when he was stationed there in the military, Schroeder felt a kinship to Shin’s musical identity.

“My personal connection as a rock musician and Korean American and this song is all interwoven in this bigger, larger sociopolitical history of the U.S. and Korea,” he explains. “So [‘Haenim’] really felt like the right place to start this new chapter of, at least, my musical life.”

From the musical side, “Haenim” features dreamy guitars reminiscent of the Pumpkins, punctuated by classic metal-style solos that really help the song soar. Schroeder credits the inspiration of those to a friend named Max, who had recently passed away.

“I said, ‘What would Max tell me? If he was here, what would he encourage me to do?'” Schroeder recalls. “‘Cause I was, like, ‘Oh, I can definitely do the more shoegaze-y type of lead thing here…or should I just totally go for it?’ And I was, like, ‘No, Max would tell me to go for it.'”

Schroeder is currently prepping his debut solo EP.

Iron Maiden announces new album, ‘Senjutsu,’ coming in September

July 19, 2021 by Classic Rock 93.9

After releasing their new song, “The Writing on the Wall,” along with an animated mini-movie, Iron Maiden has now unveiled details of their new studio album.

Called Senjutsu, the 17th album from the metal legends will arrive September 3. Their first album in six years, it’s a double-CD collection, the title of which loosely translates from Japanese to “tactics and strategy.” The cover art, created by Mark Wilkinson based on an idea by Maiden bassist Steve Harris, features the band’s beloved mascot Eddie in full samurai gear.

Frontman Bruce Dickinson says Senjutsu was recorded in 2019 during a break in the band’s Legacy tour so they could continue on the road and still have plenty time to set up the project. Of course, as he says, “The pandemic delayed things more — so much for the best-laid plans — or should that be ‘strategies!?'”

Harris says of the new project, “We recorded this album in the same way we did The Book of Souls in that we’d write a song, rehearse it and then put it down together straight away while it was all fresh in our minds.”

“There’s some very complex songs on this album which took a lot of hard work to get them exactly as we wanted them to sound, so the process was at times very challenging,” Harris adds, noting, “I’m very proud of the result and can’t wait for fans to hear it.”

Senjutsu is available for pre-order July 21 at IronMaiden.com in a variety of formats, including a few different colors of vinyl and a super deluxe box set.

Here’s the track listing for Senjutsu:

“Senjutsu”
“Stratego”
“The Writing on the Wall”
“Lost in a Lost World”
“Days of Future Past”
“The Time Machine”
“Darkest Hour”
“Death of the Celts “
“The Parchment”
“Hell on Earth”

Sways? Waves? Bruce Springsteen’s manager settles “Thunder Road” lyrics controversy

July 19, 2021 by Classic Rock 93.9

For the past week or so, there’s been an ongoing online debate about the opening lyric of Bruce Springsteen‘s 1975 classic, “Thunder Road.” But now, it appears that Bruce’s manager, Jon Landau, has solved the mystery.

It started when New York Times writer Maggie Haberman went to see Bruce’s Broadway show and tweeted, “A screen door slams, Mary’s dress sways.” Fans pounced, insisting that Haberman had it wrong: It’s “Mary’s dress waves.”

But fans who believe that the Boss sing “sways” jumped to Haberman’s defense, sparking a back-and-forth between the two camps, and even a Los Angeles Times article examining the issue and presenting evidence for both sides. For example, the lyric database on Springsteen’s official website, as well as the original lyrics printed on the album, say “waves,” but in handwritten lyric sheets from that period, and in Bruce’s autobiography Born to Run, the lyric is “sways.”

Reps for Springsteen wouldn’t comment, but Landau, who co-produced the Born to Run album in addition to managing the Boss for decades, has written a letter to The New Yorker, clarifying the issue.

“The word is ‘sways,’” Landau wrote. “That’s the way he wrote it in his original notebooks, that’s the way he sang it on Born to Run, in 1975, that’s the way he has always sung it at thousands of shows, and that’s the way he sings it right now on Broadway. Any typos in official Bruce material will be corrected.”

Landau added, “And, by the way, ‘dresses’ do not know how to ‘wave.’”

Poetry experts might argue that the best evidence for “sways” is the fact that it precedes the line, “Like a vision she dances across the porch as the radio plays.” “Sways” rhymes with “plays,” while “waves” does not.

Foghat’s Roger Earl on band’s new concert album/DVD, ‘8 Days on the Road’: “Looks like we can play still”

July 19, 2021 by Classic Rock 93.9

Foghat has just released a new concert album and video called 8 Days on the Road in celebration of the veteran rockers’ 50th anniversary.

The collection, which is available as a two-CD/DVD package and digitally, features a November 2019 performance by the band at Daryl’s House, the club Daryl Hall owns in Pawling, New York.

Founding Foghat drummer Roger Earl tells ABC Audio that the band hadn’t planned to record the show, but since the club has cameras and recording equipment already set up, they went ahead and documented the gig.

“The sound in the room is terrific…It’s like playing in your living room,” Earl explains. “[A]nd then we took all the stuff home and [Foghat lead guitarist and producer] Bryan Bassett…started working on it. And we listened to…the first rough mixes and we said, ‘Wow, looks like we can play still.'”

Roger adds that he also was “pleasantly surprised” with the film of the show.

The concert features Foghat delivering inspired renditions of many of their best-known tunes, including “Slow Ride,” “Fool for the City” and the Willie Dixon classic “I Just Want to Make Love to You.”

Earl notes that the band also included two rarities in the set, a cover of Chuck Berry‘s “Maybellene,” which the group originally recorded for its 1972 self-titled debut, and a version of the Wild Cherry hit “Play That Funky Music.” Roger says he suggested that the band perform the latter tune because Bassett is a former Wild Cherry member, and played on the original track.

Earl tells ABC Audio that Foghat will be playing the 8 Days on the Road set at their 2021 concerts, so if “people come to see us and they like the set…it’s already pre-recorded for them.”

Rolling Stones, CSNY, John Fogerty, Pearl Jam & more highlight this weekend’s Record Store Day Drop

July 16, 2021 by Classic Rock 93.9

The second Record Store Day “Drop” event of 2021 takes place Saturday, June 17. Among the limited-edition vinyl discs you’ll find exclusively independent record stores this time around are offerings from The Rolling Stones, John Fogerty, Pearl Jam and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.

The Rolling Stones are putting out a reissue of their classic 1971 two-LP compilation Hot Rocks, pressed on yellow vinyl and featuring expanded original artwork.

Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young are releasing an LP titled Déjà Vu Alternates that features alternate versions of the songs from the group’s classic 1970 debut album, Déjà Vu. Those tracks also appear on the recently released deluxe Déjà Vu reissue.

Fogerty’s release is a four-song EP featuring selections from his 1973 debut solo album, The Blue Ridge Rangers. The project was a collection of country and traditional cover tunes that he issued under the fictional band name The Blue Ridge Rangers.

A 12-inch vinyl version and cassette single of Pearl Jam’s “Alive” are both being released to mark the song’s 30th anniversary. The cassette single features the single version of “Alive,” plus the songs “Wash” and a cover of The Beatles‘ “I’ve Got a Feeling.”

The July 17 installment of Record Store Day 2021 also includes exclusive releases from The Allman Brothers Band, Yes‘ Jon Anderson, Canned Heat, The Clash, The Cure, The Kinks‘ Dave Davies, Dio, Bob Dylan, Foo Fighters, Sammy Hagar & The Circle, Hot Tuna, Badfinger‘s Joey Molland, Queen + Adam Lambert, Ramones, Lou Reed, Small Faces and War.

Check out the entire list of releases and participating independent record stores at RecordStoreDay.com.

Rare 1973 Bob Marley and the Wailers in-studio performance to be released in multiple formats in September

July 16, 2021 by Classic Rock 93.9

An archival performance video and album capturing a live in-studio session by Bob Marley and the Wailers, recorded and filmed in October 1973 at the Capitol Records Tower in Los Angeles, will be released in multiple formats on September 3.

Bob Marley and The Wailers: The Capitol Session ’73 can be pre-ordered now, and will be available as a DVD/CD package, a standalone CD, a two-LP colored-vinyl set and digitally.

Famed producer Denny Cordell set up a four-camera shoot filming the band playing 12 songs, with most of the material coming from the group’s two most recent albums — 1973’s Burnin’ and 1972’s Catch a Fire. Among the classic tunes Marley and The Wailers performed were “Stir It Up,” “Get Up Stand Up” and “Kinky Reggae.”

The footage from the session was considered lost for many years, but over the last two decades the film was fully unearthed at various storage units, and now has been restored and remastered.

At the time of the October ’73 session, Marley and his group had started to establish themselves in the U.S. They had been touring as Sly and the Family Stone‘s opening act, but had been fired from the trek and so decided to make their way to LA, where the session took place.

In advance of The Capitol Session ’73‘s release, a video of Marley and the Wailers performing “Stir It Up” has debuted on Marley’s official YouTube channel and the audio has been made available via streaming services.

The two-LP set will be available on green marble vinyl and, exclusively from TheSoundofVinyl.us, on Rasta swirl vinyl — that is, red, yellow and green.

Here’s the release’s full track list:

“You Can’t Blame the Youth”
“Slave Driver”
“Burnin’ and Lootin'”
“Rastaman Chant”
“Duppy Conqueror”
“Midnight Raver”
“Put It On”
“Stop that Train”
“Kinky Reggae”
“Stir It Up”
“No More Trouble”
“Get Up Stand Up”

DVD bonus tracks:
“Duppy Conqueror”
“Rastaman Chant”

Jason Bonham’s Led Zeppelin Evening announces US fall tour; Bonham promises “surprises”

July 16, 2021 by Classic Rock 93.9

Veteran rock drummer Jason Bonham, who lately has been playing with the Sammy Hagar-fronted group The Circle, has announced dates for a fall 2021 U.S. tour with his own outfit Jason Bonham’s Led Zeppelin Evening, which pays tribute to his late father John Bonham‘s famous band.

The MMXXI Tour currently features 29 confirmed shows, kicking off October 15 in Stateline, Nevada, and plotted out through a November 26 concert in Hollywood, Florida. Tickets for all of the dates went on sale to the general public today.

A look at Bonham’s itinerary explains why he won’t be joining Hagar and the other members of The Circle — bassist Michael Anthony and guitarist Vic Johnson — at four of Sammy’s six recently announced Las Vegas residency shows at The Strat. The “Sammy Hagar & Friends” performances are scheduled for October 29-30, November 5-6 and November 12-13, but Jason Bonham’s Led Zeppelin Evening has gigs on the four November dates.

Meanwhile, Bonham has posted a message about his upcoming Led Zeppelin tribute tour on his Facebook page that reads, “We go deep real deep. Never a short set and always have surprises my love for Zep is only over shadowed by my love for my father.”

To check out JBLZE’s full schedule and purchase tickets, visit JasonBonham.net.

Prior to the trek, Bonham will be playing 10 concerts with Hagar & The Circle during July, August and September.

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