Classic Rock News

Ringo Starr is treating fans to another EP. The two-time Rock & Roll Hall of Famer is set to release his fourth EP, Rewind Forward, on October 13, with the title track dropping Friday, August 25.

“Rewind Forward was something I said out of the blue – it’s just one of those lines like a Hard Days Night. It just came to me. But it doesn’t really make sense,” Ringo says about the title. “I was trying to explain it to myself and the best I can tell you about what it means is: sometimes when you want to go forward you have to go back first.”

Ringo brought in some of his A-list friends to help him with the tracks on the EP, including former Beatles bandmate Paul McCartney, who wrote “Feeling Sunlight.” The EP also features songs written by Toto’s Steve Lukather and Joe Williams, Heartbreakers’ Benmont Tench and Mike Campbell, and Ian Hunter. The Eagles’ Joe Walsh, who is Ringo’s brother-in-law, also appears on the EP.

“Rewind Forward” is available for preorder now. 

Ringo kicked off his EP series in March 2021 with Zoom In, which was followed that September by Change The World and then EP3 in September of 2022.

Up next, Ringo and his All-Starr Band will kick off a fall tour September 15 in Stateline, Nevada. A complete list of dates can be found at ringostarr.com.

Here is the track list for Rewind Forward:

“Shadows On The Wall”
“Feeling The Sunlight”
“Rewind Forward”
“Miss Jean”

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On This Day, August 22, 1979…

Led Zeppelin released their eighth and final studio album, In Through the Out Door, in the United States.

The album went to #1 on the Billboard 200 Album chart, where it spent seven weeks, tying it with Led Zeppelin II for the Led Zeppelin album with the most weeks at #1. The album’s best known songs include “All of My Love” and “Fool in the Rain.”

In Through the Out Door wound up becoming the last studio album from the legendary rockers. Their drummer, John Bonham, died in September, 1980, and they disbanded that December.

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Are The Rolling Stones dropping hints that a new album is on the way? Well, that’s the speculation on social media after fans caught wind of a cryptic newspaper ad in the British paper the Hackney Gazette for something called Hackney Diamonds. 

Billed as “specialists in glass repair,” the ad notes that Hackney Diamonds is “opening September 2023,” with the “I” in Diamonds dotted with the Stones’ signature lips logo. The ad also quotes several Rolling Stones song titles in its promotion.

“Our friendly team promises you satisfaction. When you say gimme shelter we’ll fix your shattered windows,” reads the ad, referring to Stones songs “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction,” “Gimme Shelter” and “Shattered.”

There’s also a Hackney Diamonds website, run by Universal Music, with the same ad, asking fans to “register your interest.”

So far, the Stones are staying mum regarding the speculation, but fans are convinced it’s all leading to a new album. Fans have been anxiously awaiting album news since Keith Richards said back in January that new Rolling Stones music was “on its way.”

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The award-winning graphic novel The Fifth Beatle was released 10 years ago. And to mark the milestone, a new anniversary edition is being released this fall. 

The Fifth Beatle: The Brian Epstein Story (Anniversary Edition) will feature a new cover and a new intro from former Pearl Jam manager Kelly Curtis, as well as a musical playlist curated by the graphic novel’s author, Vivek Tiwary. There are also new introductions from British musician Billy J. Kramer and record producer Andrew Loog Oldham, along with an expanded sketchbook.

Released in November 2013, The Fifth Beatle was written by Tiwary, with illustrations by Andrew C. Robinson and Kyle Baker and lettering by Steve Dutro. It told the true story of Beatles manger Brian Epstein, delving into both his professional life and guiding the Beatles to superstardom, as well as his personal struggles. 

The Fifth Beatle: The Brian Epstein Story (Anniversary Edition) will be released in bookstores on November 21 and comic stores on November 22. It is available for preorder now.

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Heart’s Ann Wilson is set to headline the sixth annual Women Who Rock benefit concert, taking place October 21 at Stage AE in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Wilson will perform with her new band Tripsitter, with the concert raising money for the Magee-Womens Research Institute, which is the largest research institute in the U.S. dedicated solely to lifesaving women’s health research.

The concert will feature an all-female-fronted lineup that also includes Youngstown, Ohio, band The Vindys, as well as a DJ set from Madame Trio.

Tickets for the concert go on sale Friday, August 25, at 10 a.m. ET.

More info can be found at womenwhorock.info.

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The B-52s are extending their time in Las Vegas. The band just announced five more dates for Loveshack: The Residency at The Venetian Resort.

The new shows are set for April 12, 13, 17, 19 and 20, with a presale happening August 22 at 10 a.m. local time and a public on-sale set for Friday, August 25, at 10 a.m. PT.

The B-52s still have five more Vegas shows in 2023. They’re back at the Venetian August 25, 26 and 30, followed by shows September 2 and 3.

Although The B-52s wrapped a farewell tour in January, they didn’t completely say goodbye to performing. In addition to the Vegas shows, they’re due to play festivals in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and Huntington Beach, California, later this year. A complete list of dates can be found at theb52s.com.

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Bruce Springsteen will be the subject of a new exhibit opening in Boston in September.

Bruce Springsteen: Portraits of an American Music Icon is set to debut September 13 at the Folk Americana Roots Hall of Fame inside Boston’s Bosch Center Wang Theatre. The exhibit, curated by the Bruce Springsteen Archives & Center for American Music, will give fans insight into The Boss through photos taken by close friends, photographers and family members, including Danny Clinch, Eric Meola and Bruce’s sister Pamela Springsteen. 

Also on September 13, the Folk Americana Roots Hall of Fame will be debuting another exhibit, Legends of Folk, Americana and Roots, featuring artifacts from legendary folk musicians like Woodie Guthrie and Pete Seger. 

Tickets for both exhibits are on sale at folkamericanarootshalloffame.org.

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Eddie Vedder is set to headline two hometown shows for a good cause.

The Pearl Jam frontman will play Seattle’s Benaroya Hall on October 23 and 24, with all proceeds going to EB Research Partnership. The organization was co-founded by Vedder and his wife, Jill, to raise money for treatments and cures for epidermolysis bullosa, a rare genetic disorder that causes painful skin blisters.

Members of Pearl Jam’s Ten Club will have access to a members only presale that runs through August 21 at 5 p.m. PT. The general on-sale is happening August 25 at 10 a.m. PT; fans will have to register through Ticketmaster’s Verified Fan for a chance to purchase tickets.

For the past three years EBRP has raised money through its Venture into Cures benefit concert stream. Last year’s stream featured performances by Red Hot Chili Peppers, Billie Eilish and more.

As for Pearl Jam, they are getting ready to kick off a new tour on August 31 and September 1 in St. Paul, Minnesota. A complete list of dates can be found at pearljam.com.

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Devo is set to launch a new U.S. tour in November, so fans may want to make sure they see them because it will likely be their last chance. The band has confirmed they’ll be retiring from the road after the trek, and in a new interview with The Guardian, they open up about their decision.

As for why they have are hanging it up, Devo’s Mark Mothersbaugh says, “Are you married? Imagine you had four wives and you worked together. It’s tricky being in a band.”

Gerald Casale added, “You’ve got a body of work informed by a whole manifesto and philosophy. Do you let go and move on to the next thing? You want change, otherwise you’re stale, but you don’t want to be contrived.”

However, it does sound like Casale is going to miss being on the road with the band. “I’m in denial,” he says. “Because I love performing and I’ll hate to see it go. It was part of Devo’s DNA. But we did as well as we could, for as long as we could.”

Even though they’ll be off the road, Devo fans still have some things to look forward to. A new box set of rarities is coming in September, and a documentary, directed by Chris Smith, is in the works.

Devo’s Celebrating 50 Years of De-evolution tour kicks off November 3 in Paso Robles, California, wrapping November 18 in Huntington Beach, California. So far there’s no word on whether any other U.S. dates will be added to the trek. A complete list of Devo dates can be found at clubdevo.com.

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Slash and Wolfgang Van Halen appear in the new video for the Barbie soundtrack song “I’m Just Ken.”

Both the Guns N’ Roses shredder and the Mammoth WVH frontman contribute guitar to the song, in which Ryan Gosling‘s Ken sings about living in the shadow of Margot Robbie‘s beloved and iconic Barbie. As the tagline goes, “She’s everything. He’s just Ken.”

The video, which is streaming now on YouTube, features behind-the-scenes footage of the filming of Barbie and the recording of “I’m Just Ken,” including shots of Slash and Wolf in the studio. New Foo Fighters drummer Josh Freese, who also plays on the song, pops up in the video, as well.

Both the Barbie movie and the soundtrack are out now.

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