Classic Rock News

Graham Nash has gone through a lot of loss in the past year, not only with the death of his bandmate David Crosby, but also the death of Crosby-Nash band member David Lindley, and it’s got him thinking about life.

“It really tells me that life is short,” Nash tells Spin magazine. “Your time goes insanely fast, and we must make the correct choices for our lives. … That’s all life is, choices that you make, and you have to make the correct choices to get to be 81 and still rocking.”

Nash, whose new album, Now, comes out Friday, May 19, says he often wonders what he did right when “there are so many people that are much better musicians than I am that are nowhere.” He says when he goes home to Manchester, England, and sees old friends who hate their jobs, it makes him ask himself, “’Why was it me that left and got rewarded by all this, you know, success?’”

He still hasn’t figured out an answer to that question, noting, “I keep asking myself, but I haven’t come up with the answer yet.”

Regardless of why he made it, Nash is thrilled to still be making music and has no plans to slow down. He notes, “I’m very delighted to be 81 years old and still rocking like this. And I hope it goes on for another 20 years. Why not?”

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The 2023 Ivors took place in London Thursday night, and it was a big night for Sting, who received the Fellowship of the Ivors Academy, which is the group’s highest honor. It was previously given to such artists as Sir Paul McCartney, Peter Gabriel and Kate Bush. 

According to the BBC, Sting admitted during his acceptance speech that he isn’t always so confident when it comes to songwriting. “Every time I look at a blank page, I’m filled with a mortal terror,” he said. “I don’t quite know how I write songs, but I do. It’s a mystery.” 

Sting also performed at the event, treating the crowd to The Police classic “Message in a Bottle.”

Also honored at the ceremony were Blondie’s Debbie Harry and Chris Stein, who were recognized with the organization’s Special International Award.

The Ivors, which have been handed out since 1956, are the most prestigious music honor in the United Kingdom, celebrating excellence in British and Irish songwriting. This year’s winners included Harry Styles, RAYE, and Florence Welch and Jack Antonoff.

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A recent English political ceremony took an unexpectedly metal turn thanks to the music of Metallica.

Tom Coles, the new lord mayor of the city of Portsmouth, attended his inauguration — which is referred to as a “mayor making ceremony” across the pond — to the …And Justice for All cut “Eye of the Beholder.”

Speaking with the BBC, which also shared footage of the event, Coles shares that he’s a “big heavy metal fan.”

“It’s a good song to walk in to,” Coles says. “It’s got a little build-up and then it’s got a good beat, it’s a great song.”

In addition to being a metalhead, Coles is also apparently a big Trekkie and even spoke in Klingon during the ceremony.

Metallica released a new album, 72 Seasons, in April. They’re currently supporting the record on their world M72 tour, which will stop in Coles’ home country in June for the Download Festival.

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Jimmy Buffett will no longer be playing Charleston, South Carolina, this weekend. Buffet and his Coral Reefer Band were supposed to play Credit One Stadium on Saturday, May 20, but the show has been postponed after Buffett was admitted to the hospital. 

“Two days ago, I was just back from a trip to the Bahamas, thawing out from the California ‘winter tour’ and chomping at the bit to get to Charleston,” Buffett shares on Facebook. “I had to stop in Boston for a check-up but wound up back in the hospital to address some issues that needed immediate attention.” 

Buffett jokes, “Growing old is not for sissies, I promise you.”

Buffett promises fans he will perform again once he is well enough, and the show will be rescheduled.

“You all make my life more meaningful and fulfilled than I would have ever imagined as a toe headed [sic] little boy sitting on the edge of the Gulf of Mexico,” Buffett writes. “Thank you for your prayers and thoughts, your amazing years of loyalty and just remember NOT YET!”

So far there is no date for the rescheduled show. Buffett doesn’t have any other concert dates listed on his website.

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Sting is very proud of his songwriting, and he worries that one day artificial intelligence will try to replace songwriters like him.

“The building blocks of music belong to us, to human beings,” he tells BBC News. “That’s going to be a battle we all have to fight in the next couple of years: Defending our human capital against AI.”

While songs using AI to mimic famous voices have been turning up on the internet lately, Sting doesn’t think much of it.

“It’s similar to the way I watch a movie with CGI. It doesn’t impress me at all,” he says. “I get immediately bored when I see a computer-generated image. I imagine I will feel the same way about AI making music.” 

He adds, “Maybe for electronic dance music, it works. But for songs, you know, expressing emotions, I don’t think I will be moved by it.”

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Def Leppard is playing a very special hometown show Friday, May 19, and now fans who couldn’t snag tickets will be able to experience the event.

The band is playing an intimate club show at The Leadmill in Sheffield, England, to celebrate the release of their new album, Drastic Symphonies, which drops Friday. They just announced they are making the performance available to livestream on Veeps.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Famers promise the concert will feature “a unique set list,” with portions of the proceeds going to Music Venue Trust, a charity that aids grassroots music venues. 

Tickets to the livestream are available now. 

And Def Leppard will be sticking around their hometown after the gig. The European leg of their Stadium tour with Mötley Crüe kicks off May 22 at Sheffield’s Bramall Lane. A complete list of dates can be found at defleppard.com.

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Dee Snider is about to officially add novelist to his resume. The Twisted Sister frontman just announced that his first novel, Frats, will be released June 2.

In a post on social media, Snider called the book “’The Outsiders’ meets ‘The Wanderers,’” adding, “If you are looking for a daring, disturbingly honest coming of age story look no further.”

The book is “based on true events” and is described as “an honest, daring story that examines the pressures of toxic masculinity in high school hallways.” It follows a young boy named Bobby Kovax, whose parents move him to Baldwin, Long Island, in 1972.

Frats is available for preorder now.

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Soundgarden has shared a statement paying tribute to late frontman Chris Cornell on the anniversary of his death.

In a Facebook post authored by drummer Matt Cameron, the grunge rockers declare they’re “Honoring Chris today and everyday.”

“I’m forever grateful to have played a small part in his artistic development,” Cameron writes. “Chris led by example, lived life passionately, never compromised, and put a small dent in the universe with his otherworldly musical talents.”

Cameron adds, “Do yourself a favor on this day, crank Badmotorfinger to 11 and don’t be late for the BIRTH RITUUUUUAAAALLLL!!”

Cornell died the early morning of May 18, 2017, after playing a Soundgarden show in Detroit the night before. His death was ruled a suicide.

A posthumous Cornell solo covers album, No One Sings Like You Anymore, Vol. 1, was released in 2020. Soundgarden had also been working on new material prior to Cornell’s death, the recordings of which were the subject of a long-running legal battle between the band and Chris’ widow, Vicky Cornell. Just last month, Soundgarden and Vicky announced that they’d reconciled their legal issues, paving the way for those final recordings to be released.

If you are in crisis or know someone in crisis, contact the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988, by calling 1-800-273-TALK (8255), or by visiting 988lifeline.org. You can also contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741.

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Getting tickets to U2’s upcoming residency in Las Vegas hasn’t been easy, and now some folks who were lucky enough to snag tickets are dealing with a bit of disappointment.

According to the Las Vegas-Review Journal, some fans who recently purchased tickets to U2: UV Achtung Baby at The Sphere have been informed that their seats have an obstructed view of the video screens in the state-of-the-art arena. Tickets affected are mostly in the lower level, 100 section, with the views partially obstructed by the overhang of the higher level seats. It is important to note the seats still have a direct view of the actual band. 

The problem, which was reportedly discovered by venue officials ahead of the sale, affects about 800 seats per show, and fans with those tickets have been given the option of getting a refund or switching to different seats in a new section — but they’ll have to switch to a different date.

U2: UV Achtung Baby Live At Sphere at The Venetian is set to kick off September 29 and will consist of 25 shows wrapping December 16. A complete list of dates can be found at U2.com.

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Anthrax is the latest band to collaborate with Iron Maiden‘s Legacy of the Beast mobile game.

Legacy of the Beast now includes a new level inspired by the “Madhouse” outfit’s music, which allows you to play as their Not Man mascot alongside Maiden’s Eddie character.

“Just the idea that our character is in a game with Eddie, and they get to fight alongside each other, [it’s] kinda mind-blowing for me,” says Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian. “It’s kinda hard for me to put into words.”

To play as Not Man, you’ll need to log in to Legacy of the Beast any seven days between now and June 16.

Legacy of the Beast has previously featured levels inspired by Avenged Sevenfold, Motörhead, Ghost, Five Finger Death Punch and Disturbed.

(Video contains uncensored profanity.)

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