Classic Rock News

March 8 marks 50 years since the death of The Grateful Dead’s co-founder and first frontman, Ron “Pigpen” McKernan, and the day isn’t going unnoticed.

First, The Good Ol’ Grateful Deadcast, the official podcast of The Grateful Dead, is kicking off its seventh season Wednesday with two episodes devoted to Pigpen. It will delve into Pigpen’s life and career, featuring newly unearthed documents and recordings, including excerpts from some never-before-heard 1964 tapes, one featuring Jerry Garcia. There’s also audio from what is believed to be the only surviving full-length Pigpen interview.

In addition, on May 5 a remastered 50th anniversary edition of History of The Grateful Dead, Volume 1 (Bear’s Choice) will be released. The live album, which originally came out in March 1973, was curated by Dead sound engineer Owsley “Bear” Stanley and features Pigpen singing lead on three of the seven tracks.

The release will come out digitally and on vinyl, along with 5,000 copies of a custom vinyl version with two different custom labels, featuring artwork with the iconic Grateful Dead Dancing Bears. It is available for preorder now at dead.net.

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Billy Squier is back with new music. The rocker just released the new track “Harder On A Woman,” which is his first new single in 25 years. 

The song was written around a hook Squier first heard during a writing session with New Orleans blues artist C.C. Adcock back in 2012. He says he felt compelled to write the tune after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last year. 

Billy enlisted a host of well-known musicians for “Harder On A Woman,” including G.E. Smith on guitar, Bad Company’s Simon Kirke on drums and Mark Clarke, who appeared on Squier’s 1981 album Don’t Say No, on bass. 

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The 2023 Bourbon & Beyond Festival returns to Louisville, Kentucky, in September, with a lineup that includes The Black Crowes, Duran Duran and Blondie. 

The festival is set for September 14 to 17 at Highland Festival Grounds at the Kentucky Exposition Center, with a lineup of over 50 artists, including headliners Brandi Carlile, The Killers, Bruno Mars and The Black Keys, along with Mavis Staples, Brittany Howard, Bastille and The Gaslight Anthem.

Tickets for the festival are on sale now. More info and the complete lineup can be found at bourbonandbeyond.com.

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The 2023 Bourbon & Beyond Festival returns to Louisville, Kentucky, in September, with The Killers and The Black Keys among this year’s headliners. 

The festival is set for September 14 to 17 at Highland Festival Grounds at the Kentucky Exposition Center, with a lineup of over 50 artists, including Brittany Howard, The Black Crowes, Bastille, The Gaslight Anthem, Inhaler, The Avett Brothers, Spoon and Blondie. 

Tickets for the festival are on sale now. More info and the complete lineup can be found at bourbonandbeyond.com.

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Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band are currently on their North American tour, and E Streeter Steven Van Zandt has no time for folks complaining about the show.

When one person tweeted about being upset the band is now playing 26 songs instead of the 28 they started out with, Little Steven couldn’t keep quiet.

“Only a**holes pretending to be fans evaluate a show by the number of songs that get played or the time spent on stage,” he responded. “Real fans enjoy the intimate exchange of energy they and the band experience that is unique to the night they are there.”

Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band’s tour hits Columbus, Ohio, on Thursday.

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Looks like we may be getting new music from Jane’s Addiction soon. Consequence reports that Perry Farrell and the band debuted a new song during their recent concert in Bakersfield, California. 

The tune, “True Love,” is described as a ballad and is the first new song from the band since they dropped the single “Another Soulmate” back in 2013.

Jane’s Addiction, which in addition to Farrell currently consists of Stephen Perkins, Eric Avery and Josh Klinghoffer filling in for Dave Navarro, has three more U.S. shows on their schedule, including the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles on Thursday. A complete list of dates can be found at janesaddiction.com.

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John Mellencamp showed his continuing support for farmers Tuesday, joining them as they marched in Washington, D.C., at the Rally for Resilience: Farmers for Climate Action.

The Farm Aid co-founder took the stage at Freedom Park and performed an acoustic version of “Rain on the Scarecrow,” his 1985 track about a farmer dealing with the foreclosure of his land.

“Here’s all I can say – keep slugging,” Mellencamp told the farmers, according to Billboard. “We’ve been slugging since 1985 and let’s keep slugging,” referring to the year he, Willie Nelson and Neil Young formed Farm Aid. He added, “Let’s try to improve the quality of the food that we eat, the air that we breathe and the people that we are.”

Mellencamp also remarked about the faces he saw in the crowd, noting they were “much younger than they used to be.”

“And I think that’s great that there are younger people trying to improve the planet and the food that we eat. So it’s up to you guys to lead the way,” he said.

The rally comes as Congress begins work on the 2023 Farm Bill. It was part of a three-day gathering, which also included cultural events and a demonstration of climate-friendly farming practices.

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Mötley Crüe is spending 2023 on their world tour with Def Leppard, and while some may worry this will be the last we’ll see of the rockers, bassist Nikki Sixx doesn’t think that’s the case.

In an interview with Brazil’s A Radio Rock, Sixx suggests that new Motley music may happen, sharing, “I think new music always comes when the band is, like, getting along. We get along so great right now. We’ve been having the best time. We spend time together. We go out to dinner.” 

As for the band’s future, Sixx says, “Me and Tommy (Lee) and Vince (Neil) had this conversation. I said, I go, ‘What are you guys doing for the next eight years?’ And everybody’s laughing, ‘I don’t know.’ I said, ‘Why don’t we just keep going? Let’s just take it to 50,’” which would be in 2031. 

He adds, “So this isn’t a final tour. What does that look like? I have no idea. I’m just telling you, you have the band saying, ‘We’re having a blast. Why stop?'”

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The lineup for the 2023 Pilgrimage Festival is here, with The Black Crowes headlining opening night.

The festival, now in its ninth year, is happening September 23 and 24 in Franklin, Tennessee, with The Lumineers also headlining night one. Other artists on the bill include Better Than Ezra, Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats and The Head & The Heart, as well as country artists like Zach Bryan, Ashley McBryde and Margo Price.

Tickets for the festival go on sale Thursday at 10 a.m. local time. More ticket information and the complete lineup can be found at pilgrimagefestival.com.

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On This Day, March 8, 2016…

Legendary music producer Sir George Martin, often referred to as the so-called “fifth Beatle,” passed away at age 90. 

With a career that spanned more than six decades, Martin produced all but one of The Beatles’ albums, including 1967’s Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, which became the first rock album to win the Grammy for Album of the Year. 

Martin won six Grammys throughout his career and had 23 number-one singles in the U.S. In addition to The Beatles, he produced works by such artists as Elton John, Jeff Beck, Kenny Rogers, Cheap Trick and others.

Among his many honors, Martin was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1999 and received a knighthood in 1996.

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