Dave Grohl will be an upcoming guest onBedtime Stories, a kids TV program on the BBC’s CBeebies pre-school channel.
On the first of two episodes, premiering October 8, the Foo Fighters frontman will read from Octopus’s Garden, a children’s book written by Ringo Starr based on the1969 Beatles song of the same name.
“As a proud father of three, I’ve always enjoyed reading stories to my children,” Grohl says. “It was a pleasure to read these stories for CBeebies.”
If you’re looking for more Dave Grohl stories, look no further than The Storyteller, the iconic musician’s first ever memoir. The book will be released tomorrow, October 5.
Grohl is currently on a book tour in support of The Storyteller, which continues Tuesday in New York City.
First up, Krieger will participate in virtual book signing at the TalkShopLive social-shopping site’s Rock N Roll Channel on Tuesday, October 5, starting at 7 p.m. ET.
Then, on the memoir’s release date, October 12, Robby will appear in two streaming events. The first, which starts at 2 p.m. ET, will feature Krieger signing copies of his book at LiveSigning.com and also answering questions fans have submitted in advance.
The second is a pre-recorded Q&A that’s part of the Live Talks Los Angeles series, and that’s set to air at 9 p.m. ET.
On October 13, Krieger will take part in a previously reported interactive interview event presented by Rough Trade Records NYC that will be streamed live via Dice.fm. It will feature Robby chatting with respected writer and broadcaster Laura Barton via Zoom, and also answering questions from virtual audience members.
Meanwhile, a video preview featuring Krieger sharing details about his book has been posted at The Doors’ official YouTube channel. In the clip, Robby says, “Hopefully after reading my book, I think people will understand the whole dynamic of The Doors and what it’s really like to be in a band like The Doors.”
Who frontman Roger Daltrey will kick off a U.K. solo trek next month, but the singer’s famous band hasn’t announced when it will return to the road after canceling its touring plans because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Now, in a new Rolling Stone interview, the 77-year-old rock legend reports that The Who will resume touring at “the end of next March and April.”
Daltrey says his solo outing will help keep his voice in shape for the next Who trek.
“If I don’t sing between now and then, I don’t know whether I will be able to do it then,” he maintains.
This past August marked the 50th anniversary of The Who’s classic albums Who’s Next, but Daltrey says the band has no plans to commemorate the milestone by playing the record in its entirety during the next tour.
“I don’t see the point. Who’s Next is a great album, but it’s best left as a great album,” Roger says. “The show we’ve got with the orchestra is fantastic, and the Who’s catalog has so much varied stuff that makes it better than just listening to Who’s Next.”
Meanwhile, the postponement of The Who’s tour has negatively impacted the amount of money the group has been able to raise for the Teen Cancer America charity that Daltrey and band mate Pete Townshend co-founded.
On a positive note, Daltrey is helping to promote a new TCA initiative, The Real Me podcast, which features adolescent and young adult cancer patients presenting songs they’ve written and recorded, and also discussing their experiences with the disease.
The Who have licensed their song “The Real Me” for use as the theme of the podcast, which premieres Tuesday, October 5, via various streaming services. Visit TeenCancerAmerica.org for more information.
A special guest moved into “Paradise City” for a Guns N’ Roses concert in Hollywood, Florida, Saturday night.
Wolfgang Van Halen joined Axl Rose and company on stage for a joint performance of the Appetite for Destruction classic, playing guitar and singing background vocals alongside Slash and Duff McKagan. The son of the late Eddie Van Halen has been on the road opening for GN’R with his own solo band, Mammoth WVH.
“Wolfgang Van Halen — you know how cool that is to say that?” Rose said in introducing Wolf to the stage. “We’re talking legacy.”
You can watch fan-shot footage of the collaboration streaming now on YouTube.
Guns N’ Roses’ U.S. tour concluded Sunday with a second show in Hollywood, Florida. They head down to Mexico for a trio of shows later this week.
Wolf, meanwhile, is set to launch his own Mammoth headlining tour next week.
Queen drummer Roger Taylor‘s first new solo album in eight years, Outsider, was released Friday.
The 12-collection features an eclectic variety of reflective songs, most of which Taylor recorded during the COVID-19 pandemic at his home studio in southwestern England.
“I think it’s a little bit more adult than my albums before,” Taylor tells ABC Audio. “It was a happy project born out of the boredom of lockdown…I’m very happy with it, and I just hope it imparts a little joy to some other people.”
Taylor says Outsider was almost a literal solo project, noting that he played “about 96 percent” of the music on the album. He did get some vocal help on the record’s lead single, “We’re All Just Trying to Get By,” a duet with Scottish singer/songwriter KT Tunstall.
“[S]he’s a real, real talent, I think,” Roger notes. “It was nice to have her singing along with me.”
He notes that he wrote the song during the lockdown while reflecting on what all living things have in common.
“[E]verybody and everything that’s living is just trying to get by and is just trying to survive and multiply,” he notes. “[E]ven the virus is trying to get by.”
An interesting aspect of Outsider is it features two very different versions of the same song, “Gangsters Are Running This World,” which is about how corrupt people are in control in many countries.
“I couldn’t make up my mind whether to do it as a hard rocker or to do it as a slightly more serious and more melodic piece,” he notes. “So I did both.”
Taylor launched a 14-date U.K. solo tour supporting Outsider on Saturday in Newcastle with a set that included Queen tunes, solo material and select covers.
The Van Halen frontman dropped the bombshell news during a phone interview with the Las Vegas Review-Journal published Friday.
“I am throwing in the shoes. I’m retiring,” Roth said. “This is the first, and only, official announcement.”
Roth said his recently announced five-show solo Las Vegas residency at the House of Blues — taking place on New Year’s Eve, New Year’s Day, and January 5, 7 and 8 — will be his final concerts.
“I’m not going to explain the statement,” Diamond Dave declared. “The explanation is in a safe. These are my last five shows.”
During the conversation, Roth also revealed that he talks frequently with Van Halen drummer Alex Van Halen, and that his longtime band mate was aware of his plans to retire.
“Al and I have been talking, and I can’t speak for him just yet, but he knows what I am about to say,” Roth said, adding, “We speak to each other constantly, two or three times a day. We laugh like pirates.”
He also suggested that the 2020 death of guitarist Eddie Van Halen was a factor in his decision.
“[I’ve been thinking about] the departure of my beloved classmate recently,” said Dave, noting, “I am encouraged and compelled to really come to grips with how short time is, and my time is probably even shorter.”
The 66-year-old Rock & Roll Hall of Famer also admitted that he thought he might have been the first Van Halen member to pass away.
Roth finished the interview by saying, “I’ve given you all I’ve got to give. It’s been an amazing, great run, no regrets, nothing to say about anybody. I’ll miss you all. Stay frosty.”
Jeff Kravitz/MTV VMAs 2021/Getty Images for MTV/ViacomCBS
David Lee Roth has released his recent solo song, “Lo-Rez Sunset,” as a digital single, and also has debuted an animated music video for the quirky, acoustic-driven tune on his YouTube channel.
The surreal video features animated illustrations created by the Van Halen frontman, depicting Diamond Dave apparently stranded on a desolate beach accompanied by a frog-like creature, a horse and other critters.
Dave proceeds to head out to sea with his froggy friend on a rowboat he finds on the beach, but he eventually ends up back where he started. Near the end of the clip, he also happens to find a rocket ship on the beach, but perhaps his adventures are all just a daydream.
“Lo-Rez Sunset” is a jangly, melodic pop tune that initially debuted as one of five songs featured in Dave’s online interactive comic book The Roth Project, which premiered in fall 2020. The track features current Rob Zombie/former DLR Band member John 5 on guitar and bass, as well as drummer Greg Bissonette on drums, keyboardist Brett Tuggle and percussionist Luis Conte.
Meanwhile, after revealing during a backstage interview with Us Weekly at the recent 2021 MTV Video Music Awards that he had plans to play “Las Vegas on New Year’s,” Roth has now confirmed that he’ll be performing five upcoming concerts at the House of Blues Las Vegas, including shows on New Year’s Eve, New Year’s Day, and on January 5, 7 and 8.
Roth’s “Rock Vegas” residency will feature “a changing set of 26 instantly recognizable songs, including ‘Jump,’ ‘Panama” and ‘California Girls.'”
Pre-sale tickets and VIP packages for the concerts are available now. Tickets go on sale to the general public starting Saturday, October 2, at 10 a.m. PT.
Today, Neil Young released his latest archival live album, Carnegie Hall 1970, which marks the launch of his new The Neil Young Official Bootleg Series.
The album was recorded on December 4, 1970, at the first concert that Young ever played at the historic New York City venue. The Neil Young Official Bootleg Series — Carnegie Hall 1970 is available now as a two-LP vinyl set and a two-CD collection at The Greedy Hand Store at WarnerRecords.com and as a high-res digital download at NeilYoungArchives.com.
The show was the first of two solo acoustic concerts that Neil played at Carnegie Hall that evening, and featured a 23-song set that, in addition to many selections from his solo career, included renditions of tunes he recorded as a member of Buffalo Springfield and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.
The concert featured performances of three songs that Neil had not yet officially recorded or released — “Bad Fog of Loneliness,” “Old Man,” and “See the Sky About to Rain.” Other tunes he played at the show included “Down by the River,” “Cinnamon Girl,” “Helpless,” “Southern Man,” “Sugar Mountain,” “After the Gold Rush,” “Cowgirl in the Sand” and “Ohio.”
Coinciding with Carnegie Hall 1970‘s release, Young has posted his performance of the Buffalo Springfield tune “Flying on the Ground Is Wrong” featuring him playing the song on piano on his YouTube channel.
Neil is planning to release five more installments of his new Official Bootleg Series in 2022.
Here’s the full track list of Carnegie Hall 1970:
“Down by the River”
“Cinnamon Girl”
“I Am a Child”
“Expecting to Fly”
“The Loner”
“Wonderin'”
“Helpless”
“Southern Man”
“Nowadays Clancy Can’t Even Sing”
“Sugar Mountain”
“On the Way Home”
“Tell Me Why”
“Only Love Can Break Your Heart”
“Old Man”
“After the Gold Rush”
“Flying on the Ground Is Wrong”
“Cowgirl in the Sand”
“Don’t Let It Bring You Down”
“Birds”
“Bad Fog of Loneliness”
“Ohio”
“See the Sky About to Rain”
“Dance Dance Dance”
On Saturday, Sting celebrates his 70th birthday. The man born Gordon Sumner is truly one of rock’s renaissance men, and not just because he literally recorded an entire album of Renaissance-era lute songs in 2006.
Over the years, Sting’s artistry has expanded from fronting the now-legendary new wave band The Police into a thriving solo career, acting on the stage and screen, composing for movies and the theater, collaborating with dozens of artists across multiple musical genres, and working tirelessly for various charitable causes.
Music
With The Police, Sting released five albums, four of which made the list of Rolling Stone‘s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. The Police officially disbanded in 1986 but reunited in 2007 for a hugely successful one-off tour. The Police have sold more than 75 million records, won six Grammys and were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2003.
Sting launched his solo career in 1985 with The Dream of the Blue Turtles and was immediately successful. He’s continued releasing solo albums at a steady pace, including best-sellers Ten Summoner’s Tales,…Nothing Like the Sun and The Soul Cages. His 15th solo album, The Bridge, is due in November. As a solo artist, he’s won more than 10 Grammys.
Movies & TV
Sting’s acting career started in 1979, when he appeared in not one but two movies, the most famous of which is Quadrophenia, based on The Who‘s 1973 concept album. Since then, he’s acted in films like Dune, Plenty, The Bride, The Adventures of Baron Munchausen and Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, and appeared as himself in Zoolander 2 among others.
His TV resume includes Hulu’s Only Murders in the Building, Saturday Night Live,The Simpsons, Ally McBeal, The Larry Sanders Show and more.
Sting’s also found great success in writing music for films. He’s been nominated four times for the Best Original Song Oscar, and also either wrote or recorded songs for The Thomas Crown Affair, Leaving Las Vegas, The Three Musketeers and Lethal Weapon 3, among many others.
Theater
Sting made his Broadway debut as Macheath, aka Mack the Knife, in a 1989 production of The Threepenny Opera. His original musical, The Last Ship, debuted on Broadway in 2014 and received two Tony nods. In the final weeks before it closed in 2015, Sting also starred in the show.
Philanthropy
It’s difficult to find a major musical charity event that Sting hasn’t appeared at in the past 30 years, from Amnesty International-sponsored tours to Live Aid to the 9/11 fundraiser A Tribute to Heroes. However, he’s most associated with the Rainforest Foundation Fund, which he and his wife, Trudie Styler, founded in 1989. It’s since funded projects that have protected 28 million acres of rainforest around the globe.
Sting has also held regular benefit concerts at New York’s Carnegie Hall to support the Rainforest Foundation Fund, with star-studded lineups that have included the likes of James Taylor, Billy Joel, Bruce Springsteen, Elton John and Lady Gaga.
In advance of the upcoming 45th anniversary reissue of KISS‘ classic 1976 album, Destroyer, the rock legends have made available a new acoustic mix of their hit ballad, “Beth” — one of the previously unreleased tracks that will be featured on the deluxe collection.
The new mix, which can be purchased digitally or streamed now, features a fully restored version of an original acoustic guitar track mixed with original piano, vocal and synthesizer tracks to create a fresh sonic take on the memorable tune.
“Beth,” which was sung and co-written by KISS drummer Peter Criss, was the band’s highest-charting single on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at #7.
As previously reported, the Destroyer reissue will be released on November 19 in multiple configurations.
Among the various versions of the reissue is a Super Deluxe box set featuring four CDs, a Blu-ray audio disc, an assortment of collectible items, and a 68-page hardcover book.
The first CD features a remastered version of the original album. Disc two boasts demos from the Destroyer era, and the third CD includes various previously unreleased outtakes, alternate versions and mixes, single edits and more. Disc four features a previously unreleased concert that KISS played in Paris in May 1976.
The Blu-ray offers Dolby Atmos and 5.1 surround mixes of Destroyer, plus two bonus tracks, including the new acoustic mix of “Beth.”
Released in March 1976, Destroyer peaked at #11 on the Billboard 200 and became KISS’ most-successful studio album, selling over two million copies. In addition to “Beth,’ the album included the top-40 hit “Shout It Out Loud” and other enduring songs including “Detroit Rock City,” “King of the Night Time World” and “God of Thunder.”
