Classic Rock News

Guns N’ Roses are trading a “Nightrain” for a race car at the Daytona 500.

The “Welcome to the Jungle” rockers are sponsoring the Legacy Motor Club’s No. 43 Chevrolet at the upcoming NASCAR event, which takes place this Sunday, February 19, in Daytona Beach, Florida.

The car, which will be driven Erik Jones, features GN’R’s logo on the hood and is adorned with roses on the side and bumper. You can check out a video of the paint scheme via GN’R’s Facebook.

While the GN’R car will be racing in the Daytona 500, the band’s YouTube views have been racing toward historic highs. The “November Rain” video has officially passed two billion views, the first GN’R clip to reach the milestone. The nine-minute, infamously expensive epic was previously the first music video from the ’90s to hit one billion views, which it did in 2018.

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The Kinks are celebrating their 60th anniversary this year, and marking the occasion with a two-year celebration that kicks off next month with a new compilation album, The Journey, that will be released in two parts.

The Journey – Part 1, dropping March 24, features songs handpicked by The Kinks’ Ray Davies, Dave Davies and Mick Avory. Songs on the album include hits like “You Really Got Me,” “Waterloo Sunset,” “All Day and All of the Night” and more.

Songs on the release are broken down into four different themes, including “songs about becoming a man, the search for adventure, finding an identity and a girl,” “songs of ambition achieved, bitter taste of success, loss of friends, the past comes back and bites you in the backside,” “days and nights of a lost soul, songs of regret and reflection of happier times,” and “a new start, a new love, but have you really changed? Still haunted by the quest and the girl.”

“Ask yourself the question, is this journey really necessary?…….Yes!” Ray shares, speaking of the album, while Dave adds, “I’m delighted with what I think is an inspiring selection of timeless and magical Kinks music.” 

The Journey – Part 1 will be released in a variety of formats including 2-CD and 2-LP editions that will include a booklet with photos and personal track-by-track notes from the band. There will also be a digital and HD digital release. 

The Journey – Part 2 is expected to come out later this year, with other events and activities celebrating the 60th anniversary of The Kinks happening throughout 2023 and 2024.

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On This Day, February 15, 1975…

Rush released their sophomore album Fly By Night. It was the Canadian rockers’ first recording with drummer and lyricist Neil Peart.

The album marked the beginning of Rush’s eventual shift from blues-based hard rock to progressive rock inspired by science fiction, fantasy and philosophy. 

Fly By Night peaked at number nine on the Canadian charts but only made it to 113 on the Billboard 200. Rush released two singles from the record: the title track, which landed at 88 on the U.S. singles chart, and “Making Memories,” which didn’t chart. 

Rush’s Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson and Peart went on to be inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 1994 and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2013. Neil Peart passed away from glioblastoma, a form of brain cancer, in January 2020.

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Yes has added a new member to the group. The rockers have announced that Jay Schellen is joining the band as their permanent drummer, following the death of original drummer Alan White in May, 2022.

Schellen was personally chosen by White to sit behind the drum kit for their 2016 Topographic Drama tour, and split drumming duties with White from 2018 and beyond. 

“We’re all delighted to welcome Jay officially into the fold!” Yes guitarist Steve Howe shares. “He’s been a great support throughout the last seven years, and we couldn’t have found a better all round team player.” 

Schellen is certainly very familiar with Yes’ music, having previously played alongside keyboardist Geoff Downes and late bassist Chris Squire. He’s also worked with both White and bass guitarist Billy Sherwood. 

“I am thrilled to become the new drummer with YES,” Jay says, “I grew up playing along to YES records and I am proud to have worked so closely with my musical hero and great friend Alan White these past few years.”

Jay adds of White, “I will strive to honor his memory as we drive towards the future with the band.”

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Metallica is doing what it can to help those affected by the recent earthquake in Turkey and Syria. The band announced on social media that their All Within My Hands Foundation has donated $125,000 each to two organizations helping those in need. 

“We’re at a loss for words to describe the devastation in southern Turkey and northern Syria,” they shared. “The 7.8 magnitude earthquake has reduced the entire region to rubble. The death toll continues to rise, tragically exceeding 36,000 lives lost.” 

The donations will go to two All Within My Hands Foundation partner organizations: Direct Relief and chef José Andrés‘ World Central Kitchen. The band notes both entities “have boots on the ground providing medical aid and food to the victims of this disaster.”

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Heart’s Nancy Wilson is ready to start focusing on work behind the scenes of the music business. The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer has just launched her own music management company, Roadcase Management.

“I believe rock music still has such a meaningful place in the world and I’m ready to go to bat for the new generation of inspired talent,” she tells Billboard. “I want to do this because in today’s world new music needs more of a fighting chance to get through to the fans despite the compartmentalized markets.”

The company has already signed its first client, Portland singer/songwriter Madisenxoxo, who’s set to release the single “You’re So Pretty” this week. “I fell in love with Madisenxoxo’s music the first time I heard it,” Wilson says. “For me it feels like a whole new sound we’ve all been waiting to hear. It borrows from a few classic sound genres that evoke a new cultural context at a time when, I think, the culture is ready for it.”

And while Wilson does plan to sign more acts, she’s not in a rush. She shares, “Developing a roster will take time as we intend to stick to quality over quantity and seek only the right artists for the right reasons.”

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If you were one of the many people who attended the original Woodstock Festival, it’s time to tell your story. Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, the historic site of the 1969 festival, is expanding its Oral Histories Project across the U.S. to document the memories of fans who attended the historic musical event. 

Curators from The Museum at Bethel Woods are set to hit such cities as Columbus, Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York City to allow those who attended the concert to record their stories. 

“Realizing the average age of Woodstock attendees is 75 years old, now is the time to find the lost stories of the festival and save their place in history,” said Neal V. Hitch, senior curator of The Museum at Bethel Woods. “In order for the impact of Woodstock to be felt 100 years from now, collecting oral histories of this iconic festival is critical.”

He adds, “It is our goal to find as many attendees as possible and document their firsthand experiences, which will also inspire the next generation of young artists, musicians, and music lovers.”

The Oral Histories Project began in October 2020; as of now over 18,00 stories have been documented. The museum is hoping to get about 4,500 more, which will represent only about 1% of concert attendees.

The pop-ups kick off April 4 in Columbus, followed by San Diego April 25-26, Los Angeles April 27-30 and San Francisco May 8-12, with New York City scheduled for sometime in August. More information can be found at Bethelwoodscenter.org.

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John Fogerty is in a romantic mood this Valentine’s Day. The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer just dropped a live version of the love song “Joy Of My Life,” which originally appeared on his 1997 Grammy Award-winning album, Blue Moon Swamp.

“’Joy of My Life’ is the first love song that I wrote and is a love letter to my wife Julie,” the Creedence Clearwater Revival rocker shares. “It’s about that emotion when you meet someone and fall in love, and how joyful and special that is.”

He adds, “It’s one of my favorite songs that I’ve written, and I am so thrilled to know what my song has meant to so many.”

Up next, Fogerty’s set to play the BeachLife Festival, taking place May 5 to 7 in Redondo Beach, California. He’s featured on the bill as playing “music of Creedence Clearwater Revival.”

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Richie Sambora is getting Bon Jovi fans’ hopes up for a possible reunion. The guitarist was appearing on Britain’s Absolute Radio to discuss his recent appearance on The Masked Singer UK when he seemed to confirm that he’ll be returning to the band at some point.

When host Leona Graham asked him about getting back together with his former bandmates, Sambora replied, “We’re talking about it. I don’t think there’s any reason not to at this point.”

But Sambora didn’t give a time frame for this possible reunion. “Jon (Bon Jovi) was having a hard time with his voice a little bit there and he needed to take a little bit of a breather,” he said. “I don’t know when Jon’s going to get his voice together and (when the Bon Jovi reunion is) going to happen, but we have to get out there and do it for the fans, really. I feel a second obligation.”

The last time Sambora played with his former bandmates was back in 2018 at Bon Jovi’s Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction.

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Stephen Stills is opening up about his relationship with his former Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young bandmate the late David Crosby, telling Rolling Stone they were on good terms at the time of Crosby’s death in January.

“When you’re young, if you’re not fighting, someone doesn’t care enough about the music,” Stills shares about their relationship. “When you get middle-aged, you should be able to do it without fighting. Later on, you turn into a curmudgeon, especially if you’re as clever as David was.” He adds, “But it’s a cyclical thing, these relationships. And this was a lifetime relationship. That’s hard to let anybody else inside of.”

Stills says he was “shocked but not surprised” by Crosby’s death, adding, “I love the guy. He was a big force in my life and a towering musician.” As for Crosby’s death, Stills says, “He just went to take a nap and didn’t come back. When you think about it, it beats the hell out of being in a hospital with people beating on your chest or something.”

In the same article, Stills reveals he and his former bandmate Neil Young are still close and jam together every Wednesday. “We hang out in the studio. We play old songs. We play other people’s songs. We just play together, the two of us,” he says, noting he and Young “have always gotten along great.”

Finally, while Stills will play occasional shows, including his upcoming Light Up the Blues Autism benefit on April 22, fans shouldn’t expect him to tour anytime soon. “The idea of touring absolutely appalls me,” he says. “I can’t imagine being on the bus for 14 hours. You can’t take drugs anymore. It’s no longer fun.”

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