Classic Rock News

Rush guitarist Alex Lifeson is featured in the latest episode of Gibson TV’s My First Gibson, and in it he explains that he was 12 years old when he got his guitar.

“I wanted to play guitar because I just thought it was such a cool instrument, I thought it sounded really cool,” he shares. “You know, when I listened to music that had guitar music in it, particularly like The Beach Boys in that period, in the mid ’60s, it was just the driving force of the music and it just kinda spoke to me I think.” 

He says when he was in his teens, every Saturday he’d go to a music store in Toronto called Long and McQuade’s and take down a guitar and play until a sales person would kick him out. He talks about all the guitars he used to try out, until he finally got himself a Gibson, noting, “I just couldn’t believe how easy it was to play.”

Lifeson says that guitar was his main axe until Rush got their record deal, and he and the band went back to Long and McQuade’s to buy new instruments; that was when he was able to purchase his first Les Paul.

“It was so cool doing that, it was like a dream come true for any young musician,” he says.

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Gov’t Mule heads out on their June tour starting Friday, June 8, and the lineup will look a little different at the shows. 

The band announced on social media that bassist Jorgen Carlsson is leaving the group, and he’s being replaced by bassist Kevin Scott. No reason was given for Carlsson’s departure.

“We thank Jorgen Carlsson for all his incredible work, including on ‘Peace…Like A River,’ and wish him the best,” the band shares, referring to their new album, which drops June 16. “Some of you may have seen Kevin with us last year when he stepped in for a few shows, so you know he’ll do a great job out there with us.”

The tour kicks off in Jacksonville, Oregon, with dates confirmed through June 24 in Fargo, North Dakota. A complete list of tour dates can be found at mule.net.

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Here’s a chance to get up close and personal with Peter Frampton. The legendary guitarist just announced he’s taking part in Tommy Emmanuel’s Guitar Camp USA, set for September 21-24 at the Grand Hyatt in Nashville.

“I’m honored and very excited to be joining Tommy and lots of other great players for this wonderful event,” Frampton shares on Instagram, adding with a wink, “You never know what’s gonna happen.”

The four-day festival offers a plethora of activities for guitar players of all levels: performances by Emanuel and instructors, open mics, intimate groups and more, with workshops “strictly about immersing oneself in the joys of music and our lovely surroundings!”

Tickets are on sale now.

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A new reimagining of the musical version of The Who’s Tommy, featuring a cast of 28, a nine-piece band and brand new staging, is set to open at Chicago’s Goodman Theatre later this month, and demand for tickets has been so great its run has already been extended.  

The show is set to begin previews on June 13, with opening night set for June 26. The run has now added eight more performances, which means it will run through July 30.

And fans are getting another behind-the-scenes look at the production, with interviews from the show’s lead, Ali Louis Bourzgui, and choreographer Lorin Latarro.  

“I wanted to do something that will never go out of style so I’m trying to stick with a modernism that is classic,” Latarro says about her choreography for the show. Bourzgui adds, “Tommy will forever evolve itself as pop culture evolves. I can’t wait to bring Tommy to Chicago audiences.”

Based on The Who’s 1969 album and 1975 film, the original production of Tommy opened at the La Jolla Playhouse in San Diego, California, on July 1, 1992. It opened on Broadway on April 22, 1993, and closed on June 17, 1995. It won five Tony Awards, including Best Direction for Des McAnuff and Best Original Score for The Who’s Pete Townshend.

Tickets for the new shows are on sale now.

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Former KISS guitarist Ace Frehley and Night Ranger are booked to perform at Gettysburg Bike Week, happening July 6-9 in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.

Frehley will kick off the performances at the All Star Events Complex Friday night, with Night Ranger booked for Saturday. 

Gettysburg Bike Week is considered one of the premier motorcycle rallies in the country. It features four days of motorcycle-related events, including an antique bike show, The Moto Mountain Stunt Show and plenty of rides, like the third annual Jeremy Plank Memorial Ride. 

More info on Gettysburg Bike Week can be found at gettysburgbikeweek.com.

Night Ranger is currently celebrating their 40th anniversary on the road, with their next show happening Friday, June 9, in Marietta, Ohio. They will also join Bret Michaels on his Parti Gras tour, kicking off July 15 in Burgettstown, Pennsylvania. A complete list of dates can be found at nightranger.com.

Frehley’s next show is set to go down June 30 in Kokomo, Indiana. A complete list of shows can be found at acefrehley.com.

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Foo Fighters have shared a Facebook post thanking producer Greg Kurstin, along with engineers, mixers and other collaborators with whom they worked on their new album, But Here We Are.

“A most heartfelt and profound ‘thank you’ to Greg Kurstin, Julian Burg, Darrell Thorp, Spike Stent, John Lousteau, Oliver Roman, and Alastair Christie for helping the band walk back into the studio again, lock the door behind us, and make the most important album of our lives,” the post reads. “We certainly couldn’t have done it without you.”

But Here We Are, which dropped last Friday, marks the first Foo Fighters album since the death of drummer Taylor Hawkins in March 2022.

“Our love and gratitude goes beyond words,” the post continues. “The memories and songs will last forever.”

Foo Fighters returned to the road in May for their first tour following Hawkins’ passing. They also introduced new drummer Josh Freese during a streaming concert.

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Joni Mitchell fans are getting another taste of her upcoming live album, Joni Mitchell At Newport, a recording of her 2022 Newport Folk Festival performance, which was her first live performance in 20 years.

The latest release is Joni’s performance of the 1971 Blue track “A Case of You,” featuring special guests Brandi Carlile and Marcus Mumford. 

Joni Mitchell At Newport will be released July 28 and will feature songs from the onstage “Joni Jam.” Other guests on the album include Carlile’s bandmates Phil and Tim Hanseroth, Wynonna Judd, Celisse, Lucius’ Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessig and Dawes’ Taylor Goldsmith.

Joni Mitchell At Newport is available for preorder now.

The new song release comes ahead of Mitchell’s return to the stage this weekend. She’s set to headline a “Joni Jam” on June 10 at the Gorge Amphitheatre in Quincy, Washington, with Carlile as a special guest. The show is the legendary singer’s first ticketed performance in 20 years, and it sold out almost immediately.

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On This Day, June 8, 1991…

Bruce Springsteen married E Street Band member Patti Scialfa in a private ceremony at their Los Angeles home.

The couple started dating in 1988 during the Tunnel of Love tour, while he was separated from his first wife, model Julianne Phillips. Phillips filed for divorce in August of that year.

After living together in New Jersey, Springsteen and Scialfa moved to Los Angeles, where they welcomed their first child, son Evan, in July, 1990. After their marriage, they went on to have two more children, daughter Jessica, born in December, 1991 and son Sam, born in January 1994.

The couple, who currently live in New Jersey, became first time grandparents in July, 2022, when Sam and his fiancée welcomed a baby girl.

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Back in April Neil Young returned to the stage for the first time since before the pandemic, and now he’s ready to head back on the road. Rolling Stone reports that during a Zoom with Neil Young Archives subscribers, the rocker announced he’ll be hitting the road on a West Coast tour set to kick off in early July.

But fans shouldn’t expect a greatest hits show. Neil explained that the performances will focus on songs he hasn’t actually played live before, suggesting that about 80 percent of the set will be made up of these rarities.

“I don’t want to come back and do the same songs again,” he said. “I’ll feel like I was on some sort of carnival ride. I’d rather be doing these others songs I haven’t done.” He adds, “I won’t have to compare how I’m doing ‘Heart of Gold’ to [how I played it in] 1970, 1980, 1990, 2000, 2010, 2020.”

Some of the songs Young says he’s rehearsed for the show include “Song X” from Mirror Ball, his 1995 album with Pearl Jam; the 1994 Sleeps With Angels track “Prime of Life”; and “If You Got Love,” an outtake from 1982’s Trans.

He says, “They’re not new songs. They’re old songs. But I wake up with them in my head every morning. They are songs that apply to my life right now, and apply to everyone’s lives in this era that we’re in.”

Details of the tour will be announced Friday, with Young noting it will open with a multiple-night residency in a “tiny, little unknown theater that’s close to one of the most well-known theaters in the world.”

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The legendary rock band Led Zeppelin is the subject of a new exhibition at the Morrison Hotel Gallery, opening Thursday, June 8, in New York and Los Angeles.

The gallery notes that the exhibit “chronicles the band’s exalted rise, widely-storied world tours and rare moments in music history immortalized only in memory and fine art photography.” 

Among the photos in the exhibit is one from the band’s first photoshoot ever, along with artwork from their classic 1971 album, Led Zeppelin IV, signed by guitarist Jimmy Page.

Both cities will open their exhibits with an opening night party, “transporting patrons back in time to when rock gods ruled and Zeppelin was king.” Fans interested in attending can RSVP at morrisonhotelgallery.com.

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