Classic Rock News

Sammy Hagar is launching a new alcoholic beverage venture called Sammy’s Beach Bar Cocktail Co. featuring sparkling rum cocktails in a can, and he’ll celebrate the new drink line with a special free concert in Las Vegas on Wednesday, September 22.

The show, which will feature the Red Rocker performing with his band The Circle, will take place on the rooftop of the Paris Las Vegas hotel at the Beer Park bar, beginning at sunset, 6:30 p.m. local time.

Fifty pairs of free tickets will be given out to Hagar fans who register at RedRocker.com. Registrations will be accepted until midnight ET on Thursday, September 16. You must be at least 21 years of age to enter. Winners, who will be selected by a random drawing, will be announced this Friday, September 17.

Meanwhile, Hagar also is giving away a signed electric guitar via a contest on Sammy’s Beach Bar Cocktail Co.’s Instagram. To enter, visit Instagram.com/SBBCCo and post your best inspirational motto.

Sammy’s Beach Bar Cocktail Co. drinks are available in four flavors — Tangerine Dream, Pineapple Splash, Island Pop and Cherry Kola Chill. The cocktails, which are made with made with Hagar’s Beach Bar Rum, will go on sale this month in California, Texas and Nevada, will be available in several other states soon.

“Sammy’s Beach Bar Cocktail Co.’s sparkling rum cocktails will make you want to dip your toes in the sand,” says Hagar in a statement. “You’ll want to throw these cocktails in a cooler and take them to the beach, your pool party, out tailgating, and your backyard barbeque. They’re so good that they’re even going to be your favorite drink at your local bar.”

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Foo Fighters, were among the many artists who performed during Sunday’s 2021 MTV Video Music Awards.

Dave Grohl and company, who were honored at the ceremony with the Global Icon Award, performed a three-song medley including the classics “Everlong” and “Learn to Fly,” as well as “Shame Shame,” the lead single from their latest album, Medicine at Midnight.

Meanwhile, Motley Crue drummer Tommy Lee was on hand to introduce his pal Machine Gun Kelly, who teamed up with Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker for a performance of his new single, “Papercuts.”

Van Halen frontman David Lee Roth helped close the show by handing out the evening’s final award, Video of the Year, which went to rapper-singer Lil Nas X‘s “Montero (Call Me by Your Name).”

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

After it was postponed last year because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Judas Priest‘s 50 Heavy Metal Years tour finally kicked off last week in Pennsylvania.

Frontman Rob Halford tells ABC Audio that fans who come to see Judas Priest will be treated to a special concert celebrating the band’s 50th anniversary.

“It’s glorious,” Halford declares. “It’s just a great night out of nostalgia, and something that will live with you forever once you’ve experienced this show.”

Describing the concert, the 70-year-old rocker notes, “[We] give you a timeline celebration of the 50 heavy metal years of Judas Priest, beginning with a really special part…where we play the title track of [our debut album]…Rocka Rolla.”

He adds that the concert also features “other songs that we’ve not played in the longest time, [and a] couple…that we’ve not done before.”

Halford also notes that Judas Priest will change up the set list throughout the tour.

Rob says Priest’s 50th anniversary show also is visually dynamic, and one that pays tribute to the band’s U.K. home city.

“[There are] lights, costumes, a gigantic inflatable Birmingham bull,” Halford notes. “We’re taking you into the metal heart [of]…the factory environment, because as kids…we were surrounded by heavy industry — the steelworks, the metal factories and so on. So we’re bringing that onto the stage.”

Longtime Judas Priest guitarist Glenn Tipton retired from full-time touring in 2018 after announcing that he’d been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, although he did appear as a special guest at many shows on the group’s 2018 tour.

But will Tipton take part in this trek? “The door is open,” Halford says. “When Glenn’s ready to come out on stage, he’ll come out on stage.”

Judas Priest’s tour continues tonight in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Musicians and singers including ex-Yes frontman Jon Anderson, Michael McDonald of The Doobie Brothers  and former Allman Brothers Band guitarist Warren Haynes, are featured on Jake & Friends, new collaborative album by Hawaiian ukulele virtuoso Jake Shimabukuro that’s due out on November 12.

Other artists who contributed to the 16-track collection include Moon Taxi, Jack Johnson, Kenny Loggins, Jimmy Buffett, Jesse Colin Young, Ziggy Marley, Willie Nelson, Bette Midler and Vince Gill.

“I have to pinch myself when I see those names on my own album,” Jake says of the duets project. “It’s like, ‘Did that really happen?’ Making the album was a real challenge, but I’m deeply honored that all of the artists agreed to record with me.”

Anderson appears on a version of The Beatles‘ “A Day in the Life,” McDonald contributes to a rendition of the early Moody Blues hit “Go Now,” and Haynes lends his talents to “On the Road to Freedom,” a song by late Ten Years After frontman Alvin Lee.

Young, meanwhile, is featured on a new version of the folk-rock classic “Get Together,” popularized by his old band The Youngbloods.

Jake & Friends also includes two other Beatles covers — “All You Need Is Love” sung by Marley, and “Something,” a duet featuring Gill and his wife, Amy Grant.

Two songs have been released as advance singles from the album: a new version of Moon Taxi’s 2017 hit “Two High,” and an updated rendition of one of Willie Nelson’s signature tunes, the 1920s standard “Stardust,” featuring the country legend.

Jake & Friends can be pre-ordered now. Here’s the album’s full track list:

“A Place in the Sun” — featuring Jack Johnson and Paula Fuga
“Sonny Days Ahead” — featuring Sonny Landreth
“All You Need Is Love” — featuring Ziggy Marley
“Why Not” — featuring Kenny Loggins
“Smokin’ Strings” — featuring Billy Strings
“Find Yourself” — featuring Lukas Nelson
“On the Road to Freedom” — featuring Warren Haynes
“Come Monday” — featuring Jimmy Buffett
“Something” — featuring Vince Gill and Amy Grant
“Two High” — featuring Moon Taxi
“A Day in the Life” — featuring Jon Anderson
“Go Now” — featuring Michael McDonald
“Wrapping Paper” — featuring Ray Benson & Asleep at the Wheel
“Stardust” — featuring Willie Nelson
“The Rose” — featuring Bette Midler
“Get Together” — featuring Jesse Colin Young

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Spanish Model, the unique new album featuring a variety of Latin-music artists performing Spanish-language versions of the songs from Elvis Costello‘s second studio effort, 1978’s This Year’s Model, got its release today.

As previously reported, Spanish Model features all of the songs from This Year’s Model, plus select other tunes from that record’s sessions, with newly recorded vocals by various Latin artists accompanied by the original music by Costello and his band The Attractions.

Coinciding with the album’s release, a music video for award-winning Colombian-born singer/songwriter Sebastian Yatra‘s rendition of “Big Tears,” re-titled “Llorar,” has debuted on Costello’s official YouTube channel.

“Big Tears” didn’t appear on This Year’s Model, but was released in 1978 as the B-side of the “Pump It Up” single, and also was included on Costello’s 1980 compilation, Taking Liberties.

“‘Big Tears’ should have always been on the album, as it was at least equal if not superior to some of the other songs but we always wanted to make 7″ inch singles very special by having such a great track on the flip side of a hit record,” Elvis explains. “Yatra’s wonderful rendition of the song, only confirms my feeling that the tune is now where it has always belonged.”

Among the other artists who put their Spanish-language spins on the This Year’s Model tunes are Juanes, Luis Fonsi and Vega.

Meanwhile, the first episode of a six-part documentary series focusing on Spanish Model will premiere September 13. The series, which will roll out over the course of two weeks, will include interviews with nearly all of the artists who contributed to the album, as well as with Costello, The Attractions’ members and This Year’s Model producer Nick Lowe.

Here’s Spanish Model‘s full track list:

“No Action” — Nina Diaz
“(Yo No Quiero Ir a) Chelsea” (“[I Don’t Want to Go to] Chelsea”) — Raquel Sofía y Fuego
“Yo Te Vi” (“The Beat”) — Draco Rosa
“Pump It Up” — Juanes
“Detonantes” (“Little Triggers”) — La Marisoul
“Tu Eres Para Mi” (“You Belong to Me”) — Luis Fonsi
“Hand in Hand” — Francisca Valenzuela y Luis Humberto Navejas
“La Chica de Hoy” (“This Year’s Girl”) — Cami
“Mentira” (“Lip Service”) — Pablo López
“Viviendo en el Paraiso” (“Living in Paradise”) — Jesse & Joy
“Lipstick Vogue” — Morat
“La Turba” (“Night Rally”) — Jorge Drexler
“Llorar” (“Big Tears”) — Sebastián Yatra
“Radio Radio” — Fito Páez
“Crawling to the U.S.A.” — Gian Marco y Nicole Zignago
“Se Esta Perdiendo la Inocencia” (“Running Out of Angels”) — Vega

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

When Metallica released their self-titled record, aka The Black Album, in 1991, it had a gigantic impact on metal and its standing in the mainstream. Beyond that, though, it also had a huge influence on music as a whole.

That’s on full display with The Metallica Blacklist, a massive tribute compilation featuring covers of every Black Album track recorded by 53 different artists in honor of the record’s 30th anniversary.

Many artists on The Metallica Blacklist wouldn’t raise too many eyebrows — there’s Ghost playing “Enter Sandman,” Royal Blood covering “Sad but True” and Volbeat taking on “Don’t Tread on Me.” More left-field selections include St. Vincent‘s industrial version of “Sad but True,” J Balvin‘s reggaeton “Wherever I May Roam,” and Chris Stapleton turning “Nothing Else Matters” into a country epic.

Other participants include Cage the Elephant, Weezer, Portugal. the Man, White Reaper, Biffy Clyro, Slipknot‘s Corey Taylor, Phoebe Bridgers, Depeche Mode‘s Dave Gahan, Phoebe Bridgers and My Morning Jacket.

However, the centerpiece of The Metallica Blacklist might be an all-star recording of “Nothing Else Matters” featuring pop star Miley Cyrus, Metallica’s Robert Trujillo, Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith, Elton John, guitarist/producer Andrew Watt, and cellist Yo-Yo Ma.

The Metallica Blacklist is out today via digital outlets. It’ll be available on physical formats October 1. All profits will be donated to Metallica’s All Within My Hands foundation and the charity of each participating artist’s choice.

Along with the Blacklist, Metallica is celebrating The Black Album‘s 30th anniversary with a deluxe, remastered reissue of the record featuring tons of bonus material including demos, live recordings, and rough and alternate mixes. That’s also out today.

Meanwhile, you can catch Metallica performing Friday night on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, airing at 11:35 p.m. ET on ABC.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Foo Fighters will be sticking around Brooklyn, New York, for an extra day following their MTV Video Music Awards performance.

Dave Grohl and company have announced a headlining show at the Coney Island Amphitheater on Monday, September 13. Tickets are on sale now. All attendees must show proof of full vaccination against COVID-19, or provide a negative test within 48 hours of entering the venue.

The VMAs, meanwhile, take place Sunday, September 12, at the Barclays Center, the home of the Brooklyn Nets. The Foos will be performing at the ceremony, during which they’ll also be honored with the Global Icon Award.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

The Hella Mega tour might be over, but you can still “Rock and Roll All Nite” with Green Day.

Billie Joe Armstrong and company have officially released their cover of the KISS classic, recorded during their trek with Fall Out Boy and Weezer. You can download the cover now via digital outlets, and watch its accompanying video, featuring Hella Mega live footage, streaming now on YouTube.

When Green Day first debuted their version of “Rock and Roll All Nite” live, both Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley praised the performance.

The Hella Mega tour concluded this past Monday in Seattle. The European leg of the outing is set to kick off June 2022.

(Video contains uncensored profanity.) 

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Alice in Chains guitarist/vocalist Jerry Cantrell has released the title track off his upcoming solo album, Brighten.

While the previously released single “Atone” sounded very much cut from the same grungy cloth as Alice, “Brighten” feels more like a classic, bluesy rock n’ roll tune.

You can download the song “Brighten” now via digital outlets. Its accompany, surreal video premiered via Consequence.net.

Brighten the album arrives October 29. It’s Cantrell’s first solo outing in nearly 20 years.

Cantrell will launch a U.S. tour in support of Brighten in 2022.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

In 2018, former Journey frontman Steve Perry returned to music with Traces, his first new solo album in 24 years.  Now he’s set to release his first-ever collection of holiday tunes.

The Season, which is due out on November 5, features Perry’s renditions of eight classic yuletide tunes, including “Winter Wonderland,” “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town,” “Auld Lang Syne,” “Silver Bells” and “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.”

“I hope when people hear this record, they’re teleported in the same way I was when I recorded all these songs,” says Steve. “I hope it brings them back to those golden moments with their loved ones and gives them that feeling of joy and connection and comfort that we all need so much.”

In conjunction with the album announcement, Perry has debuted one of the songs as a digital single, a jazzy, stripped-down rendition of “I’ll be Home for Christmas.”

“When I was recording vocals for ‘I’ll be Home for Christmas,’ as I was singing ‘Please have snow and mistletoe and presents under the tree’…I was emotionally thrown into standing in my grandmother’s house staring through the door that I always hung mistletoe and then I saw her beautiful Christmas tree in front of her living room window,” Perry notes. “I had to stop singing because it felt like I was really there…I was a bit stunned…Back Home for Christmas is where everyone wants to be!”

The Season, which you can pre-order now, is available in multiple formats, including CD, digital, streaming and vinyl. Various limited-edition colored-vinyl versions of the album can be purchased at Perry’s official online store, Target and Barnes & Noble.

Here’s the full track list of The Season:

“The Christmas Song”
“I’ll Be Home for Christmas”
“Auld Lang Syne”
“Winter Wonderland”
“What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve”
“Santa Claus Is Coming to Town”
“Silver Bells”
“Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.