Classic Rock News

Former Talking Heads mastermind David Byrne has a new Christmas song out, and if you purchase it, you’ll be giving him a nice holiday gift.

Byrne is releasing the track “The Fat Man’s Comin'” exclusively through Bandcamp. The song, which is about Santa Claus, dates back to 2013, but was never released. It also comes with a video comprised of the hand-drawn storyboards Byrne created for a more elaborate video that was never produced. The song is available as a pay-what-you-can download, with a minimum contribution of one dollar.

All proceeds from the song will go to Reasons To Be Cheerful, the nonprofit online magazine founded by Byrne in 2019. The magazine focuses on positive stories detailing “proven, evidence-based responses to the world’s most pressing problems.” For example, one recent story is about a supermarket in the United Kingdom that’s offering interest-free microloans to help shoppers buy groceries.

In a statement announcing the song, Byrne says that “The Fat Man’s Comin'” dates back to when he was collaborating with rocker St. Vincent aka Annie Clarke a few years ago. “It wasn’t right for Annie and me – the story of a fat man in rather odd attire who breaks into people’s homes and leaves mysterious packages,” he notes, adding that he wanted it to sound “sort of old-school creepy.”

Byrne concludes that supporting another year of Reasons To Be Cheerful is “a good reason to resurrect this song,” adding, “Enjoy and thanks for listening/watching.”

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Taylor Hawkins is posthumously featured on Iggy Pop‘s upcoming album Every Loser. Speaking with NME, the Godfather of Punk shares what it was like to work with the late Foo Fighters drummer.

“Taylor came in with incredible style,” Pop shares. “I’m very fortunate to have that color on the record.”

Hawkins contributes to two Every Loser songs: “Comments” and “The Regency.”

“He drums up a storm on those tracks, and you can really hear it,” Pop says of Hawkins’ contributions to the record. “He has this sort of bubbling quality, it’s really percolating.”

Pop adds that he was “really sad and shocked” when he heard about Hawkins’ unexpected death earlier this year.

“The whole thing was something else,” Pop says. “He did have a wonderful career doing what he wanted to do, and by all accounts, a good life.”

Every Loser is due out January 6. The album, produced by Andrew Watt, also features Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith, Guns N’ Roses bassist Duff McKagan, Blink-182‘s Travis Barker, Jane’s Addiction‘s Dave Navarro and Eric Avery, Pearl Jam guitarist Stone Gossard and ex-RHCP guitarist Josh Klinghoffer.

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After much speculation by fans — and some pretty blatant hints — it’s now official: Elton John’s final U.K. show of his Farewell tour will take place at Great Britain’s most prestigious music festival: Glastonbury.

“We are incredibly excited to announce that the one and only @eltonjohn will headline the Pyramid Stage on Sunday night at Glastonbury 2023,” the festival announced. The show will take place June 24. Unfortunately, all the Glastonbury tickets sold out in an hour last month, though resales of returned tickets will take place next spring.

On Instagram, Elton wrote, “I couldn’t be more excited to be headlining the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury 2023 and celebrate the greatest festival in the world!!”

He continued, “Every week I speak to new artists on my radio show and Glastonbury is often cited as a pivotal moment in launching their careers – the festival’s genuine, enthusiastic support for the best emerging talent is something I’ve long admired. Thank you for having me…for my final UK show – it’s going to be emotional.”

Elton has never played Glastonbury before.

Fans began speculating that Elton would headline the legendary event after he said he was going to announce one more show, and they noticed a gap in his schedule from June 21 to June 24, which coincides with the dates of the festival.

Then, the BBC’s Glastonbury Twitter feed seemed to confirm the speculation when it posted a link to a webcam shot of the festival’s Pyramid Stage with a rocket — as in Rocket Man — flying above it.

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A Guns N’ Roses fan who attended the band’s concert in Adelaide, Australia, earlier this week claims that she was injured when frontman Axl Rose threw his microphone into the crowd.

Rebecca Howe tells Australian Broadcasting Corporation that the mic hit her in the face after Rose tossed it following a performance of “Paradise City.” She also provides a photo showing bruises under her eyes and across the bridge of her nose.

In talking about the alleged incident, Howe wants to spread a “warning” to any other GN’R fans planning to attend a show.

“If Axl sings ‘Paradise City’ get ready to duck for cover,” Howe says, adding that her “intentions were not to gain anything” in speaking up.

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation has reached out to GN’R’s rep for comment.

Apparently, microphone-related injuries in Australia are something of a thing for Guns N’ Roses. A man was hit in the mouth with Axl’s mic during a 2013 show in Perth.

Guns N’ Roses will conclude their current tour of Australia and New Zealand on December 10.

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Just when you thought The Rolling Stones had received every honor they possibly could, there’s a brand new one: “The World’s Greatest Rock and Roll Band” has been immortalized by the U.K.’s Royal Mint.

The Mint has struck a commemorative coin celebrating the Stones’ 60th anniversary. On one side, it shows a silhouette of the band performing live, along with their name in the font they used in 1973 and “’62-’22,” indicating the year they were founded through the present. On the other side is a portrait of the late Queen Elizabeth II, who died in September.

The coin’s designer said that in creating the image, she wanted to “use iconic shapes so you could tell from the silhouettes who the band members were and an energetic crowd so you could feel the excitement of being at a gig.”

The silhouettes depict Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Ron Wood, late drummer Charlie Watts and bass player Bill Wyman, who left the band in 1993 and was never officially replaced.

You can order the coins in a variety of formats, including a silver-colored five-pound coin for around 18 bucks and a limited-edition one in color that costs about 29 bucks. 

The prices only go up from there, all the way to a coin that contains five ounces of gold and costs more than $15,000. There are only 50 of those available, so order now.

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Green Day has unearthed a live version of the song “Nice Guys Finish Last” for their upcoming 25th anniversary Nimrod reissue.

The performance was recorded at the Electric Factory venue in Philadelphia in November 1997, just a month after Nimrod was first released. The entire Electric Factory set is included on the Nimrod reissue, which arrives January 27.

You can listen to the live “Nice Guys Finish Last” now via digital outlets.

The reissue also includes two previously unreleased songs — “You Irritate Me” and “Tre Polka” — and a cover of Elvis Costello‘s “Alison,” as well as a host of demo recordings.

The original Nimrod spawned the singles “Hitchin’ a Ride” and “Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)” and has been certified double-Platinum by the RIAA.

Meanwhile, Green Day recently confirmed they’ve been working on a new album, the follow-up to 2020’s Father of All…

(Video contains uncensored profanity) 

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A whole host of musicians have contributed items to a new silent auction to raise money for the ASCAP Foundation, which supports American creators. The auction includes items from such artists as Richie Sambora, Sammy Hagar, Chicago, Quincy Jones, Paul Williams, The Hooters’ Eric Bazilian and more. 

Items up for bid include an autographed Fender guitar from Sambora; two house seats for MJ the Musical and a signed Quincy Jones book; personalized message and signed memorabilia from Hagar; signed photographs of Jimi Hendrix, Pete Townshend and The Rolling Stones, taken by Bazilian; two tickets and backstage passes to a 2023 Chicago concert; handwritten song lyrics of your choice from Grammy winner Williams; and two tickets to the Songwriters Hall of Fame gala in June.

The online auction runs from now until December 16 on Charity Buzz. Click here for the complete list of auction items.

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Christine McVie‘s death at the age of 79 has been shocking for her Fleetwood Mac bandmates. Stevie Nicks posted a lengthy, handwritten tribute to the woman she called “my best friend in the whole world” on Wednesday. Now, former Fleetwood Mac member Lindsey Buckingham has, like Nicks, penned a handwritten tribute to the late singer, songwriter and keyboardist.

On Instagram, Buckingham, who teamed with McVie for a collaborative album and tour in 2017, wrote, “Christine McVie’s sudden passing is profoundly heartbreaking. Not only were she and I part of the magical family of Fleetwood Mac, to me Christine was a musical comrade, a friend, a soul mate, a sister.”

“For over four decades, we helped each other create a beautiful body of work and a lasting legacy that continues to resonate today,” he adds. “I feel very lucky to have known her. Though she will be deeply missed, her spirit will live on through that body of work and that legacy.”

In April of 2018, Buckingham was fired from Fleetwood Mac and replaced by former Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers guitarist Mike Campbell and ex-Crowded House frontman Neil Finn.  That fall, the band launched its An Evening with Fleetwood Mac tour without Buckingham.  The tour, which ended in November of 2019, was McVie’s final one with the band before her death.

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Warren Haynes’ 31st annual Christmas Jam is sold out, but folks without tickets will still be able to enjoy it. The event is now set to be livestreamed in 4K on Volume.com.

This year’s Christmas Jam is the first time it’s happening in three years. The livestream ticket, which costs $29.99, includes the main concert, happening December 10 at Harrah’s Cherokee Center in Asheville, North Carolina, along with the pre-Jam on Friday at The Orange Peel. 

Artists on this year’s bill include Phil Lesh and Friends, featuring Haynes, John Scofield, Rob Barraco and John Molo; Tyler Childers; Gov’t Mule; Brothers Osbourne; and Dinosaur, Jr.

Proceeds from this year’s Christmas Jam will benefit Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity and BeLoved Asheville.

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Elton John recently announced he’s adding one more date to his Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour — his final tour ever — and fans think it’s going to be a pretty huge festival gig. 

Elton kicked off the speculation when he shared a tease on his Instagram Story, “One final date to announce…,” followed by another post that read “Rocket Man is incoming.”

According to NME, fans on social media were quick to guess he was teasing an appearance at the Glastonbury Festival. BBC’s Glastonbury Twitter feed seemed to support, if not outright confirm, the speculation. 

“We caught a stunning shot of @glastonbury on our webcam yesterday. Click the link below and hit ‘best shots’ to take a look…,” they tweeted. When fans click the link they are met with a webcam shot of the festival’s Pyramid Stage, with a rocket flying above it, an apparent reference to the Rocket Man.

The timing of the appearance certainly could work with Elton’s schedule. Glastonbury is set to take place the weekend of June 21 to 25 and right now there is a gap in his schedule during that time. He has a June 18 show set for Glasgow, Scotland, then a break until a show in Paris June 25.

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