Classic Rock News

Ringo Starr and dozens of other well-known drummers have teamed up for a new version of the 1969 Beatles classic “Come Together” to raise money to support the WhyHunger charity’s mission to end global hunger.

Dubbed “Drum Together,” the recording also features the E Street Band‘s Max Weinberg, Pearl Jam‘s Matt Cameron, The Police‘s Stewart Copeland, Red Hot Chili Peppers‘ Chad Smith, Yes‘ Alan White, Bad Company‘s Simon Kirke, Vanilla Fudge‘s Carmine Appice, Rolling Stones touring drummer Steve Jordan, Iron Maiden‘s Nicko McBrain, famed session musician Jim Keltner, and pre-teen drumming sensation Nandi Bushell. More than 100 drummers in total lent their talents to the song.

“We all can agree that no kid should be hungry, and everyone should have access to nutritious food,” says Ringo in a statement. “This is a great cause that I’ve supported in the past and a great track — one of my favorite Beatles songs. So when Jim Keltner asked me to join all these other drummers I was happy to. Peace and love.”

A variety of non-drummers also contributed to the track, including singer Jen Chapin — daughter of late WhyHunger co-founder Harry Chapin — and such acclaimed session musicians as bassists Lee Sklar, Will Lee and Nathan East.

Ninety cents from every dollar raised by the Drum Together campaign will go toward WhyHunger programs that focus on community-led initiatives, the goal of which is to provide nutritious food to those who need it across the U.S. and the globe.

You can check out an official video for the song that features composite footage of all of the participants performing individually on the WhyHunger YouTube channel.

A list of all the participating musicians has been posted on WhyHunger.org.

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Heart guitarist Nancy Wilson has debuted an extended version of her acoustic instrumental tribute song for the late Eddie Van Halen, “4 Edward,” which was the final track on her recently released debut solo studio album, You and Me.

On Monday, Wilson posted a video on her official YouTube channel featuring her playing the updated version of the tune, titled “4 Edward with Love,” which runs about 40 seconds longer than the original track. The new version premieres just two days shy of the one-year anniversary of Eddie’s death.

As Nancy explained in an interview earlier this year with ABC Audio, she decided to write “4 Edward” after the guitar great died of cancer at age 65 on October 6, 2020. She said the song was inspired by an instrumental tune that he composed for her on an acoustic guitar she gave to him as a gift in the late 1970s after he revealed to her that he didn’t own one.

“4 Edward,” which clocks in at just one minute, 43 seconds, features some delicate strumming, picking and harmonics, and includes a segment that incorporates the chords from the classic Van Halen hit “Jump.”

You and Me was released in May. An expanded two-LP, blue-vinyl edition of the album will be issued on November 26 as part of the Record Store Day Black Friday event. It contains three bonus tracks, covers of The Beatles‘ tunes “Blackbird” and “Fixing a Hole” and a rendition of Steely Dan‘s “Any Major Dude.”

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Jackson Browne will headline the 2021 edition of the Dream Concert, a virtual charity event that will stream live on October 9 at 6 p.m. PT via Mandolin.com.

Browne originally launched the event as an annual in-person concert in Sedona, Arizona, to support the Verde Valley School Native American Scholarship he created in 1990.

The show raises funds to support Indigenous students who attend Sedona’s Verde Valley School and also to raise awareness about issues Native American communities are facing.

Other artists on the Dream Concert lineup include Cyndi Lauper, Shawn Colvin, Taj Mahal and many more. Early-bird tickets can be purchased now for $10 at Mandolin.com; the price will increase to $20 on the day of the show. People also can donate additional money to the cause at the website. For more information about the school and the scholarship fund, visit VVSAZ.org.

In other news, Browne is scheduled to launch the second leg of his joint 2021 U.S. tour with James Taylor on October 16 in New Orleans.  The trek is mapped out through a December 13 concert in Buffalo, New York.

Browne released his latest studio album, Downwhill from Everywhere, in July. Last week, he issued a new single from the record, “Until Justice Is Real.”  That song also is featured in a teaser trailer for a new documentary called How Does It Feel to Be a Problem? that focuses on racial injustice in the U.S.

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Dave Grohl will be an upcoming guest on Bedtime 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 the 1969 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.

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The Doors‘ Robby Krieger will publish a new memoir titled Set the Night on Fire: Living, Dying, and Playing Guitar with The Doors on October 12. To promote the book, the 75-year-old Rock & Roll Hall of Famer has lined up a variety of virtual events taking place in the coming weeks.

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.

Other upcoming events to promote Set the Night on Fire include a virtual Q&As on October 18 hosted by the Hudson Library & Historical Society in Cleveland, and on November 8, presented by the Free Library of Philadelphia.

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.”

(Video includes censored profanity.)

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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.

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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.

(Video contains uncensored profanity.) 

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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.

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David Lee Roth is retiring.

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.”

Tickets for the Vegas concerts are on sale now at HouseofBlues.com and Ticketmaster.com.

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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.

Visit HouseofBlues.com for more details.

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