Kansas’ Richard Williams on the band’s ‘Supernatural’ resurgence

February 21, 2023 by Classic Rock 93.9

Kansas is celebrating their 50th anniversary this year with a new tour kicking off June 2 in Pittsburgh. While you’d think that would mean their audience would be a mostly older crowd, that’s really not the case. It turns out, thanks to the CW show Supernatural using their classic “Carry On My Wayward Son” as their unofficial theme song, the band has been attracting a much younger audience.

“I’m not sure exactly when it was, eight years ago or so, just looking out and going, ‘What are all these 13-, 14-, 15-year-old kids doing in the front row?’” guitarist and founding member Richard Williams tells ABC Audio. “And we didn’t really understand it and we said, ‘Curious, why are you here?’ And they said, ‘Supernatural.’”

He adds, “That television show brought probably the biggest thing that’s happened to our career in the last quarter century. Those 15-year-old kids in the front row then are 30 and they’re bringing their kids to Kansas shows.”

The song was such an integral part of the series that Williams says Kansas was actually supposed to appear in the program’s 2020 series finale, but COVID got in the way.

“The final show was written for us and then we were flying to Vancouver to film it and we were told, ‘Don’t get on the plane because Canada has closed its borders because of COVID,’” he shares. “And so that last episode never got to be filmed. They had to rewrite the ending, and that was a bummer. It was such an exciting thing to be a part of.”

On This Day – February 20, 1982: Pat Benatar married guitarist Neil Giraldo

February 20, 2023 by Classic Rock 93.9

On This Day, February 20, 1982 …

Pat Benatar married her guitarist and songwriting partner, Neil Giraldo, which went on to become a rock ‘n’ roll marriage that has lasted over 40 years.

The couple met in 1978 shortly after Benatar signed her first record deal, and they went on to create hit songs together like “Heartbreaker” and the top five hits “Hit Me With Your Best Shot,” “Love Is A Battlefield” and “We Belong.”

The couple are parents to two daughters, Haley and Hana Giraldo, and were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2022.

They continue to perform together and will kick off a new North American tour in April. They are also set to open select dates on Pink‘s Summer Carnival tour.

The Rolling Stones share short film about their famous mobile recording studio

February 17, 2023 by Classic Rock 93.9

The Rolling Stones are giving fans a little insight into their early recording process with a documentary about their mobile studio, which they call “the most important music studio on wheels.”

“Did you know that The Rolling Stones owned the world’s first independent recording studio on wheels?” reads a description of the almost 10-minute clip. “The Rolling Stones Mobile Studio, built into the back of a truck, not only produced some of the band’s biggest albums but was also used to record some of the most iconic albums of the 1970s,” including albums by Fleetwood Mac, Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath.

The video explains that the recording studio was born out of the band’s desire to not take up studio time rehearsing and instead do that at Mick Jagger’s Stargroves estate in the English countryside. Realizing that would mean transporting all their equipment, their road manager and pianist Ian Stewart suggested building the recording equipment into a truck, allowing them to bring the studio to them anytime they wanted to record.

This iconic mobile recording studio now resides in the National Music Center in Calgary, Canada.

Judas Priest’s Rob Halford wants Iron Maiden in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

February 17, 2023 by Classic Rock 93.9

Judas Priest was finally inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2022, and the band’s frontman, Rob Halford, is hoping another metal band will join them now that Iron Maiden has been nominated this year.

“Iron Maiden’s nomination is absolutely overdue,” Halford tells Metal Hammer. “I vote for them every day; you can do it by phone and it’s dead easy. It takes you to the list of nominees, then you pick the bands you are voting for – and I pick Maiden every single day.”

While Halford’s likely referring to the fan vote, now that he’s a member, he can help Iron Maiden’s chances from the inside.

“When you’re actually in the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame you’re given a vote as a band and Maiden will get Priest’s vote without a doubt,” he says. “That’s just what we do for each other – we’ve had very similar journeys in both bands, so let’s make it happen for Maiden.”

He adds, “It’d be brilliant – Black Sabbath, Priest and Maiden, what more could a metal maniac ask for?”

Brian May explains why Queen hasn’t recorded new music with Adam Lambert

February 17, 2023 by Classic Rock 93.9

While the members of Queen have been touring with Adam Lambert since 2011, they have yet to put out any original music together, and guitarist Brian May says there’s a good reason for it.

In case you missed it, in an interview with Total Guitar May says they believe that Queen’s fanbase simply won’t accept anyone but Freddie Mercury on a recording.

“I think if people see Queen on a record label, they still want it to be Freddie singing,” he shares. “It could be Jesus Christ on it, but they’d still want Freddie, and I don’t blame people for that.”

He adds, “There are people who feel like we shouldn’t even be going on stage without Freddie. But I think that would have been very sad, and it’s not what Freddie would have wanted either. He would have wanted us to continue developing. And of course, because we are continuing and developing, it keeps that legacy alive.”

Bruce Springsteen introduced by George Strait at Austin show

February 17, 2023 by Classic Rock 93.9

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band brought their tour to Austin, Texas, Thursday night, which kicked off with a very special introduction. Rolling Stone reports that when The Boss walked out onstage at the Moody Center he was accompanied by none other than country legend George Strait.

“Austin, Texas!” Strait said. “It’s my honor tonight to introduce to you a band that really needs no introduction, right? Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band!”

Bruce responded, “Thank you, George. Good evening, Austin!”

As for the show, Bruce played a 27-song set, opening with “No Surrender,” as he has most nights of the tour. The set included tracks like “Cadillac Ranch,” “Rosalita (Come Out Tonight),” “Out in the Streets” and “Thunder Road.”

The show was down one E Street Band member, however, with saxophone player Jake Clemons, nephew of original E Streeter Clarence Clemons, out with COVID.

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band’s next stop is Kansas City, Missouri, Saturday night.

Tony Hawk using Kurt Cobain-painted skateboard to raise mental health awareness

February 17, 2023 by Classic Rock 93.9

Skateboarding legend Tony Hawk is using a unique piece of Kurt Cobain memorabilia to raise awareness for mental health.

Hawk obtained a skateboard at an auction last year that was hand-painted by the late Nirvana frontman in 1985. The deck, a signature model by late skater Jeff Phillips, features artwork inspired by the cover of the 1981 Iron Maiden album, Killers.

In an Instagram post, Hawk calls Cobain and Phillips “Two icons that had immense influence on their respective fields, both of whom passed away tragically and much too young.”

“We are hoping to make something good of this acquisition by raising awareness for emotional health, and to help provide resources for those who are struggling mentally,” Hawk writes.

More info will be revealed on Monday, February 20, which would’ve been Cobain’s 56th birthday.

Beyond the skateboard, Hawk has another connection to Cobain — last year it was revealed that his son Riley Hawk was dating Cobain’s daughter, Frances Bean Cobain.

Blondie drummer says they are playing England’s Glastonbury Festival

February 17, 2023 by Classic Rock 93.9

The full lineup for England’s Glastonbury Festival has yet to be announced, but it looks like Blondie will be on it, at least according to their drummer, Clem Burke.

During an appearance on Foxy Radio, Burke was talking about Blondie’s July show with Iggy Pop at Crystal Palace Park in London when he let it slip that the band’s booked for the famed festival.

“We’re also doing Isle of Wight and we’re doing some other festivals,” Burke said. “I guess it hasn’t really been announced, the full list of artists to be playing Glastonbury, but we are going to be playing Glastonbury, so maybe you got an exclusive there.”

Glastonbury Festival is happening June 21 to 25. So far the only artist officially confirmed for the festival is Elton John, who is headlining June 25.

Over 150 guitars owned by Fleetwood Mac’s Peter Green going up for auction

February 17, 2023 by Classic Rock 93.9

A huge auction of guitars once owned by original Fleetwood Mac member Peter Green is set to take place this summer. Guitarist reports The Peter Green Collection auction will happen through the auction house Bonhams from June 16 to 28, featuring over 150 electric and acoustic guitars once owned by the late Rock & Roll Hall of Famer.

“We hope that Peter’s guitars and other items included in the auction will be of great interest to his fans and find good homes,” says a rep from Green’s estate. The auction will also include “several important handwritten lyrics and some of his psychedelic sketches,” including a rare set of lyrics for Fleetwood Mac’s “Man of the World,” which Green wrote.

A full list of the guitars up for auction has yet to be announced, but some that have been confirmed include a 1999 Fender Custom Shop Stratocaster in sea foam green and a 1968 Gretsch White Falcon 6137. Some of the items are set to go on exhibit at the annual Guitar Show in Birmingham, England, happening February 25 to 28.

“Peter Green was one of the greatest guitarists,” said Bonhams’ director of popular culture department, Katherine Schofield. “Even when out of the limelight, the tributes paid to his playing throughout his lifetime continued to highlight his reputation and the esteem his fellow artists held him in. This sale is a celebration of his love for the guitar.”

Crazy Horse dropping new album, ‘All Roads Lead Home,’ next month

February 17, 2023 by Classic Rock 93.9

Crazy Horse is making music on their own. The group, known for being Neil Young’s backing band, is set to release their own album next month.

All Roads Lead Home, from Crazy Horse members Ralph Molina, Billy Talbot and Nils Lofgren, was recorded during the pandemic, which meant the band couldn’t be together. Instead each member recorded three original songs with other musicians in a variety of locations. The first single released from the record is the Lofgren track “You Will Never Know.”

The album also includes one contribution from Young, a live solo version of the tune “Song of the Seasons,” which originally appeared on the album Barn with Crazy Horse.

All Roads Lead Home will be released March 31 on vinyl and CD, and will be available on hi-res audio at Neil Young Archives. It is available for preorder now.

Here is the track list for All Roads Lead Home:

“Rain” (Billy Talbot)
“You Will Never Know” (Nils Lofgren)
“It’s Magical” (Ralph Molina)
“Song Of the Seasons” (Neil Young)
“Cherish” (Billy Talbot)
“Fill My Cup” (Nils Lofgren)
“Look Through The Eyes Of Your Heart” (Ralph Molina)
“The Hunter” (Billy Talbot)
“Go With Me” (Nils Lofgren)

+ More