Foo Fighters have shared a tribute to Taylor Hawkins on what would’ve been the late drummer’s 51st birthday.
In a tweet Friday, Dave Grohl and company posted a photo of Hawkins alongside the caption, “Miss you so much.“
Hawkins was born February 17, 1972 — the same day and year as Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong. He passed away unexpectedly on March 25, 2022, just over a month after his 50th birthday.
Foo Fighters honored Hawkins with two giant tribute concerts last September. The group is set to return to the road this year for a number of festival headlining performances, including at Bonnaroo and Boston Calling. A new drummer has yet to be announced.
RTZ is ready to release his debut album. The musician, born Robin Taylor Zander and son of Cheap Trick guitarist Robin Zander, is set to drop The Distance on April 21.
RTZ, who’s been a touring musician with Cheap Trick since 2016, teamed up with producer Jack Douglas —who’s producedmusic for John Lennon, Patti Smith and New York Dolls — for the record, which is inspired by RTZ’s love of classic artists like Neil Young and T. Rex, as well as My Morning Jacket‘s Jim James and the Flaming Lips‘ Wayne Coyne.
RTZ has also shared the first single from the record, “High N Low,” which he describes as “an oldie, but a goodie.” He noted he wrote it back in January 2015 but had never released it.
“The production is entirely inspired by the music of the Beach Boys, the Beatles, the Bee Gees, basically, it’s a tip of the hat to them,” RTZ shares. “Their vocals and harmonies are why I sing and write music. It’s a little pop, a little British, a little Beatlesesque.”
He adds, “It’s simple and it’s about people passing from unfortunate events that could have been avoided. It’s about specific people for my life, how we deal with death and how it depends on the person. It’s very honest, but a reassuring song … It’s something I think about a lot when something tough is happening.”
The Eagles released the compilation album Their Greatest Hits (1971-1975), featuring songs from their first four albums, including “Take it Easy,” “Lyin’ Eyes,” “Desperado,” “Take it to the Limit” and others.
The album peaked at number one on the Billboard Album charts and stayed there for five weeks. It went on to spend over 230 weeks on the album chart.
Their Greatest Hits (1971-1975) was the first album to receive a Platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America, and was eventually certified 38 times Platinum. In 2017 the album was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Recording Registry.
Queen is giving fans yet another peek behind the scenes with the latest episode of their weekly YouTube series Queen The Greatest Live. This week they explore the decisions that go into picking opening numbers for a show.
“The audience want to be blown away at first,” Roger Taylor shares in the clip. “We used to say blind them, deafen them, and then calm down a bit after 20 minutes. You really want to go bang, bang, bang, bang at the beginning of a show.”
Brian May adds that some songs are simply made to be openers. “Sometimes, writing a song, you’re already aware it would be a good opener,” he says. “You see it in that light. The production starts to take place in your head. We’ve had some really good openers and I think generally they’ve come out of the music.”
The episode looks at classic Queen openers like “We Will Rock You” and even “Tie Your Mother Down” during the period they toured with Paul Rodgers. May also talks about how they learned what goes into building anticipation in a show from artists like The Who and Led Zeppelin.
The band also discusses why they rarely take openers with them when they tour. “Basically, we have a lot to offer on a given night and we like to use the whole evening,” May says. “So we like to do the whole show ourselves. It’s like we kind of do the warm-up ourselves.”
He adds, “In some ways it’s a shame because it’s nice to take a support group out because it gives them a leg up and it gives them a good chance to be seen.”
Yoko Ono turns 90 on Saturday, and in honor of her big day, she wants you to share your wishes with her.
Since 1996, Yoko has been collecting wishes through Wish Tree art installations, so far collecting close to 2 million wishes from installations in over 35 countries. When she first launched her Wish Tree project she instructed fans: “Make a wish. Write it down on a piece of paper. Fold it and tie it around a branch of a Wish Tree. Ask your friend to do the same. Keep Wishing. Until the branches are covered with wishes.”
Now the Wish Tree is going virtual, with Yoko’s son Sean Ono Lennon launching a Wish Tree website where people can share their wishes online. The site will go live on Saturday in honor of Yoko’s big birthday, and fans will also be able to plant trees in the singer’s honor, thanks to the organization One Tree Planted.
According to the announcement on Yoko’s Instagram page, “We hope to gather as many wishes and plant as many trees as possible to honor this incredible woman.”
Jon Bon Jovi’s son Jake Bongiovi has landed a movie role that hits a little close to home.Variety reports the 20-year-old has been cast in the film Rockbottom, which centers around a 1980s hair metal band.
In the film, the band CougarSnake never got off the ground and broke up over infighting. When a present-day Gen Z music star mentions in an interview he was introduced to the band by his absentee father, it sparks a push to reunite the group so that they can open for the younger star’s charity concert.
Bongiovi, who is dating Millie Bobby Brown, has been cast to play CougarSnake’s new lead singer, who is struggling with a case of stage fright.
This isn’t Bongiovi’s first acting gig. He will appear in the upcoming Kiernan Shipka holiday comedy Sweethearts.
Last month Dee Snider caused quite a stir when he tweeted that Robert Plant and Ronnie JamesDio were “great singers” but not “great frontman.” While he stands by his comments, he’s now saying they were a bit misinterpreted.
“When I said they weren’t great frontman, everybody said, ‘Here’s Dee shooting his mouth off again.’ But I’m not just shooting my mouth off,” the Twisted Sister frontman says in a new interview with Ultimate Guitar. “I’ve actually taken a lot of time to think about and consider it. I didn’t just make an arbitrary statement. I’ve thought about it. I got on my computer, and I studied and researched it.”
Snider considers himself a great frontman, so what does he see as the difference? “Now, a frontman doesn’t have to sing well but needs to be a guy who can engage the audience and entertain the people who stand there,” he says. “A frontman that can wow the crowd with their incredible voice, yeah, that’s entertaining on a different level, but it’s not the same as a full-scale performance.”
Snider says he “absolutely” thinks his original comments were misinterpreted, particularly when it comes to Robert Plant. “I am not saying I’m Robert Plant, nor am I saying I’m even in his league,” he says. “Having said that, I do something at a level that he doesn’t do, and that is I engage the crowd.”
Snider added, “He’s an incredible singer, but showmanship, that’s what I do well.”
Snider says Dio used to compliment him on his antics onstage and he would compliment Dio on his singing, telling him, “I can’t do what you do, but I can hold an audience in the palm of my hand.”
Rolling Stone has shared some new advice from the late David Crosby, culled from his final “Ask Croz” session, which took place in the summer of 2021. The singer, who passed away in January, offers advice on talking to teenage daughters about sex, finding love again after a spouse dies and more. He even tries to set the record straight about his former group.
When asked, “Settle an argument: Who is better, CSN or CSNY?” Crosby would not definitively say whether the group was better with Neil Young.
“I don’t think ‘better’ really applies. They were two completely different bands,” he says. “Chemistries between human beings are [as] individual as snowflakes — very delicate and very complex. The chemistry between the three of us in Crosby, Stills, and Nash was organic. It came there of its own will.”
As for Young, Croz says he “did add something and he did bring some good songs. He’s an exciting guitar player, and an exciting artist. He’s always pushing the limit, and that’s good.”
Crosby maintains “both bands made really excellent music”: “What counts is the songs, and both bands generated great songs.”
The mag says Crosby “absolutely loved helping out strangers with their problems,” and he reiterated the same feeling in an interview with ABC Audio prior to his death. “I like the hell out of it. I have a lot of fun with it,” he said, while suggesting it was ridiculous folks seemed to be helped by his advice. But, Croz said, “I’m all about fun, man … be(ing) opinionated is absolutely fun.”
Record Store Day has announced the list of exclusive releases for its 2023 event, taking place in independent record stores on April 22. Here are some of the pieces that will be available:
The 2020 John Lennon compilation Gimme Some Truth is being released as a box set consisting of nine 10-inch vinyl EPs. Meanwhile, Paul McCartney is contributing a 50th anniversary reissue of the 1973 Wings album Red Rose Speedway, while fellow surviving Beatle Ringo Starr is putting out a reissue of his 1981 solo effort, Stop and Smell the Roses.
Keith Richards‘ long out-of-print Vintage Vinos collaboration will be out as a two-LP set, while The Rolling Stones‘ 1968 classic Beggars Banquet is being reissued on vinyl with its original artwork.
Stevie Nicks‘ Bella Donna Live1981, capturing a 1981 live show supporting the Fleetwood Mac star’s first solo album, is making its vinyl debut. Fleetwood Mac’s early single “Albatross” is also getting a vinyl reissue.
And U2 is celebrating the 40th anniversary of their album War with a 12-inch EP featuring remixed versions of “Two Hearts Beat As One” and “Sunday Bloody Sunday,” as well as two versions of the same songs from their upcoming Songs of Surrender album, which drops March 17. The EP will be released on 180g white vinyl.
RSD 2023 will also feature exclusive releases from Duran Duran, The Allman Brothers Band, David Byrne, The Cranberries, The Cure, The Doors, Emerson, Lake & Palmer,Jerry Garcia Band, The Grateful Dead, Joan Jett & The Blackhearts, Billy Joel, Elton John, Todd Rundgren, T. Rex, Van Halen, Yes and Warren Zevon.
For the full list of releases and participating stores, visit RecordStoreDay.com.
Brett Michaels is revisiting his 2001 salute to his band. The Poison frontman is set to reissue a deluxe version of Show Me Your Hits – A Salute To Poison, which had him revisiting and reimagining Poison’s biggest hits.
The new release will feature remastered audio, along with new mixes of songs like “Nothin’ But A Good Time,” “Fallen Angel” and “Every Rose Has Its Thorn,” as well as new artwork.
The album is also being released on vinyl for the first time with a limited edition purple and black splatter LP.
Show Me Your Hits – A Salute To Poison is available for preorder now.
Here’s the Show Me Your Hits – A Salute To Poison track list:
“Nothin’ But A Good Time”
“Fallen Angel”
“Every Rose Has Its Thorn”
“Look What The Cat Dragged In”
“Talk Dirty To Me”
“Something To Believe In”
“I Want Action”
“Unskinny Bop”
“Stand”
“So Tell Me Why”
“Doin’ As I Seen On My TV”
