Classic Rock News

R.E.M. frontman Michael Stipe has contributed a track to a new Earth Day compilation, currently available on Bandcamp.

The EarthPercent x Earth Day ’23 Compilation Album features over 60 tunes that are either new, exclusive or previously unreleased. They can be downloaded individually or as a whole album from April 20 to May 6, with Stipe contributing the song “Give Me A Hand,” featuring folk singer Gaeylynn Lee.

Other artists on the compilation include Coldplay and H.E.R., CHVRCHES with The Cure‘s Robert Smith, Brian Eno and more.

A portion of the proceeds from each track sold will go to EarthPercent’s grant making program, which supports organizations working to tackle the climate emergency.

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As previously reported, Mötley Crüe is back in the studio and once again working with Dr. Feelgood producer Bob Rock. Now bassist Nikki Sixx is giving fans an update on how things are going, and he certainly sounds pumped.

“Bob Rock is pushing us hard and bringing out the best in us,” Sixx shared in a post on Facebook. “Tommy (Lee) is playing his a** off. Jesus these drums sound huge.” 

He adds, “Probably lay down my final bass tracks in the next few days. John (5) is so fast I’m sure he will get all the songs done in just a few days. But then again Bob Rock loves those huge walls of guitars so it could take a moment.”

As for songwriting, Sixx offers, “I’m sure you all know how important lyrics are to me,” revealing that he’s already completed writing one tune and hopes to finish another one soon. 

Of course, fans of the Crüe are probably wondering when they’ll finally get to hear all this new stuff. Sixx says they’re “not sure,” explaining, “we haven’t thought that far down the line. Just letting the music guide us.”

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On This Day, April 20, 1992…

London’s Wembley Stadium hosted The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert for AIDS Awareness in memory of the late Queen frontman, who died in November 1991.  

Performers at the concert included Metallica, Def Leppard, Guns ‘N Roses, David Bowie, Roger Daltrey and Robert Plant.

The three remaining members of Queen, John Deacon, Brian May and Roger Taylor, also performed along with guest singers and guitarists, including Elton John, George Michael, Seal, Annie Lennox, Liza Minnelli and more. U2 also took part via satellite, beaming in a performance of “Until the End of the World,” which they dedicated to Mercury.

Memorable performances included Queen and Michael’s “Somebody to Love,” Queen, Bowie and Lennox on “Under Pressure,” Queen and GNR’s Axl Rose on “We Will Rock You” and Queen and Minnelli’s pairing on “We Are the Champions.”  

Money raised from the concert went to establish the AIDS charity the Mercury Phoenix Trust.

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Pink Floyd’s 50th anniversary celebration of The Dark Side of the Moon continues, and Thursday it was marked with a special event that coincided with a rare total solar eclipse.

Eight fans won a trip to a secluded beach at Ningaloo (Nyinggulu) Marine Park in Exmouth, Western Australia, where they listened to the album in full — timed so that the closing line, “but the sun is eclipsed by the moon …,” would play at the exact moment of the eclipse. Not only that, on the beach was constructed a giant black pyramid, similar to the cover of the classic album. 

A clip of the experience can be seen on the band’s Instagram page. It was also livestreamed on the band’s website and was filmed for a short-form documentary on the sweepstakes winners, dubbed the Astronome Domine 8, coming at a later date.

Released on March 1, 1973, The Dark Side of the Moon was Pink Floyd’s eighth studio release and to this day is one of their most commercially successful releases ever.

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The Rolling Stones and the Beach Boys are just a couple of the artists being featured on Project Brazen and PRX’s new podcast Night of Show. 

The podcast features never-before-heard stories about A-list music stars from those in the industry. The show is hosted by New York Times best-selling author Tom Wright, and Adam Wilkes of concert promoter AEG, who along with AEG’s John Meglen and Paul Gongaware share stories from their years working with musicians, giving fans a backstage pass to what goes on show night. 

The Rolling Stones are the subject of the podcast’s second episode, where the group discusses the band’s history-making shows in Cuba, while the Beach Boys are featured in episode five, with a story of how Nancy Reagan helped the band when they got pulled from a July 4 celebration because of a moralizing politician.

The podcast launches Monday, April 24 with an episode about Prince, with future episodes featuring stories of Michael Jackson, Kenny G and more.

The Beach Boys are featured in episode five, with a story of how Nancy Reagan helped when the band was pulled from a July 4 celebration because of a moralizing politician.

Visit NightofShow.com to hear the trailer and find out more details.

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Tommy Lee is insisting he is not transphobic. According to Entertainment Weekly, the declaration came after he received backlash for sharing a 2017 OAN clip on social media in which host Liz Wheeler railed against transgender, “transracial” and “transabled” people.

After deleting the original post, the Mötley Crüe drummer took to Instagram to defend himself, writing, “I am in no way transphobic or against the LGBTQIA+ community or any f****** community,” adding, “I’m the gayest motherf***** around!”

But, he argues, “I just don’t agree with how far some things have been taken,” suggesting there are people who blind themselves “because they feel they should’ve been born blind.”

“I get being born female and identifying as male or being born male and identifying as female or whatever,” he continues, “But when [people] start identifying as babies or animals…WTF!”

And if that wasn’t enough, in the caption Lee also ranted about artificial intelligence, noting, “don’t even get me started with the AI s***… before you know it you’ll be wondering if anything in this world is real or what it seems.”

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John Fogerty was honored earlier this week at the BMI/NAB Dinner in Las Vegas with the BMI Board of Directors Award, which celebrated the impact of his five-decade career.

Mike O’Neill, President & CEO of BMI, shared that Fogerty is “what it means to be a living legend,” calling him a “groundbreaking singer, songwriter and guitarist responsible for some of the best known, most beloved and distinctive rock songs of the 20th century.”

In accepting the award, Fogerty showed off a notebook from 1967, with the first lines written in it being “Proud Mary,” which just eight months later was turned into a song that became a future classic.

The evening also featured a performance by the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer, who was joined by sons Tyler and Shane for “Have You Ever Seen the Rain,” “Fortunate Son” and “Proud Mary.”

Next up, Fogerty is set to hit the road on his Celebration Tour, which kicks off April 27 in Uncasville, Connecticut. A complete list of dates can be found at JohnFogerty.com.

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Def Leppard guitarist Phil Collen is paying tribute to Jeff Beck in a new interview with Guitar World.

“Jeff Beck has always been one of my idols because he’s unique. No-one sounds like him, no-one plays like him, and you’ve got to respect that more than anything else,” Cpllen says of Beck, who passed away in January. “We wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for him. No-one was able to get anywhere close to that.” 

Collen goes on to praise the days of the Jeff Beck Group with Rod Stewart singing, noting they “could have been a huge band.”

“They were supposed to play Woodstock, but Jeff had to fly home, so they never got to do it,” Collen says, noting that Beck went on to launch a successful solo career and Stewart went to Faces. Collen adds, “so everyone gained from them not doing Woodstock, even though if they’d done it they could’ve been as big as Led Zeppelin.”

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Mötley Crüe has been booked to perform during this year’s NFL Draft Concert Series. The three-day event takes place April 27-29 in Kansas City, Missouri, in conjunction with the 2023 NFL Draft.

The Crüe is booked to play on April 28, with the concert series lineup also featuring Fall Out Boy on April 27 and Thundercat on April 29. 

All the performances will stream via the NFL’s website, Facebook page and YouTube channel. Additionally, clips from the shows will be televised as part of ESPN and NFL Network’s draft coverage.

For more info, visit NFL.com.

The news comes as Mötley Crüe recently revealed they in the studio with new guitarist John 5 and Dr. Feelgood producer Bob Rock. The band is also dealing with a very public lawsuit with ex-guitarist Mick Mars and is set to hit the road again with Def Leppard for a European and U.K. tour, kicking off May 22 in Sheffield, England. 

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Extreme has released two new songs, titled “Banshee” and “#Rebel.”

The tracks will appear on the “More Than Words” outfit’s upcoming album, Six, due out June 9.

You can listen to “Banshee” and “#Rebel” now via digital outlets, and watch their accompanying videos streaming now on YouTube.

Six, the aptly titled sixth Extreme studio effort, also includes the previously released single “Rise.”

Extreme will launch a U.S. tour in support of Six beginning August 2 in Portland, Maine. Living Colour will also be on the bill.

Tickets go on sale this Friday, April 21, at 10 a.m. local time. For the full list of dates and all ticket info, visit Extreme-Band.com.

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