The Music Center has rescheduled its tribute to record executive and A&M co-founder Jerry Moss, which was supposed to happen back in February but was postponed, with a new star-studded lineup now confirmed.
Peter Frampton, Amy Grant and Bad Company’s Paul Rodgers are confirmed for Live at The Music Center: Concert Celebrating Jerry Moss, Co-Founder of A&M Records, now happening January 14 at The Music Center’s Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles.
Other artists on the bill include Dionne Warwick and Joe Sumner (Sting‘s son), with special appearances by Herb Alpert, Burt Bacharach and Misty Copeland and prerecorded appearances by Sheryl Crow, Yusuf/Cat Stevens and Sting.
Limited tickets are currently available. They can be purchased here.
This Saturday, KISS‘ Paul Stanley will be making an appearance at the Wentworth Gallery in Short Hills, New Jersey, to unveil his latest series of paintings and mixed-media works. Stanley, who’s been painting for a decade, wants fans to know that you don’t need a degree to appreciate art.
“I want people to not be intimidated by the arts,” he tells ABC Audio. He notes, “When somebody says, ‘Well, I like that painting, but I don’t know anything about art,’ it’s like, ‘What do you need to know? You like it or you don’t like it.'”
Some of Stanley’s paintings are part of his new “Black Series,” in which he starts out with, not a white canvas, but a black canvas. “[It’s] really interesting because everything comes out from it,” he says. “Whereas most of us are taught to paint on a white canvas, to do it on black means it comes from darkness. And I think that’s great.”
The KISS frontman says his art gives him something that being a rock star doesn’t: less structure.
“A song has to have a key. It has to have lyrics that rhyme,” he explains. “And in terms of art, my sense of color … is based purely upon … aesthetically what pleases me. I like the freedom.”
The day after his appearance, Sunday, is the start of Hanukkah; Stanley, who’s Jewish, says he and his wife, who’s not, celebrate both Hanukkah and Christmas. He considers it very necessary, especially since he “grew up around people with [concentration camp] tattoos on their arms.”
“My duty and obligation as a Jew is the obligation I have to 6 million who were exterminated. So whether my children choose to practice Judaism in their own lives, knowing their heritage and knowing what my background is, is very, very important.”
When Jane’s Addiction toured with The Smashing Pumpkins over the fall, guitarist Dave Navarro stayed home as he continued to feel the effects of long COVID. Queens of the Stone Age‘s Troy Van Leeuwen filled in for Navarro throughout the trek, while ex-Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist Josh Klinghoffer and Daniel Ash of Bauhaus also helped out.
Since wrapping the tour in November, Jane’s has been working on new music to release in 2023. As frontman Perry Farrell tells Alternative Press, the collaboration with the guest guitarists may continue on from the live stage to the studio.
“I don’t know who will end up recording the guitar tracks,” Farrell says. “But I’d love to see Dave, Troy, Josh and Daniel contribute — all the guys on the tour that really stuck it out.”
Should Jane’s require his services again, Van Leeuwen is certainly up for it.
“There’s a connection there, and it’s a no-brainer,” Van Leeuwen says. “I’d like to see what they do with Dave, but if they have a plan, I’m going to show up when I can to be a part of it.”
While Navarro was absent from the tour, it did feature the return of founding bassist Eric Avery, who reunited with the band after leaving 12 years ago.
“That shared experience onstage is what makes me so excited about the future magic of this band,” says drummer Stephen Perkins. “When we get onstage, I feel like we’re 20 again. The only reason to do it again is to create new music, and now with Eric involved, we are all inspired again.”
Fans who attended Wednesday night’s concert celebrating the 40th anniversary of R.E.M.’s debut EP, Chronic Town, got quite the surprise. Consequence reports R.E.M.’s Mike Mills and Peter Buck made an appearance at the gig.
The show took place in R.E.M.’s hometown of Athens, Georgia, and while Mills and Buck were not initially on the bill, they wound up playing with the house band, which featured BlackCrowes’ Rich Robinson and Sven Pipien, and Screaming Trees’ Barrett Martin. Songs played include “So. Central Rain” and “Fall on Me.”
The concert was hosted by comedian David Cross and also had several artists, including Darius Rucker, Fred Armisen, Indigo Girls, Patti Smith Group’s Lenny Kaye and Drivin N Cryin’s Kevin Kinney, paying tribute to the band with their own performances of R.E.M. songs.
Another Chronic Town tribute concert happens Thursday in Atlanta. Proceeds from the concerts will be donated to Planned Parenthood.
Earlier this year, David Crosbytweeted that he thought he was “too old to tour,” but that might be changing.
When he was recently asked about any future touring plans, Crosby told ABC Audio, “I want to, but I don’t think I can.” He explained his guitar playing is suffering because of tendonitis in his hands, “which takes them out of the caliber level I’d be willing to do onstage,” noting, “I’m not good enough anymore.”
Well, now it appears things are looking up, with Crosby tweeting, “So I played with some friends the day before yesterday and spent today sing (sic) with two really good friends.” He suggested he might be starting a new band he’d play with live.
Crosby did tell ABC Audio that he “could do shows with somebody else playing guitar,” so it’s possible that’s what the tweet is referring to, but we’ll have to wait and see.
If he does tour, it would be Crosby’s first since 2019.
Getting tickets to Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band’s upcoming U.S. tour wasn’t easy. If you didn’t snag any, you’ll at least be able to listen to what you missed.
The Boss just announced he’ll be releasing official multiple-track audio recordings from every stop on the tour right after each show. They will all be professionally mixed by Chiller Sound’s Jon Altschiller, and fans can save money if they preorder a package of all 31 shows by January 1.
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band’s tour kicks off February 1 in Tampa, Florida, and wraps in the U.S. on April 14 in Newark, New Jersey. Fans can preorder shows here.
Mötley Crüe, Iron Maiden, KISS and Slipknot will raise some hell next year when they headline the 2023 edition of France’s Hellfest rock and metal festival.
The bill also includes the reformed Pantera, Def Leppard, Hollywood Vampires, Parkway Drive, Machine Gun Kelly, Tenacious D, Incubus, Architects, Alter Bridge and Papa Roach, among many others.
Hellfest 2023 takes place June 15-18. For the full lineup and all ticket info, visit Hellfest.fr.
Mötley Crüe and Def Leppard will play Hellfest as part of their 2023 world tour, which follows their 2022 joint U.S. Stadium Tour. The Crüe lineup will feature Rob Zombie guitarist John 5 in place of Mick Mars, who announced his retirement from touring in October.
Songwriter Shirley Eikhard, best known for writing Bonnie Raitt’s Grammy-nominated tune “Something To Talk About,” has died at the age of 67, Consequence reports. No cause of death has been revealed.
The Raitt hit, which appeared on her 1991 Grammy-winning album, Luck of the Draw, peaked at number five on the Billboard Hot 100. The tune was nominated for Record of the Year at the Grammys in 1992, while Raitt won Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for her recording of the track. In 2020 the song was inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame.
Eikhard, who was Canadian, also wrote songs that were recorded by artists like Cher, The Pointer Sisters, Anne Murray and Emmylou Harris. She recorded 17 of her own albums, and won two Juno Awards for Best Country Female in 1972 and 1973. She was also named Songwriter of the Year at the Juno Awards in 1992.
Andy Summers is revisiting a Police classic. Summers just announced he’s dropping a new version of “Bring on the Night” on Friday, which he recorded with Italian guitar quartet 40 Fingers.
And it seems Andy may have been hinting at the collaboration earlier this year. He previously posted a video of him and 40 Fingers at his Harmonics of the Night photo exhibition in Hamburg, Germany, back in October. In his announcement, he says the recording was filmed there.
“Bring on the Night,” which was written by the Police frontman Sting, was featured on the band’s sophomore album, 1979’s Reggatta de Blanc. It was also the title track to Sting’s 1986 live album, as well as the 1985 Michael Apted-directed documentary on Sting’s solo career.
We are getting our first real look at the upcoming movie about music producer Neil Bogart and Casablanca Records. The film, Spinning Gold, hits theaters March 31 and tells the story of the producer credited with launching the careers of such artists as Donna Summer, Gladys Knight, Parliament Funkadelic, The Village People and even KISS.
The movie stars Tony winner Jeremy Jordan as Bogart, with a cast that also includes Michelle Monaghan, DanFogler, Jay Pharoah, Chris Redd, Michael Ian Black and Sebastian Maniscalco.
In addition, X Ambassadors vocalist Sam Harris plays KISS’ Paul Stanley, with Casey Likes as Gene Simmons and All Time Low’s Alex Gaskarth as Peter Criss. Other artists portrayed in the film include George Clinton, played by Wiz Khalifa; Ron Isley, played by Jason Derulo; Gladys Knight, played by Ledisi; Bill Withers, played by Pink Sweat$; and Donna Summer, played by Tayla Parx.
