Classic Rock News

Elvis Costello has reunited with an early musical collaborator, singer/guitarist Allan Mayes, to record an EP celebrating the 50th anniversary of Rusty, the band they played in together in 1972 and ’73.

The six-song collection, Rusty: The Resurrection of Rust, will be available via digital formats on June 10, while a CD version will be released in the U.S. on July 1. In England, Costello began selling CD copies of Rusty at a series of in-person events that began Sunday, May 29. A vinyl LP will be issued at a later date.

The EP features versions of songs that were originally part of Rusty’s live repertoire, including two tunes Nick Lowe wrote for his 1970s pub rock band Brinsley Schwarz — “Surrender to the Rhythm” and “Don’t Lose Your Grip on Love” — and an arrangement that incorporates Neil Young‘s “Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere” and “Dance, Dance, Dance.” The latter track features Costello’s debut performance on electric violin.

The Rusty EP also includes two original compositions — “Warm House,” which Costello penned in 1971, and “Maureen and Sam,” which Costello and Mayes co-wrote.

Costello and Mayes recorded the EP with backing from Costello’s band, The Imposters.

Costello — then known as D.P. McManus — joined Rusty on New Year’s Day 1972. The group played dozens of venues in and around their hometown of Liverpool, England, during the next year, but split up without ever recording.

Costello says the EP came about after Mayes — who now lives in Austin, Texas — contacted him to remind him that the 50th anniversary of him joining Rusty was approaching.

Costello notes that when Mayes suggested they get together to play some old songs, Costello responded, “Absolutely not! Let’s make the record we would have cut when we were 18, if anyone had let us.”

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Heavy metal helped a new Stranger Things character come to life.

Joe Quinn, who plays the Dungeons & Dragons-loving Eddie Munson on the newly premiered fourth season of the Netflix sci-fi series, tells Entertainment Weekly he credits metal music for helping him get into the right mindset for the role.

“I bought a book to try and understand what Dungeons & Dragons was about, and it didn’t agree with me,” Quinn shares. “Though, I knew that wasn’t going to be my way in, as it were.”

He explains, “I listened to a lot of heavy metal and that was my … God, it’s impossible to not sound pretentious when you say it, but, yeah, that was my way in.”

The character Eddie is also a big metal fan and sports a giant patch on the back of his denim jacket inspired by the cover artwork for the 1984 Dio album The Last in Line. His metal cred even earned the attention of the official Twitter account for the late Ronnie James Dio, which shared a screenshot of Quinn wearing the jacket alongside the caption, “It was great to see this vintage DIO design on the recent episode of @Stranger_Things! Eddie loves DIO!”

The first part of Stranger Things season 4 is streaming now on Netflix. The second part will premiere July 1.

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Pink Floyd has joined the ranks of rock bands with their own official TikTok account.

The legendary U.K. rock band launched their TikTok account on Monday, May 30, coinciding with the 50th anniversary of the day that the group entered the studio to start recording its classic 1973 album The Dark Side of the Moon.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Famers have made all 15 of their studio albums available to the TikTok community to use to soundtrack their own videos creations. Among the classic Pink Floyd tunes that will be available via the TikTok Sound Library are “See Emily Play,” “Money,” “The Great Gig in the Sky,” “Wish You Were Here,” “Shine On You Crazy Diamond,” “Comfortably Numb,” and “Another Brick in the Wall (Part II).”

Pink Floyd also plans to use its TikTok account to regularly post unique video clips and content. Currently, the @pinkfloyd account features clips set to “Learning to Fly,” “Another Brick in the Wall (Part II)” and “Breathe (in the Air).”

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Since 2000, REO Speedwagon and Styx have regularly hit the road together, and the veteran rockers’ latest co-headlining trek, the Live & UnZoomed Tour, gets underway tonight in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

The outing, which also features Loverboy, includes over 40 dates, and runs through a September 18 concert in Bangor, Maine.

REO Speedwagon keyboardist Neal Doughty says the idea to tour jointly with Styx came about at a time when the popularity of veteran rock acts “was kind of tapering off.”

“[W]e knew that we needed some kind of a better reason for people to come out and see classic rock,” Doughty points out. “So we just started this thing of, you know, let’s put two or three headline bands on the same show and that’ll get people out of their houses.”

Doughty says REO has never done a full tour with Loverboy before, while noting that the Canadian group is “another one of those bands that as soon as you start working with them, you’re immediately good friends.”

He adds, “[Lead singer] Mike Reno is a force of nature. He’s just such a lovable guy. So they’re gonna be a really good addition to the Styx and REO [tour].”

As for what fans can expect from REO Speedwagon’s set on the trek, Doughty explains, “We know we’re working for the audience, literally, so we’ve got to play the biggest hits and, of course…[when we do,] it goes through the roof.”

Neal says that beyond REO’s hit power ballads, like “Can’t Fight This Feeling” and “Keep On Loving You,’ “a lot of our live show goes back to the stuff we were doing in the ’70s, [such as] ‘Roll with the Changes’ and ‘Ridin’ the Storm Out.'”

Check out the full tour schedule at REOSpeedwagon.com and StyxWorld.com.

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Ronnie Hawkins, the Arkansas-born rockabilly singer who helped mentor the mostly Canadian rock group that became The Band, died Sunday at age 87 after a long illness, his wife confirmed to The Canadian Press.

During the 1950s, Hawkins began performing in local Arkansas clubs with his own bands. In the late ’50s, Hawkins formed the band Ronnie Hawkins and the Hawks and soon recruited a local musician named Levon Helm to play drums.

The band relocated to Canada, and established themselves as one of the most popular rock groups in Toronto, with Hawkins gaining a reputation for his dynamic stage presence. Over the next few years, The Hawks underwent several lineups changes that eventually saw Canadian guitarist Robbie Robertson, bassist Rick Danko, pianist Richard Manual and organ player/saxophonist Garth Hudson playing alongside Hawkins and Helm.

In 1963, The Hawks split from Hawkins. Bob Dylan hired them as his backing band for his tours in 1965 and ’66. The group soon began writing original material and rechristened themselves The Band.

Hawkins had his greatest success as a recording artist with his 1959 solo single “Mary Lou,” which reached #26 on the Billboard pop singles chart.

In 1976, Hawkins made a memorable appearance at The Band’s famous farewell show “The Last Waltz,” as seen in the 1978 concert film of the same name.

Roberston has posted a lengthy tribute to Hawkins on his social media pages in which he credits Ronnie for helping him and other Band members launch their careers.

“My heart sank when I heard ‘The Hawk’ just flew into the sunset,” Robbie writes. “The story of The Band began with Ronnie Hawkins. He was our mentor. He taught us the rules of the road.”

Robertson adds, “He was not only a great artist, a tremendous performer and bandleader, but had a style of humor unequaled…[H]e will live in our hearts forever.”

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Peter Gabriel and former Squeeze keyboardist Jools Holland are among the announced winners for the 2022 O2 Silver Clef Awards.

The annual U.K. ceremony is presented by the charity Nordoff Robbins, which provides music therapy to those “living with life-limiting illness, disability and isolation.”

Gabriel will be honored with the top O2 Silver Clef Award, while Holland will receive the Outstanding Achievement Award.

“I’ve always believed the role of music goes way beyond entertainment, and I’m convinced that sound and light have a critical role to play in therapies and healing in the future,” Gabriel says. “It’s wonderful to see Nordoff Robbins using music to reach young people, who otherwise would feel much more isolated and vulnerable, and giving them a means of expressing their emotions.”

Holland, who probably is best known for his work as a U.K. TV host, adds, “I’m so pleased to be chosen for the…Outstanding Achievement Award. I’ve worked with all kinds of musicians in my career, and Nordoff Robbins’ trained music therapists really understand that music evokes different responses in people who may not otherwise be able to connect with the world — for many, this can simply be life changing. I’m happy to add my support to a cause close to my heart.”

Also among the honorees are pop-rock legend Frankie Valli and contemporary rocker Yungblud, who will receive the Icon Award and the Best Live Act Award, respectively.

The 2022 O2 Silver Clef Awards will take place July 1. For more info, visit Nordoff-Robbins.org.uk.

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Toast, an album that Neil Young recorded with Crazy Horse in 2001 but then shelved, finally will be released on July 8.

The seven-track collection, which was recorded at Toast Studios in San Francisco, includes three songs that have never been released before. The album can be pre-ordered now and will be available on CD, as a two-LP vinyl set and via digital formats.

Those who purchase Toast on CD and vinyl at Young’s Greedy Hand Store will receive a high-res digital download from Neil’s Xstream Store at his Neil Young Archives website.

One of the tracks, “Standing in the Light of Love,” has been issued as an advance digital single.

Young shared some details about Toast in a message published in on Neil Young Archives in 2021 and reposted today.

“Toast is an album that stands on its own in my collection, unlike any other,” Young wrote. “The songs of Toast were so sad at the time that I couldn’t put it out. I just skipped it and went on to do another album in its place.”

He continued, “The music of Toast is about a relationship. There is a time in many relationships that go bad, a time long before the breakup, where it dawns on one of the people, maybe both, that it’s over. This was that time.”

Neil also praised Crazy Horse’s performance on the tracks, writing that the band “shows a depth never seen or heard before on any other Horse recording.” He added, “For the greatest group I have ever met — Crazy Horse — this is a pinnacle. Where they let me go, where they took me, was unbelievable. I couldn’t stay.”

Here’s Toast‘s full track list:

“Quit”
“Standing in the Light of Love”
“Goin’ Home”
“Timberline”
“Gateway of Love”
“How Ya Doin’?”
“Boom Boom Boom”

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After a two-year layoff because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Ringo Starr and his All Starr Band launch a new North American tour tonight at Casino Rama in Rama, Canada.

The two-part trek’s first leg runs through a June 26 concert in Clearwater Florida, while the second leg begins on September 23 in Bridgeport, Connecticut, and winds down October 20 in Mexico City.

The former Beatles drummer and his star-studded group celebrated the tour’s impending launch at a press event on Thursday at Casino Rama.

Reflecting on his long hiatus from playing shows, Starr said, “Two-and-a-half years has been really difficult. I love to play, as you can tell. I put the All Starrs together 32 years ago and, you know, I was in a couple of bands before that, and…for me that’s what it’s all about, is playing and having an audience.”

He continued, “You know, I’ve missed four tours, and I’ve really missed these guys. I love to play live, and I love to play with great musicians. And I got a crowd of them right here…with me.”

The All Starr Band also currently features Toto guitarist Steve Lukather, Men at Work frontman Colin Hay, Average White Band bassist Hamish Stuart, Toto multi-instrumentalist Warren Ham, acclaimed session drummer Gregg Bissonette and the group’s most recent addition, Edgar Winter. Winter, who previously played with the All Starrs from 2006 to 2011, rejoined the group earlier this year.

Ringo, who turns 82 on July 7, noted during the press conference that he has no plans to stop performing.

“I’m a musician. I don’t have to retire,” he declared. “[A]s long as I can pick up those sticks, I got a gig.”

Check out the band’s full scheduled at RingoStarr.com.

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Journey is set to release its first studio album in 11 years in July, but in advance of that record, the band’s longtime keyboardist and songwriter Jonathan Cain has delivered his latest faith-based solo effort, Arise.

The 11-collection is the sixth full-length spiritual-themed project that Cain has released since 2016. The album, which combines brand-new tunes with songs that appeared on Jonathan’s 2021 EP Oh Lord Lead Us, is available now as a digital download and via streaming services.

Cain says the songs on Arise encourages Christians to be more fervent in their faith.

“Like faith in action, the music of Arise moves to the spirit of revival,” says Jonathan, who leads worship gatherings at City of Destiny Church in Apopka, Florida, where his wife, Paula White-Cain, is senior pastor. “God is making his presence felt here on earth, and it’s up to us to wake up, to feel it, feel the revival and just dig in.”

He adds, “I hope that this music stirs up and awakens people in a way that they can become a part of what God is doing.”

As previously reported, Journey will release its new album, Freedom, on July 8. The Rock & Roll Hall of Famers recently announced a series of four special symphonic concerts that month in Las Vegas — on July 15, 16, 22 and 23 — and the band now has started lining up a variety of other shows around the U.S.

The other concerts on their itinerary are scheduled for July 20 in Paso Robles, California; July 27 in Albuquerque, New Mexico; July 29 in Las Cruces, New Mexico; July 30 in Lubbock, Texas; August 5 in Mount Pleasant, Michigan; August 6 in Canton, Ohio; and August 8 in Canandaigua, New York.

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Flea is officially part of the Star Wars universe.

The Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist has a role in the new Obi-Wan Kenobi miniseries, which just premiered Friday morning on Disney+. He plays a bounty hunter who’s hired to kidnap child Princess Leia in an attempt to lure Kenobi out of hiding after he survived the infamous Order 66, which called for the execution of all Jedi.

The role is especially fitting for Flea since the 1999 Red Hot Chili Peppers song “Californication” includes the lyric “Alderaan’s not far away,” a reference to Leia’s home planet.

Flea’s previous acting credits include parts in The Big Lebowski, Baby Driver and the second and third Back to the Future movies.

In addition to his journey to a galaxy far, far away, Flea is preparing to rock our galaxy when Red Hot Chili Peppers launch their world tour in June. The group will be supporting their new album, Unlimited Love, which was released in April.

Disney is the parent company of ABC News.

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