Foo Fighters will be performing at the 2023 Boston Calling Festival lineup. Other headliners include Queens of the Stone Age, Paramore, The Lumineers and Alanis Morissette.
The lineup for the festival -- which is set for Memorial Day weekend, includes 50 bands for the entire weekend.
Motley Crue and touring mates Def Leppard have just announced an "intimate" March 12th gig at Hollywood Florida's Hard Rock Live. Blabbermouth reported tickets go on sale this Friday, January 13th local time via Ticketmaster. Prior to launching their 28-date South American and European trek dubbed the "World Tour," the bands are also playing a few Stateside warm-up gigs at Atlantic City's Rock Live at Etess Arena
The new tour, which kicks off in February and wraps in July, will hit Mexico, Columbia, Peru, Chile, Brazil, England, Germany, Hungary, Czech Republic, Poland, Sweden, Finland, Norway, Denmark, Belgium, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Italy, Switzerland, and Ireland.
Alice Cooper has signed on as the opening act for Motley Crue and Def Leppard's upcoming string of U.S. stadium shows. The August dates will hit Syracuse, New York; Columbus, Ohio; Fargo, North Dakota; Omaha, Nebraska; Tulsa, Oklahoma; and El Paso, Texas.
Guitarist Phil Collen told us Def Leppard is always aiming to introduce their catalogue to newer fans while on tour: "People go, 'Oh, are you promotin' any album?' And it's, like, 'Yeah, all of 'em.' We've got, like, 12 studio albums, or something, that we're actually gonna be out there promoting. That's really cool. That's totally exciting that we can finally bring that to people in a different format. We're changing up, obviously, some of the songs are gonna be different and the look of the stage and everything."
UPDATED: Motley Crue, Def Leppard and Alice Cooper North American tour dates (subject to change):
February 10, 11 - Atlantic City, NJ - Rock Live at Etess Arena (Motley Crue and Def Leppard only)
March 12 - Hollywood, FL - Hard Rock Live (Motley Crue and Def Leppard only)
August 5 - Syracuse, NY - JMA Wireless Dome
August 8 - Columbus, OH - Ohio Stadium
August 11 - Fargo, ND - Fargodome
August 13 - Omaha, NE - Charles Schwab Field Omaha
August 16 - Tulsa, OK - H.A. Chapman Stadium
August 18 - El Paso, TX - Sun Bowl Stadium
U2 has announced a surprise new album, titled Songs Of Surrender, which re-imagines 40 songs from across the band's catalogue. The new set, which drops on St. Patrick's Day -- March 17th -- is a companion piece to frontman Bono's memoir Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story. Although the band posted a teaser via YouTube, no tracklist has been announced, but it's generally assumed to follow the trajectory of Bono's book.
Rolling Stone reported: "Some select U2 fans have started receiving handwritten letters from the band that offer a bit more insight into Songs Of Surrender. One letter, signed by The Edge and shared on the fan account, U2Songs, reads in part: 'The fact is that most of our work was written and recorded when we were a bunch of very young men. Those songs mean something quite different to us now. Some have grown with us. Some we have outgrown, but we have not lost sight of what propelled us to write those songs in the first place.'"
Bono has always had a higher profile than his bandmates, and The Edge told us that the other members of the band are comfortable with the role their singer plays outside the group: "We certainly debate. Certainly early on we did a lot more because I felt personally that there was a risk of things being misinterpreted or his intentions being called into question. But I think at this point in time, y'know, it's so well established what he's up to and what his agenda is. I don't think there's much chance of people misinterpreting or, y'know, getting confused or let down."
Robert Plant credits Phil Collins for easing him into his solo career. 30 years after his second solo set, The Principle Of Moments, Plant looked band on his celebrated second act recalling to Vulture where he was at following the 1980 death of his Led Zeppelin bandmate, John Bonham: "After John passed away and there was no Led Zeppelin, there had to be a way to go. I floundered around a lot because until I was 32, I was in some kind of wild and absurd adventure. I went through all that stuff. I'll write with other people. It's a very intimate thing to do. It's hard for anybody to expose themselves musically. Other people with me, and me with other people. I have a lot of songs under my belt, which I co-wrote with the members of Zeppelin. It was a lot to live up to. I had a lot of people who gave me support and strength around that time, so I suppose the first two albums were driven by great friends."
Plant went on to recall, "Phil Collins especially was a driving force and had positive energy with the first record, Pictures At Eleven. . . With Phil, it wasn't so much advice as encouragement and consideration. He was taking no prisoners. He would only allow himself a short amount of time to come to the studio in Wales and make it work. Nobody was hiding behind the performance. Then he came on tour with me and basically said, 'Robert, the guy that sat behind you for all those years was my hero.' That was it. He said, 'Anything I can do to help you to get back into fighting shape again, I'm here.' That was at the time when 'In The Air Tonight' came out. Yet he was still mixing and working with me while kicking off a particularly impressive and successful time."
Robert Plant remembered Phil Collins' work ethic and belief in his new material was unyielding: "I mean, he was there and he used to come down to Rockfield (Studios), where we (used to) record and he'd say: ‘I've got four days, okay? Let's go do the whole album' -- I said, ‘done.' And we'd just work it and work it and work it. And he was, he had this funny look on his -- his eyebrow used to go up in the air. He put his drumsticks under his arm and a towel around his neck, and he'd listen to the playback and he'd go: ‘Bass drum's too fast. Let's do it again. Gotta get it right, we've got to get it right.' So we got it right and in doing so, I started dragging myself out of the shadows bit by bit. And we did great stuff and Phil toured with us for a couple of tours and we had a great time."
Black Stone Cherry is set to release a new single "Out Of Pocket" on Thursday (January 12th). According to Blabbermouth, the band said, "Words can't explain how stoked we are to finally announce this. We're even more stoked for y'all to hear it."
The band started working on their upcoming album last summer.
Black Stone Cherry's last album The Human Condition was released in the Fall of 2020.
Lady Gaga and Sully Erna were once an item.
Godsmack drummer Shannon Larkin told the 2020'd podcast, "Yea, that's true. And that's not, I don't think, a secret. I don't think Sully would bum out if people knew he dated Lady Gaga. I mean, she's hot, and she's mega talented."
According to Larkin, "It was a brief thing," and Erna only told his friends and the band because he's not "flashy" like Tommy Lee or Travis Barker. He's an "and East Coast guy."
Ozzy Osbourne admitted he's nervous for his family's big to return to TV. Following the massive success 20 years ago of the MTV hit The Osbournes, the clan will be featured once again in the upcoming ten-part 30-minute BBC reality series, Home To Roost, which focuses on the family's move back to Britain. The new series will also air on BBC One and iPlayer.
During a chat with The Mirror, Ozzy said, "I don't know how The Kardashians have done it for so long -- it sent us crazy at the end.I am not sorry I did it, but after three or four years I said, 'Do you know what, we're going to lose somebody because it is getting too crazy.' There is rock n' roll fame, which is pretty intense, but that Osbourne level was just unbelievable. The kids paid for it. They all ended up doing drugs. Jack got clean and sober on that show, Kelly messed up on that show, I was messed up and Sharon got cancer."
On his SiriusXM show Ozzy went on to say, "I always wanted to know what it would have been like when Beatlemania was around. I had that with The Osbournes, let me tell you. I remember going into McDonald's for a pee. When I came out of the bathroom the whole restaurant was outside screaming at me."
Ozzy told us a while back that he has never felt comfortable seeing himself on television: "I gotta be honest, I'm not really keen on TV. I mean, I must have watched, like, two episodes of The Osbournes. I just don't like watching myself on TV, I feel geeky."
The Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Smashing Pumpkins and more are set to perform at the 2023 BottleRock festival. According to The PRP, other performers include Post Malone, Lizzo, Duran Duran, Lil Nas X and The Smashing Pumpkins. The event will take place on May 26th-28th in Napa Valley, CA.
Cage The Elephant's Matt Shultz was arrested on Thursday night (January 5th) for gun possession. According to Consequence, Shultz posted "$10,000 bail and awaits a February hearing in New York City."
According to Deadline, the two firearms were found in Shultz's Lower Manhattan hotel, reporting that cops were called when someone saw him take a gun from his pocket. Shultz "appeared to intoxicated." Meanwhile, Consequence reported that the person that allegedly say Shultz carrying a handgun "into a ground floor public bathroom" was "an employee at the Bowery Hotel."
When questioned by the NYPD, Shultz "admitted that he owned two .45 caliber guns, a Sig Sauer and a Smith & Wesson, though at the time he reportedly claimed to not remember if they were still in the hotel." Upon receiving a search warrant from a judge, police indeed found the two unlicensed and loaded weapons in his hotel room.
Metallica has brought back its archival online streaming service. The band has begun running rare performances from its "Black Album" era via nugs.net. Metallica sent an email to fans announcing the revamped series, writing, "With help from the archivists at The Metallica Black Box, our friends at nugs.net are bringing back the 'Wherever We May Roam' livestream series from a year ago."
Loudwire reported, "The series will feature 10 concerts that span 1991-1993; a 'new' concert will debut every Monday and Sunday for five weeks."
According to the announcement: "If you remember these shows, you know they aren't the polished productions you'll find today. This standard definition footage comes from Betacam tapes with the occasional camera dropout, and the audio is straight from the soundboard. But these shows aren't just a time capsule from the '90s anymore; they've gotten some modern upgrades, including a new, extended edit and mastered audio by Reuben Cohen at Lurssen Mastering."
"The Black Album" was Metallica's biggest commercial breakthrough, producing five singles and making them one of the most popular rock bands in the world. Former-bassist Jason Newsted told us that at the time, Metallica was eager to make a big leap forward: "Everybody was ready. We pulled in somebody that could control us for a second and harness us for a second. That transpired. Everybody put their nose to the stone and worked hard, like Metallica always did, and then we got the fruits from it. Years later, it's still, well, maybe is the biggest selling album in America for, I don't know, for a long time."
Radiohead revealed that they are going to "get together" in early 2023. Phil Selway told Spin, "We're going to get together at the start of 2023, and I'm sure we're going to start looking at other ideas for what comes next. ‘Hail To The Thief' — it's a long time since that record, isn't it?"
The band's last studio album came in 2016 with ‘A Moon Shaped Pool', and their last tour was in 2018.
Billie Eilish posted her stripped down version of Ben Folds' song, "Still."
The intimate, self-shot video shows her sitting at a piano in a room lit only by the white lights of a Christmas tree in the background.
She delivered a very delicate version of the 2006 song. It was part of the soundtrack for the animated film Over The Hedge.
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Chino Moreno has revealed which track he thinks serves as the best introduction to Deftones. According to Revolver, he opted for "Digital Bath" off of their 2000 album White Pony.
He said, "‘Digital Bath‘ is probably one of my favorite songs that I've written. Really simple but, I don't know, I think it's really effective. I like the lyrics. I like the fact that it was just born out of basically two notes and a drumbeat. Things that kind of happen quick and organically, those tend to be some of my favorite songs that I've been a part of. Things that are made and they're not so thought-out, they're just kind of a reaction."
Alien Ant Farm singer Dryden Mitchell has been charged with battery for touching his crotch with fan's hand. According to The Daily Mail, the alleged incident happened while the band was performing their hit cover of "Smooth Criminal" in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Although the incident happened months ago, charges were filed on December 30th.
It was reported that Mitchell grabbed the hand of a 45-year-old male fan and placed it onto his crotch while performing. The fan pulled his hand away.
A police report obtained by Rolling Stone read, "The lead singer of the Alien Ant Farm band, Dryden Mitchell, was on the stage in front of victim stated he had his fist in the air and was trying to get a picture with Mitchell. Victim advised that Mitchell grabbed his fist while it was in the air, and pulled the fist into his private area (genital area) against his pants. Victim stated he immediately pulled his hand away at that point."
Sunday -- January 8th -- marks what would've been David Bowie's 76th birthday. Bowie died on January 10th, 2016 -- just two days after his 69th birthday. His death followed a private 18-month battle with cancer, and according to reports from insiders in the Bowie camp, the music legend died from liver cancer, after suffering from a handful heart attacks in recent years. Bowie was survived by his wife of 23 years, supermodel Iman, his son, movie director Duncan Jones, and his daughter with Iman, Alexandria.
Out now is the critically acclaimed Brett Morgen-directed Bowie documentary, Moonage Daydream. Morgen, who's best known for such films of The Kid Stays In The Picture, Cobain: Montage Of Heck, and Jane, was quoted by Rolling Stone as saying, "You know, there might be a few things in Moonage Daydream that the estate isn't happy to have in there. But they gave me final cut, and never told me I had to include this song or that, or make any changes. Right from the start, it was: This isn't David's film. He's not going to see it. This is David Bowie by Brett Morgen. Make it yours."
Recently released is the new book, Bowie 75, which examines the rock legend's life and career through 75 distinct images. The 208-page book is priced at $75. According to the announcement, "Author Martin Popoff guides your through all of Bowie's 27 studio albums, various singles, working with artists like Iggy Pop, Lou Reed, Tina Turner, and Queen; collaborations with legendary guitarists, Mick Ronson, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Nile Rodgers and Earl Slick. Plus, film and television roles, live performances and more."
Long-time fan, and Def Leppard frontman Joe Elliott told us David Bowie's 1980 Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps) album inspired most of the music that came out of Britain throughout the remainder of the decade: "When you take the Scary Monsters period, which was probably Bowie's' last big artistic statement, because with Let's Dance, I think it just became a commercial -- I wouldn't say 'sell out' -- but it was a commercial success he never achieved in the past. But it was more based on 'normal'; all of a sudden, Bowie's wearing a tie and a suit and bleachin' his hair blonde and having it short. But Scary Monsters, with things like 'Ashes To Ashes' -- you can see where Duran Duran got a lot of their stuff from, and even Spandau Ballet, who would come later on."
In 1983, David Bowie shed light on how and why the character of "Ziggy Stardust" came to exist: "I think I was quite happy to buy into the idea of reinvention, up until the beginning of the '80s, really. When I was a teenager, I had it in my mind that I would be a creator of musicals -- I sincerely wanted to write musicals for the West End and for Broadway, whatever. I didn't see much further than that -- as a writer. And I really had the idea in my head that people would do my songs. And I was not a natural performer; I didn't feel at ease onstage -- ever. And I had created this one character -- 'Ziggy Stardust' -- that it seemed that I would be the one who played him, because nobody else was doing my songs and the chance of my getting a musical mounted were very slim, and so, I became 'Ziggy Stardust' for that period." (40 OC: . . . for that period)
David Bowie explained that his late-1970's work with producer Brian Eno forever shaped the way he thought about songs and music: "The whole idea of using a recording studio as an instrument, of not necessarily thinking that you have to be prepared totally before you go in; that accidents will happen and sometimes planned accidents work our really well. If there's a bad note, you can layer that note several times with other instruments and suddenly that bad note sounds like an extraordinary piece of arrangement."
Although David Bowie will always be best remembered for pushing the creative envelope, until the end he tried to bear witness and give a voice to the plight of the world he saw around him: "Some kind of statement or indictment of an uncaring society, or particularly the response to what's happening in terms of the homeless, people who are totally uncared for in terms of education or being fed properly, or housed properly. There's such a diversity of political stance, where the high powered authority seem to be far more concerned with their relations with Russia or the Middle East and the whole idea of what's happening at home, on the streets with the indigenous people seems to be swept under the carpet."
Only days before his death in 1980, John Lennon looked back fondly on his brief -- but powerful -- 1975 collaboration with David Bowie, which resulted in Bowie's first U.S. chart-topper, "Fame" "Bowie was around and we were talkin' and that -- he'd say, 'Come down,' and I found myself doin' that. So, he's fiddlin' round, he writes 'em in the studio. Y'know, he goes in with about four words and a few guys and stars layin' down this stuff. And he has virtually nothing -- he's makin' it up in the studio. So, I just contributed whatever I contributed, y'know? Like, backwards piano and (sings) 'oooh,' and a couple of things -- repeat of 'Fame.' And then we needed a middle-eight, so we took some Stevie Wonder middle-eight and did it backwards (laughs), y'know -- we made a record out of it, right? So, he got his first Number One -- so I felt that was, like, a karmic thing, y'know, with me and Elton (John) I got my first Number One (with 'Whatever Gets You Through The Night') and I passed it on to Bowie and he got his first Number One -- and I like that track, y'know?"
In 2003, Bowie spoke about mortality during a rare TV appearance on Britain's Parkinson talk show: (David Bowie): "I had this poetic, romantic, kind of juvenile idea that I would be dead by 30. 'Cause that's -- all artists think: 'I'll be dead by 30! Y'know, I'm going to get TB and die.' (Laughs) But you don't, y'know, you get past it and then suddenly, you're 30 and you're 40 and then you're 50 and 57, and then all that. And it's a new land, y'know?" (Parkinson): 'Sure." (Bowie): "I'm a pioneer -- me and my kind are just sort of scraping the edge of what this think is about, being a rock and roller at the age of 57. But my revenge is all these bands that are below us, they've got to do this -- so, they kind of say: 'Yeah, they're like, really old' -- but secretly they're thinking, 'I better watch how he does it, 'cause I'm gonna get there soon (laughter).'"
Billie Eilish told Vogue magazine that she developed body positivity after being in a dark place while in her teens. She said at the time, she hated herself and the development of her body.
She talked about a Face Time conversation with a male friend, while wearing a tank top. He told her to put a shirt on! And she responded loudly to him. She explained that "Someone with smaller boobs could wear a tank top." Calling it stupid that she could wear the exact same thing and get "slut-shamed" because of it.
Now that she's 21 years old, Eilish says she embraces her curves.
Her interview appeared as Vogue's first-ever video cover.
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Sharon Osbourne has confirmed that her and Ozzy Osbourne's daughter Kelly Osbourne has welcomed her first child with boyfriend Sid Wilson. Osbourne gave birth to a baby boy named Sidney.
According to E! News, Osbourne said, "They're just so, so great. So great." Sharon added, "She won't let a picture go out of him. No, and I'm so proud of her."
Marilyn Manson accuser Ashley Morgan Smithline's case has been dismissed. According to Page Six, a California judge tossed out Smithline's sexual abuse lawsuit after she was advised to find new legal representation. After she failed to find new representation or represent herself, her case was thrown out.
The lawsuit was dismissed without prejudice, meaning she can refile the same claim at a later time if she wishes to do so.
Smithline accused Manson of raping and abusing her during their two year on and off relationship.
During a look back at Rush's 1981 breakthrough album, Moving Pictures, surviving members Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson discussed the album's breakout classic -- "Tom Sawyer."
Geddy Lee told Classic Rock, "I mean, when we were working on 'Tom Sawyer,' actually for the longest time it was the worst song on the record. We had more trouble with that song than almost any other song. I had real doubt about whether the song was working at all. I remember when we came to do the solo, and we're having a lot of trouble getting a sound that (to Alex Lifeson) you were happy with. All of a sudden, (album engineer) Paul Northfield kind of jumped into action and came up with this idea of mic-ing the stereo speakers and doing your solo in a stereo spread. Then it gave it that kind of tubular sound. And then it finally came to life."
He went on to recall, "But when we finished and were even mixing the song, we'd had problems with the computer that was running the mix, so we all had our hands on different parts of the console, operating it manually because we didn't trust the f***ing thing. . . Then when we heard it back in full, it was like: 'Holy f***!' when those bass pedals came in. It was like: ‘Okay, this works.' But up until that point there was a lot of doubt about that song."
Alex Lifeson went on to say "It went from being this immovable thing to being the obvious candidate to open the record -- that opening and then Neil (Peart's) drums. But I do remember it being a real relief to tick off the chalkboard."
Geddy Lee explained: "We always had a chalkboard. We'd put the songs up and the parts left to record, and would check them off as we worked."
1981's Moving Pictures remains Rush's biggest album to date, while "Tom Sawyer" remains their best-known song. Alex Lifeson recalled for us the impact the record had on the Canadian band's career at the time: "That took us up to the next level. After the release of that album, we were headlining everywhere we were going, and, y'know, our audiences increased by a large percentage. And it just gave us that much of a push forward into what was coming."
Not too long ago, Rush's late, great drummer and lyricist Neil Peart spoke with George Stroumboulopoulos and shed light on the importance of the Moving Pictures sessions: "We had been together for six years and had had enough success that the industry wasn't leaning on us anymore about what we were going to do. And there was a real maturity (and) coming of age for us as a band, because we had been doing so much experimenting of all kinds as individual instrumentalists and as a group of instrumentalists. . . There was nothing self-indulgent, or so-called pretentiousness about it. It was true boyish enthusiasm that was involved in creating all those things."
Iggy Pop wants fans to be sure that his new album, Every Loser, which drops tomorrow (January 6th) will not be taking any out of the blue left-turns for listeners.
The new set is produced by Andrew Watt and geatures contributions from Guns N' Roses bassist Duff McKagan and Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith.
Every Loser marks the Stooges frontman's 20th solo set and he told us once you hear it -- you'll know it's Iggy Pop: "One clue about my (laughs) that gives away that it might be me is they're all in one way or another, kind of rough sounding. They never get totally polished. Maybe Lust For Life, maybe a couple of things on Brick By Brick -- and there are some smoother tracks on this one. But, I think something about my influence(s) -- I like Link Wray better than Yngwie Malmsteen."
Phoebe Bridgers is mourning the death of her father. The Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter made the announcement online. She shared a throwback photo of them listening to music on the same pair of headphones.
She wrote online: "Rest in peace dad." No other information was provided about his death.
She wrote her song "Kyoto" about him and more specifically about "not being angry with him anymore." In an interview with NPR a couple of years ago, she talked about it and said writing it was a good way to address their "difficult relationship."
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Chris Jericho has donated $10,000 to Buffalo Bills football player Damar Hamlin's charity after the athlete was hospitalized on Monday night (January 2nd). As previously reported, 24-year old Hamlin collapsed on the field after suffering cardiac arrest during the game against the Cincinanati Bengals in Ohio.
Hamlin's heartbeat was restored after medical professionals performed CPR on him for nine minutes, and he was taken to the hospital. His marketing rep, Jordan Rooney, tweeted that his vitals were back to normal a few hours after the incident occurred, but he's currently still sedated and in critical condition.
During an interview with the Battleline podcast, John Dolmayan says that System Of a Down should have replaced Serj Tankian in 2006. He explained, "Serj hasn't really wanted to be in the band for a long time." He continued, "Quite frankly, we probably should have parted ways with him around 2006. I think we should have moved on, and if Serj didn't wanna be in the band at that time, we should have just moved on and done it with somebody else."
He added, "But that's what happens when you're loyal and you really want to make it work. You'll put up with things that may be detrimental to the health of the band. Maybe it would have been better if we moved on and got another singer for an album or two and continued to make music, then brought Serj back later if he wanted to come back. That probably would have been better. But as it is, I think we wasted 15, maybe 20 years of our lives waiting."
