Saturday, December 31, 2016

Tool Reportedly Headlining Governors Ball 2017 (jambands.com)



The first act set to play next year’s Governors Ball in New York City is reportedly rock icons Tool, as Consequence of Sound announced earlier this week that they learned of the band’s headlining plans...

Read more @ jambands,com: http://www.jambands.com/news/2016/12/20/tool-reportedly-headlining-governors-ball-2017/#ixzz4TQDL2s00

Friday, December 30, 2016

How 100 of Rock's Biggest Bands Got Their Names (UCR)



Certain trends emerge as you explore how rock’s 100 biggest bands got their names. They are often forced into taking the moniker that stuck, for instance, simply because somebody else had already claimed their earlier attempt at a fame-clinching title.

Read More @ Ultimate Classic Rock: How 100 of Rock's Biggest Bands Got Their Names 

Thursday, December 29, 2016

Summer Camp Lineup Announced (jambands.com)



Trey Anastasio Band, Primus, Run The Jewels, Mike Gordon and The Claypool Lennon Delirium are among the first round of artists confirmed for the 2017 Summer Camp Music Festival. Though the annual Midwest jamband summit almost moved locations, Summer Camp’s promoters have confirmed that the event will return to Chillicothe, IL’s Three Sisters Park from May 26-28.

Read more @ jambands.com: http://www.jambands.com/news/2016/12/23/trey-anastasio-band-primus-mike-gordon-run-the-jewels-the-claypool-lennon-delirium-and-more-to-join-moe-and-umphrey-s-mcgee-at-summer-camp/#ixzz4TwlpGPWF

Wednesday, December 28, 2016

U2 Reportedly Headlining Bonnaroo on 30th Anniversary Tour of ‘The Joshua Tree’



2017 will mark the 30th anniversary of U2’s landmark album The Joshua Tree and sources tell Billboard that the band will embark on a massive tour for the record that will include a headlining performance at Bonnaroo. This would mark their first appearance at the Manchester, TN festival.

Read more @ jambands.com: http://www.jambands.com/news/2016/12/26/u2-reportedly-headlining-bonnaroo-on-30th-anniversary-tour-of-the-joshua-tree/#ixzz4U1rdk5M5

Tuesday, December 27, 2016

George Michael: 20 Essential Songs (Rolling Stone)



Following his early-Eighties breakthrough with Wham!, George Michael swiftly transitioned from teenage pretty boy to outspoken pop force. "I think it says something for the power of the music," he told Rolling Stone after the release of his smash 1987 solo debut, Faith, "that I've managed to change the perception of what I do to the degree that I have in this short a time. 

Here are 20 of the Michael's best, from Wham!'s breakthrough up through his final U.S. hit.

Read more @ Rolling Stone 

Monday, December 26, 2016

R.I.P. George Michael



Andrew Ridgeley and Sir Elton John have led tributes to pop superstar George Michael, who has died at his home in Oxfordshire aged 53.

Michael’s former Wham! bandmate wrote on Twitter that he was “heartbroken by the loss of my friend” who would be “4ever loved”. John, another friend and collaborator, wrote on Instagram of his “deep shock” at the loss of “the kindest, most generous soul and a brilliant artist”.

Read more @ The Guardian

Sunday, December 25, 2016

On the turntable this Christmas Sunday...A Charlie Brown Chistmas



A Charlie Brown Christmas is a 1965 studio album by American composer/conductor Vince Guaraldi (later credited to the jazz group the Vince Guaraldi Trio). The album was released in December 1965 in the United States by Fantasy Records. It is the soundtrack to the CBS Christmas television special of the same name. Guaraldi was contacted by television producer Lee Mendelson several years prior to compose music for a documentary on the comic strip Peanuts and its creator, Charles M. Schulz. Although the special went unaired, these selections were released in 1964 as Jazz Impressions of "A Boy Named Charlie Brown". Coca-Cola commissioned a Christmas special based on Peanuts in 1965 and Guaraldi returned to score the special.

A Charlie Brown Christmas features several originals ("Christmas Time Is Here", "Linus and Lucy") as well as covers of well-known Christmas songs ("The Christmas Song", "O Tannenbaum"). The score for the special was largely cut at recording sessions at Glendale, California's Whitney Studio. Much of this material was re-recorded by Guaraldi at three sessions later in the year at Fantasy Recording Studios in San Francisco, alongside a choir of children culled from St. Paul's Episcopal Church in nearby San Rafael. The sessions ran late into the night, with the children rewarded with ice cream afterwards. Bassist Fred Marshall and drummer Jerry Granelli have been credited as performing on the album, although a host of musicians claim to have recorded the album.

Released a week prior to the broadcast premiere of the special, A Charlie Brown Christmas sold well, and became increasingly famous in the ensuing decades. It is among the most popular Christmas albums in the United States, where it has been certified Quadruple Platinum, having shipped at least four million copies.  As of November 2014, A Charlie Brown Christmas is the tenth best-selling Christmas/holiday album in the United States during the SoundScan era of music sales tracking (March 1991 – present), having sold 3,410,000 copies according to SoundScan.

The Vince Guaraldi Trio's A Charlie Brown Christmas has been voted into the Grammy Hall of Fame and added to the Library of Congress's National Recording Registry list of "culturally, historically, or aesthetically important" sound recordings.

Saturday, December 24, 2016

Daptone Records Releases Claymation Video for Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings’ "Please Come Home for Christmas" (jambands.com)




Before soul queen Sharon Jones passed away last month after a long battle with cancer, her label, Brooklyn’s Daptone Records, made a new music video for Jones & The Dap-Kings’ “Please Come Home For Christmas” from their seasonal album It’s A Holiday Soul Party, which was released last year. Today, the video has been released, and, as the Daptone release notes, “the song‘’s heartbreaking sentiment now feels more powerful.”

Read more @ jambands.com: http://www.jambands.com/news/2016/12/20/daptone-records-releases-claymation-video-for-sharon-jones-the-dap-kings-please-come-home-for-christmas/#ixzz4TQBllTmn

Friday, December 23, 2016

2017 New Music Releases (Ultimate Classic Rock)



2017 could see the arrival of any number of albums by classic-rock legends, if the list of TBA projects comes to fruition. In the meantime, settle in for a string of confirmed album releases that span the musical spectrum.

Read More of Nick DeRiso's article @ Ultimate Classic Rock: 2017 New Music Releases 

Thursday, December 22, 2016

Phish Announce New Year’s Run Webcasts



Phish will return to New York City for their annual New Year’s Eve run next week, as the group will play Madison Square Garden on December 28–31, and the band has announced today that all four shows of the run will be webcast via LivePhish for those who can’t make it to The Garden.

Read more @ jambands.com: http://www.jambands.com/news/2016/12/19/phish-announce-new-year-s-run-webcasts/#ixzz4TQAyKinh

Monday, December 19, 2016

25 Cool and Weird Classic Rock Gifts (Ultimate Classic Rock)




Looking for new gift ideas for the classic-rock lover on your shopping list? We’ve got 25 distinctive choices for you, which, depending on your tastes, could be categorized as anything from cool to weird to flat-out strange.

Read More @ Ultimate Classic Rock: $3.99 to $120,000: 25 Cool and Weird Classic Rock Gifts 

Sunday, December 18, 2016

On the turntable this Sunday...Ram


Ram is a studio album by Paul and Linda McCartney, released in May 1971 on Apple Records. The album was recorded amid Paul McCartney's legal action in the United Kingdom's High Court to dissolve the Beatles' partnership, following their break-up the year before. This is the only album credited to the couple. He and Linda recorded it in New York with guitarists David Spinozza and Hugh McCracken, and future Wings drummer Denny Seiwell. Its release coincided with a period of bitter acrimony between McCartney and his former bandmate John Lennon, who perceived verbal slights in the lyrics to songs such as "Too Many People".

On release, the album was received negatively by most music critics, although opinion has become more favourable in subsequent decades. A commercial success nonetheless, Ram topped the national albums charts in the UK, the Netherlands and Canada. Three singles were issued from Ram: "Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey", which became McCartney's first number 1 hit in America, "The Back Seat of My Car" and "Eat at Home". The album was reissued in May 2012.

Saturday, December 17, 2016

Arcade Fire to Chronicle Reflektor Tour with Concert Film From Earl’s Court Show (jambands.com)




Arcade Fire’s massive Reflektor will be chronicled in their new Blu-Ray/DVD concert film The Reflektor Tapes due out January 27. 

Read more @ jambands.com



Friday, December 16, 2016

Thursday, December 15, 2016

Medeski, Martin & Wood to Team with Nels Cline for New Orleans Show During Jazz Fest (jambands.com)




Medeski, Martin & Wood will team up with Wilco guitarist Nels Cline in New Orleans on May 4 at the Civic Theatre for a special collaborative night of music during Jazz Fest.

Read more @ jambands.com

Wednesday, December 14, 2016

David Bowie Snubbed in Favor of Justin Bieber for Grammy Album of the Year (UCR)




The nominations for next year’s Grammy Awards have been revealed, and somehow David Bowie‘s universally praised farewell album Blackstar isn’t up for either Album of the Year or Best Rock Album.

Read More of Matthew Wilkening's article @ Ultimate Classic Rock: David Bowie Snubbed in Favor of Justin Bieber for Grammy Album of the Year 

Tuesday, December 13, 2016

Monday, December 12, 2016

Tom Petty Says His Next Tour May Be the ‘Last Big One’ (UCR)




In April 2017, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers will begin a three-month tour of the U.S. in celebration of their 40th anniversary. However, Petty believes that it could usher in a period where the band slows down.

Read More of Dave Lifton's article @ Ultimate Classic Rock: Tom Petty Says His Next Tour May Be the ‘Last Big One’ 

Sunday, December 11, 2016

On the turntable this Sunday...Rubber Soul



Rubber Soul is the sixth studio album by the English rock band the Beatles, released on 3 December 1965. It was met with a highly favorable critical response and topped record charts in the United Kingdom for several weeks, as well as in the United States, where it was issued with a different selection of tracks.

Produced by George Martin, Rubber Soul incorporates a mix of 1960s pop, soul, and folk music styles. The album's name comes from the term plastic soul, which popular African American soul musicians coined to describe Mick Jagger, a white musician singing soul music. It was the second Beatles album – after the British version of A Hard Day's Night – to contain only original material, and was recorded in just over four weeks to make the Christmas market. Unlike the five albums that preceded it, Rubber Soul was recorded during a continuous period, whereas the group had previously made their albums during breaks between tour dates and other commitments. The project marked the first time that the Beatles focused on creating an album as an artistic work, an approach that they then developed with Revolver (1966) and Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967).

Saturday, December 10, 2016

Old Crow Medicine Show Detail ‘Best Of’ Release Featuring Two Previously Unreleased Tracks (jambands.com)



Old Crow Medicine Show will release a Best Of compilation on February 10 comprised of twelve of the band’s most memorable songs from their first three albums released via Nettwerk.

Read more @ jambands.com

Friday, December 9, 2016

UCR's Top 20 Classic Rock Songs of 2016




In a singles-focused period for the music industry, our list of Top 20 Classic Rock Songs of 2016 shows how stars who rose to fame in a different era can still hold their own. Artists like David Bowie, the Rolling Stones, Paul Simon and Graham Nash helped define the days when albums were king, yet they still have the ability, all these decades later, to condense it all down into a individual moment of brilliance that leaps from our speakers.

Read More of Nick DeRiso's article @ Ultimate Classic Rock : Top 20 Classic Rock Songs of 2016 

Thursday, December 8, 2016

Wanee Reveals Initial Lineup (jambands.com)




Wanee Music Festival will return to the Spirit of the Suwannee in Live Oak, FL with a lineup headlined by Bob Weir and his Campfire Band along with Widespread Panic, Trey Anastasio Band, Gov’t Mule and many others.

Read more @ jambands.com

Tuesday, December 6, 2016

Dead & Company Set 2017 Tour Dates (jambands.com)



Dead & Company have announced their tour dates for summer 2017 with a string of shows kicking off in Las Vegas on May 27 and stretching into early July.

Read more @ jambands.com

Dead & Company Tour Dates
May 27 Las Vegas, NV – MGM Grand Arena
May 28 Phoenix, AZ – Ak-Chin Pavilion
May 31 Los Angeles, CA – Hollywood Bowl
June 3 Mountain View, CA – Shoreline Amphitheatre
June 4 Mountain View, CA – Shoreline Amphitheatre
June 7 West Valley City, UT – USANA Amphitheatre
June 9 Boulder, CO – Folsom Field
June 10 Boulder, CO – Folsom Field
June 13 Atlanta, GA – Lakewood Amphitheatre
June 15 Burgettstown, PA – KeyBank Pavilion
June 17 Boston, MA – Fenway Park
June 18 Boston, MA – Fenway Park
June 20 Saratoga Springs, NY – SPAC
June 22 Bristow, VA – Jiffy Lube Live
June 24 New York, NY – Citi Field
June 25 Camden, NJ – BB&T Pavilion
June 28 Cuyahoga Falls, OH – Blossom Music Center
June 30 Chicago, IL – Wrigley Field
July 1 Chicago, IL – Wrigley Field



Monday, December 5, 2016

Todd Nance to Make First Post-Widespread Panic Appearance with Bloodkin (jambands.com)




On December 10, Bloodkin will welcome a host of guests at their seventh annual Bloodkin & Friends event in their hometown of Athens, GA, including former Widespread Panic drummer Todd Nance.

Read more @ jambands.com  

Sunday, December 4, 2016

On the turntable this Sunday...Presence




Presence is the seventh studio album by the English rock band Led Zeppelin, released by Swan Song Records on 31 March 1976. The album was a commercial success, reaching the top of both the British and American album charts, and achieving a triple-platinum certification in the United States, despite receiving mixed reviews from critics and being the slowest-selling studio album by the band (other than the outtake album Coda).

It was written and recorded during a tumultuous time in the band's history, as singer Robert Plant was recuperating from serious injuries he had sustained the previous year in a car accident. Nevertheless, guitarist Jimmy Page describes Presence as the band's "most important" album, proving they would continue and succeed despite their turmoil.

Saturday, December 3, 2016

2016 Classic Rock Gift Guide (Ultimate Classic Rock)


Classic rock fans can be hard to shop for, mainly because there are always so many old and new releases and repackages floating around. Need proof? Just check out the enormous amount of Record Store Day Black Friday 2016 deals.


Read More of Annie Zaleski's article @ Ultimate Classic Rock : 2016 Gift Guide: 18 Festive Holiday-Themed Classic Rock Items 

Friday, December 2, 2016

Wilco Add Fourth Chicago Show and Four-Night Beacon Theatre Run (jambands.com)




Wilco will round out their early 2017 touring schedule with a fourth and final stop on their Winter Interlude at the Chicago Theatre, the finale of which will take place February 26.

Read more @ jambands.com

Thursday, December 1, 2016

Metallica Debut at No. 1...(UCR)




Metallica‘s back — and back on top of the charts, too.

Billboard reports that the band’s new Hardwired … to Self-Destruct LP is on track to sell in the neighborhood of 300,000 units — more than 280,000 of which appear to be physical sales — which puts them on course for a No. 1 debut on next week’s chart.




Read More of Jeff Giles' article @ Ultimate Classic Rock: Metallica Debut at No. 1 with 'Hardwired ... to Self-Destruct' 

Wednesday, November 30, 2016

Guns N’ Roses Hint at 2017 Tour with Teaser Video (jambands.com)




After a lengthy reunion tour that kicked off this year and spanned around the globe, Guns N’ Roses appear to be gearing up for another run of shows in 2017 with a new video suggesting “the machine is back at it.”

Read more @ jambands.com

Monday, November 28, 2016

Soundgarden Announce 25th Anniversary Reissue of Badmotorfinger (jambands.com)





Soundgarden will reissue their 1991 record Badmotorfinger to commemorate its 25th anniversary. The album will be released in four different editions including a Super Deluxe edition, which will include four-CDs, 2 DVDs and 1 Blu-Ray audio disc totaling 109 tracks.

Read more @ jambands.com

Sunday, November 27, 2016

On the turntable this Sunday...I Learned The Hard Way



I Learned the Hard Way is the fourth studio album by American soul and funk band Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, released April 6, 2010 on Daptone Records. Production for the album took place at the label's House of Soul Studios during 2009 to 2010 and was handled by Daptone co-founder Gabriel Roth, credited for the album as "Bosco Mann". The album debuted at number 15 on the US Billboard 200, selling 23,000 copies in its first week. Upon its release, I Learned the Hard Way received generally positive reviews from most music critics.

Saturday, November 26, 2016

Jim James Says Monsters of Folk Have Been Working on New Album, Film (jambands.com)




Jim James recently participated in a Reddit AMA in support of his new solo effort, Eternally Even, and the My Morning Jacket frontman discussed the supergroup he started in 2009 with Conor Oberst, M. Ward and Mike Mogis, saying that the collective have recorded music for a possible MOF film.

Read more @ jambands.com

Friday, November 25, 2016

Grateful Dead Launching 50th Anniversary Album Reissue Series Next Year (UCR)



The Grateful Dead will celebrate the 50th anniversary of their recording career next year with a new album reissue series. Appropriately, it all kicks off with a deluxe edition of their self-titled debut LP.

Read More of Micheal Gallucci's article @ Ultimate Classic Rock: Grateful Dead Launching 50th Anniversary Album Reissue Series Next Year

Thursday, November 24, 2016

Top 10 ‘Leftovers’ Albums (Ultimate Classic Rock)




The above gallery of Top 10 “Leftovers” Albums finds some of rock’s biggest acts — from Led Zeppelin to Bob Dylan to Bruce Springsteen — digging into their vaults in order to put together new records filled with songs left unfinished or unreleased from previous projects.

Read More of Bryan Wawzenek's article @ Ultimate Classic Rock: Top 10 'Leftovers' Albums

Wednesday, November 23, 2016

Watch Trey Anastasio Perform "Back on the Train" on ‘A Prairie Home Companion’ (jambands.com)




Chris Thile’s A Prairie Home Companion featured Trey Anastasio yesterday, as the Phish guitarist performed at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House in Denver, CO. 

Read more and watch clip @ jambands.com


Tuesday, November 22, 2016

December 2016 New Music Releases (Ultimate Classic Rock)



Our list of of December 2016 new music releases leans heavily on reissues, though there are a couple of notable new classic-rock albums set to arrive before the industry goes quiet for the holidays.

Read More of Nick DeRiso's article @ Ultimate Classic Rock: December 2016 New Music Releases

Monday, November 21, 2016

Foo Fighters Inch Closer to Return, Set to Headline Roskilde Festival (jambands.com)





After announcing a live hiatus, the Foo Fighters seem poised for a return in 2017 as the band will headline Roskilde Festival in Denmark, taking place in Copenhagen from June 24 to July 1. Tickets for Roskilde go on sale November 15 via the festival’s website.

Read more @ jambands.com


Sunday, November 20, 2016

On the turntable this Sunday...Carney



Carney is Leon Russell's third solo studio album, released in 1972. It peaked at number 2 on the Billboard Hot 200 and was the first for Russell to contain a hit single — "Tight Rope" b/w ""This Masquerade" — which reached number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

In his Allmusic review, critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine called "Tight Rope", the opening track, "…an excellent introduction to an off-kilter, confused, fascinating album." and said that the album "consolidates his two extremes, offering a side of fairly straightforward roots rock before delving headfirst into twisted psychedelia on the second side." Critic Robert Christgau expressed similar sentiments, writing "Not the radical falloff some report — just slippage, the first side listenable and the second flaky."

Saturday, November 19, 2016

R.I.P. Sharon Jones



Sharon Lafaye Jones, singer and bandleader of the Dap-Kings passed away last night at the age of 60 after a lengthy battle with pancreatic cancer. 

According to a report on Jones’ website, she passed away surrounded by her loved ones including her bandmates in the Dap-Kings. The family is asking that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the following organizations.

Read more @ jambands.com

Watch Metallica Play ‘Enter Sandman’ on Toy Instruments With Jimmy Fallon and the Roots (UCR)




Metallica‘s promotional blitz in support of their new Hardwired … to Self-Destruct LP arrived at The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon earlier this week, and per tradition, the group sat in with Fallon and his house band, the Roots, to perform one of their signature songs on toy classroom instruments.


Read More of Jeff Giles' article and watch the clip @ Ultimate Classic Rock: Watch Metallica Play 'Enter Sandman' on Toy Instruments With Jimmy Fallon and the Roots

Friday, November 18, 2016

Thursday, November 17, 2016

Umphrey’s McGee Detail West Coast Tour Dates (jambands.com)



Umphrey’s McGee will visit the West Coast in March beginning with two nights at The Hive in Sandpoint, ID on March 1 and 2.

Read more @ jambands.com

 Umphrey’s McGee West Coast Tour Dates:
March 1 Sandpoint, ID—The Hive
March 2 Sandpoint, ID—The Hive
March 3 Missoula, MT—The Wilma (Polecat)
March 4 Missoula, MT—The Wilma (Polecat)
March 9 Salt Lake City, UT—The Depot
March 10 Stateline, NV—Montbleu Theater (Spafford)
March 11 Oakland, CA—Fox Theater (Spafford)
March 12 San Rafael, CA—Terrapin Crossroads
March 16 Tempe, AZ—Marquee Theatre (Spafford)
March 17 Las Vegas, NV—Brooklyn Bowl (Spafford)
March 18 Los Angeles, CA—The Wiltern (Spafford)
March 19 San Diego, CA—The Observatory North Park (Spafford)

Wednesday, November 16, 2016

Tom Petty, Steve Miller and Peter Frampton Announced for 2017 Mountain Jam (UCR)




The 2017 edition of Mountain Jam will take place from June 16-18 at Hunter Mountain in Hunter, N.Y. Today, the festival announced ticket pre-sale information and the first wave of names for the weekend lineup, which includes co-headliners Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and the Steve Miller Band, along with Peter Frampton.

Read More @ Ultimate Classic Rock: Tom Petty, Steve Miller and Peter Frampton Announced for 2017 Mountain Jam 

Tuesday, November 15, 2016

Drive-By Truckers Share New Video for "Surrender Under Protest" (jambands.com)




Drive-By Truckers recently released their new album, American Band, and today the band has shared a new video for one of the album’s tracks, “Surrender Under Protest” via Pitchfork.

Read more and check out clip at jambands.com


Monday, November 14, 2016

Sunday, November 13, 2016

On the turntable this Sunday...Meddle



Meddle is the sixth studio album by English progressive rock group Pink Floyd, released on 31 October 1971 by Harvest Records. It was produced between the band's touring commitments, from January to August 1971. The album was recorded at a series of locations around London, including Abbey Road Studios and Morgan Studios.

With no material to work with and no clear idea of the album's direction, the group devised a series of novel experiments which eventually inspired the album's signature track, "Echoes". Although many of the band's later albums would be unified by a central theme with lyrics written mainly by Roger Waters, Meddle was a group effort with lyrical contributions from each member, and is considered a transitional album between the Syd Barrett-influenced group of the late 1960s and the emerging Pink Floyd. 

The cover, incorporating a close-up shot of an ear underwater was, as with several previous albums, designed by Hipgnosis, though Storm Thorgerson was unhappy with the final result.
The album was well received by music critics upon its release. However, despite being commercially successful in the United Kingdom, lackluster publicity on the part of their United States-based label led to poor sales there upon initial release.

Saturday, November 12, 2016

Leonard Cohen R.I.P. (Ultimate Classic Rock)



Leonard Cohen, one of the most acclaimed songwriters of the rock era, has died at the age of 82. The cause of death has not been given.

Read More of Dave Lifton's article @ Ultimate Classic Rock: Leonard Cohen Dies