Iron Maiden Kick Off 'Book of Souls' World Tour (UCR)

Iron Maiden started their Book of Souls world tour last week in Sunrise, Fla., and our friends at Ultimate Classic Rock have got plenty of fan-shot footage to prove it.


Read More @ Ultimate Classic Rock: Iron Maiden Kick Off ‘Book of Souls’ World Tour: Videos and Set List 

On the turntable this Sunday...Paul's Boutique

Paul's Boutique is the second studio album by the American hip hop group Beastie Boys, released on July 25, 1989, on Capitol Records. Featuring production by the Dust Brothers, the recording sessions for the album took place in Matt Dike's apartment and the Record Plant in Los Angeles from 1988 to 1989, after which the recordings underwent mixing at the Record Plant in Los Angeles. Subsequent remixes were done at the Manhattan-based Record Plant Studios. The album is noted for being almost completely composed of samples, excluding the group's vocal output.

Paul's Boutique was initially considered a commercial failure by the executives at Capitol Records, as its sales did not match that of the group's previous record, Licensed to Ill, and the label eventually decided to stop promoting the album. The album's popularity continued to grow, however, and it has since been touted as a breakthrough achievement for the Beastie Boys. Highly varied lyrically and sonically, Paul's Boutique secured the Beastie Boys' place as critical favorites in the hip-hop genre. The album's rankings near the top of many publications' "best albums" lists in disparate genres has given Paul's Boutique critical recognition as a landmark album in hip hop.

On January 27, 1999, Paul's Boutique was certified double platinum in sales by the Recording Industry Association of America. In 2003, the album was ranked number 156 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.  The album was re-released in a 20th anniversary package remastered in 24-bit audio and featuring a commentary track on January 27, 2009.

Ritchie Blackmore Claims He’s Being Barred From Deep Purple’s Rock Hall Induction (UCR)

It sounds like Deep Purple‘s long-awaited induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame will pass without an appearance from former guitarist Ritchie Blackmore — a disappointing development that Blackmore insists isn’t his doing.

Read More of Jeff Giles' article @ Ultimate Classic Rock: Ritchie Blackmore Claims He's Being Barred From Deep Purple's Rock Hall Induction 

Paul Simon Confirms Summer Tour Dates (jambands.com)

Paul Simon will return to the road this year with a slew of dates that stretch through June. The newly added dates, which include stops from coast to coast, accompany a previously announced headlining slot at this year’s Jazz Fest. 


Read more @ jambands.com

David Bowie-Approved 'Blackstar' Instagram Series Sets Premiere Date (Rolling Stone)

Prior to David Bowie's death and the arrival of his new LP ★ (pronounced Blackstar), the singer allowed the creators of InstaMiniSeries to hear his new album early in order to "create our own visual interpretations of his songs, with no limits or preconditions on his part," producers of the series announced Monday. The result, Unbound: A ★ InstaMiniSeries, premieres February 25th.

Read more of Daniel Kreps' article @ Rolling Stone: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/david-bowie-approved-blackstar-instagram-series-sets-premiere-date-20160222#ixzz40v9hv8iV

Pearl Jam Signs Deal with Universal Music Publishing Group

Pearl Jam and Universal Music Publishing Group have agreed to a deal that will give the group exclusive worldwide publishing of the band’s entire catalog, including newly written music as well as Eddie Vedder’s solo catalog, Billboard reports.

Read more @ jambands.com

Steely Dan Announce 2016 U.S. Tour (UCR)

Since reuniting in the mid-‘90s, Steely Dan have shed their stage-shy ways and become one of classic rock’s most reliable touring acts. They’ve just announced a new set of dates that will run for the better part of three months.

The Dan Who Knew Too Much tour will begin with two nights at the Capitol Theater in Port Chester, N.Y., on April 18-19. After a stop at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival on April 22, they will perform across the East Coast until April 30, when they will play the Borgata Events Center in Atlantic City.

Read More @ Ultimate Classic Rock: Steely Dan Announce 2016 U.S. Tour

Phish, My Morning Jacket and Ween to Headline Lockn' Festival (Rolling Stone)

Phish, My Morning Jacket and Ween will headline the fourth annual Lockn' Festival, scheduled for August 25th-28th in Arrington, Virginia. Phish will make their only festival appearance of 2016 with a two-night, four-set slot at the jam-centric camping event. Ween, fresh off a trio of sold-out reunion shows, will perform on two nights, including a set directly before Phish on Friday, the 26th.


Read more @ Rolling Stone: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/phish-my-morning-jacket-ween-to-headline-2016-lockn-festival-20160217#ixzz40Re0hdw8

On the turntable this Sunday...Penthouse and Pavement

Penthouse and Pavement is the debut album by the English synthpop group Heaven 17, released in 1981. "(We Don't Need This) Fascist Groove Thang" was released as a single, but did not achieve chart success partly due to a ban by the BBC. The album sold reasonably well, but was not a commercial success on release.  It has since been regarded as "an important outing",is included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, and was re-released in 2010 in a 3-disc special edition. The title-track was included on the soundtrack of the 1993 film Sliver.

Dan LeRoy in a retrospective review for AllMusic felt that the album combined electropop with good melodies, and that Glenn Gregory was able to handle the "overtly left-wing political" lyrics without sounding "pretentious". While the singles charted poorly, the album charted at No. 14 and remained in the Top 100 for 77 weeks.  It was certified gold (100,000 copies sold) by the BPI in October 1982.

The album is included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.

March 2016 New Music Releases (Ultimate Classic Rock)

March 2016’s new music releases will include a cool collaboration between familiar and newer faces on the rock scene, and an exciting live set from a legacy band in ascension again.

Iggy Pop‘s upcoming Post Pop Depression album was created with Queens of the Stone Age frontman and Eagles of Death Metal member Josh Homme, who produced the record...


Read More @ Ultimate Classic Rock: March 2016 New Music Releases

Beck, Nirvana Members Team to Cover David Bowie at Pre-Grammy Party (Rolling Stone)

Beck and the surviving members of Nirvana – drummer Dave Grohl, bassist Krist Novoselic and guitarist Pat Smear – formed a one-off supergroup Sunday night to pay tribute to David Bowie at Clive Davis' annual pre-Grammy party. With Beck on acoustic guitar and vocals, the surprise tandem were backed by a string section to perform Bowie's "The Man Who Sold the World," a song that Nirvana introduced to a new generation thanks to their rendition on MTV Unplugged.


Read more @ Rolling Stone: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/beck-nirvana-members-team-to-cover-david-bowie-at-pre-grammy-party-20160215#ixzz40FvD0r82

Bob Dylan Is Recording Another Standards Album (UCR)

If you were among those who were pleasantly surprised by Shadows in the Night, Bob Dylan‘s excursion into the Great American Songbook, you’re in luck. The legendary songwriter is working on a follow-up, according to famed recording engineer Al Schmitt.

Read More @ Ultimate Classic Rock: Bob Dylan Is Recording Another Standards Album

Wilco, The Flaming Lips, Jim James, Courtney Barnett & More Confirmed for The National’s Grateful Dead Album (jambands.com)

Though there’s still no set release date for The National’s long-awaited and increasingly legendary Grateful Dead covers record, more artists continue to be confirmed as participants in the project.

Read more @ jambands.com

Sammy Hagar on Possible Van Halen Reunion (UCR)

Sammy Hagar isn’t confirming a reunion with Van Halen; he’s not even directly addressing it. But if you’re inclined to read between the lines – and plenty of fans are – there may just be something worth noting in his latest thoughts on the possibility of a call from Eddie Van Halen: After all, he discusses it in terms of “when,” before correcting himself.


Read More @ Ultimate Classic Rock: Sammy Hagar on Possible Van Halen Reunion: 'We'll See What Happens' 

Ray LaMontagne to Release New Album, Tour with Members of My Morning Jacket (jambands.com)

Ray LaMontagne will release Ouroboros on March 4, marking his follow-up to 2014’s Supernova. The album, co-produced by My Morning Jacket’s Jim James, will be supported by a tour with members of James’ band including bassist Tom Blankenship, guitarist Carl Broemel, drummer Patrick Hallahan and keyboardist Bo Koster.

Read more @ jambands.com 

On the turntable this Sunday...Music Complete

Music Complete is the tenth studio album by English rock band New Order. It was released on 25 September 2015 by Mute Records, their first album on the label. The album features guest vocals from Elly Jackson of La Roux, Iggy Pop and Brandon Flowers.

During the summer of 2014, New Order promoted the album through online media, at Lollapalooza Chile with two songs, "Singularity" and "Plastic", and 30-second snippets released directly onto their official YouTube account. It was announced that Gillian Gilbert was returning to the band, but with Tom Chapman taking Peter Hook's place as bassist. Two singles were released from the album directly: "Restless" as the album's lead single on 29 July, and "Tutti Frutti" on 19 October 2015. A third single, the track "Singularity", has a planned release date of 18 March 2016.

The album itself, through general media, is more electronic than its predecessors, and their first album of new material in a decade. The cover art was designed by long-time collaborator Peter Saville, which comprises a montage of lines with four colour schemes: red, yellow, green, and blue, which varies in pattern depending on the package.

Music Complete was released on CD, both clear and black vinyl LP, and digital download on 25 September 2015, with a 8LP deluxe box set released on 20 November 2015. The album received favourable reviews, and holds a Metascore of 76 on review aggregator Metacritic. A tour in support of the album is ongoing from 4 November 2015 through 20 December 2015.

Read more @ Wikipedia

Concord Acquires R.E.M.’s Warner Bros. Albums for Future Reissues (The Second Disc)

That’s Concord Bicycle Music in the spotlight: Billboard exclusively reports that the indie label will handle distribution for R.E.M.’s bestselling Warner Bros. Records catalogue, spanning from 1988 to their 2011 dissolution.

Read more of Mike Duquette's article The Second Disc

David Bowie, Glenn Frey and the End of the Classic Rock Era (Rolling Stone)

Early this week, I interviewed J.D. Souther, who first met the Eagles' Glenn Frey in 1968 and, in addition to having his own career, co-wrote some of the band's most ubiquitous hits ("Best of My Love," "New Kid in Town") with Frey and Don Henley. Souther had just gotten off the phone with their mutual friend Linda Ronstadt, who said to Souther, "It's a different world, isn't it?" To which Souther replied, "Yes, it is."

Read David Browne's piece @ Rolling Stone: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/david-bowie-glenn-frey-and-the-end-of-the-classic-rock-era-20160122#ixzz3zbWKDOoK

Doors Survivors John Densmore and Robby Krieger to Reunite for Ray Manzarek Benefit Show (UCR)

Surviving Doors members John Densmore and Robby Krieger are coming together in concert for the first time in 15 years — and fittingly, it’s in honor of one of their former bandmates.

Read More of Jeff Giles' article @ Ultimate Classic Rock: Doors Survivors John Densmore and Robby Krieger to Reunite for Ray Manzarek Benefit Show

New Order Announce First U.S. Dates of 'Music Complete' Tour (Rolling Stone)

Dance rock icons New Order will bring their new LP Music Complete to U.S. stages this March as the band announced the first six dates of their upcoming tour, which kicks off March 10th with a performance at New York's Radio City Music Hall. Philadelphia, Chicago, Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Miami are also currently on the itinerary, with more dates promised soon. Visit Live Nation for on-sale information.

Read more of Daniel Kreps' article @ Rolling Stone: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/new-order-announce-first-u-s-dates-of-music-complete-tour-20160202#ixzz3zbUVGkYM

Dead and Company Announce 2016 U.S. Tour (Ultimate Classic Rock)

As John Mayer hinted a while back, Dead and Company will return for a series of summer dates. The group, which features three members of the Grateful Dead, has announced U.S. shows that will run in June and July.

Read More of Nick DeRiso's article @ Ultimate Classic Rock: Dead and Company Announce 2016 U.S. Tour

Austin City Limits Announces First Tapings for Season 42 (jambands.com)

The 42nd season of Austin City Limits will kick off with tapings from the likes of Iggy Pop, My Morning Jaket and Natalia Lafourcade.

Pop will make his ACL debut on March 15, shortly before his new collaboration with Queens of the Stone Age’s Josh Homme Post Pop Depression is released on March 18. 

Read more @ jambands.com

On the turntable this Sunday...Republic

Republic is the sixth studio album by the English rock band New Order. Released in 1993 by London Records, it is their first album released after the demise of Factory Records, and their last for eight years.

The album reached number one in the UK, their last album to do so. It also received a Mercury Music Prize nomination. The album's lead single, "Regret", is also New Order's last top-five hit in their home country. It was produced and co-written by Stephen Hague, who had produced several non-album singles with them already.

The band went on hiatus following a gig at the Reading Festival promoting the album in August 1993. Lead vocalist Bernard Sumner is known to not like travelling to North America, and media reports suggest that the pressure of the long leg there contributed to the band's temporary demise. The band reunited in 1998.

The album follows on the standard New Order principles of not having anything other than the credits and art inside the CD sleeve, and of having a Peter Saville-designed cover. The sleeve itself is a reference to the US, and in particular, California, where Saville had relocated. The sleeve displays different aspects of California—people relaxing on the beach, while some people's houses are being burnt down (a reference to frequent wildfires experienced in the state or perhaps to the 1992 Los Angeles riots); vast natural landscapes, contrasting to the skyline of Los Angeles, etc. Another interesting dimension is that most images were taken from stock photo libraries to achieve the commercial look and heavily retouched. Several of these images have also been used in the most low-brow form of marketing, e.g., direct mailing, catalogues, and adverts for businesses. Another interpretation of the album's artwork alludes to the fall of Rome.

Read more @ Wikipedia

Top 10 Recent Classic Rock Super Bowl Commercials (Ultimate Classic Rock)

The Super Bowl has become the biggest, most-viewed TV spectacle of the year. Still, for many, the game itself isn’t reason enough to tune in. Neither is the promise of a superstar halftime performance. Instead, it’s the commercials...

Read More of Corbin Reiff's article and watch commercials @ Ultimate Classic Rock: Top 10 Recent Classic Rock Super Bowl Commercials 

How Bruce Springsteen Got Back to 'The River' (Rolling Stone)

"Mood lighting — we need mood lighting," Bruce Springsteen says from the stage at the Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh. Then he turns to his left and shouts, "Professor!" — the singer's nickname for E Street Band pianist Roy Bittan, who begins his long signature introduction to the ballad "Point Blank" from Springsteen's 1980 double album, The River...

Read more of David Fricke's article @ Rolling Stone: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/how-bruce-springsteen-got-back-to-the-river-20160201#ixzz3ywS4ExkG

Van Halen’s ‘Runnin’ With the Devil’ Featured in Acura Super Bowl Commercial (UCR)

Van Halen are going to the Super Bowl! Sort of.  Variety reports that “some of the iconic elements” from the band’s classic “Runnin’ With the Devil” will be heard in Acura’s new commercial for its 2017 NSX, which will air during the first quarter of the game.

Read More @ Ultimate Classic Rock: Van Halen's 'Runnin' With the Devil' Featured in Acura Super Bowl Commercial 

Smashing Pumpkins Announce Acoustic Tour with Liz Phair

Billy Corgan will hit the road with the Smashing Pumpkins for their “In Plainsong” acoustic tour, which comes to Nashville, TN on April 16.  


Smashing Pumpkins  2016 Tour Dates:

March 22 Portland, OR—Schnitzer Hall
March 23 Seattle, WA—The Paramount
March 25 San Francisco, CA—The Masonic
March 26 Los Angeles, CA—Theatre at Ace Hotel
March 27 Los Angeles, CA—Theatre at Ace Hotel
March 29 Salt Lake City, UT—Kingsbury Hall
March 30 Denver, CO—Ellie Caulkins Opera House
April 1 Detroit, MI—The Fillmore
April 2 Columbus, OH—Palace Theatre
April 4 New York, NY—Beacon Theatre
April 8 Philadelphia, PA—Tower Theatre
April 9 Boston, MA—Orpheum Theatre
April 10 Washington, DC—Lincoln Theatre
April 12 Toronto, ON—Massey Hall
April 14 Chicago, IL—Civic Opera House
April 15 Louisville, KY—Palace Theatre
April 16 Nashville, TN—Ryman Auditorium
April 18 Dallas, TX—Majestic Theatre
April 19 Austin, TX—Bass Concert Hall
April 20 Houston, TX—Cullen Performance Hall

Paul Kantner of Jefferson Airplane Dies at 74 (Ultimate Classic Rock)

Paul Kantner, who helped pioneer psychedelic rock as the guitarist and founder of Jefferson Airplane and its splinter group Jefferson Starship, has died of multiple organ failure and septic shock. He was 74.

Read More of Dave Lifton's article @ Ultimate Classic Rock: Paul Kantner of Jefferson Airplane Dies at 74 

Warren Haynes Adds Jerry Garcia Symphonic Celebration Dates (jambands.com)

The Jerry Garcia Symphonic Celebration will extend with two more dates added, with the first coming on June 24 in Atlanta, GA at Chastain Park Amphitheatre and August 6 at Bethel Woods Center for the Arts in New York. For the latter show, Haynes will team with members of the Hudson Valley Philharmonic.

Read more @ jambands.com