Saturday, April 30, 2016

Neil Young Releases Details, Track Listing and Release Date for New Album, ‘Earth’ (UCR)




Neil Young‘s new live set does more than reinterpret favorites from across his storied career. Earth, set for release on June 17, combines new concert readings with the Promise of the Real band along with ambient elements like car horns, insects and animal sounds...


Read More of Nick DeRiso's article @ Ultimate Classic Rock: Neil Young Releases Details, Track Listing and Release Date for New Album, 'Earth' 


Friday, April 29, 2016

My Morning Jacket Pay Homage to Prince in Tour Opener (jambands.com)



On Tuesday night at The Criterion in Oklahoma City, OK, My Morning Jacket kicked off their tour with a performance that featured multiple nods to the late Prince and a six-song encore that included the debut of a new tune.

Read more @ jambands.com

Thursday, April 28, 2016

Wilco Add Summer Tour Dates (jambands.com)



Wilco will return to the road with a U.S. summer tour that kicks off June 1 in Charleston, WV and stretches through the band’s previously announced European run in July before they return in August for a run that takes them through the Midwest.

Read more @ jambands.com

Wilco Tour Dates:
June 1 Charleston, WV—Clay Center
June 3 Hunter, NY—Mountain Jam
June 4 Philadelphia, PA—The Mann
June 16 Bergen, Norway—BergenFest
June 17 Oslo, Norway—Norwegian Wood
June 18 Aarhus, Denmark—Northside
June 19 Hilvarenbeek, Netherlands—Best Kept Secret Festival
June 22 Zagreb, Croatia—INmusic Festival
June 24 Kotor, Montenegro—SeaRock
June 26 Bialystok, Poland—Halfway Festival
June 29 A Coruna, Spain—Palacio de la Opera
July 1 Vilanova i la Geltru, Spain—Vida Festival
July 2 Madrid, Spain—Jardines Del Botanico
July 4 Ferrara, IT—Piazza Castello
July 5 Rome, Italy—Villa Ada
July 8 Brugge, Belgium—Cactus Festival
July 10 Dublin, Ireland—Iveagh Gardens
July 23 Yuzwa, Japan—Fuji Rock Festival
August 13 Winnipeg, MB—Interstellar Rodeo
August 14 Moorhead, MN—Bluestem
August 16 Kansas City, MO—CrossroadsKC
August 17 St. Louis, MO—The Fabulous Fox
August 19 Madison, WI—Breese Stevens Field
August 20 Minneapolis, MN—Hall’s Island
August 21 Chicago, IL—Jay Pritzker Pavilion
August 30 Salt Lake City, UT—Red Butte Garden
October 27 Brussels, Beligum—Ancienne Belgique
October 28 Brussels, Belgium—Ancienne Belgique
October 29 Dusseldorf, Germany—New Fall Festival
October 30 Stuttgart, Germany—New Fall Festival
November 2 Copenhagen, Denmark— DR Koncerthuset
November 3 Oslo, Norway—Sentrum Scene
November 4 Stockholm, Sweden—Annexet
November 5 Weissenhauser Strand, Germany—Rolling Stone Weekender
November 7 Berlin, Germany—Tempodrom
November 9 Utrecht, NL—Tivolivredenburg
November 10 Utrecht, Holland—Le Guess Who Festival
November 13 Milan, Italy—Fabrique
November 14 Vienna, Austria—Museumsquartier
November 15 Zurich, Switzerland—Volkshaus
November 16 Paris, France—Casino de Paris
November 18 Manchester, UK—Albert Hall
November 19 London, UK—02 Brixton Academy

Wednesday, April 27, 2016

Top 10 Prince Rock Songs (UCR)




Prince was a lot closer to rock ‘n’ roll than his history on the pop and R&B charts lets on. From the very start, right there on his 1978 debut album For You, you can hear the influence of the music he grew up on, made by ’60s rock greats like Jimi Hendrix. And he wasn’t shy about letting you know it.


Read More of Michael Gallucci's article
 @ Ultimate Classic Rock: Top 10 Prince Rock Songs 

Tuesday, April 26, 2016

No need for concern, Widespread Panic will continue to spread without long tours (Knoxville News Sentinel)




Widespread Panic is celebrating 30 years of playing music with a tour that takes the band to some favorite spots, but Panic vocalist John Bell remembers when the group was an Athens, Ga., act that didn't feel like they should charge admission.

Read more of Wayne Bledsoe's article @ the Knoxville News Sentinel

Monday, April 25, 2016

Paul Simon Says Reunion with Art Garfunkel is "Out of the Question" (jambands.com)




Legendary singer-songwriter Paul Simon has a new album due out June 3 and an extensive tour slated to kick off April 29 at New Orleans’ Jazz Fest and will wrap up with a two-night run in Forest Hills, NY, Simon’s childhood neighborhood where he befriended former musical counterpart Art Garfunkel.

Read full article @ jambands.com 

Sunday, April 24, 2016

On the turntable this Sunday...Dirty Mind




Dirty Mind is the third studio album by American recording artist Prince. It was released on October 8, 1980 by Warner Bros. Records. The album is the follow-up to his commercially successful second album Prince (1979). It was produced, arranged and composed primarily by Prince in his home studio in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The album debuted at number 63 on the US Billboard 200 chart (peaking at number 45), and earned widespread acclaim from music critics. On June 6, 1984, it was certified gold in shipments by the Recording Industry Association of AmericaPitchfork Media ranked Dirty Mind number 87 on its list of the Top 100 Albums of the 1980s. In 2003, the album was ranked number 206 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.  Slant Magazine listed the album at #53 on its list of the "Best Albums of the 1980s".

Dirty Mind was recorded primarily in Prince's home studio throughout 1980, with several of the songs being cut within one night and thus having a sparse, demo-like quality. The opening title track was released as a single, and described as "robotic funk". "When You Were Mine", notably covered by Cyndi Lauper, is "pure new wave pop" about a woman who has left Prince and his realization of his love for her only afterwards. Both "Do It All Night" and "Head" (the latter sexually explicit and detailing a chance meeting with a bride-to-be) are "sultry funk", while "Gotta Broken Heart Again" is the only ballad on the record and is described as "soulful crooning". The song "Sister", only 90 seconds long, is rock-influenced and has incestual tones. "Uptown" and "Partyup" are "relentless dance jams";"Uptown" was released as a Top 5 Dance and R&B hit single in late-1980 and "Partyup" was performed live on Saturday Night Live in 1981. The two songs have anti-judgment and anti-war messages.

The album received highly positive reviews. According to Ken Tucker from Rolling Stone magazine, "Prince's first two collections established him as a doe-eyed romantic. Nothing could have prepared us for the liberating lewdness of Dirty Mind. Dirty Mind jolts with the unsettling tension that arises from rubbing complex erotic wordplay against clean, simple melodies. Across this ELECTRIC surface glides Prince's graceful quaver, tossing off lyrics with an exhilarating breathlessness. He takes the sweet romanticism of Smokey Robinson and combines it with the powerful vulgate poetry of Richard Pryor. The result is cool music dealing with hot emotions. At its best, Dirty Mind is positively filthy."

Stephen Thomas Erlewine from Allmusic describes the album as "stunning, audacious amalgam of funk, new wave, R&B, and pop, fueled by grinningly salacious sex and the desire to shock" and that it "set the style for much of the urban soul and funk of the early '80s."

According to The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (2004), "Dirty Mind remains one of the most radical 180-degree turns in pop history." Robert Hilburn of the Los Angeles Times described the music from the album as "confident and highly danceable blend of post-disco funk and tasty, hard-line rock". Prince's songwriting contains prominently sexual lyrics.  Keith Harris of Blender characterizes its songs as "confessions of a sex junkie" with "new-wave funk".

Saturday, April 23, 2016

John Bell Clarifies Widespread Panic Retirement Comments (jambands.com)



Widespread Panic co-founder and frontman John Bell has clarified comments that his band will retire from the road after this year. In a new interview published in Charleston, SC’s Post and Courier, Bell says, “The plan now is just to dial it down a little bit in the future. Not do as many shows, but still be out there from year to year.”

Read full article @ jambands.com 

Friday, April 22, 2016

Prince's Lost Rolling Stone Interview: 'I Don't Think About Gone'




"I just think about in the future when I don't want to speak in real time," Prince says in unpublished 2014 Q&A

Read more of Brian Hiatt's Interview @ Rolling Stone: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/princes-lost-rolling-stone-interview-i-dont-think-about-gone-20160422#ixzz46ZWicA53



Review of Prince's Last Show-Live Recap: Prince's Piano & A Microphone Tour, Atlanta's Fox Theatre, 4/14/16 (Paste Magazine)



When Prince’s Atlanta date on his Piano & A Microphone Tour—which, just like it sounds, features the singer playing solo at a purple baby grand, the first such tour of his lengthy career—was postponed last week due to a bout with the flu, the rescheduled shows were announced surprisingly quickly.

Read Bonnie Stiernberg's Live Recap @ Paste

Thursday, April 21, 2016

Prince Dead at 57




Prince, the legendary and innovative music artist, has died at age 57. TMZ reported Thursday that the Carver County Sheriff's department responded to an emergency call at the singer's Paisley Park studio in Chanhassen, Minnesota at 9:43 that morning. They waited to reveal the identity until after they'd notified his next of kin. A rep for the singer confirmed his death to the Associated Press.

Read more @ Rolling Stone: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/prince-dead-at-57-20160421#ixzz46U14oop3

Why the Cassette Tape Is Still Not Dead (Rolling Stone)


On a mid-January morning in Springfield, Mo., a tractor-trailer backs up to the National Audio Company's loading dock and unloads more than 600,000 empty compact cassette shells from factories in China and Saudi Arabia.

Read more of Michael Hunt's article @ Rolling Stone: http://www.rollingstone.com/culture/news/why-the-cassette-tape-is-still-not-dead-20160418#ixzz46D9nWA2B

Wednesday, April 20, 2016

moe. and Chris Robinson Share the Stage in Seattle (jambands.com)




moe. closed their spring tour last weekend with a two-set show at Seattle, WA’s Showbox. The Chris Robinson Brotherhood provided support duties and, at the end of moe.‘s first set, Robinson emerged for a take on the Jerry Garcia/Robert Hunter classic “Deal.” 

Read more @ jambands.com


Tuesday, April 19, 2016

AC/DC’s Angus Young Joins Guns N’ Roses at Coachella (UCR)



AC/DC guitarist Angus Young joined Guns N’ Roses onstage last night at Coachella to perform two of his own band’s songs – and show people just what it’s going to sound like when Axl Rose takes over as lead vocalist for the legendary Australian group.


Read More of Matthew Wilkening's article @ Ultimate Classic Rock: AC/DC's Angus Young Joins Guns N' Roses at Coachella 

Monday, April 18, 2016

Rock Hall President and Black Keys Hit Back at Steve Miller (UCR)




Steve Miller‘s had his chance to air his grievances with the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Now the Hall’s president has offered a rebuttal — and so have the musicians who inducted Miller during the ceremony.


Read More of Jeff Giles' article @ Ultimate Classic Rock: Rock Hall President and Black Keys Hit Back at Steve Miller 

Sunday, April 17, 2016

On the turntable this Sunday...Hoist



Hoist (stylized as (Hoist)) is the fifth official studio album by the American rock band Phish, released on March 29, 1994, by Elektra Records. At the time of its release, Hoist was Phish's best selling album to date, peaking at #34 on the Billboard 200 albums chart.

The band suggested a few ideas for the album's title before finally settling on Hoist; one of the alternative suggestions was Hung Like a Horse. The band ruled this out, but decided to keep the visual joke intact for the album's cover. The horse is also a reference to "The Horse," the only song not visually depicted on the cover of Rift, the band's previous album.

Hoist features guest appearances from Alison Krauss, Béla Fleck and a host of other musicians, as well as actor Jonathan Frakes on trombone. With its jazz, blues, soul and bluegrass influences, the album is marked by more stripped-down, straightforward songwriting and pop-friendly hooks, a somewhat new approach for Phish.

However, the album's final track, "Demand", segues into an extended instrumental excerpt from the April 21, 1993, live performance of the song "Split Open and Melt", followed by the first verse and refrain of the Hebrew song "Yerushalayim Shel Zahav (Jerusalem of Gold)."

"Riker's Mailbox" is a brief interlude track on the album, and the only "song" on the album to have never been performed live by the band. Album producer Paul Fox lived next to Jonathan Frakes, whose mailbox is apparently uniquely decorated. Frakes, who played Commander Riker on Star Trek: The Next Generation, sat in for a while during the Hoist sessions, giving his name to the track.

On June 26, 1994, the band performed the entire Hoist album (minus "Riker's Mailbox") verbatim as the second set of their live show in Charleston, West Virginia. This move was a subversion of Phish's usual improvisationally driven performances, and later inspired the band's tradition of donning a musical costume for Halloween.

The band released a music video for "Down with Disease", directed by bass guitarist Mike Gordon.
The album was certified gold by the RIAA August 19, 1996.
In February 2009, this album became available as a download in FLAC and MP3 formats at LivePhish.com.

Friday, April 15, 2016

Guns N’ Roses Continue Reunion Tour with Two Las Vegas Shows (jambands.com)




Guns N’ Roses continued their reunion tour with two shows at the newly opened T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas this weekend.

Read more and watch a clip from this weekend's Las Vegas shows @ jambands.com 

Thursday, April 14, 2016

Yes Announce 2016 ‘The Album Series’ Tour (Ultimate Classic Rock)




Yes are going on the road again this summer, and they’re returning to the popular Album Series format. This time they’ll be performing 1980’s Drama LP in its entirety as well as sides one and four of 1973’s double-record Tales From Topographic Oceans. The shows will also include some of the band’s best songs from throughout its long career.


Read More of Michael Gallucci's article @ Ultimate Classic Rock: Yes Announce 2016 'The Album Series' Tour

Wednesday, April 13, 2016

Pearl Jam Highlight Miami Show with Cat Power, Pink Floyd Covers (jambands.com)




Pearl Jam continued their tour with a stop at the American Airlines Arena in Miami, FL, their first at the home of the Miami Heat. Eddie Vedder took some time early in the set to thank the venue workers and the Miami Heat’s Dwyane Wade, who formally invited the band to play the venue (Heat forward Chris Bosh also hung out with the band pre-show and PJ bassist Jeff Ament attended the band’s game against the Chicago Bulls on Thursday night).

Read more @ jambands.com

Tuesday, April 12, 2016

Cheap Trick Celebrate Induction at Rock Hall Ceremony (UCR)




In his induction speech, Kid Rock alluded to the fact that rock ‘n’ roll underdogs Cheap Trick had three gigs this week alone.

It showed: Not only were there a few of Rick Nielsen’s guitars and the band’s trademark black-and-white-checked stage gear as décor, but the band positively roared through a set of hits.


Read More of Annie Zaleski's article @ Ultimate Classic Rock: Cheap Trick Celebrate Induction at Rock Hall Ceremony 

Monday, April 11, 2016

Kiss Announce 2016 U.S. ‘Freedom to Rock’ Tour (UCR)




Kiss will keep busy this summer with a round of U.S. dates that will bring the band to more than 25 spots on the map they haven’t visited in more than a decade — and mark their first-ever appearances in four cities.


Read More of Jeff Giles article @ Ultimate Classic Rock: Kiss Announce 2016 U.S. 'Freedom to Rock' Tour 

Sunday, April 10, 2016

On the turntable this Sunday...Calm Animals



Calm Animals is the fifth studio album by British new wave band The Fixx, released in 1988.  The single "Driven Out" gave them a #1 song on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart in early 1989, and reached #55 on the Billboard Hot 100. Additionally, the single "Precious Stone" reached the top 25 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart later that year.

All songs are written by Cy Curnin, Adam Woods, Jamie West-Oram, Rupert Greenall, and Dan K. Brown, except where noted.
  1. "I'm Life" – 3:19
  2. "Driven Out" – 3:59
  3. "Subterranean" – 3:43
  4. "Precious Stone" (The Fixx, Woods) – 3:08
  5. "Gypsy Feet" (Curnin, The Fixx) – 4:03
  6. "Calm Animals" – 4:12
  7. "Shred of Evidence" – 3:41
  8. "The Flow" (Curnin, The Fixx) – 2:59
  9. "World Weary" (Curnin, The Fixx) – 4:38
  10. "Cause to Be Alarmed" (Curnin, The Fixx) – 3:46
  11. "Never Mind What You Leave Behind" [*] (Curnin, The Fixx) – 3:17
* bonus track on 2001 CD re-issue

Saturday, April 9, 2016

Friday, April 8, 2016

Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds Announce Special Acoustic Show (jambands.com)




Longtime collaborators Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds will once again team up for a special acoustic performance on July 6 at Canandaigua, NY’s Constellation Brands-Marvin Sands Performing Arts Center.

Read more @ jambands.com 

Thursday, April 7, 2016

Don Henley Announces Summer Tour Dates (UCR)




Don Henley will remain on the road this summer in support of his recent Cass County album, visiting Europe and North America for a round of shows that will keep him onstage through at least late September.


Read More of Jeff Giles' article @ Ultimate Classic Rock: Don Henley Announces Summer Tour Dates

Wednesday, April 6, 2016

100 Greatest Drummers of All Time (Rolling Stone)





Bruce Springsteen once said of Max Weinberg, his impossibly reliable drummer for over four decades, "I ask and he delivers for me night after night." Leave it to Bruce to come up with the perfect tribute to music's true working-stiff warriors — the guys way in the back, behind all that stuff, giving the music its spine and drive, its cohesion and contour and a huge chunk of its personality, often without getting the credit they deserve. Ever hear any dumb-guitarist jokes? Exactly.

Read more @ Rolling Stone: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/100-greatest-drummers-of-all-time-20160331#ixzz44b39KZcO

Tuesday, April 5, 2016

Guns N’ Roses at the Troubadour: Videos, Lineup, Setlist, Photos (UCR)





Guns N’ Roses returned to the stage for the first time since announcing the return of founding members Slash and Duff McKagan to the lineup, playing a 17-song set at the tiny Troubadour in West Hollywood, California.


Read More of Matthew Wilkening's article and watch video clips @ Ultimate Classic Rock: Guns N' Roses at the Troubadour: Videos, Lineup, Setlist, Photos 

Monday, April 4, 2016

Watch Debbie Harry, Michael Stipe + Others Pay Tribute to David Bowie (UCR)



A crowd of classic rock, pop, and alternative artists gathered at Carnegie Hall on Thursday (March 31) for the first of two David Bowie tribute shows, delivering a setlist that included Bowie covers from Debbie Harry of Blondie, ex-R.E.M. singer Michael Stipe, and the Flaming Lips.

Read More @ Ultimate Classic Rock: Watch Debbie Harry, Michael Stipe + Others Pay Tribute to David Bowie 

Sunday, April 3, 2016

On the turntable this Sunday...Victory



Victory is the seventeenth studio album by The Jacksons. It was released on July 2, 1984 by Epic Records. The album was the first and only album to include all six Jackson brothers together as an official group; also, it was the last album entirely recorded with lead singer Michael Jackson. The album sold over seven million copies worldwide, opening at number four on the US Billboard 200, selling 185,000 copies in first week sales.

On July 17, 1984, the album was certified Gold by the BPI for the sales of at least 100.000 copies in the United Kingdom. On October 30, 1984, the album was certified 2× Platinum by RIAA for the sales of over 2 million copies in the United States.

Victory was supported by the Victory Tour, with lead singer Michael Jackson, who had recently released the world's all-time best-selling album, Thriller, prominently featured. Shortly after the tour ended, Michael and Marlon Jackson quit the group. Jermaine, Tito, Randy and Jackie Jackson continued on as the Jacksons, and releasing one more album, 1989's 2300 Jackson Street (whose title track did feature all six Jackson brothers, along with their sisters Janet and Rebbie) before splitting up.

Saturday, April 2, 2016

Grateful Dead Meet-Up at the Movies Sets 2016 Date (jambands.com)




Fathom Events and Rhino are once again bringing back the Grateful Dead Meet-Up at the Movies for its sixth annual celebration of the music and community of the band.

Read more @ jambands.com

Friday, April 1, 2016

Rick Nielsen Says Bun E. Carlos ‘Deserves’ to Play at Cheap Trick’s Rock Hall Induction (UCR)




Relations between Cheap Trick and exiled drummer Bun E. Carlos have been strained over the past few years, but they’re setting aside their differences for their upcoming Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction, and guitarist Rick Nielsen sounds like he’s glad for the chance to play alongside his old bandmate one last time.

Read More of Jeff Giles' article @ Ultimate Classic Rock: Rick Nielsen Says Bun E. Carlos 'Deserves' to Play at Cheap Trick's Rock Hall Induction