Cheap Trick Releasing First Christmas Album (jambands.com)

Rock and Roll Hall of Famers Cheap Trick will release their first ever Christmas album Christmas Christmas on October 20 via Big Machine Records.

Read more @ jambands.com: http://www.jambands.com/news/2017/09/22/cheap-trick-releasing-first-christmas-album/#ixzz4tb2AI5sr

moe.’s Rob Derhak Shares Health Updates After Starting Chemotherapy (jambands.com)

moe. are currently on hiatus due to the treatment Rob Derhak is undergoing after his throat cancer diagnosis, and the bassist shared an update on his situation today, saying that he is halfway through his chemo and radiation therapy.

Read more: http://www.jambands.com/news/2017/09/21/moe-s-rob-derhak-shares-health-updates-after-starting-chemotherapy/#ixzz4tb1WhiTM

Pretenders Add New Live CD to Recent ‘Alone’ Album (UCR)

The Pretenders have announced a new edition of their most recent album, Alone, which will come with a second disc of 15 live tracks recorded over the past year.

Read More of Martin Kielty's article @ Ultimate Classic Rock: Pretenders Add New Live CD to Recent ‘Alone’ Album 

Widespread Panic Announces New Year's Run (jambands.com)

Widespread Panic will once again return to Atlanta for New Year’s Eve with three nights of the Fox Theatre beginning December 29. 

Tickets to the run will go on sale September 29 at 10 AM ET. All ticketing information is available here.

Read more @ jambands.com: http://www.jambands.com/news/2017/09/22/widespread-panic-confirm-new-year-s-eve-in-atlanta/#ixzz4tb0m9AwT

Dweezil Zappa Will Not Be on the Frank Zappa Hologram Tour (UCR)

The proposed tour featuring a hologram of Frank Zappa and many of his sidemen has the backing of the Zappa Family Trust, but not Frank’s son, Dweezil. The guitarist said that he will not take part in it.

Read More of Dave Lifton's article @ Ultimate Classic Rock: Dweezil Zappa Will Not Be on the Frank Zappa Hologram Tour 

R.I.P. Charles Bradley

Charles Bradley has passed away, an announcement on his various social media channels confirmed. He was 68. 

While no cause of death was given, Bradley recently canceled the entirety of his tour earlier this month after discovering that his cancer spread to his liver. Bradley was initially diagnosed with stomach cancer last fall and returned to music before another cancelation.

Read more @jambands.com: http://www.jambands.com/news/2017/09/23/charles-bradley-passes-away/#ixzz4tb0A3j8i

On the turntable this Sunday...Ship Ahoy

Ship Ahoy is a rhythm and blues album by Philadelphia soul group The O'Jays, released on November 10, 1973 on Philadelphia International Records. The album was a critical and commercial success, reaching #1 on Billboard's "Black Albums" chart and #11 on the "Pop Albums" chart and launching two hit singles, "For the Love of Money" and "Put Your Hands Together." Conceived as a theme album built around the title track, Ship Ahoy includes socially relevant tracks and love songs under a cover that is itself notable for its serious subject matter. The album, which achieved RIAA platinum certification for over 1 million copies sold in 1992, has been reissued multiple times, including in a 2003 edition with a bonus track. Ship Ahoy was the highest selling R&B album on the Billboard Year-End chart for 1974.

Mike Gordon Reveals His Favorite Moments of the Baker's Dozen (jambands.com)

In a new interview with Billboard, Mike Gordon dishes on his new album OGOGO as well as the band’s recent Baker’s Dozen run, including some of his favorite musical moments.

Read more @ jambands.com: http://www.jambands.com/news/2017/09/15/mike-gordon-reveals-his-favorite-moments-of-the-baker-s-dozen-in-new-interview/#ixzz4sw4JlkkC

Examining the Rocket Man's Film and TV Career (Ultimate Classic Rock)

Elton John is one of the bestselling artists of all time, having sold more than 300 million records throughout his five-decade music career. But his role in 2017’s The Kingsman: The Golden Circle shouldn’t be a surprise for fans who’ve seen him onscreen too, as you’ll see in the above look at Elton John, Movie Star: Examining the Rocket Man’s Film and TV Career.

Read More of Victoria Shaffer's article @ Ultimate Classic Rock: Elton John, Movie Star: Examining the Rocket Man's Film and TV Career

Willie Nelson, Paul Simon and Bonnie Raitt to Play Texas Benefit (jambands.com)

Willie Nelson, Paul Simon, James Taylor and Bonnie Raitt will lead the lineup for a benefit show held at the University of Texas’s Frank Erwin Center tomorrow evening , Friday, September 22.

Read more @ jambands.com: http://www.jambands.com/news/2017/09/13/willie-nelson-paul-simon-bonnie-raitt-and-more-to-play-texas-benefit-show/#ixzz4sw5Q439j

Adrian Belew and Stewart Copeland Say Gizmodrome Band was an 'Immediate Lovefest' (UCR)

With former Police drummer Stewart Copeland and guitar virtuoso Adrian Belew in the lineup alongside Level 42 bassist Mark King and keyboardist Vittorio Cosma, Gizmodrome can hardly avoid being labeled a supergroup. But as Copeland and Belew tell Ultimate Classic Rock, their new band started out very simply.

Read More of Jeff Giles' article @ Ultimate Classic Rock: Adrian Belew and Stewart Copeland Say New Gizmodrome Band Project Was an 'Immediate Lovefest': Exclusive Interview

Jack White to Host Third Man Bluegrass Underground Event (jambands.com)

On September 29, Jack White’s Third Man Records is teaming up with Bluegrass Underground and the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development to present a special underground concert event hosted by White himself.

Read more @ jambands.com: http://www.jambands.com/news/2017/09/16/jack-white-to-host-third-man-records-bluegrass-underground-event-featuring-margo-price-and-more/#ixzz4sw3W6XG5

Steely Dan Announce Fall Tour Dates (UCR)

Steely Dan have announced almost a dozen tour dates for this fall. The new shows come a little more than a week after the death of band co-founder Walter Becker.

Read More of Michael Gallucci's article @ Ultimate Classic Rock: Steely Dan Announce Fall Tour Dates 

On the turntable this Sunday...Farmhouse

Farmhouse is the eighth official studio album by the American rock band Phish. The tracks were recorded at The Barn, frontman Trey Anastasio's studio in Chittenden County, Vermont. The album was released on May 16, 2000, by Elektra Records. Farmhouse was the last Phish studio album before their temporary split in October 2000 (the band subsequently returned in late 2002).

Songwriting for Farmhouse was a joint effort between Trey Anastasio and Phish lyricist Tom Marshall, with contributions from Tony Markellis, Russ Lawton and Scott Herman. All of the songs were already part of Phish's live concert song rotation before being recorded for the album, some dating back to 1997. Rolling Stone gave Farmhouse only 2.5 Stars, stating that on the album the band walks "a thin line between mellow and torpid" with songs that "are going to need a lot of live [concert] resuscitation".

"Heavy Things" became Phish's biggest single to date, and was a hit on Adult Top 40 radio and on the Radio & Records pop 100 chart. The song was performed for live broadcast during the overnight set of Phish's New Year's Eve 2000 show at Big Cypress (reportedly then the largest concert in the world) as part of ABC's coverage of New Year’s festivities around the globe.

The song "First Tube" was nominated for a Grammy for Best Rock Instrumental Performance.

Early incarnations of several tracks from the album can be heard on the 2000 release Trampled by Lambs and Pecked by the Dove, a collection of song sketches recorded by Anastasio and Marshall.

Farmhouse had the highest-ever first week sales for a Phish record. The album was certified gold by RIAA on January 30, 2006.

In February 2009, the album was made available as a download in FLAC and MP3 formats at LivePhish.com.

Béla Fleck & Abigail Washburn to release new album (jambands.com)

Béla Fleck & Abigail Washburn will release their new album, Echo in the Valley, on October 20, marking the second collaborative studio effort from the banjo power couple after their 2014 self-titled debut.

Read more @ jambands.com: http://www.jambands.com/news/2017/09/07/b-la-fleck-abigail-washburn-detail-new-album-share-first-single/#ixzz4sGysi0Yx

King Crimson to Release 27-Disc Box Set (UCR)

The underappreciated period between King Crimson‘s genre-defining 1969 debut and their John Wetton-era reinvention is the subject of a new box set titled Sailors’ Tales.

Read More of Nick DeRiso's album @ Ultimate Classic Rock: King Crimson to Release 27-Disc Box Focusing on Early '70s Era

Band of Horses Announce NYE Shows in ATL (jambands.com)

Band of Horses will ring in the new year with two shows at The Roxy in Atlanta beginning December 30 along with Futurebirds opening both shows.

Read more @jambands.com: http://www.jambands.com/news/2017/09/08/band-of-horses-announce-new-year-s-eve-shows-in-atlanta/#ixzz4sGyGjUYO

UCR's Top 10 Walter Becker Songs

Walter Becker was the classic behind-the-scenes guy. He may have been Steely Dan‘s ace in the hole, but the bass and guitar-playing co-producer and co-creator remained ever in the shadows of frontman Donald Fagen … to say nothing of a series of better-known sessions contributors.

Read More @ Ultimate Classic Rock: Top 10 Walter Becker Songs

Kung Fu Share Second Ninja Cuts (jambands.com)

Today, Kung Fu continue their Ninja Cut series, a group of studio recordings that the Connecticut funk outfit will be releasing throughout this year, with new track “Scorpion.”

Read more @ jambands.com: http://www.jambands.com/news/2017/09/08/kung-fu-share-second-ninja-cut-scorpion/#ixzz4sGxiQKQG

Rolling Stones Pull Out Rarities in No Filter Tour Opener (UCR)

The Rolling Stones kicked off their No Filter tour of Europe tonight (Sept. 10) at the Festwiese am Stadtpark in Hamburg, Germany. For these new dates, they’ve made some major changes to the set list.

Read More @ Ultimate Classic Rock: Rolling Stones Pull Out Rarities in No Filter Tour Opener: Set List, Video

On the turntable this Sunday...The Royal Scam

The Royal Scam is the fifth album by Steely Dan, originally released by ABC Records in 1976. The album went gold and peaked at #15 on the charts. The Royal Scam features more prominent guitar work than the prior Steely Dan album, Katy Lied, which had been the first without founding guitarist Jeff Baxter. Guitarists on the recording include Walter Becker, Denny Dias, Larry Carlton, Elliott Randall and Dean Parks.

In common with other Steely Dan albums, The Royal Scam is littered with cryptic allusions to people and events both real and fictional. In a BBC interview in 2000, Becker and Fagen revealed that "Kid Charlemagne" is loosely based on Augustus Owsley Stanley, the notorious drug "chef" who was famous for manufacturing hallucinogenic compounds, and that "Caves of Altamira", based on a book by Hans Baumann, is about the loss of innocence, the narrative about a visitor to the Cave of Altamira who registers his astonishment at the prehistoric drawings.

The album was re-issued by MCA Records in 1979 following the sale of the ABC Records label to MCA.

Phish's 'A Live one' Coming to Vinyl (jambands.com)

One of Phish’s best-known live compilations, A Live One, will reportedly arrive on vinyl later this year due out October 27. 

Bull Moose (via Melomaniacs) reports that the album will make its very first venture to vinyl after 22 years. Phish’s first ever live release took twelve tunes from Phish’s 1994 summer and fall tours including notable versions of live staples like “You Enjoy Myself,” “Tweezer,” “Harry Hood” and “The Squirming Coil” as well as “Wilson,” taken from the band’s very first show at Madison Square Garden.

Read more @jambands.com: http://www.jambands.com/news/2017/08/30/phish-s-a-live-one-coming-to-vinyl/#ixzz4rhiQhq9F

Queen Movie 'Bohemian Rhapsody' (Ultimate Classic Rock)

The Queen movie has taken a long and dramatic road to production. Now with a completed script, a director on board and cast selected, the project, called Bohemian Rhapsody, is finally about to begin filming. In the gallery above, you’ll find out everything we know about it so far.

Read More of Debra Filcman's article @ Ultimate Classic Rock : 10 Things You Need To Know About the Queen Movie 'Bohemian Rhapsody' 

Warren Haynes Honors Walter Becker (jambands.com)

Warren Haynes has penned a loving tribute to Steely Dan co-founder Walter Becker, who passed away on Sunday. Though Haynes never shared the stage with Becker, he knew the mult-instrumentalist/arranger and had a few meaningful conversations with Becker over the years. Through his work with the Allman Brothers Band and Levon Helm, Haynes also performed with Becker’s Steely Dan partner Donald Fagen a few times during the years.

Read more @ jambands.com: http://www.jambands.com/news/2017/09/04/warren-haynes-honors-walter-becker/#ixzz4rhgV3Mxl

Guns N' Roses pay tribute to Glen Campbell (UCR)

Guns N’ Roses paid a touching tribute to the late Glen Campbell last week in Edmonton, then added another song to their set list by covering James Brown.

Read More of Nick DeRiso's article @ Ultimate Classic Rock: Watch Guns N' Roses Pay Tribute to Glen Campbell and Cover James Brown 

Phish Continue Dick's Run with Heavy Emphasis on Originals (jambands.com)

Phish continued their Labor Day Weekend run at Dick’s Sporting Good Park following up an improv-heavy show with one not as focused in that department but rather on some of the band’s most sought-after compositions and instrumentals.

Read more @ jambands.com: http://www.jambands.com/news/2017/09/03/phish-continue-dick-s-run-with-heavy-emphasis-on-originals-and-more-first-set-jams/#ixzz4rhfN8yj5

R.I.P. Walter Becker (Ultimate Classic Rock)

Steely Dan co-founder Donald Fagen has issued the following statement in the wake of his longtime bandmate Walter Becker’s death, which was reported earlier Sunday.

Read More @ Ultimate Classic Rock: Donald Fagen Comments on Walter Becker's Death, Vows to 'Keep the Music We Created Together Alive' 

On the turntable this Sunday...Something/Anything?

Something/Anything? is a double album by Todd Rundgren, released in February 1972. It was Rundgren's third solo release, and was recorded in late 1971 in Los Angeles, New York City and Bearsville Studios, Woodstock. Three quarters of the album was recorded in the studio with Rundgren playing all instruments and singing all vocals, as well as being the producer. The final quarter contained a number of tracks recorded live in the studio without any overdubs, save for a short snippet of archive recordings from the 1960s.

Rundgren had become confident enough at other instruments beyond his standard guitar and keyboards that he had tackled in earlier releases, and this, coupled with a general dissatisfaction with other studio musicians, led him to temporarily relocate to Los Angeles in an attempt to record an entire album single-handedly. After he had created significantly more material than would fit on a standard LP, an earthquake struck LA. He decided to head back to New York for some live sessions, with the help of Moogy Klingman, to lighten the mood. The final sessions were in Bearsville, where the remainder of the recording and mixing took place, and this created enough material for a double album.

The album peaked at number 29 on the Billboard 200 and was certified gold three years after its release. It remains the singer-songwriter's best-selling album. A single taken from the album, "Hello It's Me", was a top-five hit in the US in late 1972. Something/Anything? has also continued to attract critical acclaim and has been praised for being Rundgren's best work, particularly since Rundgren moved away from the straightforward pop ballads present on this album to more experimental territory and progressive rock in later releases, beginning with the following A Wizard, A True Star and his band Utopia. In 2003, the album was ranked number 173 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.

Keith Moon's Craziest Antics (Ultimate Classic Rock)

Keith Moon took rock ’n’ roll excess and made it into something approaching performance art, as you’ll see in the above look at Moon the Loon: Keith Moon’s 25 Craziest Antics.

Read More of Bryan Wawzenek's article @ Ultimate Classic Rock : Moon the Loon: Keith Moon’s 25 Craziest Antics

Queens of the Stone Age's Josh Home: "Ween changed my life" (jambands.com)

As the Queens of the Stone Age celebrate the recent release of their new album Villains and Josh Homme spoke to Entertainment Weekly about the various songs that shaped his life, including one memory of Ween.

Read more @ jambands.com: http://www.jambands.com/news/2017/08/25/queens-of-the-stone-age-s-josh-homme-ween-changed-my-life/#ixzz4qyKkBuIH