Watch Van Halen’s ‘Ellen DeGeneres Show’ Performance (Ultimate Classic Rock)

Mere days after they shut down Hollywood Boulevard (and endangeredDavid Lee Roth‘s nose) during a special performance on Jimmy Kimmel Live, Van Halen traveled down the TV dial for an appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show...

Read More of Jeff Giles' article @ Ultimate Classic Rock: Watch Van Halen's 'Ellen DeGeneres Show' Performance 

Rolling Stone: 10 Things We Learned Spending Two Days With Bill Withers

In a little under a month, Bill Withers will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. "I'm grateful to whoever remembered me," he says. "When I die, they'll probably put this on my tombstone." Withers hasn't performed a public concert since the early 1990s, and the 76-year-old soul icon still isn't sure if he's going to at the April 18th ceremony at Cleveland's Public Hall.

Read more of Andy Greene's article @ Rolling Stone: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/10-things-we-learned-spending-two-days-with-bill-withers-20150327#ixzz3VsVoLZFB

On the turntable this Sunday...Sea of Cowards

Sea of Cowards is the second studio album by the American alternative rock band The Dead Weather. It was first released on May 7 in Ireland, then on May 11, 2010, in the U.S. and May 10 in the United Kingdom.

The album was streamed on the band's website, via continuous vinyl playback, for a period of 24 hours from April 30 to May 1. It was subsequently available for streaming on various media streaming websites such as National Public Radio and KCRW. This album was number 11 on Rolling Stone '​s list of the 30 Best Albums of 2010.

In 2009, the group worked on 15 songs over three days at White's Nashville studio, Third Man Records. The reconvened at the studio in December, and recorded the album in three weeks.  The vinyl LP version was pressed at United Record Pressing in Nashville, Tennessee.

On May 3, before the album's release, the band played a special show at White's Third Man Records where Sea Of Cowards was played in its entirety. The show was streamed on MySpace and subsequently appeared on the band's YouTube channel. The performance was released on 12" Vinyl through the Third Man Records' Vault subscription service, recorded live to analog tape and pressed directly to vinyl. This is in contrast to the controversial mastering process of the original album.

According to Billboard magazine, "the grinding blues that drives tracks like 'Hustle and Cuss' and 'Gasoline' take the Dead Weather to a new level of intensity." Brisbane periodical mX identified the song as "a grimy road trip through voodoo blues, garage rock and even metal."

In interview with The Sun, White said that "the album title refers to the way the internet allows people to spit venom and knock people in a cowardly way using fake names. It seems to me that people aren't teaching this generation anything about responsibility. The internet allows people to make a statement that the whole world can read and listen to-but they're too much of a coward to leave their actual name."

Nectar’s Celebrates 40th Anniversary with Jon Fishman and More (jambands.com)

Nectar’s in Burlington, VT continued its 40th anniversary celebration with a very special edition of Bluegrass Thursdays earlier last week. 

The venue, which hosted numerous Phish shows in the 1980s (most recently on March 14, 1989), welcomed Phish drummer Jon Fishman for a night of music with Jamie Masefield, Doug Perkin and Tyler Bolles. Phish keyboardist Page McConnell also attended the show, though he did not perform with the quartet. 

                                         Read more @ jambands.com 

Kenny Chesney Kicks Off the Big Revival Tour (Rolling Stone)

Kenny Chesney has had a picture of Thursday, March 26th in his mind for a long time now. That day marked not only his 47th birthday, but also the start of a cross-country party that will bring songs on his The Big Revival album, along with two decades of hit after chart-topping hit, to life.

Read more @ Rolling Stone: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/pictures/kenny-chesney-kicks-off-the-big-revival-tour-see-behind-the-scenes-photos-20150326#ixzz3VsO0A1ql

Peter Hook Will Honor Ian Curtis By Playing Joy Division's Entire Catalog (Spin)

Once their forthcoming U.S. tour concludes, Peter Hook and the Light will journey to Christ Church in Macclesfield, England on May 18 to perform every song Joy Division ever wrote and recorded.  



The church is reportedly located at the center of town and is where the late Ian Curtis attended mass when he was young; the May 18 date is significant, of course, because that will mark the 35th anniversary of Curtis' suicide. Titled "So This Is Permanence," the show is billed as "Celebrating the life of Ian Curtis," with all proceeds planned to benefit the Epilepsy Society and the Churches Conservation Trust. 

Read more @ Spin

Iron Maiden Remain 'Extremely Optimistic' for Bruce Dickinson's Recovery (Ultimate Classic Rock)

Iron Maiden have issued another statement regarding singer Bruce Dickinson, who’s been undergoing cancer treatments lately. And echoing a statement they issued a couple weeks ago, the band says that Dickinson is well on his way to a full recovery. 


Read More of Michael Gallucci's article @ Ultimate Classic Rock: Iron Maiden Remain 'Extremely Optimistic' for Bruce Dickinson's Recovery