Classic Rock
Robert Plant and Alison Krauss Perform “Trouble With My Lover” and “Can’t Let Go” on Colbert: Watch
On Friday (November 19th), Robert Plant and Alison Krauss released Raise the Roof, their long-awaited new collaborative album composed largely of covers made famous by blues, country, folk, and soul pioneers. To celebrate the occasion, the Led Zeppelin frontman and the bluegrass singer stopped by The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, playing “Trouble With My Lover” and “Can’t Let Go.” With their band set up remotely in a studio filled with rustic decor, Plant and Krauss’ performance only further testifies to their incredible musical chemistry. On “Trouble With My Lover” — a moody number originally sung by New Orleans blues icon Betty Harris in 1969 — Krauss takes the lead, showing off her powerhouse vocals. “Can’t Let Go,” which was written by Randy Weeks and later covered by Lucin...
Robert Plant and Alison Krauss Announce 2022 Tour
Robert Plant and Alison Krauss have reunited for Raise the Roof, the follow-up to their 2007 blockbuster covers album Raising Sand. The duo’s second record is out now via Rounder Records. What’s more, the pair has announced an international tour for next year. Recorded right before lockdown with Raising Sand producer T Bone Burnett, Raise the Roof features covers of classic blues, country, folk, and soul music originally sung by the likes of Merle Haggard and The Everly Brothers. The pair first announced the album back in August with the song “Can’t Let Go,” a Randy Weeks composition that Lucinda Williams made famous in 1998. And while the golden-voiced singers have been praised for their covers — Raising Sand won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year, after all — Rais...
Eric Clapton Talks Anti-Vax Nonsense with Anti-Vaxxer Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
Former rock icon and current loony Eric Clapton doubled down on his COVID-19 trutherism in a conversation with noted anti-vaccine activist Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., on the latter’s podcast, The Defender. As Clapton explained, holding anti-science beliefs has taken a toll on his mental health. “I thought I was going crazy,” he said, though he rationalized it with an acronym he found on the internet. “I think everybody I know has got, what do they call it? CAS [Covid Anxiety Syndrome], everybody I know is unsettled about it,” Clapton said. He added, “The lifesaving part of it was I’d found a group of people who were inviting me to talk about it because I couldn’t talk about it anywhere.” In fact, Clapton feels more committed to this cause than ever before. “It’s funny, because t...
Aerosmith Unearth 1971 Seven-Song Rehearsal Tape, Share Unreleased Version of “Movin’ Out”: Stream
Aerosmith have dug up a rare 1971 recording, which the legendary band is releasing on Record Store Day Black Friday on November 26th. The previously unreleased seven-song rehearsal tape, will be issued on vinyl and cassette under the title Aerosmith – 1971: The Road Starts Hear, with the collection’s “Movin’ Out” available to stream below right now. The recording offers an extraordinary glimpse into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame band’s early years, having been recorded just a year after they formed, and two years before the release of their 1973 self-titled debut album. According to a press release, “The landmark early recording was made with Joe Perry’s Wollensak reel-to-reel tape machine in 1971 by Mark Lehman, who owned the infamous van and became Aerosm...
The Who’s Roger Daltrey Calls The Rolling Stones a “Mediocre Pub Band”
Ever since “My Generation,” Roger Daltrey of The Who hasn’t been shy about sharing strong opinions on his peers. In a new interview with the Coda Collection, Daltrey praised Mick Jagger but referred to The Rolling Stones as a “mediocre pub band.” Daltrey was asked about Paul McCartney’s recent comments suggesting that The Stones were nothing but a “blues cover band,” and in response he let out a great big belly laugh. “The Stones have written some great songs but they are in the blues. They are in that format.” He added, “You cannot take away the fact that Mick Jagger is still the number one rock and roll showman up front. The only other people I’d put up against him would be perhaps James Brown, maybe Jerry Lee [Lewis] in his day, and Little Richard. But Mick Jagger, you’ve...
The Story Behind Blondie’s Iconic “Rapture”
Listen via Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | Pocket Casts | RSS Blondie are, without question, one of the most successful, iconic, and influential bands in rock and roll history. Inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame 15 years ago, the Debbie Harry-fronted group has sold over 40 million albums worldwide and continues to release new music. But the “rock and roll” label doesn’t do justice to the group’s genre-bending music. What started as a punk band in the mid-1970’s in New York City after Harry and guitarist Chris Stein broke off from their earlier band, The Stillettoes, Blondie (first called Angel and the Snake) always innovated, infusing pop, disco, new wave, reggae, and rap elements into their music. Advertisement Which br...
R.E.M.’s Michael Stipe and Mike Mills on 25 Years of New Adventures in Hi-Fi
Listen via Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | Pocket Casts | Radio Public | RSS Michael Stipe and Mike Mills sit down with Kyle Meredith to remember R.E.M.’s 1996 album New Adventures in Hi-Fi for its 25th anniversary. Advertisement Related Video The rock legends talk about writing the bulk of the record while touring the Monster album, the idea of spontaneity within the songs, and Stipe using religion as a writing tool. We also hear what it was like for the lead singer to meet his idol Patti Smith for the first time, hearing Eddie Vedder and Jason Isbell’s recent covers of R.E.M. classics, and new music on the way from both individuals. Listen to R.E.M.’s Michael Stipe and Mike Mills on this new episode ...
Gov’t Mule on the 5 Artists Who Inspired Their New Album Heavy Load Blues: Exclusive
After more than 25 years as a band, Gov’t Mule is still breaking new ground. Today (November 12th) marks the release of Heavy Load Blues, the Warren Haynes-led quartet’s first-ever blues album. Stream the full project below. A project like Heavy Load Blues has been on Haynes’ mind for many years, but he wasn’t sure if fellow Gov’t Mule members Matt Abts (drums), Danny Louis (keyboards, guitar, backing vocals), and Jorgen Carlsson (bass) would be into the idea. While talking to the band’s manager about their next album, however, she suggested they do a blues record and that settled it. “We play some traditional blues on stage from time to time and although it’s usually never more than a few songs per show, our approach to the blues is unique and based on our collective chemistry as a band,”...
Tom Petty Doc, Somewhere You Feel Free, Premieres on YouTube: Watch
A new documentary about one of the key eras in the life and career of Tom Petty is streaming for free on YouTube. Stream it below. Largely based around a collection of 16mm archives that weren’t discovered until 2020, Tom Petty: Somewhere You Feel Free – The Making of Wildflowers follows the rock icon from 1993 to 1995 through the making of his now-classic sophomore solo album Wildflowers. Featured throughout the 89-minute documentary are new interviews with the likes of Heartbreakers guitarist (and Wildflowers co-producer) Mike Campbell, keyboardist Benmont Tench, and more. “I spent almost 20 years with the Heartbreakers,” Petty says in the doc. “And if I only made records with the same people all the time, I’d never learn, I’d never grow. Rick Rubin kind of guided me back into a musical ...
Jack Black Covers David Bowie Classic with Young Musicians for 50th Anniversary of “Original School of Rock”
Long before Jack Black starred in the 2003 movie School of Rock, the Blue Bear School of Music in San Francisco was teaching rock, pop, and blues to young students. Now, the “original school of rock” is celebrating its 50th anniversary with a performance of the David Bowie classic “Suffragette City” by Black and the current Blue Bear teen student band. Founded in 1971, the Blue Bear School of Music has welcomed roughly 40,000 students over its 50-year history. The nonprofit organization offers both paid and free classes for aspiring musicians of all ages. “A good friend of mine (Paul Cummins) told me about Blue Bear and the incredible work they’ve been doing,” said Black. “I jumped at the chance to celebrate their 50th anniversary by jamming some Bowie with their teen all-star band. So fun...
QAnon Believers, Still Waiting in Dallas, Sing “Take Me Home, Country Roads” to JFK Jr.: Watch
Last week, hundreds of QAnon followers gathered in Dallas to witness the return of John F. Kennedy Jr., who is dead. When he failed to appear at Dealey Plaza, they waited for him at The Rolling Stones’ concert that night (“Rolling Stones? Rolling away the stone!” one Q influencer said), and when he once again stood them up, some of the attendees did something remarkable: they kept waiting. A few dozen are still congregated at Dealey Plaza, occasionally forming a circle to sing the strange psalm of this faith: John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads.” As Steven Moncelli of Protean Magazine reported on Twitter, these true believers are replacing “West Virginia” with the words “Dealey Plaza,” to better distinguish their own needs from Mr. Denver’s. Monacelli noted that “some of them also r...
Nandi Bushell Has In-Person Drum Battle with Queen’s Roger Taylor: Watch
After her epic virtual drum battle with Dave Grohl last year, Nandi Bushell is now taking on rock icons in the flesh. In a new video, the 11-year-old wunderkind has an in-person drum battle with none other than Queen legend Roger Taylor. Nandi recently returned to her native England after a US trip that saw her jam “Everlong” onstage with Foo Fighters at a Los Angeles concert, and record an original song called “The Children Will Rise Up” with Tom Morello and his son Roman. “I have just had another INCREDIBLE day,” wrote Nandi in the YouTube description of the Roger Taylor video. “I just jammed with @Roger Taylor Solo the AMAZING drummer from @Queen Official!!! Mr Taylor was so nice and kind to me. We had a little drum battle then we jammed a few Queen songs. I am so grateful and truly app...
