Classic Rock
The Story Behind Crowded House’s “Hey Now, Hey Now” Anthem “Don’t Dream It’s Over”
Listen via Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | Pocket Casts | RSS Crowded House’s “Don’t Dream It’s Over” is one of the most memorable tunes of the ’80s, and the band’s Neil Finn explores that lasting legacy on the latest edition of The Story Behind the Song. Crowded House helped launch a new post-New Wave era in pop music in 1986, creating beautifully simple, earthy melodies driven by guitars rather than synths. Lead singer, guitarist, and songwriter Neil Finn founded the band after the demise of Split Enz (a Kiwi band out of New Zealand with several iconic songs of its own.) Over the years, the band has somewhat quietly sold over 15 million albums worldwide and continues to release new music; just earlier this year, the band rele...
Queen’s Brian May Tests Positive for COVID-19
Queen guitarist Brian May has tested positive for COVID-19. “Yep. The shocking day finally came for me. The dreaded double red line,” May wrote in an Instagram post shared on Saturday. “And yes – definitely NO sympathy please – it has been a truly horrible few days, but I’m OK.” “And I will tell the tale. PLEASE take extra care out there, good folks,” May added. “This thing is incredibly transmissible. You really do NOT want it messing up YOUR Christmas.” Related Video Due to the omicron variant, May’s native UK has seen a 53% increase in new cases of COVID-19 in the last two weeks, according to the New York Times. Friday marked a new record of daily cases with 92,000. Advertisement May has been critical of UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s handling of the pandemic. “At every point he did ...
Bruce Springsteen Sells Catalog to Sony for $500 Million
Bruce Springsteen has sold his music’s masters and publishing to Sony Music for a reported total of $500 million, according to Billboard. The Boss has been signed to Sony’s Columbia Records since he launched his career, and was previously given ownership of his earlier albums. But now the label owns his wide-spanning catalog, which includes the 15-times platinum album Born in the U.S.A. and five-times platinum album The River. All told, Springsteen’s discography spans 300 songs, 20 studio albums, and 23 live recordings. Springsteen’s deal is the latest transaction involving a veteran artist looking to cash in on their back catalog — especially as the pandemic put a halt to touring. Bob Dylan, Paul Simon, Stevie Nicks, Lindsey Buckingham, Mick Fleetwood, Shakira, Jimmy Iovine, and Dav...
Posthumous Video for George Harrison’s “My Sweet Lord” Stars Ringo Starr, Mark Hamill, Fred Armisen, and More: Watch
Star-studded is one of the most overused adjectives, but in the case of George Harrison’s posthumous music video for “My Sweet Lord,” it’s an accurate descriptor. Not only do his former bandmates Ringo Starr and Jeff Lynne make appearances, but it centers around a plot starring Mark Hamill, Fred Armisen, and Vanessa Bayer. All told, the seven-minute visual features more than 40 celebrity cameos in total. Watch it below. In the Lance Bangs-directed clip, special agents played by Armisen and Bayer are tasked by their mysterious government bureau’s supervisor (Hamill) to search for… something. “It’s happening again,” an important-sounding caller says over the phone, before Hamill instructs Armisen to look for “something out there” with the aid of a fancy new scanner. As “My Sweet Lord” plays ...
Steve Perry Says New Holiday Album The Season “Was Emotional Therapy”
Listen via Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | Pocket Casts | Radio Public | RSS Steve Perry sits down with Kyle Meredith to talk about The Season, his latest entry into the cannon of holiday albums. Related Video The former Journey singer tells us how last year’s absence of a Christmas feeling and missing loved ones led him to seek a reconnection with this year’s season. He discusses how The Season was inspired by the memories and songs of his childhood, especially the timelessness of original classic holiday tracks. Perry also touches on occasionally injecting his own lyrics into those classics, and teases two original holiday songs he’s written and recorded for a future release. Advertisement Perry...
Don McLean Announces “American Pie” 50th Anniversary Tour
Don McLean is celebrating the 50th anniversary of his career-defining hit, “American Pie,” as well as the album of the same name, with a 2022 world tour. “After spending the past 18 months at home, I am thrilled to be getting back on the road with my band,” McLean said in a statement. “2022 marks the 50th anniversary from when American Pie landed at the #1 spot on the Billboard chart and we will be celebrating on tour all year long. We will be performing all the songs from the American Pie album plus many of the other hits that fans will be expecting to hear.” The tour itinerary is exactly what you might expect from a 76-year-old who can play wherever he wants. He opens with a three-night stand in Honolulu, Hawaii, before spending five days on the Rock Legends Cruise through the Carib...
R.I.P. Michael Nesmith, Co-Founder of The Monkees Dead at 78
Michael Nesmith, co-founding member, vocalist, and guitarist of The Monkees, has died at the age of 78. “With Infinite Love we announce that Michael Nesmith has passed away this morning in his home, surrounded by family, peacefully and of natural causes,” his family said in a statement. “We ask that you respect our privacy at this time and we thank you for the love and light that all of you have shown him and us.” According to a representative for the band, Nesmith passed away from heart failure. The Monkees formed in 1965 when television producers Bob Rafelson and Bert Schneider recruited Nesmith, Micky Dolenz, Peter Tork, and Davy Jones to be in a sitcom of the same name. As Dolenz recalled, “The Monkees was a TV show about an imaginary band, a band that wanted ...
Eddie Van Halen Funko Pop! Figure on the Way
Eddie Van Halen is already immortal in the hearts of millions of rock fans, and now the late guitar legend will be further eternalized as a Funko Pop! vinyl figure. The popular toy company just announced a new figure that looks straight out of Van Halen’s “Panama” video, capturing the guitarist taking a leap while playing his iconic “Frankenstrat.” While it’s a fitting tribute to the rock legend, who passed away in October 2020, his son Wolfgang has revealed that the Funk Pop! figure has actually been in the works since 2019. “Pop signed off on this way back in 2019 and it’s wonderful to see it finally come to fruition,” tweeted Wolf. “So stoked with how it turned out!” Advertisement Wolfgang recently chatted with Heavy Consequence via video Zoom, telling us of his success this past year f...
Alice Cooper Announces Spring 2022 North American Tour
Alice Cooper has announced a Spring 2022 North American tour, with support from Buckcherry on select dates. The shows continue Cooper’s campaign in support of 2021’s Detroit Stories, a tribute to the musical legacy of the Motor City, Cooper’s hometown. The Spring 2022 leg with Buckcherry kicks off March 18th in Mashantucket, Connecticut, and runs through April 20th in Seattle. Cooper will then meet up with ex-KISS guitarist Ace Frehley for joint concerts on April 22nd and April 23rd in Reno, Nevada, and Paso Robles, California, respectively (sans Buckcherry). Get tickets via Ticketmaster. Advertisement Related Video The spring shows follow Cooper’s previously announced early 2022 US tour, which runs through January and February before concluding with an appearance on the Monsters of Rock C...
Prince William: AC/DC Make Me Feel Like I “Can Take on Anything and Anyone”
Prince William has revealed that he listens to AC/DC to get pumped up for royal engagements at the start of the week. The 39-year-old member of the British royal family offered some insight on his listening habits for the Christmas episode of Apple Fitness+’s “Time to Walk” series. “There’s nothing better than, on a Monday morning, when you’re a bit bleary-eyed after the weekend and trying to get yourself back into the grind of the week, listening to AC/DC, ‘Thunderstruck,’” the prince said [via Blabbermouth]. Advertisement Related Video Even after hearing the song “a million times,” Prince William says it still sets him right after the leisures of the weekend. “I have to say the first time I put it on… I was kind of, like, ‘Well, this is quite heavy for a Monday morning,’” he ...
Tom Petty Posthumously Awarded Honorary Doctorate in Music from University of Florida
Call him Dr. Petty. On Friday, Tom Petty received a special posthumous award: an honorary doctorate degree from the University of Florida. University officials from the board of trustees voted unanimously on the motion to recognize the late musician, who was arguably the most famous native resident of their city. Petty and his music have special ties to the school. Not only did the rock icon grow up in Gainesville, Florida, his seminal hit “I Won’t Back Down” has been adopted by the University of Florida’s athletic teams as their unofficial theme song of sorts. Advertisement Related Video “[He’s] widely considered among the most distinctive and influential musicians over the past 50 years,” UF provost Joseph Glover said during the ceremony according to reporting by the Tampa Bay Times. “Hi...
Dave Grohl Covers KISS and Drinks Slurpees with Greg Kurstin on Night Eight of Hanukkah: Watch
Tonight is the final night of Hanukkah, and so too is Dave Grohl and Greg Kurstin’s covers song series celebrating the Festival of Lights. To close things out, they’ve shared a seriously fun cover of KISS’s “Rock and Roll All Nite,” and a goofy music video to boot. Grohl introduced the cover, writing, “Ladies and gentlemen….we made it. Night 8! And what better way to celebrate another year of Hanukkah Sessions than Chaim Witz and Stanley Eisen….two young lads from Queens that set the world (and thousands of stages) on FIRE as Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley of KISS!!!” “Greg and I would like to thank all of the people that helped ramp up the Hanukkah Sessions this year. It’s gonna be tough to beat! (But we will. Oh, we will…..) We hope that this year’s batch of hits has brought a little joy ...
