Classic Rock
R.I.P. Ron Bushy, Iron Butterfly (“In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida”) Drummer Dies at 79
Ron Bushy, the longtime drummer for pioneering hard-rock act Iron Butterfly, has died at age 79. According to the band, he passed away early Sunday morning (August 29th) surrounded by family at UCLA Santa Monica Hospital. TMZ reports that he had been battling cancer. Best known for his epic drum solo on the band’s signature song, the 17-minute “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida,” Bushy joined the San Diego band in 1966. He had still been considered a member of the group up until his passing, but he had retired from regular performing in recent years due to his health. However, he did make the occasional guest appearance at select concerts. Bushy was the only member of Iron Butterfly to appear on all six of the band’s studio albums, which were all released between the years of 1968 through 1975. The acid-...
The Rolling Stones Remember Charlie Watts With Career-Spanning Tribute Video: Watch
Following his death earlier this week, The Rolling Stones honored their longtime drummer Charlie Watts on Friday with a video tribute posted to the band’s Twitter. The two-minute clip is composed of archival footage of Watts on stage, in the studio, and behind-the-scenes at video shoots, soundtracked by the Stones’ 1974 hit “If You Can’t Rock Me.” Watts, one of the Stones’ longest-running members, died on August 24th; he was 80 years old. His publicist wrote that he “passed away peacefully in a London hospital earlier today surrounded by his family.” The news arrived just a few weeks after Watts announced he’d be skipping out on the Stones’ upcoming US tour due to an undisclosed medical procedure. Mick Jagger’s Twitter account also shared the tribute clip, which serves as an ode to Watts’ ...
Jason Isbell Covers The Rolling Stones’ “Gimme Shelter” as Tribute to Charlie Watts: Watch
Charlie Watts may have passed away but legends never die. On August 26th in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Jason Isbell, his band The 400 Unit, and his tour mate Brittney Spencer all joined forces to pay tribute to one of rock’s greatest drummers with a cover of The Rolling Stones’ “Gimme Shelter.” Isbell took lead, singing and laying down a couple of muscular guitar solos. Spencer sang backup vocals — no small feat, considering she has the kind of gale-force instrument that could shake the leaves off a green tree — and provided soaring accents between verses. Check out the cover of “Gimme Shelter” below. Others who have paid tribute to Watts since his death include Elton John, Paul McCartney, and Brian Wilson, as well as The Rolling Stones themselves. The band has announced plans to continue the...
Neil Young on COVID-Era Concerts: “These Are Super-Spreader Events”
Neil Young has taken a strong stance against concerts being held during the COVID-19 era. In a blog post on the Neil Young Archives, he called upon big concert promoters to stop putting on shows, calling them “super-spreader events.” “The big promoters, if they had the awareness, could stop these shows,” Young wrote, after praising Garth Brooks for canceling his 2021 tour dates. “Live Nation, AEG, and the other big promoters could shut this down if they could just forget about making money for a while… They control much of the entertainment business. They hold the power to stop shows where thousands congregate and spread. It’s money that keeps it going. Money that motivates the spreading. The big promoters are responsible for super spreaders.” Whether or not you agree with Young, the veter...
The Rolling Stones’ US Tour Going Ahead Despite Death of Charlie Watts
The Rolling Stones’ upcoming US tour will take place as scheduled starting next month. That’s despite the death of longtime drummer, Charlie Watts, as well as the recent surge of Delta variant cases across the US. “The Rolling Stones’ tour dates are moving ahead as planned,” the tour’s promoter, Concerts West, said in a statement. Prior to his passing earlier this week, Watts announced that he would be sitting out of The Rolling Stones’ upcoming tour after undergoing a medical procedure. Watts had asked longtime Stones associate Steve Jordan to fill in for him on drums. Advertisement Related Video The Rolling Stones’ 12-date “No Filter Tour” includes stadium shows previously postponed due to the pandemic, as well as new dates in Los Angeles and Las Vegas. Tickets are available for purchase...
Paul Stanley Tests Positive for COVID-19, At Least One KISS Show Postponed
KISS have announced that singer-guitarist Paul Stanley has tested positive for COVID-19. The band has postponed its concert tonight (August 26th) in Burgettstown, Pennsylvania, and it is likely more dates will be affected, as well. The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame act revealed the news just moments before the concert at the The Pavilion at Star Lake was set to begin. The statement made it clear that Stanley and his bandmates have been vaccinated: “Tonight’s KISS show at The Pavilion at Star Lake in Burgettstown, PA is unfortunately postponed due to Paul Stanley testing positive for COVID. More information about show dates will be made available ASAP. Everyone on the entire tour, both band and crew, are fully vaccinated. The band and their crew have operated in a bubble independently to saf...
Creedence Clearwater Revival’s Doug “Cosmo” Clifford on Vault Albums and Retiring CCR
Listen via Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | Pocket Casts | Radio Public | RSS Creedence Clearwater Revival’s Doug “Cosmo” Clifford catches up with Kyle Meredith to discuss For All the Money in the World, a record he wrote and recorded with bassist Steve Wright in the mid-’80s and kept inside his Cosmo’s Vault until now. The drummer/producer talks about why he sat on the LP for so long, tapping Joe Satriani to play guitar, and the other vault records that will be seeing release soon — including collaborations with Bobby Whitlock, Doug Sahm, and a solo album. Clifford also tells us why he and CCR bassist Stu Cook recently brought Creedence Clearwater Revisited to a close. Advertisement Related Video Stream the interview wit...
“Never Call Me Your Drummer Again!” The Time Charlie Watts Punched Mick Jagger
Charlie Watts, the legendary drummer whose jazz-inflected grooves kept The Rolling Stones, rolling along, has died at the age of 80. The tributes have been pouring in, and amidst all of the fond remembrances, one memory sticks out as being more fond than most: the time Watts punched Mick Jagger. The anecdote comes from Stones’ guitarist Keith Richards’ 2010 autobiography Life. During a period when Jagger was one of the most famous people in the entire world — and, as Richards tells it, among the most irritating — Watts was one of the few people willing to put him in his place. “There was a rare moment, in late 1984, of Charlie throwing his drummer’s punch — a punch I’ve seen a couple of times and it’s lethal; it carries a lot of balance and timing,” Richards wrote. “He has t...
The Rolling Stones’ Mick Jagger, Keith Richards Pay Tribute to Charlie Watts
The music world was shaken today when we learned of the death of Charlie Watts, the longtime drummer for The Rolling Stones. There has been an outpouring of reactions to the passing, with celebrities and peers from Paul McCartney to Questlove sharing messages. Now, two of his surviving bandmates have also paid tribute to Watts. In separate Instagram posts, both Mick Jagger and Keith Richards shared images in memory of their longtime bandmate. The former posted an image of a smiling Watts in action, a fitting way to remember the steady stickman known for his constant beaming behind his kit. It’s also nice to know this is how Jagger choose to remember him, rather than the time Watts punched Jagger for calling him “my drummer.” Richards, meanwhile, posted an image of Watts’ drum set with a “C...
Charlie Watts’ 10 Best Rolling Stones Drum Moments
The Rolling Stones recorded legacy spans nearly 60 years, and drummer Charlie Watts was there for it all. He anchored the band’s rhythm section with a gift for pocket and groove, always wearing one of the brightest smiles in the business. Watts also held an uncanny gift for balancing simplicity and showmanship, never getting in the way of the song unless it called for a spotlight on the drummer. Sadly, the legendary stickman passed away at the age of 80 on August 24th, but his legacy lives on through the iconic songs he left behind. Among the tributes that have poured in since news of his death, The Roots drummer Questlove called Watts “the heartbeat of rock & roll.” Advertisement Related Video Listening back to The Stones’ hits after the news of Watts’ passing makes you realize how vi...
Dead & Company Play Grateful Dead’s Entire 1969 Woodstock Set: Watch
On Monday night, Dead & Company played a concert at the Bethel Woods Center for the Arts — AKA the site of the 1969 Woodstock festival. To celebrate the occasion, the group played the entirety of the Grateful Dead’s setlist from that iconic moment in history. Check out some footage from their performance below. As usual, the surviving members of the band were joined by John Mayer for last night’s gig, which is part of their ongoing 2021 tour. After opening with a few Grateful Dead covers like “Hell in a Bucket” and “Easy Wind,” they broke out six other songs before Bob Weir grabbed the microphone to update audience members about the band’s plan for the evening. “Fifty years ago, right here, we tried this little sequence,” he said. “And it didn’t work so well for us, so we’re going to t...
Wolfgang Van Halen: “I’m Not F**kin’ Playing ‘Panama’ for You Guys”
Wolfgang Van Halen has some choice words for those requesting that his band Mammoth WVH cover Van Halen songs. The son of the late Eddie Van Halen insists that he’s “not f**king playing ‘Panama’ for you guys.” Mammoth WVH are back opening for Guns N’ Roses after missing a few shows due to a member of the group’s touring personnel (not a band member) testing positive for COVID-19. Wolfgang and company have also been playing headlining dates on GN’R’s off days. Inevitably, Mammoth WVH’s first tour has been greeted with some fans who apparently don’t realize that the band plays entirely original music, written and recorded by Wolfgang and culled from the outfit’s self-titled debut album. They’re not a Van Halen tribute act. Advertisement Related Video One user commented on Wolfgang’s Facebook...
