Classic Rock
Damon Johnson on Working With Alice Cooper and Thin Lizzy
Kyle Meredith With… Damon Johnson Listen via Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Play | Stitcher | Radio Public | RSS Damon Johnson hops on the line with Kyle Meredith to discuss his new solo record, Battle Lessons, which finds the former Alice Cooper and Thin Lizzy member recounting his past with big rock sounds. Johnson tells us about embracing his past in this set’s music and the puzzle of songwriting. Also as a founding member of ’90s band Brother Cane, Johnson discusses the impact of being featured on the soundtrack to Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers. Kyle Meredith With… is an interview series in which WFPK’s Kyle Meredith speaks to a wide breadth of musicians. Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, Meredith digs deep...
Tom Petty Breezes Through His Wildflowers Era in Somewhere You Feel Free: SXSW Review
Editor’s Note: The following review is as part of our coverage of the 2021 South by Southwest Film Festival. Stay tuned for further reviews straight outta Austin — well, virtually, of course. Below, Clint Worthington reviews Mary Wharton’s Tom Petty documentary. The Pitch: While Tom Petty’s work with The Heartbreakers gave us some of the most iconic country-rock tunes of the past half-century, Petty purists likely cite his second solo album, 1994’s Wildflowers, as his arguable creative apex. But for all the relaxed charms of songs like “You Wreck Me” and “Only a Broken Heart”, the album was made at a particularly tumultuous time for the artist, including creative struggles with MCA, clashes with Heartbreakers drummer Stan Lynch, and the end of his first marriage. While Petty...
Alice Cooper: David Bowie Saw My Stage Show and Said This Is What He “Should Be Doing”
Legendary rockers Alice Cooper and David Bowie each broke new ground as theatrical stage performers. While the two pioneers of glam rock were contemporaries, Cooper says it was his stage show that influenced Bowie. In a new feature for Metal Hammer, Cooper answered a number of fan questions. One reader named Debbie asked, “Did you ever cross paths with your theatrical comrade, David Bowie?” “David used to come to the show when he was a mime artist, he was Davy Jones back then,” responded Cooper. “I remember at one of our ‘Welcome to My Nightmare’ shows, he brought his band the Spiders From Mars and he was saying, ‘This is what we should be doing.’ But he never did it the way we did it.” He added, “When we started doing theatrics and still had hit records, that opened up a huge door for Bow...
Bill Ward Would Love to Record a New Black Sabbath Album with the Original Lineup
Founding Black Sabbath drummer Bill Ward has said he would “love to” record one more studio album with his former band. Ward parted ways with the group in 2012, prior to Sabbath recording their most recent album, 13, and embarking on their farewell tour. Ward was originally supposed to be aboard for the tour and the album but he departed citing contractual issues. Ozzy Osbourne later alleged that Ward was physically unfit for the tour. Rage Against the Machine’s Brad Wilk performed drums on the album, while Tommy Clufetos played drums on the final tour. It’s been nearly 10 years since Ward’s exit, and now the drummer has floated the idea about making another record with his old band. Speaking with SiriusXM’s Eddie Trunk, Ward — who turns 73 in May — said he definitely wouldn’t be able to e...
Eddie Van Halen’s Son Wolfgang Declined Invite to Perform Tribute at Grammys
Many viewers came away from Sunday’s Grammy Awards disappointed with the very brief tribute to the late Eddie Van Halen. On Monday, his son Wolfgang revealed that he was invited to perform Van Halen’s “Eruption” but declined. Even so, he was one of the ones who was underwhelmed by the salute to his father. While such artists as John Prine, Little Richard, and Kenny Rogers were toasted with full musical performances, Eddie Van Halen’s legacy was observed with one of his guitars sitting on a stage for 15 seconds during the “In Memoriam” segment, as a few videos played behind it. In a tweet, Wolfgang explained that he didn’t want play his father’s iconic Van Halen instrumental track “Eruption” because he felt he wouldn’t do it justice. That said, he was hoping the Grammys would do a little mo...
Black Sabbath’s Geezer Butler: I Was Doing the Devil Horns Hand Gesture Long Before Ronnie James Dio
The late Ronnie James Dio has long been credited for popularizing the devil horns hand gesture that has become a universal symbol for metalheads and rock fans. However, in a new interview, Black Sabbath bassist Geezer Butler says he was flashing the devil horns long before Dio, and was even the one who introduced the gesture to the singer. “I’ve been doing that sign since — I’ve got pictures of me doing it since 1971,” Butler told SiriusXM’s Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk on Monday (March 8th). “And I always used to do it in the breakdown in the song ‘Black Sabbath’ — just before it goes into the fast part at the end, I’d do that sign to the audience.” In 1979, Dio replaced Ozzy Osbourne in Black Sabbath. According to Butler, when Sabbath hit the road to support their 1980 album Heaven and ...
KISS’ Gene Simmons Explains Why He Keeps Saying “Rock Is Dead”
KISS singer-bassist Gene Simmons made headlines several years ago when he declared that “rock is finally dead.” He recently doubled down on that sentiment just before the band played a streaming New Year’s Eve show to ring in 2021. At the time of his initial statement in 2014, he explained in an Esquire feature, “Once you had a record company on your side, they would fund you, and that also meant when you toured they would give you tour support. … There are still record companies, and it does apply to pop, rap, and country to an extent. But for performers who are also songwriters — the creators — for rock music, for soul, for the blues — it’s finally dead.” Heavy Consequence recently checked in with the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer to discuss his new G² line of guitars with Gibson. At one...
King Crimson’s Robert Fripp and Wife Toyah Cover Britney Spears’ “Toxic”: Watch
King Crimson co-founder Robert Fripp and his wife Toyah Willcox are using the latest installment of their “Sunday Lunch” performance series to pay homage to Britney Spears. The couple described their quarantine cover of Spears’ 2004 single “Toxic” as a “love letter” to the pop singer amid her ongoing conservatorship battle with her father. To that point, the hashtag #freebritney appeared in the upper right corner of the video, and Fripp and Willcox closed their performance by holding up signs that read, “Britney We C You”. Watch the footage below. Since launching their “Sunday Launch” series last year, Robert and Toyah have covered a wide array of artists, including Metallica’s “Enter Sandman”, Billy Idol’s “Rebel Yell”, Guns N’ Roses’ “Welcome to the Jungle”, the Joan Jett ...
Gene Simmons on His New G² Gibson Collection, Restarting KISS’ Final Tour, and More
KISS singer-bassist Gene Simmons is not only a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame musician, but a merchandizing master. His band set the template for rock branding, and now he’s combining his knowledge of music and merch with a new line of Gibson guitars and basses, dubbed G² (pronounced “G-squared”). The G² collection sees Simmons partnering with Gibson on a new line of right-handed and left-handed guitars and basses, spanning across the company’s owned and operated brands Gibson, Epiphone, and Kramer. The partnership will launch with the G² Thunderbird bass, which Simmons debuted during KISS’ massive New Year’s Eve livestream show in Dubai. Also on tap are Flying V basses and guitars, among other instruments. We had the opportunity to speak with Simmons about the collection, the genesis of the...
Tom Morello Considers Ted Nugent a Friend Despite Polar Opposite Political Beliefs
Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello opened up about his unlikely friendship with rocker Ted Nugent during a recent appearance on The Howard Stern Show. Morello said he still considers Nugent a friend despite their opposing political beliefs. The RATM guitarist’s views are firmly on the left, while the gun-toting Nugent is about as far to the right as can be. Morello called Donald Trump an “orange-faced demagogue.” Meanwhile, the Nuge defended the former president following the Capitol insurrection, instead blaming Antifa and Black Lives Matter for the violent riot. Despite being polar opposites politically, Morello said he instead focused on their similarities as worldclass guitarists and staunch free-speech advocates. “For his 60th birthday, someone reached out to me and said, ...
Wolfgang Van Halen Hits No. 1 on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock Chart with Debut Single “Distance”
Wolfgang Van Halen’s debut single “Distance” has reached No. 1 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Airplay chart. The track was released under Wolfgang’s Mammoth WVH solo moniker as a tribute to his late father Eddie Van Halen, who personally loved the song and had a few No. 1 hits of his own with Van Halen. The single was accompanied by a touching music video featuring home movies of Eddie and Wolfgang. Since its release, the video has over 4 million views on YouTube. “The response to ‘Distance’ has been incredibly overwhelming,” Wolfgang said in a press release. “The immense support from everyone at radio who played the song and all of the fans who called requesting it has been more than I could have imagined. Thank you to everyone who helped me get my first #1 song. I wish Pop was here to ...
Cheap Trick’s Rick Nielsen: “I Think We’re A Lot of People’s Fifth Favorite Band”
Kyle Meredith With… Cheap Trick Listen via Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Play | Stitcher | Radio Public | RSS Cheap Trick singer-songwriter Rick Nielsen catches up with Kyle Meredith to play some guitar while talking about In Another World. The lead guitarist discusses some of the Easter eggs within the new songs, writing about the passage of time, having the Sex Pistols’ Steve Jones guest, and covering John Lennon’s “Gimme Some Truth”. Given the band’s recent cover of “Rebel Rebel”, Nielsen reminisces about his friendship with David Bowie as well as the time he hung with Jennifer Lopez. Later, he previews the upcoming tour in Australia and discusses his business ventures that include starting Reverb, his restaurants, and new...
