Classic Rock
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...
Mick Fleetwood Is Now Open to Fleetwood Mac Reunion with Lindsey Buckingham
Back in 2019, Fleetwood Mac wrapped up an epic 50th anniversary world tour that served as their first proper string of live shows since parting ways with Lindsey Buckingham the year prior. Now, de facto bandleader and drummer Mick Fleetwood has revealed that he wants to do a proper farewell tour with the whole band, including Buckingham himself — marking a dramatic 180-degree turn from where he stood exactly a year ago. In a new interview with Rolling Stone, Fleetwood explained that the coronavirus pandemic has given him ample time to reevaluate his relationships and goals. Arguably the biggest one on his mind is getting everyone back together again to perform live one last time, especially after the band’s celebrated guitarist and co-founder Peter Green passed away unexpectedly last ...
Foo Fighters, Carly Simon, Perry Farrell, More to Play Rock ‘N’ Relief Livestream
The non-profit CORE (Community Organized Relief Effort) has announced the two-day Rock ‘N’ Relief livestream to raise funds for COVID-19 aid in Los Angeles. Foo Fighters, Carly Simon, Perry Farrell, and more will perform. CORE was founded more than a decade ago by Ann Lee and actor Sean Penn to help the victims of Haiti’s 2010 earthquake. The program has taken up many causes over the years, most recently the novel coronavirus. CORE is currently helping to operate the mass vaccination site at Dodger Stadium, in addition to providing “equitable access to free testing and vaccines across Los Angeles.” The Rock ‘N’ Relief livestream is being curated by Linda Perry, the former leader of 4 Non Blondes, who has gone on to write songs for Christina Aguilera, P!nk, and Gwen Stefani, among others. P...
Alice Cooper Releases New Album Detroit Stories: Stream
Legendary shock rocker Alice Cooper has released his latest studio album, Detroit Stories. The record’s 15 tracks act as a concept album about Cooper’s native city — a historic hotbed for rock and roll in the ’60s and ‘70s. Cooper was one of the most active members of the scene, fronting the band Alice Cooper before the group’s moniker took on a personality of its own, becoming the man Alice Cooper as he’s known today. “Detroit was Heavy Rock central then,” Cooper said in a press release. “You’d play the Eastown and it would be Alice Cooper, Ted Nugent, the Stooges and the Who, for $4! The next weekend at the Grande it was MC5, Brownsville Station and Fleetwood Mac, or Savoy Brown or the Small Faces. You couldn’t be a soft-rock band or you’d get your ass kicked.” Detroit would become ...
Sammy Hagar on Covering David Bowie, The Who, and Van Halen
Kyle Meredith With… Sammy Hagar Listen via Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Play | Stitcher | Radio Public | RSS Sammy Hagar catches up with Kyle Meredith to talk about his new album, Lockdown 2020. The album was recorded in quarantine with his bandmates in The Circle that includes Michael Anthony, Jason Bonham, and Vic Johnson as they run through covers of their heroes, peers, and his own Van Halen catalogue. The Red Rocker talks about tackling the scream on The Who’s “Won’t Get Fooled Again” and regretting writing such a high vocal part for Van Halen’s “Dreams”. He also discusses the way Van Halen’s “Right Now” still speaks to today’s environment and tells us about sharing music with Eddie Van Halen during the guitarist’s fina...
AC/DC’s Angus Young Conceived “Highway to Hell” While on the Toilet
A nasty bout with food poisoning can lead a poor soul on a highway to hell right to the toilet, but for Angus Young, a visit to the toilet led to one of AC/DC’s signature songs. That’s right, the legendary guitarist conceived “Highway to Hell” while sitting on the porcelain throne. The revelation came in a new interview with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe, who had Angus and singer Brian Johnson share the stories behind a few of AC/DC’s best-known tunes. “We had started with the Highway to Hell album … we’d been in Miami, and we’d been in a rehearsal room and that’s what we were doing,” began Angus about the 1979 hit. “We were putting together new tracks. And we’d been there a couple of weeks and we were going a bit slow. And then I had come in one day with [my brother Malcolm] and just before we ...
Lzzy Hale’s Powerhouse Vocals Highlight Halestorm’s Cover of The Who’s “Long Live Rock”: Stream
Halestorm have covered The Who’s “Long Live Rock” in conjunction with the recently announced documentary of the same name. The rousing rendition is fueled by frontwoman Lzzy Hale’s powerful vocals. The new documentary Long Live Rock … Celebrate the Chaos focuses on the culture surrounding hard rock, with appearances by members of Metallica, Guns N’ Roses, Rage Against the Machine, Slipknot, Halestorm, and many others. It was filmed at a number of U.S. rock festivals in recent years, and also spotlights fans of the music, as they “commune with their ‘rock families’.” In promotion of the movie, Halestorm have tackled “Long Live Rock”, which was released on The Who’s 1974 rarities collection, Odds & Sods, and also featured during the credits of the legendary UK band’s 1979 documentar...
