Classic Rock
KISS’ Gene Simmons and Gibson Team for New G² Line of Electric Guitars and Basses
Founding KISS bassist Gene Simmons has partnered with Gibson for a new line of electric guitars and basses dubbed G². The new collection will launch with the release of the G² Thunderbird bass later this year. Simmons unveiled the Thunderbird during KISS’ elaborate New Year’s Eve livestream concert in Dubai. The entrepreneurial bassist recently reaffirmed his belief that “rock is dead,” but that’s not stopping him from releasing a new series of rock instruments. “You live and die by the instrument in your hands,” Simmons said in a press announcement. “You can stick your tongue out only so many times, but you have got to deliver the goods.” The new collection of right and left-handed guitars will span Gibson’s numerous brands — Gibson proper, Epiphone, and Kramer — which indicates a variety...
Toto’s Joseph Williams Details Dogz of Oz Tour
Kyle Meredith With… Toto Listen via Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Play | Stitcher | Radio Public | RSS Toto singer Joseph Williams talks with Kyle Meredith about his new solo album, Denizen Tenant. Williams, the son of composer John Williams, tells us about covering Peter Gabriel and the influences that make their way on to the new LP. We also get the backstory on the new CWF album that showcases his voice alongside Chicago’s Bill Champlin and what to expect from next year’s Dogz of Oz tour with Toto. The legendary rock band recently announced a new lineup and plan to dive into deep cuts and solo songs for their 2021 tour. Kyle Meredith With… is an interview series in which WFPK’s Kyle Meredith speaks to a wide breadth o...
Neil Peart’s Family and Friends Detail the Drummer’s Final Years in New Interview
The surviving members of RUSH, as well as Neil Peart’s family and friends, sat down with Rolling Stone to discuss the legendary drummer’s final years. The feature was published on Thursday to coincide with the one-year anniversary of Peart’s death. Peart was diagnosed with glioblastoma, an aggressive brain cancer, in August 2016 and was given 12-18 months to live. Prior to the diagnosis, Peart’s wife, Carrie Nuttall, said she noticed changes in her husband’s behavior: he struggled to complete his beloved crossword puzzles and had difficulty speaking. At first, Nuttall assumed he was merely depressed, but her fears were realized after he received an MRI and ended up in surgery. Friends say Peart handled the illness with “strength and stoicism,” and was determined to make the most of each da...
Neil Young Sells 50% of Rights to His Entire Song Catalog
Neil Young is the latest prominent artist to sign away publishing rights, adding to an ongoing trend in the music industry. The deal sees publishing house Hipgnosis acquire half the worldwide copyright of and any resulting income from Young’s over 1,180 original songs. Exactly how much cash the sale netted the folk rock icon isn’t known, but it’s almost undoubtedly a nine-figure sum. It’s the latest major deal made just this week by Hipgnosis, founded in 2018 by artist manager Merck Mercuriadis (Elton John, Beyoncé). Earlier, the company closed on 100% of Fleetwood Mac member Lindsay Buckingham’s catalog, as well as for producer royalties for 259 songs by Beats founder Jimmy Iovine. Young’s catalog now joins those and others owned by Hipgnosis, including Timbaland, The-Dream, Mark Ronson, ...
Uriah Heep on 50 Years In Rock and What’s Next
Kyle Meredith With… Uriah Heep Listen via Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Play | Stitcher | Radio Public | RSS Uriah Heep lead man Mick Box jumps on the line with Kyle Meredith to discuss the 50 Years In Rock box set, which includes 23 CDs and four compilations of curated favorites from individual members. Box tells us about the early days of the band when they transitioned from Spice to Uriah Heep through eventually making a breakthrough with their masterpiece, Look At Yourself. The hard rock legend also talks about using fantasy lyrics, creating new artwork for the Magician’s Birthday, finding a reset during the Firefly era, and being true to themselves as trends changed throughout the ’80s and ’90s. Box also gives an update ...
Trent Reznor on David Bowie: “He Helped Me in Those Dark Times Before I Chose to Get My S**t Together”
Editor’s Note: We continue our celebration of the life and art of David Bowie with an exclusive new tribute from Trent Reznor. Keep checking back all week for more content reflecting on our favorite Starman. And, if you’ve missed anything, you can experience it all again here. David Bowie’s impact on fans and musicians transcended definitions of genre, illustrated by the iconic rock chameleon’s influence on industrial heavyweight Trent Reznor. As the Nine Inch Nails mastermind tells Consequence of Sound, having Bowie as both role model and friend helped him through some very dark times. Nine Inch Nails had the honor of opening for Bowie on “The Outside Tour” in 1995, which saw Reznor and company remaining onstage to perform a handful of songs with Bowie at the beginning of the latter’s hea...
The Magic of David Bowie in 10 Collaborations
Editor’s Note: We continue our celebration of the life and art of David Bowie with a look at 10 magical collaborations. Keep checking back all week for more new and reshared content reflecting on our favorite Starman. And, if you’ve missed anything, you can experience it all again here. David Bowie was a singular force, blurring gender and genre lines in a career that spanned over half a century. Along the way, he gifted listeners with a slew of memorable, solitary personas: Ziggy Stardust, the Thin White Duke, the Man Who Fell to Earth, the Goblin King, and, in his stunning final act, the Blind Prophet. While Bowie will rightly be remembered as a brilliant solo artist who consistently pursued new inspiration, he would be the first to tell you that his musical odyssey was never conducted a...
Alice Cooper Writes and Performs Song for the Late Harry Nilsson’s Ailing Son Zak: Watch
Alice Cooper has once again shown his inspirational side, writing and performing an original song for late singer Harry Nilsson’s ailing son, Zak Nilsson, who’s battling end-stage colon cancer. Cooper sang the touching song in a surprise appearance on an episode of YouTube program Coffee Talk With ADIKA Live when Zak was a guest on the show to discuss his experience with cancer, chemotherapy, and end-of-life care. During the conversation, Cooper appears in his signature suit and top hat, singing the song in a piano / show-tune style, much like Harry Nilsson’s classic pop hits. “Your dad would write a song about you that everyone could sing,” Cooper lets out during the song’s a cappella bridge. Zak recently entered hospice rather than continue treatment, so “Coffee Talk” hosts Stefan Adika ...
KISS’ Gene Simmons Still Thinks “Rock Is Dead,” Paul Stanley Disagrees
A few years ago, Gene Simmons caused a stir when he boldly declared that “rock is dead.” In a new interview, the KISS singer-bassist doubled down on that statement, even as his longtime bandmate Paul Stanley strongly disagreed. Back in 2014, in an interview with his son, Nick Simmons, for Esquire magazine, Gene exclaimed, “Rock is finally dead.” He explained at the time, “When I was coming up, it was not an insurmountable mountain. 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.” KISS just pla...
Pablo Cruise on Their First New Music in 40 Years
Kyle Meredith With… Pablo Cruise Listen via Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Play | Stitcher | Radio Public | RSS Pablo Cruise have returned with their first new song in nearly 40 years with “Breathe”. David Jenkins hopped on the line with Kyle Meredith to discuss what prompted writing again after being primarily a live band for the past couple decades and their love of a positive message. We also turn the clocks back to their final album, 1984’s Out of Our Hands, to hear what it was like having the ’70s pop band adjust to an ’80s new wave scene, writing with Huey Lewis, and the possibility of more new music. Kyle Meredith With… is an interview series in which WFPK’s Kyle Meredith speaks to a wide breadth of musicians. Ever...
R.I.P. Gerry Marsden, Frontman of Gerry and the Pacemakers Dead at 78
Gerry Marsden, frontman of Gerry and the Pacemakers, has died at the age of 78. Marsden’s death was announced by UK broadcaster Pete Price, who wrote: “It’s with a very heavy heart after speaking to the family that I have to tell you the Legendary Gerry Marsden MBE after a short illness which was an infection in his heart has sadly passed away.” Gerry and the Pacemakers were early contemporaries of The Beatles, as both groups hailed from Liverpool, were managed by Brian Epstein, and were recorded by George Martin. The Pacemakers’ career began with a fury in 1963, as their first three singles — “How Do You Do It?”, “I Like It”, and “You’ll Never Walk Alone” — all debuted at No. 1 on the UK singles chart. “You’ll Never Walk Alone” was later adopted by fans of Liverpool F.C. and bec...
R.I.P. Gerry Marsden, Frontman of Gerry and the Pacemakers Dead at 78
Gerry Marsden, frontman of Gerry and the Pacemakers, has died at the age of 78. Marsden’s death was announced by UK broadcaster Pete Price, who wrote: “It’s with a very heavy heart after speaking to the family that I have to tell you the Legendary Gerry Marsden MBE after a short illness which was an infection in his heart has sadly passed away.” Gerry and the Pacemakers were early contemporaries of The Beatles, as both groups hailed from Liverpool, were managed by Brian Epstein, and were recorded by George Martin. The Pacemakers’ career began with a fury in 1963, as their first three singles — “How Do You Do It?”, “I Like It”, and “You’ll Never Walk Alone” — all debuted at No. 1 on the UK singles chart. “You’ll Never Walk Alone” was later adopted by fans of Liverpool F.C. and bec...
