Classic Rock
Paul McCartney’s Daughter Mary McCartney to Direct Abbey Road Documentary
In 1931, the Gramophone Company opened a studio in a Georgian townhouse on London’s Abbey Road. Nine decades later and Abbey Road Studios has become perhaps the most famous recording studio. Now, Mary McCartney, daughter of Paul McCartney and Linda McCartney, is planning to tell the studio’s story with a new documentary titled, If These Walls Could Sing. For many people, the significance of Abbey Road has everything to do with Abbey Road, the 11th studio album by The Beatles. But the former EMI Recording Studios has a rich place in much more of Britain’s musical history, from 1930s sessions with the London Symphony Orchestra through the first digital recording ever made in the UK to its place today as a historical landmark. If These Walls Could Sing will be the first time a documentar...
Kenny Wayne Shepherd on Hanging Out with Neil Young and Touring With Van Halen
Kyle Meredith With… Kenny Wayne Shepherd Listen via Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Play | Stitcher | Radio Public | RSS Kenny Wayne Shepherd talks with Kyle Meredith about his new live album and DVD, Straight To You. Shepherd discusses the TV appearance that the recording comes from, how sharing vocals affects what he plays, and how he relates to his most notable song, “Blue On Black”. The blues guitarist also relays stories about hanging out with Neil Young and Stephen Stills, touring with Van Halen, and the lasting impression of Eddie Van Halen. We’ve also included a bonus 2017 interview with Shepherd. Kyle Meredith With… is an interview series in which WFPK’s Kyle Meredith speaks to a wide breadth of musicians. Every M...
King Crimson’s Robert Fripp and Wife Toyah Gift Us with Metallica’s “Enter Sandman” on an Exercise Bike: Watch
King Crimson founder Robert Fripp and his singer wife Toyah owned the pandemic in 2020 with a “Sunday Lunch” quarantine series featuring a number of memorable performances. Thankfully, for those of us still wanting eccentric covers of our favorite rock songs, the couple have continued the series into 2021. Their latest effort is a rendition of Metallica’s “Enter Sandman” featuring Toyah riding an exercise bike. As Fripp plays the iconic “Enter Sandman” riff on guitar, Toyah rides the bike, writhing around as she sings and acts out the song’s lyrics. This time around, it’s not so much the performance as it is Toyah’s revealing choice of apparel that has garnered the most comments on YouTube. In just one day, the clip has more than a half million views. “Enter Sandman” isn’t Robert and Toyah...
EVH Unveils New 2021 Guitar Models in Eddie Van Halen’s Honor
EVH has unveiled a new series of colorful guitar models for 2021, honoring the company’s founder and namesake, the late Eddie Van Halen. All in all, there are nine new EVH guitars coming in early 2021. New models for the 5150 Series will include the 5150 Series Deluxe Poplar Burl featuring ebony fingerboard ($999.99 MSRP), the 5150 Series Standard with ebony fingerboard ($899.99), and the neon pink finished 5150 Series Standard with maple fingerboard ($899.99). The standard guitar will be available in February while the Poplur Burl arrives in April. The reimagined 5150 series guitars are engineered for “speed” and “comfort” — no surprise given Eddie’s lightning fast playing technique. The guitars’ Stratocaster-style basswood body has a deeper upper body curve, bold-on quarter-sawn maple ne...
10 Times David Bowie Was the Coolest Man Who Fell to Earth
Editor’s Note: As we continue to celebrate the life and art of David Bowie, we take a look at some of our favorite Starman’s coolest moments. If you’ve missed any of the Bowie content we shared or reshared this week, you can experience it all again here. Five years ago, the sudden passing of David Bowie sent shockwaves through the whole landscape of popular culture. Born David Jones on January 8, 1947, Bowie was far more than just one of the most groundbreaking, expansive, and fearless musicians of his era; he was also an accomplished actor, painter, sociopolitical advocate, philanthropist, and much more. In a multitude of ways, then, his loss was so tragic and surreal because his life was so inspiring and matchless. (Hell, Flight of the Concords devoted practically a whole episode to him ...
Famous David Bowie Locations You Can Visit
Editor’s Note: Today, we continue our celebration of the life and art of David Bowie with On Location, a recurring series that brings to life the places you know from songs, album covers, and music history. Keep checking back all weekend for more new and reshared content reflecting on our favorite Starman. And, if you’ve missed anything, you can experience it all again here. While this week marks the five-year anniversary of David Bowie’s passing, it goes without saying that his indelible legacy makes his presence everlasting. Forever fueling his musicianship with innovation, Bowie left behind a tapestry of work that boasted colorful characters, imaginative lyrics, and an intoxicating nexus of fantasy and reality. In short, he was a visionary in every sense of the word. In addition to a vi...
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...
