Dave Grohl Makes Emotional Confession on Cheating Scandal Influenced New Foo Fighters Song
Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl recently opened up about how his personal struggles influenced the band’s new music, specifically addressing the emotional meaning behind their song “Unconditional” in an interview with BBC. Grohl discussed how the track from the album “Your Favourite Toy” relates to his recent adultery scandal, admitting to fathering a child outside his marriage in 2024. Reflecting on the healing power of music during difficult times, Grohl shared that the band has always relied on music to help them through challenges. The release of their 12th studio album showcases the band's ability to channel pain into powerful music, with tracks like “Child Actor” exploring the toll of fame on youth. This album release marks another chapter in their evolution as artists who use music to navigate life's most difficult moments.
R.E.M.: Stipe Debuts Solo Track for Colbert
Ex-R.E.M. singer Michael Stipe made his last appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert Thursday night, and he shared an update on his long-in-the-works solo debut. Stipe told Colbert that he's writing the final lyrics for his solo album and that one of the tracks is based on the sound of a tree in his backyard. He also confirmed that the album coming out at the end of the year. Stipe also debuted one of the songs from the album, "The Rest of Ever," backed by Louis Cato and the Great Big Joy Machine. And to mark the occasion he made 215 T-shirts for Colbert's staff with the title of the song and the airdate of the performance. Colbert put on the T-shirt when he introduced the performance. Watch the interview and performance on YouTube.
Black Sabbath Get Early Earth Demos Back After Settlement With Ex-Manager
Black Sabbath are getting their early demos back after a settlement with the group's first manager Jim Simpson. Last year, Simpson announced plans to release "The Legendary Lost Tapes" by "Earth," the band's former name, however, Sharon Osbourne threatened to take legal action. In an open letter she wrote that the band didn't want their demos released without hearing them first and without getting royalties. Now, Osbourne said during the latest episode of "The Osbournes" podcast that a settlement has been reached and the rights are being given back to the band. Osbourne and Black Sabbath have yet to reveal their plans for the demos.
David Lee Roth Shows Up at Stagecoach: 'Classic Van Halen Is Probably 30 Percent Cowboy Hat'
At Stagecoach, Teddy Swims and David Lee Roth delivered a powerful performance, with Roth joining Swims on stage to perform the Van Halen hit "Jump." This marked the third consecutive weekend of collaborations between the two artists, following their appearances at Coachella. Swims showcased his new single, "Mr. Know It All," and his debut album track "Some Things I'll Never Know," captivating fans in cowboy attire who enthusiastically sang along. In an interview, Roth described the duet as a "45 miles per hour summer ride up to Stagecoach," emphasizing the universal appeal of "Jump" and reflecting on the evolution of rock music. The collaboration between Swims and Roth was a standout moment at the festival, highlighting the dynamic mix of genres at Stagecoach.
All American Rejects Release New Single "King Kong
The All-American Rejects are sharing a new single from their upcoming album "Sandbox."It's called "King Kong," and frontman Tyson Ritter says it's a song about "leaving Los Angeles."The new song follows the release of "Easy Come, Easy Go," the title track for "Sandbox." The full album will be out on May 15th.
BAD RELIGION's JAY BENTLEY: It's 'Depressing' That Some Of The Band's Lyrics Are As Relevant As Ever Four Decades After They Were Written
In a recent interview, BAD RELIGION bassist Jay Bentley expressed his concern that the band's lyrics remain relevant decades later, indicating a sense of disappointment in the ongoing societal issues. He emphasized the band's focus on humanism rather than politics in their music, aiming to capture the universal experiences of individuals worldwide. Bentley also discussed the challenges of creating new music that resonates with their audience and reflects the current state of the world. Despite the band's longevity and critical acclaim, they continue to grapple with the complexities of social issues and human nature in their music.
BLACK SABBATH: Settlement Bloody Settlement
Sharon Osbourne has reached an agreement with Jim Simpson, an early manager of Black Sabbath, over his wanting to release an album of demos they recorded when they were known as Earth. He wanted to release Earth: The Legendary Lost Tapes last July, but that's when Sharon threatened a lawsuit. Appearing on The Osbournes podcast, she says, "The band now have their demos back. And all four of them (Ozzy, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward) own it, which is where it should be. All of that stuff should be theirs. So it all ended well... We're gonna talk about what everybody wants to do with it, and we'll go from there."
While the songs are more blues based instead of the heavy metal Sabbath became known for, Sharon adds that they are "historically important — for music lovers of that genre. And then we got [the rights to] the pictures that were taken at that time too. So, that is all so important ...Everybody in the band's kids and grandkids would love to see [them]… It's special. And I'm just happy that it's where it should be — with the band, and [they can decide] what they wanna do as a band, what they're gonna do with it. So that's great... "[Simpson] did the right thing at the end of the day. He did the right thing for the band." The songs are from 1969 and Simpson had them restored and remastered.
FOREIGNER: Long, Long Way From Death?
It appears original Foreigner singer Lou Gramm was a bit premature when he recently said during an interview that the band's founder and guitarist Mick Jones was in the "end stages" of Parkinson's disease. A source close to Jones tells us that they don't know why Gramm said that, adding that he's not on his deathbed. The 81-year-old Jones went public with the diagnosis in February 2024, years after learning about it, which led to him no longer being able to tour. And it's because Jones can no longer tour that Gramm occasionally performs with the band. Gramm did the last of six Florida dates with Foreigner last Thursday in Key West. His next dates with Foreigner are next February aboard the Rock Legends Cruise out of Miami. He'll start a tour with his band on May 9th in Wabash, Indiana in support of his new album, Released.
RINGO: His Latest Stop on the Road
Ringo Starr's second consecutive country album came out on Friday. Like Look Up, released last year, Long Long Road was also produced by T Bone Burnett and among the 10 songs are collaborations with Sheryl Crow, Billy Strings, Molly Tuttle, Sarah Jarosz and St. Vincent.
Ringo says, “I’m blessed to have T Bone in my life right now and working with me on these records. After we did the last record, which I love listening to, this one just sort of happened. I like to say sometimes I make the right moves, like you can go left or right at any point, and one of the right moves was hooking up with T Bone for Look Up, and now for this one, which I’m calling Long Long Road, because I’ve been on a long, long, road.” "From Liverpool in two bands, and then three bands. And we got out of Liverpool, we went to London for the first [time], and then we went to New York. You know, all of those stop marks on your walk of life, it's so far out. And it is. I mean what would have happened, because when I was 18-and-a-half I wanted to emigrate to Houston, Texas because of Lightin' Hopkins, the blues player. I didn't go because God's on my side."
He marked Friday's release with a video for the title track, which features him driving a mid-'50s Ford Thunderbird back through his life, which includes images and film clips of him with his family in Liverpool, playing with Rory Storm and the Hurricanes, The Beatles, his first wife
Maureen and two of their three children, his late friends Marc Bolan and Harry Nilsson, his wife Barbara Bach, his All Starr Band and more. It was directed by his stepdaughter, Francesca Gregorini. You can watch it on YouTube.
Ringo, who is also working on a new EP and a best of collection, will be back on the road with his All Starr Band on May 28th in Temecula, California. Today (Monday) April 27th, is Ringo and his second wife Barbara's 45th wedding anniversary. They were married at Westminster Council House in London and Paul McCartney and George Harrison attended the reception, but the three former Beatles didn't play together.
ROLLING STONES: “Glimmer Twins” Almost Checked Out
While fans of The Rolling Stones are amazed that Keith Richards is still with us given his onetime penchant for drugs and alcohol, it was Mick Jagger who almost checked out 50 years ago. According to author Bob Spitz in his new book, The Rolling Stones: The Biography, Jagger overdosed on heroin in 1976 in the New York City apartment of record producer Marshall Chess. Chess says they "shared a little gram of heroin,” and 10 minutes later, Jagger “collapsed on the floor." “Mick was out cold,” writes Spitz. “Chess tried dragging him upright, even slapped him a couple of times, but – nothing,” and soon, Jagger’s “lips were turning blue.”
Chess called EMS and soon after Ahmet Ertegun, president of Atlantic Records, arrived with actress Faye Dunaway, who at the time was married to Peter Wolf of the J. Geils Band. She happened to be friends with the president of Lenox Hill Hospital who "arranged a room where they could stash Mick so there would be no publicity,” while Chess performed mouth-to-mouth resuscitation until EMS arrived.
The book also details another time Jagger almost bit it, which Keith Richards also wrote about in his 2010 memoir, Life. And that was the time Stones drummer Charlie Watts punched him in the face so hard that, according to Richards, he had to grab him before he fell out the window. Keith went on to say it's "a punch I've seen a couple of times and it's lethal. It carries a lot of balance of timing. He has to be badly provoked." But Jagger denied that, once telling Mojo
magazine, "[It] didn't happen. No, not at all. Keith invented that story. "Now, Charlie was annoyed, and he was very drunk, as was Keith – and he was a bit wound up. But there were so many people there, so many people between me and Charlie, and it never came to blows." The story goes that Mick phoned Charlie in his hotel room in the middle of the night while the band was in Amsterdam and said, "Where's my drummer?" Charlie didn't respond, but 20 minutes later there was a knock at the door and Keith answered. "There was Charlie Watts," says Richards. "Savile Row suit, tie, shaved, the whole bit. I could smell the cologne! I opened the door, and he didn't even look at me, he walked straight past me, got hold of Mick and said, 'Never call me your drummer again.'" It took Keith 24 hours to get them to make peace. And when Charlie asked why he didn't stop him from falling through the window, Keith said, "My jacket, Charlie, that's why." Keith had loaned Mick the jacket he had gotten married in the year before -- 1983. Jagger also got a kick out of the part of the story that said Charlie knocked him onto a table of smoked salmon and nearly sent him flying out the window. "A table full of smoked salmon! That's a good one. How about we go one better? I turned into a smoked salmon and dived out the window? Yeah, that's what really happened."
And speaking of near misses, this Monday, April 27th in 2006 is the 20th anniversary of Richards injuring his head from falling out of a tree while on vacation in Fiji. He was hospitalized in New Zealand where on May 8th of that year he underwent surgery to relieve bleeding on the brain. As a result, the Stones postponed the beginning of their European tour to allow him time to recover.
GRATEFUL DEAD: Still Cashing In
A little over a month after Jerry Garcia's custom-built Doug Irwin guitar, nicknamed “Tiger,” sold for $11,560,000 at auction, which was a record for both a Garcia and Irwin guitar, his 1939 Gibson Super 400N arch-top guitar and 1988 Alvarez each sold last Wednesday for $256,000, two and three times over their estimates. They were part of Julien's Auctions'
Treasures From the Golden Road featuring more than 300 items from Grateful Dead crew members “Big Steve” Parish and Laurence “Ram Rod” Shurtliff, and Garcia's third oldest daughter Trixie. Other big-ticket items included:
- Garcia's Alvarez Denver Belle “Whyte Eagle” Banjo - $224,000 (7x over estimate)
- Garcia's 1988 Dobro Model 64 “Tree of Life” Resonator - $44,800 (2x estimate)
- Grateful Dead 1993 band-signed “Let’s go to Hawaii Instead” joke New Year's Eve concert poster - $35,200 (44 x estimate)
- Ram Rod's 23K gold “Steal Your Face” necklace - $25,600 (nearly 13x estimate)
In other Grateful Dead news, their fourth studio album, 1970's Workingman’s Dead, has joined Rhino' High Fidelity series. The album that gave us "Uncle John's Band," "Casey Jones," and "Dire Wolf" was cut from the original master tapes and is limited to 5,000 180-gram vinyl copies. The reel-to-reel edition, which was duplicated in real time from the original flat analog master tape, is limited to 300 copies. There's also a Dolby Atmos mix, created by Dead drummer Mickey Hart in 2023, available on Blu-ray for the first time. All formats are available now at Rhino.com.
CHER & GREGG ALLMAN: Mom Is Denied
Elijah Blue Allman, the 49-year-old son of Cher and the late Gregg Allman, is breathing a sigh of relief as an L.A. County judge on Friday denied his mom's emergency bid to have a court-appointed conservator placed in charge of his finances, which he was opposed to. Scheduled to receive a payout in May from his father’s trust, Judge Jessica A Uzcategui, said, "I certainly understand the concerns of Mr. Allman’s friends and family regarding his behavior. But those concerns do not necessarily equate to a finding that the proposed conservatee lacks capacity or that a probate conservatorship is appropriate. I am going to deny the temporary conservatorship without prejudice.” However, she also said that she would reconsider the matter at a follow-up hearing in June, and, that Cher could return sooner if another court finds Allman lacks capacity.
in her petition, Cher claimed, “Elijah’s situation has become dire on multiple fronts. His mental health has severely deteriorated, his financial situation is terrible, and his drug dependency is at its worst..." She went onto say that since 2024 he has been “living wildly beyond his means,” shuttling between “expensive hotels he cannot afford” and short-term rental homes, allegedly causing more than $50,000 in damage to an Airbnb, and reportedly racking up an $18,000 bill with a drug dealer, not to mention an unpaid tax bill topping $200,000. Last month, Allman was detained for alleged assault and trespassing at St. Paul’s School in Concord, New Hampshire. This followed his arrest two days prior for felony burglary and breach of bail for breaking into a home in Windham, New Hampshire. When cops arrived he was sitting on a couch smoking a cigarette. Nothing was reported missing, but he caused close to $3,000 in property damage. He was charged with two counts of criminal mischief and ordered to be held on preventative detention. Allman is currently in custody at a psychiatric hospital in New Hampshire.
Former KISS Guitarist Bruce Kulick Recovering From Heart Surgery
Bruce Kulick, former guitarist for KISS, has revealed that he is currently recovering from what he describes as "heart valve surgery." The musician posted to his social media to say that the operation was "a success" and went on to thank his "heart surgeon and their fantastic staff for looking after me like a rock star." He added that he was "on the road to recovery" and "taking it one step at a time." Kulick joined KISS in 1984 and was the band's lead guitarist for 12 years. The guitarist is scheduled to perform at the upcoming "KISS Kruise: Landlocked in Vegas" this coming November.
ACE FREHLEY: Happy Heavenly 75th
Ace Frehley, one of the four original members of KISS whose guitar playing influenced a generation of musicians, would have celebrated his 75th birthday today (April 27th). Known as the "Spaceman" for his make-up scheme and costume he designed as a member of KISS, he died last April 16th at Morristown Medical Center in Morristown, New Jersey after falling and striking his head and being knocked unconscious at his New Jersey home. He was placed on a ventilator for two weeks before dying from a brain bleed. His family issued a statement saying, "We are completely devastated and heartbroken. In his last moments, we were fortunate enough to have been able to surround him with loving, caring, peaceful words, thoughts, prayers and intentions as he left this earth. We cherish all of his finest memories, his laughter, and celebrate his strengths and kindness that he bestowed upon others. The magnitude of his passing is of epic proportions, and beyond comprehension. Reflecting on all of his incredible life achievements, Ace’s memory will continue to live on forever!”
- Paul Daniel Frehley was born April 27th, 1951 in The Bronx, New York.
- He was in a number of New York City bands from the mid-'60s to late 1972 when he saw an ad in The Village Voice by Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley looking for a guitarist.
- He got the gig and the band decided on the name KISS in 1973. Frehley did the initial design of their double-lightning-bolt logo.
- When the band decided to paint their faces for live performances, Frehley decided to start painting silver stars on his eyes and eventually had the nicknames "Space Ace" and "The Spaceman." But he already had the nickname of "Ace" long before he joined the band when his friends would call him a "real ace" for a certain ability he had.
- Frehley wrote or co-wrote several of the band's songs but didn't sing any until "Shock Me" on 1977's Love Gun.
- After a run of hit albums in the mid-'70s each member of KISS recorded a solo album in 1978 and Frehley's was the most popular, driven by the single "New York Groove."
- After Peter Criss left KISS in 1980, Frehley found himself outvoted in most band decisions by Simmons and Stanley. He appeared on the cover for their 1982 album, Creatures of the Night, but was barely involved in its recording.
- Frehley left KISS in 1982 but maintained an interest in their business dealings until 1985.
- Frehley's new band, Frehley's Comet, released their self-titled album in 1987 followed by another in 1988. Frehley returned to a solo career in 1989 with Trouble Walkin'.
- Frehley and Criss reunited with Stanley and Simmons for MTV Unplugged in 1995 and launched a successful reunion tour -- in full make up -- the following year.
- After releasing one studio album, 1998's Psycho Circus, KISS launched a "farewell" tour in 2000, and after it wrapped up Frehley left again.
- In 2007, Frehley was back on TV screens nationwide when he starred in a commercial for Dunkin' Donuts.
- Frehley returned to his solo career in 2009 and recorded six albums before his death. He was working on his third covers collection, Origins Vol. 3. at the time of his passing. His last album was 2024's 10,000 Volts.
- He was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as a member of KISS in 2014.
- He played with KISS one final time on the KISS Kruise in 2018, joining one of his replacements, Bruce Kulick, for a four-song set.
- A longtime abuser of drugs and alcohol, he'd been sober since 2006.
·He was expected to join Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley and Peter Criss when KISS receives the Kennedy Center Honors in December 2025 in Washington, D.C. He will be the third person honored posthumously following Glenn Frey of the Eagles and Phil Lesh of the Grateful Deadl who both passed after the announcement of them being honored was made. The Kennedy Center has a policy that its honorees must be living.
·He is the first original KISS member to die and third following Eric Carr in 1991 and Mark St. John in 2007.
·Ace did his last show on September 5th at the Uptown Theatre in Providence, Rhode Island. The last song he did was "Rock and Roll All Nite."
·Frehley is survived by his ex-wife Jeanette and their daughter Monique.
IN OTHER NEWS
Journey's set at the Stagecoach festival in Indio, California Saturday night was scrapped when high winds caused the festival to be briefly evacuated.
Stevie Nicks played Fleetwood Mac's "Don't Stop" during her set Saturday at JazzFest in New Orleans. It was the first time in 15 years that she did the Christine McVie song at one of her shows, telling the crowd she thought "it was important for people to hear it in these times."
Among those in the audience last week at the first of Eric Clapton’s two warm-up theater shows in Guildford, England was his ex-wife, Pattie Boyd. She posted a photo she took from the audience on Instagram, captioning it with, “Fabulous to see Eric in the relatively intimate G-Live venue… Great to hear 'Old Love', 'Layla' and 'Wonderful Tonight' (amongst others)...” On Friday, Clapton officially started his European tour in Amsterdam and surprised his audience with the first performance of Bob Dylan’s “If I Don’t Be There By Morning” since 1980. Clapton recorded the song for his 1978 album, Backless. After a stop in Belgium on Sunday, he heads to Poland on Wednesday.
Sammy Hagar and Rick Springfield, longtime friends and partner in Sammy’s Beach Bar Rum, have taken part in concert promoter Live Nation’s On the Roll YouTube series. They looked over and discussed photos of themselves performing together throughout the years, including doing a version of Hagar’s “I’ve Done Everything for You,” which Springfield covered in 1981, and Hagar saying how he screwed it up.
Judas Priest’s “You Got Another Thing Coming” can be heard in a new Chevy truck commercial.
Joe Cocker’s version of Dave Mason’s “Feelin’ Alright” is featured in a Coors Light commercial.
On This Day
·In 1976 - After a trip to Moscow, David Bowie was detained on a train at the Poland-Russian border by customs officers who didn't appreciate his collection of Nazi books and mementos. Bowie claimed he was researching a film on Joseph Goebbels and was released after a few hours.
·In 1985 - USA For Africa started a three-week run at No. 1 on the U.S. chart with "We Are The World." The song was written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie, and it’s one of fewer than 30 all-time physical singles to have sold at least 10 million copies worldwide. It won three Grammys, one American Music Award, and a People's Choice Award and included artists such as Lionel Richie, Stevie Wonder, Paul Simon, Tina Turner, Billy Joel, Michael Jackson, Diana Ross, Willie Nelson, Bruce Springsteen, Cyndi Lauper, Bob Dylan, Ray Charles, Bette Midler, and oddly enough, Dan Aykroyd.
·In 1987 - R.E.M. released their compilation album, Dead Letter Office. It features the singles "Superman" and "Can't Get There from Here."
·In 1987 - Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers released their seventh studio album, Let Me Up (I’ve Had Enough). It features "Jammin’ Me" and "Runaway Trains."
·In 1988 - Poison released their second studio album, Open Up and Say... Ahh! with the singles "Nothin’ But a Good Time," "Every Rose Has Its Thorn," and "Your Mama Don’t Dance."
·In 1994 - The Smashing Pumpkins and American Music Club performed at San Francisco's Fillmore Auditorium for the reopening of the legendary rock venue.
·In 1996 - Oasis played the first of two nights at Manchester City's former stadium, Maine Road, as a thank-you to fans. 80,000 tickets sold out in hours..
·In 2006 - Keith Richards fell out of a palm tree while vacationing in Fiji and went to the hospital with a concussion, creating a rare news event on the island.
·In 2012 - Bob Dylan received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama, the highest honor awarded to a United States civilian citizen. Dylan was only the 29th musician to receive the award. Previous recipients had included Frank Sinatra, Aretha Franklin, and Irving Berlin.