METALLICA: Newsted Unboxes ReLoad
Metallica drafted their former bassist Jason Newsted to do an unboxing video for one of the albums he plays on, 1997's ReLoad. The new set, due out June 26th, weighs about 10 pounds and contains five LPs, one seven-inch, 15 CDs, four DVDs, a 128-page book and some assorted memorabilia. Watch Newsted talk about the set on YouTube.
PAUL McCARTNEY: Held Court
While The Rolling Stones were holding a launch party for their new album, Foreign Tongues, on Tuesday in Brooklyn, New York, Paul McCartney was holding a listening party for his new album, The Boys of Dungeon Lane, at the same time in London at Abbey Road Studios. (Both albums were produced by Andrew Watt, who was at the Stones event.)
Like he did a few weeks ago in Los Angeles, McCartney talked about the songs for an invited group of 50 fans in Studio Two, where The Beatles did the bulk of their recordings. “Hello, welcome to Abbey Road,” said McCartney. “I’m going to play the new album for you and try and think of stuff to say about it,” which he did for 90 minutes. He explained why the album is very reflective of his past, saying, "It occurred to me that that’s where your big bank of information is... [The past] is a very rich field of information.” In addition to talking about the songs, he also played an acoustic guitar to demonstrate a few things, including the main guitar sequence in "Life Can Be Hard," but he hit a bum note and said, “I haven’t been practicing. You’d think if you knew you were doing this, then you’d have practiced. But I don’t care!”
And speaking of listening parties for The Boys of Dungeon Lane, over 150 independent record stores will host them from May 29th -- the day it's released -- through the 31st. Besides hearing the album, fans will get a free postcard, an exclusive tote bag for buying a vinyl copy of the album, and a chance to win "a very special prize." The next single off the album, "Home to Us," a duet with Ringo Starr, will be released on Friday. McCartney will promote the album with a performance on the season finale of Saturday Night Live on May 16th. He's also rumored to be the guest on the final episode of The Late Show With Stephen Colbert on May 21st.
GRAND FUNK: Will We Ever See the Original American Band?
When it was announced last week that Max Carl, the former 38 Special singer who had been doing the same for Grand Funk Railroad since 2000, had retired "effective immediately, due to a recent medical issue," it seemed like a good opportunity for the band's two original members, drummer Don Brewer and bassist Mel Schacher, to mend fences with their original singer Mark Farner for a reunion tour. Farner said, "I have tried for way over 20 years to put the original band back on stage for the sake of the fans -- not to mention the retirement funds of three individuals -- but every attempt was scoffed at and laughed away. It's not a good place to be. They fired me as an officer of the corporation over 25 years ago, so it's just those two making all the decisions. Brewer and Schacher have made it public, they don't like the guy whose music sold out Shea Stadium faster than The Beatles!" Don Brewer said,"Unfortunately there's ongoing litigation, there's ongoing legal issues, you know, and without an attorney I'm not allowed to speak of the situation until all of that stuff has gone bye-bye. So, I can't tell you anything." The original three members of Grand Funk -- Farner, Brewer and Schacher -- haven't performed together since 1998. Grand Funk's next show is this Saturday in Bettendorf, Iowa, and they have scattered dates through November 13th in Bensalem, Pennsylvania. Farner resumes touring on June 20th in Warren, Ohio.
Don Brewer also discussed Max Carl's sudden exit from the band, telling us, "We're not sure what the outcome is going to be.""He went in for surgery last November and we planned a break around it. And then he had complications and then he had to go back in for a second surgery and then he had complications from that. And one thing led to another and we actually tried to get together and he's just not up to it. You know, he's just not capable."
Brewer, who is now splitting the singing duties with keyboardist Tim Cashion, says the door remains open for Carl should he be able to return. Max Carl is 76.
Sting Stands By Not Giving His Kids An Inheritance
Sting is sticking to the plan that his kids won’t inherit his fortune. The Singer first announced the decision back in 2014 and confirmed it in a sit down with “CBS News Sunday Morning.” Sting noted that giving his children access to unlimited money is a form of abuse that he won’t be a part of. He praised his brood as well "All of my kids have been blessed with this extraordinary work ethic, whether it's the DNA of it or whether I've said to them, 'Guys, you've got to work. I'm spending our money. I'm paying for your education. You've got shoes on your feet. Go to work.' "
DEEP PURPLE: Go Splat!
Deep Purple not only are mainstays on the road year after year, but they continue to churn out new music quite regularly, and that will be the case again on July 3rd when they release their 24th studio album, Splat!, their first since 2024's =1. Back in January, singer Ian Gillan
said it was a concept album. "It's a fairly loose conceptual idea of the end of humanity, but not as grim as it sounds. In fact, it's very optimistic. It's about the metamorphosis of humanity into a metaphysical state, our next incarnation." And Gillan adds that Splat! is Purple's heaviest album in quite a while. He says, "I have to say, now we are very much back in with material that is compatible with ‘Highway Star’, ‘Smoke on the Water’, ‘Lazy’ – the dynamics, the balance, and the fun of the music we made from 1969 to '73." Purple, with special guest
Kansas, will be back on the road in Europe starting June 11th in Finland followed by U.S. tour that gets underway on August 4th in Raleigh, North Carolina.
IN OTHER NEWS
During Bruce Springsteen’s show on Tuesday – Cinco de Mayo – in Elmont, New York, he accepted a shot from a female fan. Up next is Madison Square Garden in New York City on Monday.
The lawsuit filed by ABKCO, which owns the rights to The Rolling Stones pre-1971 recordings, against Behr Paint for use of “Paint It Black” in a social media ad has been settled. The terms of the agreement have not been disclosed.
Guns N' Roses bassist Duff McKagan and Extreme guitarist Nuno Bettencourt appear in a new short documentary called Who the [Eff] is Billy Morrison? The film, which is on YouTube, covers Morrison's history of playing in The Cult and Billy Idol's band, as well as his friendship with Ozzy Osbourne.
Ann Wilson will hit the road in the fall with her other band, Tripsitter. The tour starts September 11thr in The Villages, Florida with 15 shows through October 9th in Ridgefield, Connecticut. Ann will start her Q&A tour in support of her documentary, In My Voice, Monday in her hometown of Seattle. All her dates can be found at AnnWilson.com.
Queen is the latest act with a line of wine. Drummer and wine lover Roger Taylor, who helped create Queen Côtes de Provence Rosé, says, “I wanted to create something that felt consistent, expressive and genuinely enjoyable in partnership with good friends. It needed to have that sense of joy to it – something that brings people together. This isn’t about putting a name on a bottle; it’s about creating something with integrity.” Queen Côtes de Provence Rosé is currently only available in the UK. Details at QueenWinesOfficial.com. Other artists with their own line of wine, spirits and beer include Sammy Hagar, the late Jimmy Buffett, Roger Daltrey, The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Mike Love, Mick Fleetwood, the late John Lodge, The Grateful Dead, the late Jerry Garcia, KISS, Metallica and Rush.