Classic Rock
REO Speedwagon on Ozark, Camp Cronin, and a New Memoir
Kyle Meredith With… REO Speedwagon Listen via Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Play | Stitcher | Radio Public | RSS REO Speedwagon singer and guitarist Kevin Cronin jumps on the line with Kyle Meredith to talk about all of the big events surrounding the band. That includes their involvement in Ozark, which has since placed several of their classics back on the Billboard charts. Beyond the Netflix series, Cronin also discusses his weekly live stream Camp Cronin, his upcoming memoir, and the stories behind 1990’s The Earth, A Small Man, His Dog, and A Chicken, an album that found the band without longtime member Gary Richrath. Kyle Meredith With… is an interview series in which WFPK’s Kyle Meredith speaks to a wide breadth of...
R.I.P. Rupert Hine, Producer for Rush, The Fixx, and More, Dies at 72
Rupert Hine, who produced two RUSH albums, as well as releases from The Fixx, Howard Jones, Tina Turner, Stevie Nicks, and more, has died at the age of 72. No cause of death has been revealed. The veteran UK producer’s passing was reported by the Ivors Academy, a songwriting association of which Hine was a board director. “His passion, wisdom, inspiration and his immense kindness will be hugely missed,” stated the organization. Hine produced RUSH’s gold-certified 1989 album Presto, which included the chart-topper “Show Don’t Tell”, and platinum-certified 1991 LP Roll the Bones, featuring the hit “Ghost of a Chance”. It was in the ’80s new wave scene that Hine really made his mark, producing multiple albums by The Fixx, including the platinum-certified Reach the Beach (highlighted by the si...
Brian Wilson Performs “God Only Knows” and “Love and Mercy” on Colbert: Watch
Brian Wilson popped up on Thursday night’s episode of the Late Show with Stephen Colbert. The Beach Boys singer-songwriter performed two of his most timeless ballads — “God Only Knows” and “Love and Mercy” — remotely from his grand piano. “Hi, this is Brian Wilson everyone,” the old bard announced over his keys. “I just want you guys to know that we’re all in this together.” From there, he dove right into the crescent waves of his veteran falsetto — as angelic as ever. Watch the replay below. Don’t forget: On June 19th, Wilson and legendary songwriter and arranger Van Dyke Parks are reissuing their first collaborative album, 1995’s Orange Crate Art. So, if you’re looking for some rays, well, there you go. In related news, his embarrassment of a cousin Mike Love recently...
John Cale’s Fear Haunts the Velvet Underground Canon
Listen via Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher | Radio Public After leaving the Velvet Underground, John Cale split his time between state-of-the-art experimental music and sweet symphonic pop. On his fourth solo album, 1974’s Fear, those two sides finally converged. In the seventh episode of Ghost Echoes, we learn how and stumble into a revelation involving Velvet Underground’s catalogue. For more episodes of Ghost Echoes, subscribe now! Follow on Facebook | Twitter | Podchaser Music and Sound Notes: — The John Cale tracks heard here are “Hello, There” from the album Vintage Violence, the title track from The Church of Anthrax with Terry Riley, “Brahms” from The Academy in Peril, “Child’s Christmas in Wales” and the title track from Paris 1919, and “Baracudda,” “Gun,” “Fear is a Man’s Bes...
Mötley Crüe’s Comeback Tour with Def Leppard Postponed Until 2021 Due to COVID-19 Pandemic
Mötley Crüe and Def Leppard have postponed their co-headlining summer U.S. tour until 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The “Stadium Tour” was meant to be a massive comeback for Mötley Crüe, who had seemingly played their last show ever at the end of 2015. The Crüe signed a legal agreement to never tour again, but blew it up this past November upon announcing their return. The legendary hard-rock act cited the success of the Netflix biopic The Dirt as one of the main reasons for their reunion. The tour would have kicked off June 18th in Jacksonville, Florida, and run through a September 5th gig in Los Angeles. Poison, Joan Jett and The Blackhearts, and Tuk Smith & The Restless Hearts were set to provide support. According to an announcement, the dates are currently being res...
Dropkick Murphys and Bruce Springsteen Rock an Empty Fenway Park: Watch
The gates around the storied Fenway Park opened today to welcome its first event since the COVID-19 pandemic. In front of stands empty of audience members, Dropkick Murphys took to the baseball diamond for a livestream concert. Though they were alone inside the stadium, Bruce Springsteen joined them remotely near the end of the set for a collaborative performance. Dubbed Streaming Outta Fenway, the special benefit performance marked both the first time Dropkick played a full concert at Fenway, and the first such show of any kind sans an audience at a major US arena or stadium. Springsteen, meanwhile, made history in 2003 by becoming the first musician to play a ballpark-wide concert at Fenway. Thus it was fitting for The Boss to join the Boston Celtic punks for the uniq...
R.I.P. Bob Kulick, Lou Reed Guitarist and SpongeBob Songwriter Dies at 70
Bob Kulick, a veteran session guitarist known for his work with Lou Reed, Meat Loaf, and KISS, has died at the age of 70. News of Bob’s death was revealed by his older brother, former KISS guitarist Bruce Kulick. “I am heartbroken to have to share the news of the passing of my brother Bob Kulick,” Bruce wrote in a post to Facebook. “His love of music, and his talent as a musician and producer should always be celebrated. I know he is at peace now, with my parents, playing his guitar as loud as possible. Please respect the Kulick Family’s privacy during this very sad time.” Bob himself actually auditioned for KISS in 1972, but was beaten out for the job by Ace Frehley. Nevertheless, he was an active contributor to the band in an uncredited capacity, playing on albums including Alive II, Unm...
Rush Share Permanent Waves 40th Anniversary Reissue: Stream
Rush have shared a 40th anniversary reissue of their classic 1980 album Permanent Waves. Stream it below with Apple Music or Spotify. Permanent Waves was a defining moment in the prog-rock era. Rush eased back from the epic song formats that had defined their first six albums, producing tight, radio-friendly cuts and an honest-to-goodness hit in “The Spirit of Radio”. But the essence of the band remained experimental, and in the shifting time signatures of “Jacob’s Ladder” and the multi-suite, nearly ten-minute closer “Natural Science”, they allowed their creativity to run wild. Fittingly for the band’s maximalist ethos, the new reissue has been given the name Super Deluxe. In addition to the original six tracks (re-mastered as part of the famous “Abbey Road Mastering Studios 2015” se...
Judas Priest’s Rob Halford to Release Tell-All Autobiography Confess in September
Judas Priest Rob Halford, photo by Steven J. Messina Judas Priest singer Rob Halford will “expose every facet” of himself in an upcoming autobiography, titled Confess. A September 29th release date has just been announced for the book. The metal legend revealed that he was working on the book last year. In an initial press release, he promised he wouldn’t hold anything back. “Confess is a unique once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me to expose every facet of myself,” stated Halford. “Digging deep with nothing to hide and nothing to fear was in many ways exciting, fun, disturbing, terrifying and cathartic. I’ve held nothing back. It’s time for me to ‘confess.’” The book will span Halford’s entire life and career, including his decision to publicly come out as gay in 1998. Among the other top...
Led Zeppelin’s Reunion Concert Film Celebration Day to Stream on YouTube
Celebration Day, the concert film capturing Led Zeppelin’s one-off reunion at London’s O2 Arena in 2007, will stream for free on YouTube this weekend. The film will be available for 72 hours beginning Saturday, May 30th at 3:00 p.m. ET. Fans can tune in below via Led Zeppelin’s YouTube channel. Led Zeppelin’s reunion, which doubled as a benefit concert for music executive Ahmet Ertegün, took place at London’s O2 Arena on December 10th, 2007. It marked the band’s first full-length performance in almost three decades, and their first time playing together since John Bonham’s death in 1980. For the show, Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, and John Paul Jones were accompanied by Bonham’s son, Jason, on drums. Celebration Day, which was released in 2012, captures Led Zeppelin’s 16-song, two-encore set i...
Queen’s Brian May “Grateful” to Be Alive After Suffering Heart Attack
Queen’s Brian May revealed Monday that he recently suffered a small heart attack earlier this month, and was rushed to the hospital by his doctor. The incident came amidst other notable health concerns for the legendary guitarist. A few weeks ago, May revealed on Instagram that he had torn his gluteus maximus muscle in his buttocks during a “moment of over-enthusiastic gardening”. In his new video message, the guitarist admitted he was “pissed off” by the “Brian May Is a Pain in the Bum”-type headlines. While May did indeed tear his gluteus maximus, he said that he found out later, after another MRI, that the excruciating pain he described at the time actually came from a severely compressed sciatic nerve. “That’s why I had a feeling that someone was putting a screwdriver in my back,” he e...
R.I.P. Bucky Baxter, Longtime Steel Guitarist for Bob Dylan and Steve Earle Dies at 65
Bucky Baxter, the veteran steel guitarist known for his extensive work with Bob Dylan and Steve Earle, has died at the age of 65. According to Rolling Stone, Baxter passed away Monday, May 26th, at his home in Sanibel Island, Florida. A cause of death was not immediately made available. Baxter played on several Steve Earle albums released during the 1980s and early 1990s, including Guitar Town, Exit 0, and Copperhead Road. Baxter was also a founding member of Earle’s backing band The Dukes. While on tour with Earle in the early 1990’s, Baxter met Bob Dylan, who asked Baxter to teach him how to play steel guitar. Not long after, Baxter was invited to join Dylan’s “Never Ending Tour” and would remain a frequent presence on the road for the next decade. All told, Baxter backed Dylan for ...
