Favorite Seventies Artists In The News

Posted by Administrator on July 5th, 2021

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has announced Bruce Springsteen, Paul Simon, Patti Smith and Jennifer Hudson will be headlining a "homecoming" concert for the city in Central Park sometime this summer. During a video press conference on July 1, de Blasio announced the event as part of a week-long celebration of the city's reopening. Dates and other details have yet to be confirmed, though the New York Times suggests a late August date for the concert. "This is going to be one of the greatest Central Park concerts in history," de Blasio said of the mammoth gig, which is being organized by veteran music mogul Clive Davis and will feature a duet between The Boss and Patti Smith, who had a hit with a cover of his "Because the Night." "This is something for the ages." Referencing Springsteen, de Blasio said the legendary singer-songwriter "is beloved in New York City in an extraordinary way," despite coming from New Jersey. "No one's perfect," he mused. Springsteen's Broadway show, "Springsteen on Broadway," reopened on June 26 and will run until early September. In June, Foo Fighters initially "reopened" New York City with a headline show at Madison Square Garden. Playing to a fully vaccinated audience, the gig marked the first full-capacity arena show in New York since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. - NME, 7/2/21...... Legendary late The Doors frontman Jim Morrison was honored by fans from around the world at the Pere-Lachaise cemetery in eastern Paris where the 27-year-old singer and poet was buried in 1971, 50 years after he was found dead in his bathtub on July 3, 1971. Year after year, the cemetery has become a pilgrimage for fans of Morrison, known for his dark lyrics, wavy locks, leather pants and charismatic stage presence. He propelled The Doors to several major hits between 1965 and 1967, including "Light My Fire," "Hello I Love You," "Touch Me" and "Riders on the Storm." One 21-year-old fan from the French Alps town of Domancy said it was "very emotional to be here, to remember Jim Morrison... to show that he's not forgotten." "We acknowledge his talent and the fact that he was a brilliant person, he was really a genius," said Colleen Amblard. Like many other fans, Amblard was planning to visit other sites Morrison spent time in while living in Paris, from his apartment to the former nightclub where some say he died of an heroin overdose. Morrison was one of several rock stars -- including Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, Nirvana's Kurt Cobain and the Rolling Stones' Brian Jones -- to die at 27. He made his final album with The Doors, L.A. Woman, in 1971, and moved to Paris soon after being arrested for indecent exposure and profanity during a Miami concert. There, on July 3, 1971, he was found dead in a bathtub. No autopsy was performed and accounts of what caused his death are disputed. But his status as a mythic figure for rock fans has never waned, and on the 20th anniversary of his death in 1991, the Oliver Stone-directed biopic The Doors was released, starring Val Kilmer as Morrison. - AP, 7/3/21...... A writer who was commissioned to ghostwrite an autobiography of Mick Jagger back in 1983 has told the UK paper The Guardian that the experience was "simply dull and upsetting." Barry Coleman said he was given only two frantic weeks to write the book after the previous ghostwriter failed to finish the project, and that he "rather surreally I became Mick Jagger's ghostwriter's ghostwriter." "Two chapters were more or less presentable," Coleman said of what existed of the autobiography when he started work. "The rest was a pile of interview transcripts, and nothing related to recent years. Stitching everything together was an awful experience," he said. "All the big stuff was in there, there just wasn't anything interesting said about it," Coleman said about the material. "There was always this sense in the transcripts that Mick was holding back, or trying not to hurt anybody's feelings." While Coleman was able to finish the autobiography by the two-week deadline, Jagger had grown unsure about the project and ultimately decided to axe the plans to publish the memoir. "We'd talked a lot about whether he still wanted to go ahead, or whether we could do it again, but differently," Coleman said about those final discussions. "Mick didn't blame me. He just didn't want to do it." Jagger previously said in 2014 that anyone who wanted to read his memoir should "look it up on Wikipedia." - New Musical Express, 7/5/21...... In other Rolling Stones-related news, an underwear and sleepwear brand called MeUndies is releasing a new collaboration with the Stones, that sees the band's iconic lips and tongue logo printed on men's and women's underwear, socks, loungewear and more. The new collection includes MeUndies' popular briefs and boxers adorned with Rolling Stones logo, along with bralettes, thongs, bandanas and socks. Known for its inclusive sizing, MeUndies is offering the collection in sizes XS-4XL. Designed in 1970 by English artist John Pasche, the Rolling Stones logo is one of the most famous graphics in music history. The collection can be viewed and purchased at MeUndies.com. - Billboard, 6/30/21...... Rush guitarist Alex Lifeson says there's "no way Rush will ever exist again" without late drummer Neil Peart, who died in January 2020 at the age of 67 following a battle with brain cancer. In an interview on the SiriusXM show Trunk Nation with Eddie Trunk, Lifeson said: "I know Rush fans are a unique bunch, and I love them. It was a really good two-way relationship. But I think, really, Rush ended in 2015. There's no way Rush will ever exist again because Neil's not here to be a part of it. And that's not to say that we can't do other things and we can't do things that benefit our communities and all of that. I have lots of plans for that sort of thing that don't necessarily include [bassist/vocalist] Geddy [Lee]." Meanwhile, the California funk metal band Primus are hoping to finally kick off their Rush tribute tour in August, which will feature a performance of the Rush's 1977 album A Farewell To Kings in its entirety. Primus has already had to reschedule the tour multiple times. - NME, 7/3/21...... Four previously unreleased Tom Petty tracks included on the Angel Dream 25th anniversary album of Petty and The Heartbreakers' soundtrack album for the 1996 film She's The One have been released and can be previewed on Spotify.com with all the other tracks on the album. The updated album is a remixed, remastered and reimagined version of the group's Songs And Music From The Motion Picture She's The One, and was released on July 2. The four unreleased tracks are "One Of Life's Little Mysteries," written by Petty; "Thirteen Days," a JJ Cale cover; "105 Degrees," another Petty original; and "French Disconnection," an instrumental in the same vein as those on the original album. An extended version of "Supernatural Radio" has also been included. Petty's long-term engineer and co-producer Ryan Ulyate remixed the audio for the reissue and worked with the late musician on the mixes before his passing, and the song selection was designed to work as a Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers album rather than a film soundtrack. - NME, 7/3/21...... Queen are reportedly making over £100,000 a day from the 2018 Freddie Mercury biopic Bohemian Rhapsody according to new accounts reports from Customs House. In the year before the blockbuster's release, the band filed profits of £11.8m pre-tax, with a turnover of £21.9m. Following the film's release, though, Queen Productions registered a turnover of £42m in the 12 months dated to September 2020, making over £19m pre-tax. The film has also made over $900 million (£654m) at the box office. In the year following its release, Bohemian Rhapsody was also revealed to be the biggest-selling home video in the UK in 2019. In 2020, Queen's Brian May revealed he had discussed the potential of a Bohemian Rhapsody sequel, saying he and the filmmakers "don't really think there's another movie there" despite having "looked at it pretty seriously." Meanwhile, song title that gave the movie its title has become the first ever song from a UK band to be certified "diamond" in the United States. The certification, awarded by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), comes after a track reaches 10 million sales or streaming equivalents in the US. - NME, 7/2/21...... David Bowie's longtime guitarist Earl Slick has opened up about his last experiences of working with the rock icon before his untimely death in 2016. In an interview with the UK paper The Guardian, Slick revealed how Bowie made it immediately clear that there would be no tour to promote his 2013 album The Next Day, which marked Bowie's first album in a decade and was recorded under a veil of secrecy. "We were sitting in the control room of the studio, listening to '(You Will) Set the World on Fire', and David says: 'Man, that track would be great live'," said Slick. "I looked at him, but before I could even answer, he goes: 'Don't even think about it.'" Like many of Bowie's close collaborators, Slick also had no idea the rock icon was battling cancer in the months before his death. "We knew each other very well for a long time, but we didn't get into each other's personal shit. We were friends when we were working, but, in between, it wasn't like we'd call each other up and go out for a cup of coffee or something," Slick explained. Slick says their last exchange came when he sought permission to undertake a tour where he would play 1976's Station To Station album in full. "The last time I spoke to him was September or October 2015. I ran it past him, and he said: 'Great idea, Slicky. Have fun.'" - NME, 7/2/21...... Dionne Warwick has joined calls for the end of pop queen Britney Spears' conservatorship. Spears has been in a conservatorship since 2008, and on June 23 she gave landmark testimony in which she said she wanted the "abusive" arrangement to end without further evaluation. In a post on her Twitter account on June 30, Warwick urged that Britney be freed from, as she put it, "13 years of bondage." "My heart goes out to Britney Spears. It really does. I feel her pain. How in the world could anyone endure what she has been enduring?" Warwick said. During the court hearing about the conservatorship, which is managed by her father, Jamie, Britney claimed she was forced to tour in 2018 and then commit to a Las Vegas residency with no break in between. Additionally, the singer alleged that under the arrangement she is banned from getting married and hasn't been allowed to remove a contraceptive device (IUD). - NME, 7/2/21...... Paul McCartney has given his stamp of approval after the comedy rock duo Tenacious D shared a rendition of two songs from the medley that features on the Beatles' 1969 album Abbey Road on YouTube. Tenacious D begins their cover with the medley's opener, "You Never Give Me Your Money," with Jack Black and Kyle Gass' vocals harmonizing as the latter plays acoustic guitar. Towards the end of the track they transition into the medley's finale, "The End." Tenacious D are releasing their medley as a limited-edition vinyl, all proceeds from which will go to Doctors Without Borders. Shortly after the medley was released, McCartney gave it his stamp of approval, hailing it as "fantastic" and praising Tenacious D for their take on the classic songs. "It's so imaginative and so well performed," the Beatles singer posted on his Twitter page. "What a great tribute to the original. Guys - I love it," he added. Tenacious D's Beatles medley marks the latest in a string of classic songs the duo have shared their take on recently. In June, Gass released a cover of the Ramones classic "I Wanna Be Sedated," changing the lyrics to transform the song into a Covid vaccination anthem. - NME, 7/2/21...... A preview of Bob Dylan's exclusive livestream concert "Shadow Kingdom" has been shared on Dylan's Instagram page. The 30-second, black-and-white clip shows him performing his 1971 song "Watching the River Flow" onstage with an extensive backing band. The words "The Early Songs of Bob Dylan" appear onscreen, hinting that the digital concert may centre on the older material in the veteran singer-songwriter's back catalogue. A statement from the show's organizers said the event would see Dylan "in an intimate setting as he presents renditions of songs from his extensive and renowned body of work created especially for this event." The event will mark Dylan's first live performance since late 2019. It will also be his first appearance since releasing his latest album, 2020's hit LP Rough and Rowdy Ways. Meanwhile, a new museum dedicated to Dylan is set to open in Oklahoma in 2022. The Bob Dylan Center in Tulsa will open its doors on May 10, 2022, and promises fans the chance to "access and interact with more than 100,000 exclusive cultural treasures" from the legendary singer's archive. - NME, 7/2/21...... Blondie frontwoman Debbie Harry has given an update on the progress of the band's next studio album. Blondie's last album, 2017's Pollinator, contained contributions from the likes of Johnny Marr, Sia, Charli XCX, Dev Hynes and The Strokes' Nick Valensi. Although Harry previously revealed that Blondie's 12th LP will feature another song by Marr, it is expected to be a more band-focused collection of tracks this time around. "We're in the process of setting up a period of time to lay down some tracks and rehearse," Harry says. "We're already looking at 10-12 songs, but it feels too early to talk about it." Blondie will embark on a 10-city UK tour with openers Garbage -- dubbed "Against The Odds" -- on Nov. 6 in Liverpool. - NME, 7/1/21...... Former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, who charted an impressive Washington career serving under four presidents but whose legacy largely was defined by his controversial tenure as defense secretary during the Iraq war, died on June 30 surrounded by his family in Taos, N.M. He was 88. Mr. Rumsfeld, a confident adviser to power with a trenchant style that made him admirers as well as enemies, had a long and winding career in public life that spanned five decades. He had been a congressman and a White House chief of staff, and had a successful corporate career, too. But it was his second term as secretary of Defense from 2001 to 2006 -- during the most tumultuous period of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars -- for which he is most known. "We will remember his unwavering love for his wife Joyce, his family and friends, and the integrity he brought to a life dedicated to country," the family said in a statement. - FoxNews.com, 6/30/21.

'70s artists Chicago, Foreigner, Sammy Hagar, Kenny Loggins, Barry Manilow, Don McLean, The O'Jays, REO Speedwagon, and Carlos Santana will be among the many performers on CNN's The Fourth In America primetime Independence Day special, airing on the network on July 4 at 8:00 p.m. EDT. U.S. military bands and Broadway performers will also entertain during the Don Lemon and Dana Bash-hosted event, with fireworks shows in multiple U.S. cities including Washington, D.C., Jacksonville, Fla., Houston, Tex., and Nashville, Tenn. also highlighted throughout the night. The Fourth in America will also stream live for subscribers on CNN.com's homepage and across mobile devices via CNN's apps for iOS and Android. It can also be viewed on the CNNgo app. - CNN.com, 6/30/21...... Bruce Springsteen ended Broadway's long Covid-19 shutdown which started in Mar. 2020 with the debut of his latest "Springsteen on Broadway" run of solo shows at New York's St. James Theatre on June 26. The residency, which first launched on Oct. 17, 2017, initially ran until Dec. 2018, and the current, sold-out run will for 30 shows. The June 26 performance was a benefit show for a collection of New York and New Jersey causes, including Broadway Cares/Equity Fights Aids, the Food Bank for New York City, NJ Pandemic Relief Fund, and The Actors Fund. "It's great to be here," the "Born to Run" rocker said as he took the stage. "No masks, sitting next to each other in one room." During the show, the New Jersey rocker opened up for the first time about his DWI (driving while intoxicated) arrest in November. "I was handcuffed and thrown in jail. That took some doing... I didn't wake up one morning, get on my motorcycle and say, 'I'll go to jail!'," he said. "And then I had to go to Zoom Court! My case was, 'The United States vs. Bruce Springsteen'. That's always comforting to hear -- the entire nation is against you!," he quipped. Springsteen agreed to pay a fine in exchange for prosecutors dropping charges after he was observed taking two shots of tequila and riding his motorbike through a state park in his native New Jersey before being taken into custody. Elsewhere during the reopening, Springsteen made three charges to the setlist heard during the initial run of the show. He added "Fire" in place of "Tougher Than The Rest," "American Skin (41 Shots)" in place of "The Ghost Of Tom Joad," and show-closer "I'll See You In My Dreams" in place of "Born To Run." - Music-News.com, 6/28/21...... Queen's Brian May revealed to Absolute Radio's Leona Graham podcast on June 29 that when his kids first saw the smash hit from the Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody they actually thought his voice had been dubbed into the film. "Gwilym who played me even fooled my kids when they saw it," May said. "They said you must have done the voice dad, I went no, no he did that" added Brian, who joined Graham to chat about Queen's 50th anniversary year. Alongside chatting about Queen's Greatest Hits album Brian also talked candidly about Freddie Mercury and the complexities he had as a character, the problems they faced around the making of the film and how it has introduced a new generation of people to Queen. "On one level yes [Freddie] was always a rockstar... He behaved as if he was Robert Plant at the time and nobody minded because he just had that kind of aura about him but underneath it no, massive insecurities, massive shyness, it was always with him right until the end. He had a very private side to him Freddie and he faced up to his insecurities by building himself in the way he wanted to be. He's a very self-made creature is Freddie. And if you peeled of all the layers of the onion, you'd find a lot of complexity, a lot of it which he denied, which is smart I think really. People would say is your music important Freddie and he would say no no its just tomorrow fish n chips paper, no I don't think my songs are worth anything but underneath that yes of course he felt he had stuff to say... Freddie was always expressing himself in rather daring ways, inside is this rather insecure person and on the outside was a warrior that he was building himself into." The full interview can be heard on Absolute Classic Rock on July 6 at 10:00 p.m. May will also be on the Absolute Classic Rock Party -- networked on Absolute Radio and Absolute Classic Rock -- on July 3 from 7:00 p.m. - Music-News.com, 6/30/21...... Popular contemporary rockers Foo Fighters have announced they will make their Bee Gees tribute album available in July beginning with the second day of the two-day Record Store Day 2021's two-day "drops" on July 17. Titled Hail Satin, the project began after Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl covered the Gibbs' brothers 1976 chart-topper "You Should Be Dancing" during an appearance on BBC Radio 2's Sofa Session in Feb. 2021. "Introducing...the Dee Gees!!! HAIL SATIN - coming to a local record store & dance party near your July 17th!!!," the band's Instagram account announced on June 17. Hail Satin will be divided into two parts: the first side featuring covers of Bee Gees classics and the B-side including live versions of songs from their 10th album, Medicine at Midnight, which earned the group its fifth No. 1 on the Top Rock Albums chart. - Billboard, 6/17/21...... Amazon.com launched a new subscription service that focuses on "the golden era of vinyl" from the 1960s and '70s. The new "Vinyl Of The Month" club offers music fans "must-haves" delivered to their door for $24.99 per month, handpicked by the Amazon Music team. "Start or grow an enviable collection with some of the greatest albums ever," a statement reads, adding that the new Amazon service is "a great gift for anyone who's just fallen in love with vinyl." The first two albums delivered as part of the service are Pink Floyd's The Wall and The Clash's London Calling, while Amazon has said that further "iconic classics" from the likes of Led Zeppelin, Aretha Franklin, Miles Davis and ABBA will also be included at some point. Subscribers can return their record for free if they don't like it, although it's not clear as to exactly how this works with the subscription model and payments this point. Once signed-up, subscribers will be able to see what album is lined up for them to receive next, and they can choose to skip the selection before it even arrives. There are no tie-ins either and the membership can be cancelled at any point. - NME, 6/30/21...... An offer from Michael Jackson to contribute to the soundtrack of the 1996 Disney movie The Hunchback of Notre Dame was reportedly rejected by Disney as Jackson was embroiled in a sexual abuse scandal and going through a divorce in 1995. Speaking to SlashFilm.com, the movie's composer Alan Menken recalled receiving a call from Jackson's assistant, saying Michael was looking to "change the subject" of his negative headlines at the time and wanted to produce and record some songs from the score "but it was like somebody dropped a hot poker into a fragile bowl with explosives." "Uh, we'll get back to you about that," Menken said was the response from Disney Animation. Menken added: "Finally, predictably, the word came back, 'Disney doesn't want to do this with Michael Jackson.' I go, 'OK, could someone tell him this?' You can hear a pin drop, no response, and nobody did [tell him]." Menken said it fell to his late manager, Scott Shukat to tell the Jackson camp that Disney wasn't interested. "In retrospect, it was the right decision. [But] Quasimodo is a character... if you look at his relationships with his family and his father, I would think there's a lot of identification there," Menken said. - NME, 6/23/21...... In a recent interview with Brazil's Inside With Paulo Baron podcast, Sammy Hagar apologized for showing the "dark side" of his late bandmate Eddie Van Halen in his 2011 memoir Red: My Uncensored Life in Rock. "Because of the untimely and tragic death of Eddie Van Halen, I apologise from the bottom of my heart for exposing his dark side to where I don't think anyone wants to hear that now, and, unfortunately, it's in the book," Hagar told Baron. He continued: "And it's true, it's all true. It's not like I have to say, 'Oh, I was lying.' If I wrote the book today, I would only put the good of Eddie Van Halen, because he was such a brilliant, genius guitar player and such a great friend and a great partner, until everything went wrong, like everything else." Hagar says that if he was writing it today he would instead focus on Van Halen's "genius" and the pair's close friendship. Eddie Van Halen passed away in October 2020 after a lengthy battle with cancer. - NME, 6/30/21...... On June 27 Elton John criticized the UK government for being "philistines" in their response to Brexit touring issues. Speaking with John Grant in the Observer New Review, John said he was "livid" about ministers' inaction to the numerous challenges touring artists are beginning to face. "They made no provision for the entertainment business, and not just for musicians, actors and film directors, but for the crews, the dancers, the people who earn a living by going to Europe," Elton said. "We've been talking to Lord Strasburger about it, and we've been talking to Lord Frost, but we didn't really get anywhere with him. It's a nightmare. To young people just starting a career, it's crucifying. The government are philistines. We've got used to governments -- especially the British government -- just telling us lies every day, and I don't feel OK with that," he added. Brexit negotiator Lord Frost used a government committee hearing on June 29 to hit back at Elton over his claims around the European touring fiasco, before coming under fire himself for his "inaction" over the situation. Frost told the hearing: "I can't help noticing that he had his first hits before the UK even became a member of the European Union, so I think there's probably more at play here than pure rules applying within the then European Community." On another subject, John confessed to Grant he "can't write lyrics" and would end up penning crude songs. " don't see myself as a gay artist, you see, as such because I don't write lyrics. I can't write lyrics. But I love what pop culture did for gay music, starting with Jimmy Somerville and Boy George. If I wrote something, it would be like: 'I'd like to suck your k*** behind the bike shed,' and there's just not a market for that!," Elton mused, adding it's better off for his longtime songwriter partner Bernie Taupin to write his lyrics. - NME/Music-News.com, 6/27/21...... Elvis Costello is defending rising singer Olivia Rodrigo against a claim she has plagiarised the rock musician's work. Rodrigo has recently been accused of copying the cover art of the alternative band Hole's album Live Through This to promote her forthcoming Sour Prom livestream event. Hole singer Courtney Love said she told Rodrigo "I await her flowers [and] note." "My cover was my original idea. A thing you maybe have to actually live life to acquire? I don't know. Anyway. Disney? Yes, it's rude," Love wrote on Facebook. Now, in response to a Twitter user claiming Rodrigo's song "Brutal"' is "pretty much a direct lift from Elvis Costello", the musician posted on Twitter that "this is fine by me". The user is presumably referring to the similarity between the guitar riff on "Brutal" and that of Costello's "Pump It Up." "It's how rock and roll works. You take the broken pieces of another thrill and make a brand new toy. That's what I did," Costello added. - NME, 6/29/21...... Ringo Starr is inviting everyone to help celebrate his 81st birthday on July 7 by "spreading peace and love." The invitation comes as part of his annual "Peace And Love" birthday initiative, a tradition he started on July 7, 2008, the date of his 68th birthday, after being asked by a journalist what he would like for his birthday. "Peace and love," was his answer. Since then Ringo has invited everyone everywhere to think, say or post #peaceandlove at noon their local time on July 7 "to fulfil his birthday wish and encircle the planet in a wave of Peace and Love." On June 28, Starr shared a video message on YouTube: "I'm inviting everyone who wants to join the peace and love celebration for my birthday at noon your time wherever you are, 7-7-21," he said. "You can post it, you can say it, you can even think it - but it would be really cool if you go 'Peace and Love' at noon on my birthday -- so let's spread peace and love on my birthday -- c'mon everybody!" Usually on his birthday, Starr meets with fans wherever he is in the world. It's a tradition that began on July 7, 2008 when he convened with fans and friends in front of the Hard Rock Café in Chicago, passing out cupcakes and joining the crowd for "Peace and Love" at exactly noon. - NME, 6/28/21...... In other Beatles-related news, a host of celebrities and influencers from the world of music, film, fashion and photography have joined forces with Paul McCartney's daughter Stella McCartney and global animal protection organisation Humane Society International to call for a global end to fur cruelty. Launched as part of McCartney's Autumn 2021 "Our time has come" campaign, which dropped earlier in June with a tongue-in-cheek nature mockumentary narrated by British comedian David Walliams, the celebrities posted fur-free video messages on Instagram wearing a variety of animal costumes featured in McCartney's short film. In the video messages, Stella McCartney, Sir Paul McCartney and Mary McCartney wearing animal head costumes (Paul also appears in Stella and Mary's videos), call for their audience to sign HSI's petition to end deadly fur globally. The latest phase of the campaign comes during the British government's Call for Evidence to consider the case for a UK fur import and sales ban, something Stella McCartney passionately supports. - Music-News.com, 6/28/21...... Dionne Warwicke is partnering with her son Damon to help her fans find inner peace by opening her own sound bath meditation center. Dionne and Damon has joined forces with Entourage actress Dania Ramirez to launch The Ohm Zone in Venice, California, where clients can undergo sound healing treatments, which can ease stress, anxiety, and depression. According to TMZ.com, the holistic business will be set up like a private spa and healing temple, offering people soothing sounds while relaxing in a bath. Dionne is said to have started learning all about the differences good vibrations can make after Damon suffered a heart attack in 2016. - Music-News.com, 6/29/21...... In an interview with Radio Bob's Rockcall podcast on June 22, Paul Stanley of KISS says he thinks KISS could continue even without him or his fellow founding member Gene Simmons. "I think that recasting KISS or KISS 2.0 is not what we have ever talked about. Can KISS continue and can it evolve without us in it? Well, yeah, because it's already 50 per cent there," said Stanley, referring to replacement members Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer. "In other words, there was a time where people said, 'Well, it can only be the original four.' [And then] it was, 'Well, it can only be the original three.' Well, things move on and circumstances change. Could I see KISS evolving with different personnel? Yeah, there's other people around who could pick up the torch," Stanley said in the interview, which is available on YouTube. KISS launched their farewell "End Of The Road" tour in 2019, which is now expected to finish up in late 2022. - NME/Blabbermouth.com, 6/22/21...... In a post on his official website on June 21, Neil Young said that "the Horse is back in the barn, shaking off the rust" concerning the recording of his upcoming new album with his longtime backing band Crazy Horse. Young said recording on the album is "under way" and detailed some of the personnel who are working on the record, including Larry Cragg, Jeff Pinn, Bob Rice and Paul Davies. "It has been a long time since we have been together, and more than a few tears have been shed... We are so happy to be back in the barn, a barn built to replicate the 1850s barn that had collapsed in exactly the same place, high in the mountains of Colorado," he added, noting the barn is is an "exact replica of his Broken Arrow Ranch, where we did 'Ragged Glory', 'Freedom' and other albums." "These are new times, with new songs and feelings after what our world has been through and continues to face. The music we are making for our souls. It's like fresh water on a desert. Life is going on," Young wrote. - NME, 6/22/21...... A new graphic novel charting Motörhead's rise to fame is set for release in September. Titled Motörhead: The Rise Of The Loudest Band In The World, the book will cover the 40-year career of the band and its frontman, the late Lemmy Kilmister. Illustrated by animation studio Fantoons and written by David Calcano and Mark Irwin, the book is set for release Sept. 7 via Simon & Schuster. Meanwhile, a reissue of Motörhead's 1981 live album No Sleep 'Til Hammersmith was released on June 25 in CD, triple vinyl and collector's edition CD packages. - NME, 6/22/21...... Whitesnake frontman and former Deep Purple vocalist David Coverdale has announced he plans to retire from touring after Whitesnake's 2022 world tour. Coverdale, 69, talked about his decision while accepting the inaugural Rocks Honours salute as part of the recent The Rocks 2021 awards ceremony. He told Planet Rock, "I've been very passionate about what I do. I try not to let my audience down. We've got a really loyal hardcore fanbase around the world. Last year, we were supposed to do what was gonna be my farewell tour, and it was sold out; it was amazing. Of course, everything was cancelled due to Covid. So, God willing, I'll be able to do it hopefully next year. I'm gonna show my appreciation and gratitude for the support that I've had, because you can't do it without an audience supporting you." But Coverdale insists he won't be retiring from music altogether, adding, "We've got a relatively long-term deal with Warners. We have a poopload of projects to do under the Whitesnake banner... I play guitar every day. The moment I start playing, I come up with ideas for songs. It's impossible for me not to (play music). It's like my hobby. It's something that I'm supposed to do." Before the pandemic, Whitesnake were forced to cancel their U.S. tour with Sammy Hagar & The Circle and Night Ranger to allow Coverdale to undergo surgery for a bilateral inguinal hernia. The concerts were eventually scrapped altogether due to the coronavirus lockdown. - Music-News.com, 6/22/21...... British synthesizer pioneer and composer Peter Zinovieff died on June 23 after suffering a fall at his home earlier in June and been in hospital for 10 days. He was 88. "With a heavy heart, I am sorry to confirm the death on Wednesday evening of Peter Zinovieff, composer, founder of EMS, and pioneer of computer music in the UK," composer James Gardner wrote on Twitter. Mr. Zinovieff's company Electronic Music Studios (EMS) was one of the first to make synthesizers publicly available, and he was said to have sold the instruments to the likes of the Beatles, David Bowie, Kraftwerk and Pink Floyd, even teaching many of them how to use his creations. In a 2015 interview with The Guardian, Mr. Zinovieff spoke of how he taught Ringo Starr how to use one of his bestselling synths, the VCS3. "I had a nice time teaching Ringo Starr how to use it," he said. "I would go to his house in Hampstead. He wasn't particularly good. But then neither was I." Mr. Zinovieff also collaborated with Paul McCartney in 1967 on the unreleased composition "Carnival of Light." "I'd like to get in touch with him about it," he told The Guardian, hinting that he would want the piece to see the light of day. "But I'm quite in awe -- how do you get in touch with God?" Mr. Zinovieff is survived by his fourth wife, Jenny Jardine, and six children. - NME, 6/26/21.