Favorite Seventies Artists In The News

Posted by Administrator on April 11th, 2023

In a new interview on American radio, Queen said that they are considering releasing new music with Adam Lambert, the second singer who took over vocal duties in the band following the death of frontman Freddie Mercury in 1991. Queen first toured with former Free/Bad Company singer Paul Rodgers in 2004, and since 2011, Lambert has sung live with the band. "We have dabbled a little. It is just that you haven't heard any of it," Queen guitarist Brian May says. "It would have to be something so special that we would feel we would want to launch it on the public." Lambert added: "It's a lot of pressure if you think about it. If they're going to put something out that's new, it's got to be at a certain level. It has to be the right thing. And I've always said, 'Is it appropriate for me to be doing new material?' I feel like it scares me." - NME, 4/8/23...... In a new interview with USA Today, The Who's Roger Daltrey said his band may never tour the U.S. again. While the veteran English rockers have been taking their closing curtain calls since their "final" show in 1982, Daltrey says a hop across the pond might be out of the question. "Nothing at the moment. I don't know if we'll ever come back to tour America. There is only one tour we could do, an orchestrated Quadrophenia to round out the catalog. But that's one tall order to sing that piece of music, as I'll be 80 next year. I never say never, but at the moment it's very doubtful." Daltrey went on to say that the chaos of the post-pandemic touring economy is a huge reason. "Touring has become very difficult since Covid," he said. "We cannot get insured and most of the big bands doing arena shows, by the time they do their first show and rehearsals and get the staging and crew together, all the buses and hotels, you're upwards $600,000 to a million in the hole," he said of the lingering impact of the Covid-19 pandemic shutdowns on touring. "To earn that back, if you're doing a 12-show run, you don't start to earn it back until the seventh or eighth show," Daltrey explained. "That's just how the business works. The trouble now is if you get Covid after the first show, you've (lost) that money." While U.S. fans may never see The Who live again, the band has just released the live collection The Who with Orchestra: Live at Wembley, a 20-song chronicle of their 2019 show at the iconic British stadium, which marked their first headlining slot there in 40 years. And while Daltrey said the band was in perhaps its finest form ever at the moment, some of their signature bits don't have quite the same pop as they did a half century ago. "Pete can't quite jump 10 foot in the air anymore. He can do 3 foot, so he's not bad!," Daltrey joked about the band's founding lead guitarist and only other remaining original member. "I don't swing the microphone hardly at all now because it doesn't matter to the sound anymore. Before, when all of those things used to work, it was a circus act. We're more than that now. I'm proud that our music has come of age and I think you could say this is the most modern classical music out there." Meanwhile, European fans can see The Who when it kicks off a tour of the continent in Barcelona, Spain on a Euro run that is currently slated to run through an Aug. 28 show in Sandringham, England at the Royal Sandringham Estate in Norfolk. - Billboard, 4/10/23...... Speaking to Classic Rock magazine, Genesis' Mike Rutherford described the iconic prog-rock group's final show at London's O2 Arena on Mar. 26, 2022, as both "bizarre" and "emotional" in a new interview. Rutherford said when he looked down at the set list and saw that there were only a handful of songs left to play, he started to feel "emotional." "It was nice afterwards when everybody, including Peter [Gabriel] and Richard McPhail [tour manager from the seventies], were together in the dressing room. Apart from that we kept backstage closed off," he said. "But the actual show felt bizarre. I was kind of okay until I saw on my setlist that there were just four songs left. Seeing that in print made me emotional, but having got through all of the problems with Covid, it felt very good to see things through." Rutherford also went on to describe their last tour as a "joy." Genesis -- comprised of Rutherford, Phil Collins and Tony Banks, along with touring musicians Daryl Stuermer, Nic Collins, Daniel Pearce and Patrick Smyth -- bowed out with a sold-out show at London's O2 Arena in 2022. The concert marked the end of an illustrious 55-year career that saw Genesis remembered as one of rock music's most successful acts, selling over 100 million albums worldwide. Genesis played 23 tracks in total, including such huge hits as "I Can't Dance," "Mama," "Turn It On Again," "No Son Of Mine" and "Invisible Touch." Before playing "Land Of Confusion," Collins addressed the crowd and announced that it would be Genesis' final show. As the crowd applauded the band, Collins sat looking thoughtful, seemingly taking in the fact that it was the last hoorah. He then quipped: "After tonight we've all gotta get real jobs." - New Musical Express, 4/10/23...... The Sex Pistols' Glen Matlock has said in a new interview with The Metal Voice podcast that he was "very disappointed" with the 2022 Danny Boyle-directed Pistol TV series, which was based on Pistols guitarist Steve Jones' memoir Lonely Boy: Tales From A Sex Pistol. "I was very disappointed in it, actually, considering I had meetings with Danny Boyle about it," Matlock said. "I'm not disappointed that it came out, and I thought it was important that it went ahead because it was based on Steve's story and take on things. And he was the guy that formed the band -- not John [Lydon], Steve. John was the last one in the band... But my portrayal, and particularly my leaving the band -- I left the band; I was not sacked. That whole episode where Steve sacked [me] is just bollocks." Matlock continued: "I just think it should have been more truthful. And I think the real story is more gritty... And I met Danny Boyle again in Los Angeles after it had come out and I had [attended] a private screening. [He said to me], 'Hey, Glen, how are you doing?' [And I said], 'Danny, you're a cunt.' So he knows where I'm coming from on it." Asked if he had any involvement or input in the show, Matlock said he had meetings with Boyle but then claims he was then "ignored." "At the beginning, I had some meetings with Danny in particular and the production team. And I thought it had all been ironed out. But then I was ignored. So, I'm not happy. I feel shafted," he said. Former Sex Pistols frontman John Lydon (aka Johnny Rotten) was also critical of the series, branding it a "middle class fantasy" that "bears little resemblance to the truth" after claiming in 2021 that it was green-lit without his consent. Boyle later said that he wanted the iconclastic Lydon to "attack" Pistol, saying that he wouldn't expect him to "change the habit of a lifetime." - NME, 4/10/23...... Meanwhile, Lydon has announed the death of his longtime wife Nora Forster, who has passed at the age of 80. "It is with a heavy heart that we share the sad news that Nora Forster - John Lydon's wife of nearly 5 decades - has passed away. Nora had been living with Alzheimer's for several years. In which time John had become her full time carer," a post on Lydon's Twitter account says. Lydon became a primary carer for the German heiress after she was diagnosed with the disease in 2018. The couple met in 1975 when Lydon was the lead singer of the Sex Pistols, and married four years later. She became a constant presence in Lydon's life, supporting him through his career as a musician and beyond. Forster was an accomplished artist whose work was exhibited in galleries around the world. Highly regarded by critics and fellow artists alike, she was known for her paintings and sculptures that explored themes of identity, memory, and the human condition. In recent months Lydon had spoken publicly about Forster's battle with cancer, praising her strength and resilience in the face of the disease. "She was the most incredible person I have ever met. Her strength, her courage, her talent, and her love have been an inspiration to me and to everyone who knew her. I will miss her more than words can say," he said in a statement. - Music-News.com, 4/6/23...... Director James Mangold says that actor Timothée Chalamet will sing in his own voice in the upcoming Bob Dylan biopic, instead of dubbing Dylan's voice in. "Of course!," Mangold told Collider.com when asked if Chalamet would use his own voice. Mangold said he thinks the project, based on Elijah Wald's book Dylan Goes Electric and a script from Jay Cocks, will begin filming in "August of this year." "It's such an amazing time in American culture," said Mangold, who also directed Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, which is set to premiere in American theaters in June. "The story of a young, 19-year-old Bob Dylan coming to New York with like two dollars in his pocket and becoming a worldwide sensation within three years -- first being embraced into the family of folk music in New York and then, of course, kind of outrunning them at a certain point as his star rises so beyond belief. It's such an interesting true story and about such an interesting moment in the American scene," Mangold said. He added that Dylan mentors and cohorts Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger and Joan Baez "all have a role to play in this movie," though the actors cast for these roles in the film, which has the working title A Complete Unknown and is expected to begin shooting in August, have not yet been announced. Mangold's interview can be viewed on Twitter. - Billboard, 4/8/23...... "If you close your eyes and think of California, you can't help but picture the waves, the sun, the sand," Oscar-winning actor Tom Hanks said as he opened A Grammy Salute to the Beach Boys, which aired on CBS on Apr. 9. "And if you listen closely over the crash of the surf, you can hear a guitar riff and the vocal harmonies of three brothers who grew up singing in the South Bay. In 1961 those brothers, Brian, Carl and Dennis, their cousin Mike and their friend Al, formed a band. They weren't just making music, they were exporting good vibrations to the rest of the world," Hanks added. Taped in February at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, and attended by BB mastermind Brian Wilson and co-founding BB member Mike Love (who sat at separate ends of a row in a loge box) as well as Al Jardine, Bruce Johnston and David Marks, the special featured (among others) Beck, Brandi Carlile, Michael McDonald, Pentatonix, St. Vincent, Weezer, Norah Jones, John Legend, Mumford & Sons and Hanson, all singing the soundtrack to everyone's endless summer. Highlights of evening included performances by LeAnn Rimes ("Caroline, No"), Norah Jones ("The Warmth of the Sun"), Brandi Carlisle and John Legend ("God Only Knows"), Pentatonix ("Heroes & Villians"), Hanson ("Barbara Ann"), and Weezer ("California Girls"). - Billboard, 4/7/23...... Once again, David Bowie's son Duncan Jones is calling out former US president Donald Trump for using his dad's music -- this time playing 1974's "Rebel Rebel" for warmup music leading up to his post-arrest speech on Apr. 4 at his Mar-A-Lago compound. "Pretty sure this f--ker keeps on using my dad's music just to annoy me personally," Jones, 51, tweeted on Apr. 4 before conceding, "(Joke. I'm way below his radar.)" Jones also shared a fitting pic of his father, who passed away in 2016 at the age of 69 after battling cancer, giving a piercing, disapproving side-eye. Earlier in 2023, Jones also blasted Trump for using Bowie's "Heroes" after announcing he was running for president again in 2024. "Pretty sure he's just doing that now to wind me up," Jones jokingly tweeted at the time. Since Trump rose to power in 2016, countless musicians have also condemned his use of their music. Indeed, there's an entire Wikipedia page dedicated to tallying the major acts who've publicly spoken out against it or have sent cease and desists to Trump's camp, including Tom Petty, the Rolling Stones, Queen, Bruce Springsteen, the Beatles, Adele and more. - Billboard, 4/6/23...... In other Bowie-related news, an unheard version of his 1983 hit "Let's Dance" is set to be released alongside a series of NFTs. To celebrate the song's 40th anniversary, blockchain platform Gala Music has teamed up with writer and producer Larry Dvoskin (Bowie, Robert Plant, Bono, The Beach Boys) to release a limited series of David Bowie inspired digital collectibles. The series goes live Apr. 14, giving fans early access to a previously-unheard version of "Let's Dance"which was recorded 19 years after the original and produced by Dvoskin. "I am first and foremost a huge Bowie fan," Dvoskin said in announcing the song on Twitter. "It would have been a mistake to attempt to copy the original. This is something different. David simply imagined a more dreamy, electronic version. He is the original disruptor of expectations," he added. The NFTs will be available to purchase via Gala, and fans will also have the opportunity to purchase "bespoke pieces of Bowie-inspired art" with all initial proceeds going to MusiCares. - NME, 4/8/23...... After the family of late Crosby, Stills & Nash member David Crosby only shared Crosby died following a "long illness" when the two-time Rock and Roll Hall of Famer died on Jan. 19 at age 81, his former bandmate Graham Nash has revealed Crosby had contracked Covid-19 for a second time prior to his death. "He was rehearsing for a show to do in Los Angeles with a full band," Nash said during the latest Kyle Meredith With... podcast. "After three days of rehearsals, he felt a little sick. And he'd already had Covid, and he had Covid again. And so he went home and decided that he would take a nap, and he never woke up. But he died in his bed, and that is fantastic." Nash added that his musical collaborator of several decades was luck to live as long as he did. "I mean, the fact that he made it to 81 was astonishing. But [his death] was a shock. It was kind of like an earthquake, you know? You get the initial shock and then you figure out that you survived. But these aftershocks kept coming up, and they're diminishing in size as I go along." In an interview with AARP magazine earlier in 2023, Nash said that he and Crosby -- who were famously estranged for years before the pioneering folk-rocker's passing -- were in the midst of making peace just before Crosby died, and following Crosby's death, Nash shared a statement about his "friend" Crosby on Instagram, saying "what has always mattered... more than anything was the pure joy of the music we created together, the sound we discovered with one another, and the deep friendship we shared over all these many long years." - Billboard, 4/8/23...... After it was announced that the earliest known full recording of the Beatles performing live in the United Kingdom had been discovered was announced on Apr. 4, there are plans to restore the old tape, which contains a full length gig performance in Buckinghamshire on Apr. 4, 1963 and includes spoken word segments from the band as they interacted with the audience. "Talks are under way to get [the tape] cleaned up and for a permanent home in a national cultural institution," British journalist Samira Ahmed told the UK paper The Observer. "John [Bloomfield] feels strongly that it should not end up, as so many Beatles relics have, in the vault of a private individual." Bloomfield, who is now 75 years old, was only 15 at the time. He revealed the existence of the tape to journalist Samira Ahmed visited Stowe when they visited to make a special programme for BBC Radio 4's Front Row to mark the gig's 60th anniversary. Ahmed and Beatles historian Mark Lewisohn are the only people to have heard the full recording after Bloomfield agreed to play it for the first time since it was made six decades ago. "The opportunity that this tape presents, which is completely out of the blue, is fantastic because we hear [The Beatles] just on the cusp of the breakthrough into complete world fame," Lewisohn told the BBC. "And at that point, all audience recordings become blanketed in screams. "So here is an opportunity to hear them in the UK, in an environment where they could be heard and where the tape actually does capture them properly, at a time when they can have banter with the audience as well." He went on to say that the tape contained "an incredibly important recording", adding: "I hope something good and constructive and creative eventually happens to it." Lewisohn added he was unaware the tape even existed, "and I think I had to pick myself up off the floor." - NME, 4/9/23...... The recently released Pink Floyd live album of their seminal 1973 LP The Dark Side of the Moon has debuted at No. 8 on Billboard's Top Album Sales chart for the week ending Apr. 8. Released on Mar. 23, The Dark Side Of The Moon - Live At Wembley Empire Pool, London, 1974 was recorded in Nov. 1974 during the band's winter tour at Wembley Empire Pool (the original name for Wembley Arena). This marks the first time the recording has been available as a stand-alone album, though performances from the shows were previously included on earlier deluxe reissues of some of the band's studio albums. In addition, the Live album is also included as a bonus disc within the just-released 50th anniversary boxed set of The Dark Side of the Moon studio album. Live At Wembley Empire has also bowed in the Top 10 of the Top Rock Albums chart (No. 9), Vinyl Albums (No. 5), Tastemaker Albums (No. 3) and Top Current Album Sales (No. 8). It additionally has launched at No. 49 on the Billboard Hot 200 album chart. In other Pink Floyd news, co-founding member Nick Mason says he's "tempted to make himself available" for any potential future Floyd reunion. Of a potential reunion, Mason recently told the U.K. paper The Sun: "You never know what will be thrown up. I'm tempted to say I'm available for anything." - Billboard/NME, 4/7/23...... Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler is denying allegations that he sexually assaulted a minor in the 1970s after a woman named Julia Holcomb sued in December over allegations that she was the person referenced in the singer's memoir as almost his "teen bride." The response, a filing called an "answer that is the standard first step for a defendant in any lawsuit," listed a wide range of possible defenses Tyler might employ. They included that Holcomb had consented to Tyler's alleged conduct, or that he was immunized from her claims since he had been granted legal custody over her. Tyler's new filing elicited a strongly-worded response from Holcomb's lawyers, taking particular offense at the claims about consent and custody. "Never have we encountered a legal defense as obnoxious and potentially dangerous as the one that Tyler and his lawyers launched this week, attorney Jeff Anderson wrote in a press release responding to the filing. "We hope Tyler's mean-spirited gaslighting will backfire on him." Tyler's entire legal answer can be viewed on Scribd.com. - Billboard, 4/6/23...... Lynyrd Skynyrd is vowing to soldier on as a band following Mar. 5 death of guitarist Gary Rossington at age 71. Rossington's widow and Skynyrd backup vocalist, Dale Krantz Rossington, said in a press release that "Gary was always the first to say how 'Skynyrd's music is bigger than me or any one person.' He made it known at every chance to express how timeless the music was, and it was always his goal to keep the music alive for his brothers because that was always their dream." She continued: "He spent his entire life trying to carry on that dream for Ronnie, Allen, Steve and all the others over the years. While he was not able to physically be on stage with the current lineup over the last couple years, he supported them in every way. His dream will continue thanks to Johnny, Rickey and the rest of our band mates to continue to carry his legacy and music on for future generations." Current lead singer Johnny Van Zandt, who took over 10 years after the death of his brother and original frontman Ronnie Van Zandt, shared: "Gary, along with my brother Ronnie and Allen started this band and left us all a legacy of music that has stood the test of time, and crossed three generations of fans. The music they created, and the music we created, together since 1987, was always meant to be experienced live. We have come together with the founding band member estates, and everyone involved, and feel the music should continue for everyone to love and enjoy. So we will continue to perform for the Skynyrd Nation." Lynyrd Skynyrd will embark on the "Sharp-Dressed Simple Man Tour" alongside ZZ Top on July 21 in West Palm Beach, Fla. - NME, 4/6/23...... Scottish guitarist Ian Bairnson, who performed with such acts as Pilot, The Alan Parsons Project and Kate Bush, died on Apr. 7 after a "long battle with dementia," his wife, Leila Bairnson, announced through social media. He was 69. "Ian was the sweetest, kindest, loving husband I could ever have wished for and I take comfort that he is resting now up there in his very own piece of 'Blue Blue Sky,'" Leila wrote in an Instagram post on Apr. 8. "Although Ian has left us, his musical legacy stays with us and will continue to delight and brighten our lives, as it did his, forever," she added. Bairnson, who was born in Shetland, was a session musician before joining Scottish band Pilot in 1973. He went on to become guitarist for the Alan Parsons Project, beginning with the group's 1975 debut album, Tales of Mystery and Imagination, through 1990's Freudiana. Decades later, he continued performing on Parsons' solo projects, most recently on his 2019 album, The Secret. Alan Parsons remembered his former bandmate in a touching tribute through Facebook on Apr. 8: "I am deeply saddened to hear of the passing of my good friend and musical icon, Ian Bairnson," Parsons wrote in his lengthy message. "I have always considered Ian a musical genius. It was a great pleasure to have him participate on every album by The Alan Parsons Project and several other albums under my name since. He has played with many other talented artists as well throughout his incredible career." Elsewhere during his career, Bairnson played as a session musician on projects by Joe Cocker, Yes' Jon Anderson and Mick Fleetwood. He also toured with artists like Sting and Eric Clapton, among others. - Billboard, 4/9/23...... Swedish musician Lasse Wellander, the longtime guitarist for ABBA, has died at age 70, the band confirmed in an Apr. 10 post on Wellander's Facebook page. "Lasse was a dear friend, a fun guy and a superb guitarist. The importance of his creative input in the recording studio as well as his rock solid guitar work on stage was immense," band members Agnetha Faltskog, Bjorn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Frida (Anni-Frid) Lyngstad wrote in an Instagram post featuring the late guitarist. The band concluded its Instagram statement by adding, "We mourn his tragic and premature death and remember the kind words, the sense of humour, the smiling face, the musical brilliance of the man who played such an integral role in the ABBA story. He will be deeply missed and never forgotten." While Wellander was not a part of ABBA's core lineup, he served as the group's lead guitarist for decades, starting in 1974, and played on several of ABBA's recordings, live concerts and tours in 1975, 1977, 1979 and 1980. Most recently, his guitar contributions appeared on ABBA's 2021 album, Voyage, which hit No. 2 on the charts. He also recorded solo music of his own through the 1970s to 1990s, and went on a hiatus of making his own material until 2017, when he released multiple singles and an album, Lasse Wellander 2017/2018. His latest solo release was the single "O Come, All Ye Faithful" in Nov. 2022. - Billboard, 4/10/23...... John Regan, who played bass in former KISS member Ace Frehley's band Frehley's Comet, has died at the age of 71. "One of his favorite quotes was 'All that you can take with you is that which you've given away'," his wife Cathy Merring-Regan said in a Facebook post. "From reading your messages, I know he gave much away and so much love was sent to him. He passed suddenly, but that was his wish," she added. Since then, numerous musicians and others have shared tributes online, including Peter Frampton, who tweeted: "There might only be a handful, if that, of people who come into your world and truly enrich your life. I have lost one of my closest buddies. He certainly enriched my life because of the person and the great player he was. John Regan was the best of us." Regan was born in 1951 and began his career playing bass for Chip Taylor in the early '70s. The following decade, he played for Frampton on releases such as Rise Up, Breaking All The Rules and The Art of Control, as well as for Billy Idol, and Mick Jagger and David Bowie's cover of "Dancing in the Street." In the '80s, he joined KISS guitarist Ace Frehley's solo project Frehley's Comet, playing with them until 1988. He also served as the parks commissioner for the village of Wappingers Falls, N.Y. in the '90s, and began co-hosting a local radio show called Café Italia out of Poughkeepsie, N.Y., in 2014. - NME, 4/10/23...... Trailblazing and culture-bending cartoonist Al Jaffee, who illustrated such famed MAD magazine features as "Snappy Answers to Stupid Questions" and the "fold-in," the drawing that ran on the back inside cover of every MAD issue and could be revealed by folding the page vertically and inward, died on Apr. 10 in a Manhattan hospital of multisystem organ failure. He had just celebrated his 102nd birthday on Mar. 13. MAD launched in 1952 at the height of anti-communist fervor and Mr. Jaffee arrived as a contributor three years later. When he retired in 2020 at age 99, he was the magazine's longest-tenured contributor, though he always worked freelance and never was on staff. "No one knew that Mad was going to go on for 50 or 60 years. I figured, 'All right, I'll do the best I can with Mad for as long as it lasts,'" Mr. Jaffee said in a 2010 interview. "When you live from freelance check to freelance check, your mind is always on, 'What's the next piece I'm going to write, or draw, that'll pay this month's rent?'" Born Abraham Jaffee in 1921 in Atlanta, Mr. Jaffee began pursuing comics after graduating high school in 1940, and at age 20 he made his first sale to future industry titan Will Eisner, who bought his parody of Superman called Inferior Man. He went on to work for soon-to-be Marvel legend Stan Lee at Timely Comics, a forerunner of Marvel Comics. Mr. Jaffee was also known for the anti-war cartoons Hawks & Doves, which he drew during the Vietnam War. His work loomed large, with comedy stars such as Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert among his devotees. Mr. Jaffee was married to Joyce Revenson from 1977 until her death in 2020. He is survived by his children, Richard and Deborah, from his first marriage to Ruth Ahlquist. - The Hollywood Reporter, 4/10/23.

Hip hop star Sean "Diddy" Combs has revealed he's been ordered to pay former The Police frontman Sting $5,000 a day after sampling his 1983 tune "Every Breath You Take" without permission. Combs, 53, confirmed the figure on Twitter in response to a tweet suggesting he pays only $2,000 a day to Sting for sampling the song for his 1997 hit "I'll Be Missing You" without permission. He wrote: "Nope. 5K a day. Love to my brother @OfficialSting (sic)" A resurfaced clip of Sting's 2018 interview with The Breakfast Club also emerged, in which Sting says Diddy only asked for permission after release. Combs says: "We're very good friends now. It was a beautiful version of that song." Diddy's iconic tune is dedicated to The Notorious B.I.G. (a.k.a. Biggie Smalls) who was murdered in a drive-by shooting in L.A. in Mar. 1997 aged 24. The track is performed by Diddy and Biggie's widow, American singer Faith Evans, and is based on a sample of The Police's 1983 song "Every Breath You Take." - Bang Showbiz, 4/6/23...... An attorney representing Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler has issued 24 affirmative defenses in a denial that Tyler committed sexual assault against a minor female dating back to the 1970s. In December, a woman named Julia Misley -- who was known as Julia Holcomb at the time -- filed a lawsuit accusing Tyler of sexual assault and battery against her when she was a minor. Misley claimed that they were both involved in a sexual relationship for about three years and that Tylor convinced her mother to grant him guardianship over her when she was 16. The lawsuit also referenced Tyler's memoirs, in which he recalled that he "almost took a teen bride" and described how her parents "signed a paper over for me to have custody, so I wouldn't get arrested if I took her out of state." It further alleged that Tyler "coerced and persuaded" Misley into believing the relationship was a "romantic love affair," and detailed claims that he demanded she get an abortion in 1975, when she claims she was pregnant with his child. Now, following the accusations, the musician -- represented by attorney Shawn Holley -- has issued several defenses against the allegations and denied them all. The defenses state that all claims are "barred" as the claimant gave "consent," and added that Tyler should be granted immunity as he was "caretaker and/or guardian" at the time. It also stated that Misley "has not suffered any injury or damage as a result of any action by Defendant," and that the conduct -- presumably referring to his memoirs -- is protected under the first amendment. Furthermore Tyler states that the statute of limitations has expired on the allegations. However, the suit was filed during California's Child Victims Act: a 2019 legislation that allowed victims of childhood sexual assault to come forward regardless of the statute of limitations. Following Tyler's response, Misley's attorney Jeff Anderson issued a statement that accused the musician of "gaslighting" Misely: "He's heaping more pain on Misley and gaslighting her by falsely claiming that she 'consented' and that the pain he inflicted was "justified and in good faith," he said. "Never have we encountered a legal defense as obnoxious and potentially dangerous as the one that Tyler and his lawyers launched this week: Their claim that legal guardianship is consent and permission for sexual abuse." Tyler has yet to issue a comment in response to Anderson's statement. - NME, 4/6/23...... In March, KISS singer/guitarist Paul Stanley appeared on Howard Stern's SiriusXM show and explained why the band didn't perform when they were inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 2014. Stanley said that, among other reasons, the Rock Hall "demanded" that KISS take the stage with its original members -- himself, bassist Gene Simmons, lead guitarist Ace Frehley, and drummer Peter Criss. Explaining why he wouldn't want to perform with Frehley and Criss, Stanley said: "At this point, that would be demeaning to the band, and also would give some people confusion. 'Cause if you saw people onstage who looked like KISS but sounded like that, maybe we should be called PISS." From there, Frehley went on SiriusXM's Trunk Nation with Eddie Trunk show and threatened to spill some secret KISS "dirt" if Stanley didn't "apologize for the remark within one week." Frehley said the "dirt" would come in the form of a 120-page manuscript, which contains "career-ending" details about both Stanley and Simmons. "When it comes to negativity, and we've all done things that we regret over the years -- it's there," he said. "My attorney has it in a safety deposit box [...and] is instructed to release it. So they can't intimidate me." Apr. 5 marked exactly one week since Frehley demanded the apology and, in a new interview with Trunk Nation, Frehley confirmed to host Eddie Trunk that Stanley did call -- not to apologize, but to say "f---- you" instead. "I was blindsided by the phone call," Frehley said. "I figured he was calling me maybe to apologize or at least explain why he said that. But instead of an apology, I got a five-second phone call which said, 'F--- you, Ace. I'm not gonna apologize,' and hung up. He wasn't even man enough to let me give a rebuttal and explain why I'm so upset or anything like that." After explaining various ways that he could confirm that it was indeed Stanley who called him, Frehley ultimately said he decided not to release the "120-page manuscript" after all as he wouldn't want to "sink to their level." "I came to the realization that I don't even have to bring up anything that I have hidden away in my attorney's safe deposit box," Frehley said. "I can just talk about things that they've said about me in black and white." Meanwhile, KISS's current incarnation, which includes guitarist Tommy Thayer and drummer Eric Singer, will resume their "End of the Road" farewell tour later in 2023, playing their final shows ever on Dec. 1 and 2 at Madison Square Garden. - New Musical Express, 4/6/23...... Bob Dylan will be among the headliners of the 2023 Montreux Jazz Festival, which is set to take place this summer on the shoreline of Lake Geneva, Switzerland. Dylan will be returning to Montreux for the first time in a decade to present his 2020 album Rough and Rowdy Ways, which arrived at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 200 chart. Rough and Rowdy Ways earned the rock icon his 23rd career top 10, as he became the first act to have achieved at least one new Top 40-charting album in every decade from the 1960s through the 2020s. Other headliners during the fest, which is set for June 30-Jul 15, include Lionel Richie, Iggy Pop, Nile Rodgers, Sam Smith, Mavis Staples, Norah Jones, Chris Isaac and Lil Nas X. Nearly 250,000 fans attend the event in a regular year. In 2020 it paused due to the pandemic, returning in 2021 with a downsized format, and was back to its regular programming in 2022. - Billboard, 4/5/23...... In Dec. 1980, Queen frontman Freddie Mercury donned a pair of "daring" leather hotpants during Queen's encore at a concert in Birmingham, England in a bid to "shock" the crowd. Now this famous article of clothing will go on the auction block at Omega Auctions in Newton-le-Willows, Merseyside, on Apr. 25. Jacky Gunn, the head of the Queen Fan Club, said of the risqué garment in Queen's official biography Queen: As it Began that the hotpants "didn't leave much to the imagination, but no one complained." Dan Hampson of Omega Auctions noted that the hotpants "typify [Mercury's] daring look." Mercury was known for his fondness of leather clothing and would often perform topless with a pair of leather trousers. Meanwhile, Queen's iconic 1975 track "Bohemian Rhapsody" has been voted "Your Ultimate Queen Song" following a listener vote to discover the UK's favorite song by the legendary art-rock group. Beginning on Feb. 20, listeners were asked to vote for up to three of their favorite songs from Queen's Top 75 UK chart singles, including collaborations with the band following Mercury's death. Voting closed on Mar. 8, with the results compiled for a special show on Apr. 1. "Bohemian Rhapsody" led the tally, followed by "Don't Stop Me Now" (1979), "Somebody To Love" (1976), "We Are The Champions/We Will Rock You" (1977), and "Radio Ga Ga" (1984). During the special show, Queen guitarist Brian May thanked listeners "for voting for this song... I guess we're very thrilled not only because you voted for that particular track, but because you voted at all and it means that we're still in your hearts and your minds and we're very grateful, and I'm hoping that we'll be out there doing our thing for you before too long." The full Top 40 countdown hosted by Steve Wright is available on BBC Sounds from March 31, and highlights of the Top 40 will be broadcast on Radio 2 on Apr. 10 at 4:00 pm GMT. Queen's current incarnation, with Adam Lambert handling lead vocal duties, will kick off a U.S. tour on Oct. 5 in Baltimore, also visiting Detroit, New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Nashville, St. Paul, Minn., Chicago, Dallas, and San Francisco before wrapping with two shows in Los Angeles on Nov. 12 and 13. - Music-News.com, 4/3/23...... The earliest known full recording of the Beatles playing a live show in the UK, at Stowe boarding school in Buckinghamshire on Apr. 4, 1963, has been discovered almost exactly 60 years after it was made. According to the BBC, the our-long quarter-inch tape recording was created by 15-year-old student John Bloomfield, who is now 75 and he revealed the tape's existence when journalist Samira Ahmed visited Stowe to make a special programme for Radio 4's Front Row to mark the gig's 60th anniversary. "It was a unique Beatles gig, performed in front of an almost entirely male audience," Ahmed wrote of the discovery. "And crucially, despite loud cheers and some screaming, the tape is not drowned out by the audience reaction." The setlist was made up of songs from the Beatles' debut album Please Please Me, which had been released on Mar. 22, 1963, as well as some of the legendary group's R&B cover versions. A live rendition of "I Saw Her Standing There" kicked off the performance before the Fabs transitioned into their take on Chuck Berry's 1956 single "Too Much Monkey Business." They're also heard taking requests from students, and joking amongst themselves in between tracks. Part of the historic recording was played on the Apr. 3 edition of the BBC's Front Row program, and it can be streamed at the BBC Sounds site. In related news, the KG D25 microphone used by the Beatles in Jan. 1969 during their storied "Get Back Sessions" (later known as the Let It Be album recording sessions) is being auctioned on the Gotta Have Rock & Roll website. According to many of their fans, this coveted microphone delivered some of the best Beatles recording sessions ever. The microphone, used by the band at the Twickenham Studios and Apple Corps Headquarters, London, has an estimated value of $75,000. - NME/Music-News.com, 4/4/23...... On Apr. 3, the Mayo Clinic revealed that the primary cause of death of late Fleetwood Mac keyboardist/singer Christine McVie was an ischemic stroke. According to the clinic, an ischemic stroke "occurs when the blood supply to part of the brain is interrupted or reduced, preventing brain tissue from getting oxygen and nutrients." When McVie died in late November 2022 at age 79, her cause of death was not disclosed at the time, with a statement from her family stating only that she "passed away peacefully" in hospital "following a short illness." According to her death certificate, the musician had also been diagnosed with "metastatic malignancy of unknown primary origin," meaning cancer cells had been detected in her body but it was unable to be determined where they had originated from. During an interview with Rolling Stone in the summer of 2022, McVie revealed she was in "quite bad health," adding that she had a "chronic back problem which debilitates me." Following news of her death, Fleetwood Mac paid tribute to their bandmate in a joint statement that described McVie as "the best musician anyone could have in their band and the best friend anyone could have in their life." "She was truly one-of-a-kind, special and talented beyond measure," the band wrote. "We were so lucky to have a life with her. Individually and together, we cherished Christine deeply and are thankful for the amazing memories we have. She will be so very missed." - NME, 4/4/23...... Rod Stewart and his wife Penny Lancaster have autographed and donated their favorite teapot to a charitable auction in aid of Smile Train UK's annual Big Smile Tea Party. Sir Rod shared a photo on Instagram of the pair posing with the pale teal and gold china ornament to mark the occasion. He captioned the photo: "Fancy a cuppa? We've donated our favourite teapot to @SmileTrainUK's celebri-TEA auction, to help fund lifesaving treatment for cleft-affected children in need around the world." He continued: "The auction launched today to mark the start of Smile Train's annual fundraiser, the #BigSmileTeaParty - which encourages people to donate the cost of a cuppa and host a tea party with friends and family, raising vital funds that will change a child's life forever. Check out the link in my bio to get bidding and help change the world, one smile at a time!" The eBay auction went live on Mar. 30 and runs until Apr. 8, with all proceeds going to the organisation, the world's largest cleft charity, which provides free cleft surgery and comprehensive cleft care for children globally. - Music-News.com, 4/5/23...... Country artist Tanya Tucker, who blasted onto the country scene in 1972 at the age of 13 with her "wise beyond her years" hits such as "Delta Dawn," "What's Your Mama's Name" and "Would You Lay With Me (In a Field of Stone)," is among the 2023 inductees into the Country Music Hall of Fame, it was announced during a press conference at the popular tourist venue in Nashville on Apr. 3. Tucker, who enters the CMHOF under the Veterans Era artist category, experienced a career revival in 2020 with "While I'm Livin'," produced by Brandi Carlile and Shooter Jennings. The album earned the 63-year-old the first Grammy Award of her career for Best Country Album and Best Country Song for "Bring Me My Flowers Now." Also being inducted this year are Patty Loveless and "Baby's Got Her Blue Jeans On" songwriter Bob McDill. - Billboard, 4/3/23...... In other country news, the CMT Music Awards paid tribute to Lynyrd Skynyrd during its 2023 awards gala on Apr. 2. Taking to the stage for the evening's final performance, country singers Cody Johnson, Wynonna Judd and LeAnn Rimes were joined by Guns N Roses' Slash, ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons, Bad Company's Paul Rodgers and former Allman Brothers Band members Chuck Leavell and Warren Haynes for a tribute to late Skynyrd guitarist Gary Rossington, performing the band's iconic tracks "Simple Man" and "Sweet Home Alabama." The performance has been shared on YouTube. - Billboard, 4/2/23...... David Bowie's former manager Tony Defries has said that the late chameleonic rock star planned to bring back his Ziggy Stardust alter ego for a comeback tour before his 2019 death at age 69. Speaking about his reasons for killing off Ziggy at the time, Bowie told New Musical Express: "That's it. Period. I don't want to do any more gigs and the American dates have been cancelled. From now on I'll be concentrating on various activities that have very little to do with rock and pop." Now, Defries has said the reason he retired his persona was because of its success. "Basically, I think success wasn't the ideal situation for David," Defries recently told MOJO magazine. "When [1973 album] Aladdin Sane was selling enormous quantities and crowds were shutting down railway stations, just to get a glance of him, I think that's when it all began to sink in, that he was no longer an ordinary person. The Ziggy effect was taking hold and he couldn't cope with it, really," he said. He also said Bowie's reasoning was influenced by Frank Sinatra, who quit the music industry in 1971 before returning two years later. He explained: "David was a big Sinatra fan. Making the comeback is the key thing." Most surprisingly though, Defries he said they planned on doing a Ziggy comeback tour. "We tried and failed to get promoters in America to book [a Bowie/Ziggy Stardust comeback tour] into large arenas as a headliner. So, that was a real reason for retiring Ziggy, to be honest with you... nothing to do with music or style or anything else." Meanwhile, on Apr. 2 Bowie's estate paid tribute to late Japanese musician Ryuichi Sakamoto after he recently passed away. Sakamoto not only scored the Bowie-starred movie Merry Christmas, Mr Lawrence, but also starred in the war film alongside the late icon. Sakamoto, who also scored for Hollywood movies such as The Last Emperor and The Revenant, died on Mar. 28 while undergoing treatment for cancer. Sakamoto was a pioneer of the electronics music of the late 1970s and founded the Yellow Magic Orchestra, also known as YMO, with Haruomi Hosono and Yukihiro Takahashi. - NME, 4/3/23...... Patti Smith is warning fans about a fraudster who, posing as one of her reps, is asking people to send pieces of their hair for a supposed wig. Posting on Instagram on Apr. 3, the punk poetess wrote: "This is [a] warning against stupid fraud," and explained in the attached video: "If somebody calls you, emails you, or any of the other ways people communicate supposedly on my behalf asking for something, like perhaps your hair so that they can make me, a... say, wig, it's obviously [not me]. I would never have anybody petition anybody about anything. If I want something, I'll ask for it myself. Anyway, I don't wear wigs. I didn't even wear a wig when I played Phaedra in college. I don't have anything against [wigs], I just don't wear them." Smith called the request "the stupidest thing ever," and added in the caption: "Happy spring everyone, take care of yourselves and find ways to be happy and productive. As for me, my hair is ancient but fine." Smith's 2022 book, A Book of Days, was directly inspired by her Instagram account and comprises 366 photographs that capture her life "on and off the road" over the course of one year. She said she felt the need to use a social media platform like Instagram in order to be "part of society." - NME, 4/4/23...... Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band band made a triumphant return to Madison Square Garden on Apr. 1, delivering a 27-song, three-hour performance that saw the 73-year-old reflecting on aging, death, friendship and passion. "No Surrender" introduced MSG concert as it has almost every one of the preceding 21 shows on the tour to date. ("Night" preceded it in Houston). With E Street guitarist Steven Van Zandt joining him at the mic, Springsteen offered the song from his Born in the U.S.A. album with its images of youth, rebellion, and rage against the dying of the light. "Cause we made a promise we swore we'd always remember/ no retreat, baby, no surrender." The show closed in on the three-hour mark as the Boss came out alone, carrying his acoustic guitar. As he has done for years, in one of the most modest, effective and enduring steps of activism by a touring artist, he drew the crowd's attention to the volunteers collecting donations from a local food pantry, "our friends from the Saint Francis Food Pantries and Shelters," based around the corner from The Garden. "They provide food, clothing and shelter for New York City neighborhoods in need," he said. - Billboard, 4/2/23...... Former Van Halen frontman David Lee Roth recently returned to the stage with the all-star cover band Royal Machines for a one-off live performance of VH's hit "Panama." The show was a corporate event for Home Depot sales managers that took place at the Michelob Ultra Arena at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. "Are we having a good time so far?" asked Roth as he led the group through a lively cover of "Panama" including his signature ad-libs. Roth announced his retirement back in 2021. "I am throwing in the shoes. I'm retiring. This is the first, and only, official announcement... You've got the news. Share it with the world," he said at the time. The news came almost a year after the death of legendary guitarist Eddie Van Halen, who passed away from a stroke on Oct. 6, 2020. Roth noted that he'd recently been thinking about his late bandmate, and was "encouraged and compelled to really come to grips with how short time is, and my time is probably even shorter." The announcement was followed by a farewell Las Vegas residency that was cancelled shortly after due to the omicron variant of Covid-19. Recently, Roth shared a solo version of the 1980 Van Halen hit "Everybody Wants Some!!," It arrived just a few months after another unreleased track, "Nothing Could Have Stopped Us Back Then Anyway," making fans a bit skeptical of the singer's retirement. - NME, 3/31/23...... In a new interview with the UK's The Sunday Mirror paper, Donny Osmond -- who found fame with his family group The Osmonds and had his first solo hit at 14 -- revealed that he'd love to work with current teen heartthrob Justin Bieber. "I'd love to do something with Justin because of the similarities between our two careers. But that all depends on whether the planets align," the 65-year-old Osmond told the paper. Donny has previously warned about the perils of the showbiz industry for youngsters, once telling the Daily Mirror: "It all depends on the parents. I started at five and I think I handled it well. But I had a great family. It's a treacherous world if you just throw your child out there and let him go about his own business without any restrictions. It messes with a kid's head." - Music-News.com, 4/2/23...... During a recent appearance on TalkTV's Piers Morgan Uncensored, Ozzy Osbourne's wife/manager Sharon Osbourne told host Piers Morgan that Ozzy is feeling "much better" as he prepares to return to the stage at Power Trip Festival this October. "He's good, he's doing so much better," Sharon said when asked about her husband's current state. "I think I told you about it the other night, but now it's been announced; we can talk about it. He's doing a show [on] October 6th in America. It's at the Coachella site. It's gonna be a great show: Guns N' Roses, Metallica, AC/DC, Ozzy..." After Morgan said that "the rocker is still rocking," Sharon responded: "He never stopped. He's back." Despite announcing his retirement, Ozzy explained in March that he could potentially hit the road again if he was given the OK by a doctor. "It would take another six months to get it together, you know?" he added. "The only thing I've got that keeps me going is making records. But I can't do that forever. I gotta get out there." - NME, 3/31/23...... Multi-instrumentalist Ray Shulman, best known for his work in the seminal '70s prog-rock band Gentle Giant, has died at the age of 73. Shulman's passing was confirmed on Apr. 1 by his brother and Gentle Giant bandmate Derek Shulman, who wrote in a statement on Facebook: "I am deeply saddened to announce that my younger brother and my best friend Ray Shulman passed away on March 30th at his home in London." According to Derek, his brother "bravely battled a long illness" and died with family at his side. "At least I know he is now at peace," he wrote, praising Ray as "such a kind and caring soul" who "really was a genius in so many ways." "[Ray] will be deeply missed by the music community as a whole," Derek added. "More importantly, I will miss him as my brother and truly my best friend. He leaves behind his wife Barbara Tanner [and] his older brother Philip. To all who knew Ray or know of him, 'Think of him with kindness.'" The Shulmans formed Gentle Giant in the late '60s as an ambitiously complex prog-rock project, with their modus operandi (as per the liner notes of their 1971 album, Acquiring The Taste) being to "expand the frontiers of contemporary popular music at the risk of becoming very unpopular". Their self-titled debut album arrived in 1970, with 10 more following over the next decade (their last being 1980's Civilian). The band was particularly successful in the mid-1970s, charting at No. 78 with their sixth album, 1974's The Power And The Glory, and at No. 48 with Free Hand the following year. After Gentle Giant broke up in 1980, Ray kept active as a producer, linking up with such acts as The Sugarcubes, The Sundays, The Trash Can Sinatras and The Defects. He later went on to release two EPs of trance music, working under the moniker Head-Doctor, and scored original music for video games like Azrael's Tear and Privateer 2: The Darkening. - NME, 4/3/23..... Veteran music exec Seymour Stein, the co-founder of Sire Records who signed such music legends as Madonna and The Ramones, died on the morning of Apr. 2 in Los Angeles from cancer, his filmmaker daughter Mandy Stein confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter. He was 80. Mr. Stein began his career at just age 16 with a tenure at Billboard magazine that lasted until 1961, and then he took his first label job with King Records in Cincinnati before moving back to New York with a stint at Red Bird Records, owned and run by George Goldner and the songwriting/production team of Mike Stoller and Jerry Leiber. Mr. Stein co-founded Sire Records with music producer Richard Gottehrer in 1967 as an independent record label, but joined forces with Warner nine years later, in 1976. Mr. Stein once recalled the first artist he signed was "Steven Tallarico, who later became Steve Tyler from Aerosmith... He was in a group called Chain Reaction" at the time. The legendary roster at Sire included Madonna, The Ramones, The Smiths, Talking Heads, The Pretenders, The Cure, Depeche Mode, Ice-T and many, many more. In 2005, Mr. Stein was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, in the lifetime-achievement category. In 2016, he was given the Richmond Hitmaker Award at the Songwriters Hall of Fame ceremony, and in 2018, he received the Recording Academys prestigious Trustees Award. In 2018 Mr. Stein penned his autobiography Siren Song,, which was published by St. Martins Press. Tributes are flowing in for the late music industry great. "Legendary record man. Signed me to Sire Records in 1984 and bought me my Red 355 from 48th Street to seal the deal," writes Johnny Marr, guitarist with the Smiths. "Worked with The Drifters, Rolling Stones & Shangri-Las. Discovered Talking Heads, Ramones & Madonna. Well done Seymour & thank you my friend." - Billboard, 4/2/23.