Favorite Seventies Artists In The News

Posted by Administrator on September 3rd, 2024

Roger Waters has responded to Australian musician Nick Cave after Cave criticized Waters' stand on a boycott of Israel, telling him "it's not complicated." Guesting on the Reason podcast on Aug. 28, Cave said Waters' support of the BDS movement for Palestinian rights is "embarrassing" and "deeply damaging." Posting on Instagram to his 1.3 million followers, Waters explained that the UK paper Independent ran a piece about Cave's statements and reached out to him for a comment. "Let's see if they f---ing publish it or not," Waters said in the video, and read his comment aloud. He said, in part: "Dear Independent, here is my response to the Aussie bloke. Nick Cave. Nick f---ing Cave. The Palestinian mother/father carrying the bits of her or his dead child back along the bitter road to nowhere in a plastic bag pauses on the roadside to scratch a message in the rubble. Nick, here's the message. Dear Nick Cave, we, the Indigenous people of Palestine, in this agony, implore you, please don't cross the BDS picket line to sing for your supper in Israel. It's not complicated, Nick. It's not complicated. That act -- singing for your supper in Israel, Nick -- that act serves to whitewash the 75-year-old Zionist Israeli occupation, land theft, apartheid, and genocide of our people, Nick. Please, please, please follow the example of Roger Waters and Brian Eno and many, many thousands of others who are active in the BDS movement. Nick, pay attention." Waters, now 80, has been a supporter of the boycott (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions or BDS) movement since 2011. - New Musical Express, 9/1/24...... In other Pink Floyd-related news, David Gilmour has told the UK paper The Sun that his tenure in the legendary psychedelic rock band receives "way too much deference." Gilmour reflected on the weight of his achievements with the band, saying: "After you achieve these dizzying heights, people tend to show you way too much deference. It becomes hard to retrieve the setup you had when you were young. In the earlier stages of Pink Floyd, we could be as rude and insulting to each other about our personalities and our music as we wanted -- and yet everything would be all right in the end." Referencing Roger Waters' exit from the band in 1985, he said "No one ever stomped off permanently, until that bloke did." Gilmour explained he felt "thrust into being band leader," but prefers "a more collaborative approach." On Apr. 27, Gilmour posted to X announcing that his new solo album, Luck and Strange, will be released on Sept. 6. More recently, he said the new album is the "best" music he's made since The Dark Side Of The Moon. Gilmour will tour behind the new album later in 2024, marking his return to the stage for the first time in eight years. It includes five shows at the Royal Albert Hall in London. - NME, 8/30/24...... Stevie Wonder dropped a new song titled "Can We Fix Our Nation's Broken Heart" on Spotify on Aug. 30 that features a strong call for unity over an acoustic guitar as he demands in the hook: "Can we fix our nation's broken heart?/ Are we brave enough to try?" While the song is not political in its lyrics, the track's release is timely with the American presidential election coming up in November. Wonder took the stage on the third night of the Democratic National Convention in August, sharing some powerful remarks for the audience before performing "Higher Ground," off his 1973 album, Innervisions. "This is a moment to tell your children where you were and what you did," he declared. "When we stand between history's pain and tomorrows promises we must choose courage complacency." Throughout his career, Wonder has always stood up against injustices through song, most recently in 2020 by releasing two new songs, "Where Is Our Love Song?" and "Can't Put It in the Hands of Fate." He also lobbied hard to make Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday a federal holiday in 1986. - Billboard, 8/30/24...... On Aug. 28 Barry Manilow filed a $1.5 million lawsuit against the Hipgnosis Song Fund (HSF) in federal court in California for what he claims are unpaid bonuses related to the music rights company's acquisition of his catalog in 2020. The suit by the "Mandy" singer, along with his management company Hastings, Clayton & Tucker Inc, or Stiletto Entertainment, follows a similar lawsuit HSF filed in August in London alleging breach of contract relating to the bonus payments. Before Blackstone's $1.6 billion acquisition of HSF and its prized portfolio that includes songs by Manilow, Shakira, Red Hot Chili Peppers and others, shareholders of the publicly listed music royalty trust had revolted over, among other things, the late disclosure of some $40 million in unpaid bonus checks owed to artists. That liability on the fund's balance sheet combined with suspension of investors' dividends and accounting scandals ultimately led to investors giving the fund's board a vote of no confidence a move that resulted in Hipgnosis founder Merck Mercuriadis separating from the fund and investment adviser and to the fund's board selling the portfolio to Blackstone. Hipgnosis acquired 100% of Manilow's worldwide recording royalties (excluding SoundExchange royalties), comprising 917 songs, for an initial purchase price of $7.5 million in 2020. The deal included some of the 81-year-old singer's biggest hits, including "Mandy," "I Write the Songs," "Looks Like We Made It," "Can't Smile Without You" and "Copacabana (At the Copa)." In the 14-page complaint, Manilow and Stiletto Entertainment say HSF agreed to make two additional payments of $750,000 each if HSF's earnings from the catalog reached certain benchmarks. Manilow and his management company claim those benchmarks have been met, but that HSF engaged "in a prolonged game of cat and mouse to avoid that obligation." - Billboard, 8/30/24...... The most recent legal battle between Journey members Jonathan Cain and Neal Schon appears to be over after Schon conceded to the appointment of a neutral third party to resolve the "deadlock" that Cain has claimed is crippling the band's operations. On Aug. 28, a Delaware judge appointed a so-called "custodian," former Chancery Court judge Joseph R. Slights, to break ties between the two longtime bandmates. The ruling came a month after Cain sued Schon seeking such an umpire, claiming their endless disputes pose "a severe threat of harm" to the band's "storied history of musical greatness." The order comes after Schon agreed to the appointment of such a neutral party. In his written ruling, the judge wrote: "Schon does not oppose the court's appointment of a custodian with the power to act as a third, deadlock breaking director." In a statement, a spokesman for Cain said he was "elated with the outcome and looks forward to moving beyond this matter so that Journey can continue the band's 50th Anniversary Freedom Tour." In a Facebook post in late August, Schon said recent accusations leveled by Cain against him and his wife were "slanderous" and that he "can't stress enough how much it upset me and how wrong they are." But he hinted that a deal was close to resolve the lawsuit by appointing a neutral third party like Judge Slights. Legal battles are nothing new for Cain and Schon, as the two have repeatedly fought in court over the band's finances over the past two years. - Billboard, 8/28/24...... Moon Unit Zappa was only 14 years old when she helped her father, art rock legend Frank Zappa, accomplish something he had done before. Their 1982 collaboration "Valley Girl," on which Moon performed the stream-of-consciousness, quasi-rap vocals, became her dad's first and only Top 40 hit. Behind the scenes, though, her home life wasn't easy. Now 56, Moon is telling all in her new memoir Earth to Moon, which details her complicated relationship with her frequently absent father, who died in 1993, and her emotionally abusive mother, Gail Zappa, who died in 2015 and whom Moon calls her "first bully." Now a mother to daughter Mathilda, 19, whom she shares with her ex-husband Matchbox Twenty drummer Paul Doucette, Moon says she's "dancing more than your average person might" and "giving myself a second chance at a childhood." Earth to Moon is due via HarperCollins on Aug. 20. - People, 9/2/24...... Judas Priest frontman Rob Halford has reflected on coming out in the late '90s and how it's "never too late." In a recent interview with Fugues.com, Halford was asked if other gay musicians had asked him for advice before coming out. Halford publicly came out while performing live on MTV in 1998. "Yes, that has happened, but I won't name names because everyone comes out when it's their time," he said. "As we all know, set yourself free. It's such a difficult thing for us to do, even now in 2024 because we still have this ongoing challenge of hate and bigotry and intolerance and divisiveness. You think it would be a lot easier, but it's not. The struggle is still very real for young people, and that's where I hope any conversations I have with others do some good." He continued: "You know, I read a story not long ago about a guy in his 90s who came out just before he took his dying breath. Glory hallelujah! It's never too late to set yourself free because, as we know, once you're out, the attacks float away. I'm f---ing here, I'm queer, get f----ng used to it!" He also added that coming out "saved his life" along with becoming sober. Judas Priest released their 15th album, Invincible Shield, in March. - NME, 8/30/24...... The Kinks guitarist/vocalist Dave Davies has blasted an AI cover of his pioneering British rock band's song "You Really Got Me," saying it's like "a horror show." The YouTube clip of the song, claiming to be a "new original song," was called "Hop Skip Jump!" and uploaded to YouTube back in January, but has since been deleted. Reacting to the video, Davies posted to X: "What the f---- is this??? This Kinks AI cover is like horror show sounds f----in horrible." Star Wars actor Mark Hamill commented to say it had been taken down, writing "You will be happy to know when I clicked on this it said 'video unavailable.' (Still curious what The Kinks AI would sound like though)." Davies, 77, also recently took to his X account to share his shock that his Rock and Roll Hall of Fame trophy up for sale on the auction site eBay "without his consent." The marble plaque from the Kinks' 1990 induction was listed on the re-sale site for $12,500 (£9,860). Davies insisted he had no idea how he lost the award but believes it could have been at the time of his stroke in 2004, as he was "incapacitated." The owner of Colony Records in New York was the seller and said he would come to an agreement with Dave. He wrote: "follow me and shoot me a message on X we will work it out." And it seems they did as the listing was removed. - Music-News.com, 8/29/24...... After the editors at MailOnline.com claimed on Aug. 27 that Rod Stewart and his wife Penny Lancaster were "desperately" trying to work on their relationship and had reached a "stalemate" over whether they should continue living in Los Angeles or move back to the U.K., Stewart took to Instagram the following day to insist that the allegations were "erroneous." "We wanted to put the record straight," Stewart wrote. "There is absolutely no rift between Penny and I and no disagreement over where we should reside, in fact, it's the opposite. We moved permanently back to our beloved Britain a year ago but are fortunate to also have homes in different countries, which we love to visit. Originally, we did think it made sense to sell our house in L.A., but having spent a wonderful time there this summer with family and friends during my Vegas residency, we realised that it makes sense to keep our house there." Rod went on to note that two of his children still live at the home in L.A., dubbed Celtic House. And to conclude, the 79-year-old "Maggie May" singer insisted he is a "lucky man." "Penny and I could not be more in love with each other after 27 glorious years. Please trust me on this... there's no disharmony in our marriage," he added. Rod and Penny, 53, wed in 2007 and share two sons; Alastair, 18, and Aiden, 13. He also has six other children from previous relationships. Stewart wrapped on his latest residency at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas in August, and is set to play the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., on Sept. 8. - Music-News.com, 8/29/24...... Highlights of late Fleetwoood Mac keyboardist/vocalist Christine McVie's personal collection went on exhibit at the Musicians Hall of Fame & Museum in Nashville, Tenn. on Aug. 30. The day after the exhibition concludes on Oct. 15, a two-day auction dubbed "Property From the Life and Career of Christine McVie" will take place at the same venue and online via Julien's Auctions, marking the first time the items have been offered to the public. More than 650 of McVie's belongings will be available to bid on in the auction, including the Hammond XK-5 organ she played on tour with Fleetwood Mac (estimated $6,000-$8,000), a Yamaha CLP-470PE digital piano from her London home ($3,000 -- $5,000), a model KP-180-122 Leslie speaker in a red road case labeled "3rd Encore Christine's Locker" ($2,000 -- $4,000), Tusk chord sheets with unknown handwritten lyrics ($800-$1,200) and two setlists annotated by McVie ($600-$800). Pieces of fine art and jewelry will also be for sale. The proceeds of the auction will benefit MusiCares as well as other charities in the U.K. "Christine McVie was a legendary artist and a beloved member of the MusiCares family, always showing deep compassion for those in the music community," said the organization's executive director, Laura Segura, in a statement. "The proceeds from this auction will continue her legacy of giving back, ensuring that musicians receive the support they need. Her love for music and for those who create it will continue to inspire us all." A Julien's video of the auction items can be viewed on YouTube. McVie died in Nov. 2022 at the age of 79. A few months later, her cause of death was revealed to be a stroke. - Billboard, 8/29/24...... Bruce Springsteen has contributed a cover of punk stalwart Jesse Malin's "She Don't Love Me Now" to the new Malin benefit album Silver Patron Saints: The Songs of Jesse Malin. "Bruce gave it that Stax-soul-thing that we were dreaming of when we recorded the original. It's so surreal to me," said Malin in a statement. Indeed, in Springsteen's hands -- and with the backing of Malin's band -- the song sounds like a lost soul classic that could have easily fit on The Boss's 2022 R&B/soul covers LP Only the Strong Survive, complete with tasty Hammond organ and a perfectly placed saxophone solo from the E Street Band's Jake Clemons. "Oh, you don't love me when you say/ Oh, all I got is lost/ I'm hanging on that cross/ All I got and all I wanna and all I got is/ Oh, she don't love me now, she don't love me now," Springsteen croons on the song that will appear on the all-star album whose proceeds will benefit Malin's Sweet Relief artist fund as the beloved punk troubadour, 57, continues his recovery from a spinal stroke he suffered in 2023 that left him partially paralyzed. A lyric video for the "She Don't Love Me Now" cover has been shared on YouTube, and Silver Patron Saints is due out Sept. 20. Meanwhile, actor Jeremy Allen White has opened up about preparations for his upcoming role as Springsteen in his biopic, Deliver Me From Nowwhere (reportedly set around the making of Springsteen's classic 1982 album Nebraska). Speaking to GQ magazine, White explained: "I'm really lucky that there's sort of a team of folks now in place to help young actors portray rock stars. I've got a really talented group of people helping me train vocally, musically, to get ready for this thing." The actor, who previously revealed he had texted The Boss in the hopes of meeting him in London, also shared that Springsteen was "really supportive of the project," adding: "I've had some access to him and he's just the greatest guy." The Bear star was announced as part of the film in April after Deadline.com reported that White was the favorite to play a young Springsteen in the movie, which was announced this January. No release date for the film, which will adapt Warren Zane's 2023 novel Deliver Me from Nowhere: The Making of Bruce Springsteen's Nebraska, has been announced yet.- Billboard, 8/28/24...... ABBA has become the latest in a series of pop/rock groups asking Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump to stop using their music at campaign rallies, but the Trump campaign says it has permission. "ABBA has recently discovered the unauthorized use of their music and videos at a Trump event through videos that appeared online," a rep for ABBA said in a statement. "As a result, ABBA and its representative has promptly requested the removal and deletion of such content. No request has been received; therefore, no permission or license has been granted," the statement continued. But a spokesman for the Trump campaign said it had obtained a license. "The campaign had a license to play ABBA music through our agreement with BMI and ASCAP," the spokesperson told the Associated Press. ABBA joins a long list of performers who've objected to Trump using their songs. Ahead of the 2020 election, that included Bruce Springsteen, Beyoncé, Rihanna, Phil Collins, Celine Dion, Adele, Pharrell, John Fogerty, Neil Young, Eddy Grant, Panic! at the Disco, R.E.M. and Guns N' Roses. Campaigns don't need an artist's express permission to play their songs at rallies as long as the political organization or the venue has gotten what's known as a "blanket license" from the performing rights organizations ASCAP and BMI. The Swedish daily newspaper Svenska Dagbladet said its reporter attended a July Trump rally in Minnesota where ABBA's "The Winner Takes it All" was played. Universal Music in Sweden said videos had surfaced of ABBA's music being played at at least one Trump event. - AP, 8/30/24...... Actor James Darren, who went from teen idol status acting in youth-oriented movies like Gidget to become an actor in TV shows such as Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and T.J. Hooker and a singer and director, died on Sept. 2 at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles. He was 88. Born in Philadelphia, Mr. Darren studied acting with Stella Adler in New York and was signed to Columbia Pictures, where his first role was in Rumble on the Docks. He went on to appear in films including Operation Madball and Gunmen's Walk before being cast in the 1959 teen movie Gidget, starring Sandra Dee and Cliff Robertson. Darren also sang the title track for the hit movie, which was based on the experiences of a teenaged surfer girl in Malibu and later became a popular TV series. The Gidget theme song launched a successful singer career for Mr. Darren, who had a gold record with "Goodbye Cruel World" in 1961 and released at least 14 albums. He continued to appear in feature films including The Guns of Navarone, The Gene Krupa Story, All the Young Men and Because They're Young. He reprised his role as Moondoggie in Gidget Goes Hawaiian and again in Gidget Goes to Rome, though he was tired of the typecasting by then. Moving into television, he starred in the series "The Time Tunnel and after a brief sojourn in Italy appearing in Jess Franco's Venus in Furs, he went on to guest-star on numerous series including Love, American Style, Fantasy Island and The Love Boat. Mr. Darren was a regular on T.J. Hooker from 1983 to 1986 and also moved into TV directing, working on series including Beverly Hills, 90210 and Melrose Place. In 1998, he found a new generation of fans in 1998 as Vic Fontaine, the holographic lounge singer on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. His son, broadcaster Jim Moret, said that Mr. Darren had been able to express his love for his family while being treated in the cardiac unit. "He was a good man. He was very talented," Moret said. "He was forever young." Mr. Darren is survived by his wife Evy, sons Jim Moret, Christian Darren and Tony Darren and five grandchildren. - Variety, 9/3/24.

Neil Young has finally spoken about his recent decision to cancel the remaining shows of his summer tour with Crazy Horse. In late June, Young and Crazy Horse took to his Neil Young Archives website to announce the cancellation of those shows, revealing that a couple of band members fell ill following their gig at Detroit's Pine Knob and would have to take "a big unplanned break." Now in a recent Zoom conference call for his NYA followers (captured via Reddit), Young addressed the cancellations, recapping how he felt before and during most of the shows that were played. "I was doing great and we were moving right along. Everybody's loving the shows," he said. "Then I just woke up one morning on the bus and I said, 'I can't do this. I gotta stop.' It was like I felt sick when I thought of going on stage. My body was telling me, 'You gotta stop.' So I listened to my body. Then it gets into all the legal matters: 'You got this, you got that, people bought tickets, they did this, they did that.' I understand that. What matters to me is the art of playing, and the music. That's what matters. That's what people loved. That's what they come to see. But if that's not there, me going is not happening. My body told me to not do it." Young then shared an updated on how he's feeling, and the health of his Crazy Horse members: "But now I'm starting to feel like I could do it again and that's a great feeling. Not all of Crazy Horse -- this happened to a couple of us, and we're not all the way back. Crazy Horse will be back, god willing. And we'll play more." He also shared: "We haven't announced any shows yet, but they are mostly theaters that I played before, little theaters, and then I can play a little bit of acoustic, and then have the band come out and play. They'll probably be on the East Coast and then going towards Michigan and then Ohio, and then a few other ones. They won't be marathons. They won't be two hours and 10 minutes of blasting rock and roll like it was with Crazy Horse." Young is still scheduled to co-headline the 2024 edition of Farm Aid at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., on Sept. 21. In June, Young and Crazy Horse released a new archival album, Early Daze, recorded in 1969. - New Musical Express, 8/29/24...... Bryan Ferry has shared a new single called "Star" -- his first new music in over a decade -- ahead of his upcoming compilation Retrospective: Selected Recordings 1973-2023, which is set for release on Oct. 25. The trippy "Star," described as "an anxious, darkly gleaming slab of pounding post-techno," began as a "sketch" by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross of Nine Inch Nails, and was developed by Ferry and painter and writer Amelia Barratt, who also features onto the track. "'Star' is a collaboration with the painter and writer Amelia Barratt," Ferry says. "A couple of years ago I helped her record an audiobook here in my studio. I was very impressed by her writing, and this is the first song we did together. I'm very excited about this new work -- there's a lot more to come." The former Roxy Music frontman's Retrospective, which boasts 81 songs, is described in a press release as "a celebration of Bryan Ferry's peerless career as a solo artist, spanning a period of over 50 years of music and 16 solo albums, bringing the story right up to the present with a snapshot of his latest work." Retrospective will be the first collection to span the entirety of Ferry's solo career, covering 16 solo albums and over five decades of recordings. The new collection brings together his recordings with various labels over the years, including Virgin, Polydor and BMG, and will be available in a 5-CD deluxe box set, accompanied by a 100-page hardback book with extensive new liner notes and rare and unseen photographs and imagery. There will also be a 2-LP gatefold edition titled The Best Of Bryan Ferry, comprising 20 tracks, and a 1-CD version made from the same choices. Ferry has shared a video for "Star" on YouTube. - NME, 8/28/24...... Carole King joined a "Swifties for Kamala" live conference call to show support for Democratic presidential candidate Vice-President Kamala Harris on Aug. 27. "I am a Swiftie, and Taylor [Swift] and I are actually friends," the iconic singer-songwriter said. "We have had conversations backstage and I see her as sort of my musical and songwriting granddaughter. We have a lovely relationship, and I'm so proud of her," she told the thousands of listeners who tuned into the livestream. King also noted that her favorite song of Swift's is "Shake It Off" from 1989. King added that she was "excited about Kamala, because so many people are excited about Kamala, and I have met her... I admire her and the stars lined up, and Joe Biden did a really gracious, hard thing to do, and I'm so proud of him. But this is about you. I know you have your ways of communicating and social networking and organizing." King then encouraged Swifties to become in-person volunteers, and take part in door knocking and phone calling to rally voters, even giving them door knocker tips that she's learned over the years. To conclude, King shared that because Swift helped induct her into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2021 by performing the legend's classic, "Will You Love Me Tomorrow," she will return the favor. She then delivered a "surprise song" for the Swifties for Kamala by briefly singing the chorus of "Shake It Off." "Cause the players gonna play, play, play, play, play/ And the haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate/ Baby, I'm just gonna shake, shake, shake, shake, shake/ I shake it off, I shake it off," she mused. The full "Swifties for Kamala" kickoff call can be viewed on YouTube. - Billboard, 8/27/24...... In related news, Vice-President Harris recently took part in the music game Track Star, where she had to guess a song by a few seconds of its instrumental, winning money for each correct answer. Harris easily identified a song from Stevie Wonder, whom she called "one of the greatest musicians who ever lived... He's a lyricist, he's a poet, he's very active on social justice issues and he's actually a friend." After relating how both of her parents loved music, she concluded by noting that "the song everyone should know is Roy Ayers Ubiquity's 1976 hit, "Everybody Loves the Sunshine"... It's one of my favorite songs." Harris' appearance on Track Star can be viewed on TikTok. - Billboard, 8/23/24...... Previously unseen footage of David Bowie performing "Starman" during his Ziggy Stardust tour has been uncovered. In 2019, footage of Bowie's first TV appearance as Ziggy was unearthed after it was presumed lost for 47 years. The clip saw the late singer make his debut as his new and most legendary incarnation on UK ITV's Lift Off with Ayshea -- a month before his now iconic Top Of The Pops appearance. It was feared that the footage would never be seen again, as it was not stored by the station. However, the performance was recorded by one viewer and was found on an old computer tape in 2019, before later being included in the BBC documentary David Bowie: The First Five Years -- Finding Fame. The newly-shared video comes from the Bowie's Ziggy Stardust UK tour that took place between 1972 and 1973 and was filmed by late Bowie collaborator and photographer Mick Rock. Parlophone Records is releasing a new compilation of tour clips in celebration of the first-ever Dolby Atmos spatial audio version of Bowie's seminal 1972 album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars. The new mix of the album will be available on Blu-Ray Audio on Sept. 6. Bowie's previously unseen footage of "Starman," along with a new mix on the song, has been posted on YouTube. - NME, 8/27/24...... Former Megadeath guitarist Marty Friedman has revealed that he once missed out on a chance to join KISS because he was "too short." In an interview with Sam Ash Music (which can be viewed on YouTube), Friedman, best known for his decade-long tenure with Megadeth from 1990 to 2000, was asked if there was any KISS song he would have liked to play guitar on. "I would've wanted to be on any KISS song," Friedman responded. "I'll give you a quick story about that -- when they were changing guitar players a long time ago, I got a call from KISS' people. They say like, 'Do you think you'd be interested in auditioning for KISS?' I'm like, 'Tell me when and where.' They came back and were like, 'We've got a couple of questions for you. You don't have any facial hair, do you?' No. 'You got long hair right?' Right. 'You're skinny right?' Right. 'And you're over 6 feet tall?' and I'm like, 'What? I'm 5'7" but I'll have an operation, I'll do something.'" Unfortunately for Friedman, his height proved to be a deal-breaker. "They were like, 'I'm sorry, it's not going to work out.' I was so bummed." Despite the disappointment, Friedman acknowledged the importance of image for a group like KISS. "I get why they did it. KISS is meticulous about their image, and having a height difference wouldn't fit the band's aesthetic." - Billboard, 8/27/24...... Performing at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia on Aug. 23, Bruce Springsteen made it clear that he and his E Street Band won't retire from performing anytime soon, despite recent rumors to the contrary. In front of a passionate crowd, Springsteen dismissed any talk of a farewell tour with his signature sass. "We've been around for 50 f---ing years, and we ain't quitting!" he declared in a speech that has been shared by one fan on X. "We ain't doing no farewell tour bulls--t! Jesus Christ! No farewell tour for the E Street Band!" He added, "Farewell to what? A thousand people screaming your name? Get the hell out. I ain't going anywhere!" However, the latest tour has not been without its challenges. Last September, Springsteen was forced to postpone several dates due to health issues, rescheduling them for 2024. The current leg of the tour will continue with performances in Toronto and Vancouver before wrapping up on Nov. 22. Fans can also look forward to the upcoming documentary, Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen And The E Street Band, set to be released on Disney+ and Hulu this October. - Billboard, 8/26/24...... The never-ending legal war between the Ramones frontman Joey Ramone's brother and Johnny Ramone's widow over control of the iconic punk band heated up once again on Aug. 23 when Joey's brother Mitchel Hyman (better known as Mickey Leigh) filed a new lawsuit in Manhattan federal court accusding Johnny's wife, Linda Cummings-Ramone, of violating federal trademark law by carrying out an "unrelenting quest" to associate herself with the Ramones. As is typical of the nasty dispute between the two heirs (who each control exactly half of the band's holding company), the lawsuit pulled no punches -- calling Cummings-Ramone a former "groupie" with an "insatiable personal desire to shine a spotlight on herself." "Ms. Cummings-Ramone has made and continues to make blatant attempts to exploit and personally capitalize on and benefit from the name, goodwill and legacy of the Ramones -- that is, to try to push the false narrative that she is the heiress to & the Ramones' legacy," Leigh's lawyers write. "She most certainly is not. She is nothing more than a blatant self-promoter and an infringer." Joey Ramone (Jeffrey Ross Hyman) and Johnny Ramone (John William Cummings) were not actually brothers, and they had a notoriously chilly relationship during their decades as bandmates. In the years since the two died in the 2000s, that feud has seemingly continued between Leigh and Cummings-Ramone. As the executors of Joey's and Johnny's respective estates, Leigh and Cummings-Ramone each own half of Ramones Productions, the entity that controls the band's music and other assets. But that partnership has not gone smoothly, featuring multiple lawsuits and arbitrations over the past decade. The latest scuffle began in January, when Cummings-Ramone sued Leigh in New York state court over allegations that he had "covertly" developed an "unauthorized" biopic (believed to be Netflix's announced Ramones movie starring Pete Davidson as Joey). In the lawsuit, Cummings-Ramone said that any "authoritative story of the Ramones" would require her sign-off: "To permit defendants alone to tell the authoritative story of the Ramones would be an injustice to the band and its legacy." Eight months later, with the earlier case still pending, Leigh is now on offense -- claiming that Cummings-Ramone has infringed the band's trademarks held by Ramones Productions by using them herself. His new case repeatedly takes aim at her use of the name "Linda Ramone" despite the fact that "Ramone" was not the legal surname of her late husband nor any other band member. - Billboard, 8/26/24...... The English hard rock band Status Quo played what is likely their final show in Taunton, Somerset on Aug. 23. Status Quo, which formed back in 1962, concluded their most recent tour of Europe and the UK at the Taunton venue. In June, lead singer Francis Rossi had stated that this would be the band's final tour. "I don't think we will go again," he told the Daily Mirror. "And as far as the rest of the band are concerned it's the last tour too. I just can't see us doing it one more time." n 2023, Rossi also told Classic Rock magazine that their 2019 album Backbone, their 33rd album overall, would be their final one. Rossi blamed the band's decision not to make new music on royalty payouts by streaming platforms like Spotify: "It's even worse than it was when we were all getting ripped off in the sixties," he said. "It makes you sound mercenary saying it, but it's something we've sweated over and they're giving you a quarter of a penny per stream? F--k you. So do I think there'll be another Status Quo album? No, I don't," he said. While the band went on hiatus in 1984, they reconvened with a new line-up for 1985's Live Aid event. Status Quo shared a picture from their likely final gig on Instagram with a message for their fans. "That's a wrap! You, the Quo Army, did us proud. Thank you to every one of you for coming out and supporting us on #SQ24 and all the tours that came before," they write. "Thank you, Taunton and goodnight." Fan-shot footage of the band performing their "last song ever live," "Burning Bridges (On and Off and on Again)," can be viewed on YouTube. Status Quo's final show being in Taunton is fitting, as founding members Rossi and Rick Parfitt, who passed away in 2016, first met in Somerset. - NME, 8/25/24...... The last song that Alex and Eddie Van Halen ever wrote together will be included in the audiobook version of Alex's new memoir Brothers. Alex was the drummer and co-founder of Californian hard rock legends Van Halen, who he formed in 1972 with his younger brother, lead guitarist Eddie. The drummer has been largely absent from the public eye since the death of Eddie in 2020 at the age of 65, but is preparing to release his memoir on Oct. 22 via HarperCollins. the audiobook version of the book will feature a special treat for Van Halen fans: as Alex narrates his story, it will be soundtracked by "Unfinished," the final track he and Eddie wrote together. Speaking about the motivation behind writing Brothers, Alex has said: "This is my tribute to my brother; my way of saying goodbye. Ed, I love you and miss you. When I see you again, I'm gonna kick your ass! I was with him from day one. We shared the experience of coming to this country and figuring out how to fit in. We shared a record player, an 800-square-foot house, a mom and dad, and a work ethic." Van Halen disbanded in 2020 following Eddie's death. They released 12 albums in the period from their 1977 signing to 2020 and Alex and Eddie were the two constant members of the band throughout their career. - NME, 8/22/24...... The Jacaranda, the historic site where The Beatles first played, was honored with a commemorative plaque from World Origin Site on Aug. 23. In Aug. 1960 at The Jacaranda on Slater Street in Liverpool John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison played alongside Stuart Sutcliffe and Pete Best for their first performance under the name that was to make musical history, The Beatles. The location of this historic performance has long been acknowledged by dedicated fans and music historians, yet it remains relatively unknown to the wider fan base. However, this is about to change, as tourists to the Fab Four's hometown will soon be able to take a photo in front of the place where The Beatles truly began. World Origin Site places plaques at pivotal locations where groundbreaking events shaped the modern world. Among its accredited sites are landmarks such as the first rocket launch, the Wright brothers' inaugural powered flight, and the discovery of penicillin. The plaque at The Jacaranda marking The Beatles' first performance has now joined this esteemed company. While still embracing its Beatles heritage, The Jacaranda now thrives as more than a simple tourist spot. It hosts live music every night, serving as a vital hub for grassroots performances and sustaining Liverpool's musical heritage and future. "Being awarded World Origin Site status is an amazing privilege for us," says Graham Stanley, Director of The Jacaranda. "It probably wasn't a big gig for the band; their name and reputation were really made during the Hamburg tour which began just days later. But our venue is where they adopted the most famous band name in history." - Music-News.com, 8/23/24...... The estate of Isaac Hayes has been granted an emergency hearing over Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump's use of the Hayes co-penned soul classic "Hold On, I'm Coming" without authorization during multiple recent campaign rallies. "The Federal Court has granted our request for an Emergency Hearing to secure injunctive relief," the late soul singer's song Isaac Hayes III wrote on X. "Donald Trump, the RNC, Trump, Trump for President Inc. 2024, Turning Point and The NRA are required to appear in court September 3rd, 2024 at the Northern U.S. District Federal Court in Atlanta. See you in court." On Aug. 11, lawyers for Isaac Hayes Enterprises filed a notice of copyright infringement and threatened further legal action against the Trump campaign over its use of the Sam & Dave classic at multiple Trump rallies without authorization from 2022-2024. Hayes III, writing on X on Aug. 10 and 11, said in part, "We demand the cessation of use, removal of all related videos, a public disclaimer, and payment of $3 million in licensing fees by August 16, 2024. Failure to comply will result in further legal action." Hayes died Aug. 10, 2008, at the age of 65. He and David Porter wrote "Hold On, I'm Coming," which was recorded by soul duo Sam & Dave, and issued on the Stax label in 1966, peaking at No. 21 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. - Billboard, 8/25/24...... Seventies hitmaker Roberta Flack is among the contributors to a new poetry album titled On Imagination which celebrates life through the lenses of contemporary African American poetry and lyrical art. Available now, the project features 12 poems performed by legendary Black women artists and cultural icons such as Flack, Valerie Simpson, U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters and Dr. Angela Y. Davis. The project was first revealed in commemoration of this year's Juneteenth celebration with Dr. Davis reciting Jordan's 1982 poem, "Moving Towards Home." The full-length album's cast of performers also includes Valerie June, Danyel Smith, Genesis Be, Lori Lightfoot and Flyana Boss. - Billboard, 8/24/24...... Aerosmith bassist Tom Hamilton has spoken out about how the future may look for the band after the band confirmed that their days of touring have come to an immediate end, following frontman Steven Tyler seriously injuring his voice at a gig on Sept. 9, 2023, in Elmont, N.Y. "First let me start by clearing up some information on Steven's injury," Hamilton said during a recent appearance on the podcast Charlie Kendall's Metalshop (available on YouTube). "We were playing the third show of our 'Peace Out' tour last September. During the third song of the set, Steven had a fall that resulted in a fracture to his larynx. Somehow he finished the show. Don't ask me how. It's a testament to his strength and desire to give the people what they came for. It wasn't a case of him blowing his throat out by doing something wrong." He continued, "He has been healing well and working his ass off to get ready to go back out on the road but it just wasn't possible. The decision was made by the team which includes the band and our dedicated management We don't know what the future holds but it won't include touring." Hamilton was also asked if the band would consider going on the road with a replacement vocalist in the future -- an idea which was quickly shot down by the musician. "There's been no talk at all about going on the road with another singer. I can't imagine it," he said. "I'm sure all of us have music in our future and it will manifest itself in ways that we haven't planned yet. I've been playing in a band with some good friends. We have a bunch of really good songs and we hope to be putting them out soon and hopefully doing some gigs," he added. - NME, 8/22/24...... Frank Carter and former Sex Pistols members Paul Cook, Glen Matlock and Steve Jones have announced four more dates around the UK in September. Having debuted with three fundraising nights at London's Bush Hall earlier in August, the quartet promptly announced a new London date at the O2 Forum in Kentish Town, London for Sept. 26, which sold out in 5 minutes. The new shows are this September at Nottingham Rock City (20th), Birmingham O2 Academy (21st), Glasgow O2 Academy (22nd) and Manchester Academy (24th). As with the earlier gigs, the band will be performing the Pistols' iconic 1977 album Never Mind The Bollocks... It's the Sex Pistols in its entirety. "There was an overwhelming response on social media from fans asking to play different parts of the country," says Steve Jones, "So guess what? It will be done. We will be tighter than a rat's arse by the time we get to Kentish Town." - Music-News.com, 8/23/24.