PEARL JAM: A Last EP
Pearl Jam have released a new EP called ‘The Last of Us’ that features songs used in the hit HBO series and the video game that inspired it. The four song EP is on streaming services with a 12-inch vinyl version for sale now only to Ten Club members. It includes “Future Days” from 2013's Lightning Bolt and a live version recorded at the Ohana Festival in 2024, “All Or None” from 2002's Riot Act and “Present Tense (Redux),” a re-recording of the song featured on 1996's No Code. The band has also released a new video for "Future Days" which is on YouTube now.
ALICE IN CHAINS: Cantrell Talks Sinners Song
Jerry Cantrell of Alice in Chains has finally talked about how he ended up on the soundtrack to one of the year's biggest films, Sinners. Cantrell told Metal Hammer that the hookup came from Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich, who played drums on another song for the film's score. "I got this call from Lars, who’d done drums with Ludwig Göransson as part of it. He explained that Ludwig and the director Ryan Coogler wanted to talk to me about taking a piece of the score and writing a song out of it. So he put it together and we pounded out 'In Moonlight,'
which was great, man, and the movie is so well-made.” Coogler told The Breakfast Club that grunge music had a big influence on writing the film. “I started listening to it, bro, and I was like, ‘This is like what my uncle used to play -- the blues.' I’m listening to it, I’m listening to the guitar riffs and what they’re talking about and the passion they’re singing with, and I’m like, ‘That’s odd.’ I dug into the research, man, and that’s exactly what it is: it’s just blues music sung by white people.”
San Francisco Mayor Confirms Grateful Dead's 60th Anniversary, Three Dead & Company Concerts at Golden Gate Park
While the band has not made an official announcement, San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie has announced plans for a special concert to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Grateful Dead. If approved, Dead and Company will perform three ticketed concerts at Golden Gate Park's Polo Fields on August 1st, 2nd, and 3rd. The Dead and Company shows come ahead of the Outside Lands Music Festival and will be a special event for Deadheads and Bay Area music fans alike.
Bruce Springsteen and E Street Band bringing 'Land of Hope and Dreams Tour' to Europe
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band are set to kick off "The Land of Hope and Dreams Tour" in Manchester, England this Wednesday, May 14th. The tour, which is the final leg of their critically acclaimed E Street tour, has sold over 4 million tickets across North America and Europe. The shows have been named Pollstar’s Rock Tour of the Year for 2024 and are the subject of the hit docuseries “Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band.” Despite speculation about an Australian leg, the European shows will serve as the finale of the tour, which has been marked by off-stage drama. The theme of the shows has been centered around mortality and its motivational properties, with Springsteen hinting at more changes to come in future tours.
GENE SIMMONS: Priceless
Gene Simmons had a taker for his “Personal Assistant and Band Roadie for the Day” experience when he performed in Red Bank, New Jersey last week. Dwayne Rosado, a 52-year old retired corrections officer from Middletown, New York plopped down $12,495 for him and his 13-year old son Zach to spend the day with Simmons and he tells The New York Times it was worth every penny. “Nothing can beat tonight. It’s cemented in KISStory now, because it’s going to be on YouTube and everything else. So I’ll get to look back and see that moment forever.” “This is what I choose to spend my money on... You only live once, and I want to experience life. I’m not going to die with a lot of money. I’m going to die happy.” And in return for that chunk of change, Dwayne and Zach helped set up the stage, watched the soundcheck, at which Zach played guitar and his dad got behind the drums, had dinner with Simmons and hung out with him for two hours and discussed a number of topics including retirement.
Simmons said, “Life is a race or a journey. I don’t care who you are, when you see the finish line up ahead, what do you do? Slow down and get in your rocking chair, or do you speed up and go as fast as you can before that finish line? I’m closer to the finish line now than I was in the past. Why would you slow down, especially if everything’s working? “Do I have money — by some standards, a lot of money? Sure. And what, do you roll around in it? Yeah, you could do that once or twice. We are social animals, and having a party is one of the best times you can spend on earth. But if you’re the only one at the party, how sad is that? So we have a lot of fun on that stage.” And on the stage Simmons introduced Dwayne and Zach and gave them a signed bass.
Simmons is down to the last two shows of his short spring leg -- Wednesday in Northfield, Ohio and Thursday in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada.
FOREIGNER: Feels Like the Second Time
Foreigner have followed up this month's release of 1981's "Urgent" in Spanish -- with their guitarist Luis Maldonado on vocals -- with a Spanish version of "I Want to Know What Love Is."
“Quiero Saber Si Es Amor” is a duet with Madonado alongside Mexican singer-songwriter Joy Huerta from the Grammy award-winning duo Jesse & Joy. “We have been embraced by our Latino fans for decades,” says Maldonado. “Recording these songs in Spanish is our way of thanking them and sharing the music in a more intimate and personal way.” Set for release this Thursday, it will be available in two versions — one entirely in Spanish, and the other in Spanish and English. In other Foreigner news, they will perform a medley of their hits, including “Feels Like The First Time,” “Juke Box Hero” and “I Want To Know What Love Is,” on the season finale of NBC's The Voice on May 20th.
Red Hot Chili Peppers Anthony Kiedis Launches Canned Coffee Brand
Red Hot Chili Peppers vocalist Anthony Kedis is launching his own coffee brand. The company is named JOLENE and was co-founded with Shane Powers. The brand offers two varieties of canned coffee,Black (cold brew) and White (oat milk latte). The items are available to purchase online on the official JOLENE Coffee website.
The Guess Who's Burton Cummings Announces 2025 Solo North American Tour
The Guess Who's Burton Cummings is hitting the road for a solo North American tour later this year. The 23-city outing will begin on June 21st in Edmonton, Alberta and will wrap up in Saratoga, California on August 29th. The show will feature songs from Burton's latest album, "A Few Good Moments," plus hits from the Guess Who and his solo career. Tickets are available now.
CREED: Ready for Indy
Creed are heading to the Indianapolis 500. The band struck a deal with Meyer Shank Racing to have their logo on the No. 60 Honda driven by Felix Rosenqvist. All four band members will also attend the race, which takes place on May 25th at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and will be shown on FOX.
Robert Fripp Recovering From Emergency Heart Surgery
One of the downsides of classic rock is that all of the genre's legends are getting older. Robert Fripp, legendary guitarist for King Crimson, is 78-years-old and still very active, but he's had a serious health issue lately that he and wife Toyah Wilcox explained on their "Toyah & Robert's Upbeat Moments" YouTube channel. “On Saturday, April 6, I flew to Italy,” Fripp explained. “I’d been suffering what I considered to be acid reflux for a couple of weeks before.” Once he sought a doctor's opinion, he learned the bad news: he'd suffered a recent heart attack. He underwent five hours of surgery, intensive care, and then a second surgery. The good news is he's on the mend, and already back at work.
IN OTHER NEWS
After Motley Crue and then Alice in Chains both pulled out of the Boardwalk Rock festival on May 17th in Ocean City, Maryland for health reasons, Rob Zombie has stepped in to co-headline with Def Leppard.
John Mellencamp will release a new album next year titled Orphan Train. He’s teasing one of the songs, “Eternity,” by reading the lyrics in an Instagram post. His last album was 2023’s Orpheus Descending.
Lindsey Buckingham will release on Wednesday the second episode of Lindsey + Leelee React, his YouTube series with his oldest daughter, Leelee. This time out they will examine Charli XCX’s video for “Von Dutch.” The debut video was for Buckingham’s "Slow Dancing" off his second album, 1984's Go Insane.
The Rolling Stones have released a line of five genderless fragrances named after albums, songs and tours. They include Sticky Fingers, “Wild Horses,” “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction,” Urban Jungle and “Paint It Black.” Details at SubsersiveScents.com.
Model and actress Elizabeth Hurley has posted a thank-you note to Bryan Adams for having her in the video for his new song, “Never Ever Let You Go.” She says, “Thank you wonderful friend of 30 years for asking me to be in your video… Best rollercoaster ride ever.”
Def Leppard bassist Rick Savage has posted a video on Instagram of himself golfing in Puerto Rico today (Monday). In the clip, he says the band starts rehearsing tomorrow (Tuesday) and will be doing “a few bits of studio work.” They perform in San Juan on Thursday and then it’s up to Ocean City, Maryland on Saturday for Boardwalk Rock 2025. They’ll then start a run of 24 U.S. dates on June 19th in Milwaukee.
Linkin Park have shared another behind-the-scenes look at recording From Zero. Check out them working on "Casualty" on YouTube.
The entire Oasis catalog has been remastered in Dolby Atmos and is now streaming through Apple Music.