BLACK SABBATH, OZZY OSBOURNE: Final All-Star Show
The original lineup of Black Sabbath -- Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward -- are reuniting for one more show. Back to the Beginning is an all-day festival set for July 5th in the band's hometown of Birmingham, England. The show will also feature a solo set by Ozzy, plus sets from Metallica, Slayer, Pantera, Halestorm, Alice in Chains, Lamb of God, Anthrax and Mastodon. Also set to perform that day is a super group of musicans put together by musical director Tom Morello -- Billy Corgan of The Smashing Pumpkins, David Draiman of Disturbed, Duff McKagan and Slash of Guns n' Roses, Fred Durst of Limp Bizkit, former Ozzy guitarist Jake E Lee, Jonathan Davis of Korn, ex-Judas Priest guitarist K.K. Downing, Lzzy Hale of Halestorm, Mike Bordin of Faith No More, Rudy Sarzo, Sammy Hagar, Two of Sleep Token, Papa V Perpetua (Tobias Forge) of Ghost, Wolfgang Van Halen and Zakk Wylde. All profits from the show will go to Cure Parkinson’s, Birmingham Children’s Hospital and Acorn Children’s Hospice. Tickets go on sale February 14th
Ozzy says, "It’s my time to go Back to the Beginning….time for me to give back to the place where I was born. How blessed am I to do it with the help of people whom I love. Birmingham is the true home of metal. Birmingham Forever." This will be Ozzy's first full set since December 31st, 2018. And it’s the first show that Bill Ward has played with Black Sabbath since September 4th, 2005.
ELTON JOHN: Teams With Brandi Carlile on New Album
Elton John has announced the details of his new album, a collaboration with Brandi Carlile.
Titled Who Believes in Angels? it was recorded in 20 days in October 2023 and will be released on April 4th. Elton says, "This record was one of the toughest I’ve ever made, but it was also one of the greatest musical experiences of my life. It has given me a place where I know I can move forward. Who Believes In Angels? feels like going into another era and I’m pushing the door open to come into the future. I have everything I’ve done behind me and it’s been brilliant, amazing. But this is the new start for me. As far as I’m concerned, this is the start of my career mark two.” And Brandi adds, “I’m still reeling from the fact that I got to do it. I think all ships rise with Elton John’s standards for songwriting, and it was an incredibly challenging and inspiring environment to work in, everybody throwing in ideas, everybody listening to everybody else’s ideas. It felt like a family. The world is a wild place to live in right now. It’s hard to find peace and triumph. It’s a radical act to seek out joyful and euphoric happenings. And that is what this album represents to me.”
Elton's longtime lyricist Bernie Taupin and Brandi both wrote the lyrics with Andrew Watt producing. Their backing musicians were drummer Chad Smith of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, bassist Pino Palladino, who has played with The Who, David Gilmour and many others, and former Chili Peppers and current Pearl Jam touring guitarist Josh Klinghoffer.
In making this announcement, Elton and Brandi have also released the title track along with a lyric video, as well as a second video on the making of the album, which marks the first time Elton has allowed cameras to film his writing and recording sessions. Static cameras positioned around the studio captured thousands of hours of raw footage, and ultimately documented the entire creative process - breakdowns, breakthroughs, tears, torn up lyric sheets and all. The candid footage offers fans an unprecedented, searingly honest insight into the emotionally turbulent creative process for Elton, Brandi and the rest of the team.
Elton and Brandi will perform songs from the album as well as telling stories on March 26th at the London Palladium. This is Elton's first album since The Lockdown Sessions in 2021.
NEIL YOUNG: New Album in the Can
Neil Young has finished recording Talkin’ to the Tree, his first album with his new band, the Chrome Hearts -- guitarist Micah Nelson, bassist Corey McCormick, drummer Anthony Logerfo, and keyboardist Spooner Oldham. Hoping to release it in April, he writes on his website, "I am very happy and relieved to have done this in the short time that it took...
"It is a happy feeling I have...knowing I have made an album I think people will enjoy. I hope it's out in April. That would be pretty fast. "Playing with the Chrome Hearts was a joy as we recorded song after song at [The Band's former studio] Shangri-La [now owned by Rick Rubin] in Malibu [California]. I wrote these songs in November and December. They feel fresh to me and I am very happy to have this all ready for you. It won't be long now and it will be great to have new songs to play on the road this summer in Europe, the U.S.A. and Canada..." The
album was co-produced by Young and the legendary Lou Adler and is Young's first since 2022's World Record with Crazy Horse. He released the first single, "Big Change," last month.
Stevie Nicks "SNL" top hat sells for jaw-dropping amount of money
Stevie Nicks' signed top hat, worn during a Saturday Night Live promotional shoot, was sold for $58,500 at Julien's Auctions' MusiCares Charity Relief Auction in Santa Monica, California. The event featured 56 lots, generating over $715,000 in sales, with high demand for music memorabilia linked to iconic artists like Nicks. Other top-selling items included a lyric book and Abbey Road Studios experience with Paul McCartney, highlighting the enduring appeal of music history and collectibles. The auction's success signals continued interest in rare music memorabilia and the value of items associated with legendary musicians like Nicks and McCartney.
Phish, Jack White and More to Perform at Bourbon & Beyond 2025
American jam band Phish will headline Bourbon & Beyond in Louisville, Ky., on Sept. 11-14, marking their only festival appearance in 2025. The festival will also feature performances by Alabama Shakes, The Lumineers, Benson Boone, Joe Bonamassa, Sturgill Simpson, Jack White, and Vance Joy, among others. With over 120 artists on five stages, Bourbon & Beyond will showcase a diverse lineup including Cage the Elephant, TV On the Radio, Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats, Collective Soul, Foreigner, Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo, John Waite, and Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band. The festival will also offer workshops and demonstrations highlighting bourbon and culinary culture, with proceeds benefiting the DWP Foundation.
LED ZEPPELIN: Becoming One With the Director
Before Jimmy Page agreed to an official Led Zeppelin documentary, Becoming Led Zeppelin, he made sure filmmaker Bernard MacMahon did his homework. MacMahon tells The Guardian
that during his first meeting with Page, the guitarist invited him to Pangbourne, a village in England where he used to have a boathouse that the band rehearsed in. He accepted the invitation along with the film's producer, Allison McGourty, who says Page "later revealed it had been a test, saying, 'If you had said no to Pangbourne we wouldn’t have done the film.’”
None of the members of the band were in Los Angeles for the January 27th premiere at the TCL Chinese Theater (previously and commonly referred to as Grauman's Chinese Theatre).
Sources tells us they boycotted the screening due to relations with MacMahon over the initial cut of the film, which premiered at the 2021 Venice Film Festival, and has since undergone a major transformation. Becoming Led Zeppelin will open in IMAX theaters tomorrow (Friday) followed by theaters nationwide next Friday, February 14th.
REM On 90-Song Wildfire Benefit Album
Songs by R-E-M, Soul Asylum and Wilco's Jeff Tweedy are on a 90-track album to raise funds for victims of the Southern California wildfires."Good Music To Lift Los Angeles" will be available online for one day only, this Friday beginning at 12:01 a.m. Pacific time. Proceeds will benefit California Community Foundation's Wildfire Recovery Fund and the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank. Other acts include Death Cab for Cutie, Modest Mouse, and Dawes, which opened Sunday night's Grammys with a cover of "I Love L.A." To purchase the album on Friday, go to goodmusiccomp.bandcamp.com [[ good-music-comp-dot-band-camp-dot-com ]].
The Heartbreakers’ Benmont Tench announces new album The Melancholy Season, 2025 tour dates
Benmont Tench, keyboardist for Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, has announced his first solo album in over a decade, titled The Melancholy Season. The album, produced by Jonathan Wilson, features 13 songs with contributions from Taylor Goldsmith, Sara Watkins, and Jenny O. Tench will preview the songs at a residency in New York before heading out on a West Coast tour. The title track and music video for "The Melancholy Season" have been released, showcasing a ballad about alienation between spouses on a cold night. The album is set to be released on March 7th via Dark Horse Records.
"Re-Dewed" Seal Song In Super Bowl Commercial
A new version of a song from a 1995 Batman movie will be featured in a soft drink ad during Sunday's Super Bowl. Seal hit number one with "Kiss from a Rose" from the movie "Batman Forever." This Sunday, viewers will see his face imposed on an actual seal while singing about Mountain Dew Baja Blast. Seal then appears as himself at the end of the commercial. The ad also features pop singer Becky G.
IN OTHER NEWS
Billy Corgan of Smashing Pumpkins launched The Magnificent Others podcast with an hour and 25-minute interview with Gene Simmons of KISS. Watch it on YouTube. And Paul Stanley is the first guest on Richard Marx's podcast. Stories to Tell, which kicks off February 18th. Other guests include Rick Springfield, Katie Couric, and Kenny G.
Paul Stanley will plug his artwork with appearances at the Wentworth Gallery in Boca Raton, Florida on February 22nd from 6 to 8 p.m., and the Wentworth Gallery at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida on the 23rd from 3 to 5.
Steve Winwood, The Doobie Brothers and George Harrison’s son Dhani Harrison will open ELO’s final show on July 13th at London’s Hyde Park.
Sting and Shaggy will perform together at the Reggae Rise Up festival on March 13th at Vinoy Park in St. Petersburg, Florida.
Styx will host Rockin’ in Paradise on Miramar Beach, Florida on October 9th, 10th and 11th. They will perform their 1977 album The Grand Illusion in its entirety, and their special guests include Cheap Trick, Loverboy, 38 Special, Collective Soul and John Waite.
Peter Frampton recently filmed an episode of the PBS series The Art of Music at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Set to air later this year, it was hosted by Allman Brothers Band and Gov’t Mule guitarist Warren Haynes.
Bon Jovi are working on a new album following last year’s flop, Forever, and guitarist Phil X says they may tour behind this one, which would be their first since 2022 when Jon lost his voice