David Lee Roth is back with another somewhat bizarre video, this time proving to fans he’s skillful with a samurai sword.
The former Van Halen frontman’s latest clip has him showing off a series of sword moves, soundtracked to the tune “Woke Up This Morning” by Alabama 3, better known as the theme song to the HBO hit mobster series The Sopranos.
Roth captioned the black-and-white video “Inazuma II,” a reference to an earlier clip, “Inazuma,” posted in July. That video featured another sword routine, set to the Queen classic “We Will Rock You.”
Foghat is set to return with their first new album in seven years. The band will release their 17th studio album, Sonic Mojo, November 10, with the first single from the record, “Drivin’ On,” available August 25.
The album features three new songs co-written by founding member/drummer Roger Earl, along with guitarist Bryan Bassett, bassist Rodney O’Quinn and singer/guitarist Scott Holt. It also includes three songs co-written by Earl’s former Savoy Brown bandmate Ken Simmonds before he passed away in December 2022.
Sonic Mojo will be released on CD and 180-gram neon purple vinyl. Fans can presave the new single “Drivin’ On” now and check out a preview on YouTube.
The Band’s Robbie Robertson certainly lived an interesting life, and after news of his death hit this week, evidently a lot of people realized they wanted to learn more about it.
Variety reports that the late Rock & Roll Hall of Famer’s memoir, Testimony, is back on top of the bestseller list.
Released in 2017, Robertson spent five years writing Testimony, which covers his upbringing in Toronto and his musical journey, which begins at 16. He writes about touring with Bob Dylan in 1966, his time in The Band, the group’s breakup following their The Last Waltz concert and more.
As the description notes, “Above all, it’s the moving story of the profound friendship between five young men who together created a new kind of popular music.”
Robertson died Wednesday, August 9, after a long illness. He was 80.
A classic Van Morrison album just got a new high fidelity reissue.
Morrison’s 1970 album, His Band and the Street Choir, is the latest release in Rhino High Fidelity’s new series of limited-edition, high-end vinyl reissues. The pressing is limited to 5,000 individually numbered copies and includes an exclusive interview with the album’s engineer, Elliot Scheiner, as well as a lyric sheet.
“Every take with this guy was just brilliant,” Scheiner says in the interview. “The best Black singer I ever met was Ray Charles. The best white singer was Van Morrison.”
His Band and the Street Choir was Van Morrison’s fourth studio album and featured the top 10 single “Domino.” The track reached #9 on the Billboard Hot 100, which was higher than Morrison’s signature hit, “Brown Eyed Girl,” which peaked at #10.
The Rhino High Fidelity reissue of His Band and the Street Choiris available now for $39.98.
Rocco Ritchie and Madonna in 2022; Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for NYFW: The Shows
Madonna is gearing up to celebrate her birthday and announce her rescheduled Celebration Tour dates, but she took time out Friday to wish a happy birthday to her oldest son, Rocco, who turns 23 on August 11.
Rocco was born in 2000; his father is director Guy Ritchie, Madonna’s then-boyfriend. He was christened in Dornoch, Scotland, on December 21 of that year, and Madonna and Guy got married the next day. It was her second marriage and his first. The two split in 2008.
Madonna posted a montage of photos of Rocco, from infancy to adulthood, and wrote, “Happy Birthday Dearest Rocco……From the day you were conceived, Life with You Has been an adventure. From Your Pre Mature Birth to your love of Skate Boarding, Dirt Bikes. Break Dancing, Parkour, Graffiti and all Adrenaline Provoking activities!”
“You have made me worry— possibly more than any other person on the planet,” she continued. “But You have taken the road less traveled by and that will make all the difference! Nothing gives me more Joy then to watch you grow as an artist!”
Noting that Rocco is now a painter, Madonna concluded, “To quote your favorite painter Lucian Freud— ‘What do I ask of a painting? I ask it to astonish, disturb, seduce, convince!’ Keep Walking Down Your Own Road. I’m so proud of you!”
Madonna is also mother to son David and daughters Lourdes, Mercy, Stella and Estere. She turns 65 on August 16.
Sammy Hagar is among the many stars expressing their grief over the devastation caused by wildfires in Maui, Hawaii.
“There are no words to describe the heartbreak that my family and I are feeling for the people of Maui,” he writes on Instagram. “We called the island our home for over 20 years and remain forever attached to the community.”
He shared his “deepest gratitude” to the employees of his restaurant, Sammy’s Beach Bar & Grill, who helped folks who were stranded at the Kahului Airport.
“Since day one, our Beach Bar & Grill has given back to the island that has graciously made us part of their community,” he writes. “We will continue to show our love and support for our island family and we are actively working to be a part of the island’s relief efforts.”
Van Halen’s Michael Anthony commented on the post, revealing that he and his wife, Sue, were in Maui during the wildfires, but were able to get out safely before the airports closed.
“It was heartbreaking to see the fires from our hotel as we were just at Mick Fleetwoods restaurant on front St. having a relaxing dinner on Sat!!” he writes, referring to the Fleetwood Mac founder’s restaurant, which has been destroyed by the fires. “Our hearts go out all our Ohana on the island.”
Fans did ask Sammy what they could do to help; he urged them to make sure they do their research before donating any money, but he offered up some suggestions. He shares, “I like Maui food bank, and some local church shelters i feel are a safe bet and are much needed for the local people on Maui.”
Led Zeppelin headlined their second night at the Knebworth Festival at Knebworth House, Hertfordshire, England. It would be their final U.K. show with all four original members.
The festival was the band’s first live show in the U.K. in four years and some of their first concerts after a two-year hiatus following the death of Robert Plant’s son. The performance received some negative reviews from critics, who suggested they were a bit rusty.
The set included such classic tunes as “The Song Remains The Same,” “Celebration Day,” “The Rain Song,” “Achilles Last Stand,” “Stairway to Heaven” and “Whole Lotta Love.”
Although the band went on to play a small European tour following the festival, Knebworth would wind up being their final U.K. show with the all original members, as drummer John Bonham passed away in September 1980 and the band broke up.
Surviving members Plant, Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones did play the U.K. one more time: they reunited, along with Bonham’s son Jason on drums, for the Ahmet Urtegun tribute concert at London’s O2 Arena on December 10, 2007.
Queen is back with episode 29 of their weekly YouTube series Queen The Greatest Live, as they continue to show the many ways they’ve surprised their audiences over the years.
The new clip focuses on their historic concert in Hungary during 1986’s Magic Tour, the first time a Western European rock band played a concert behind the Iron Curtain.
To make the crowd feel at home, the band added a personal touch to their acoustic mini set — a performance of the traditional Hungarian folk song “Tavaszi Szél Vizet Áraszt,” which roughly translates to “Spring Wind Floods Water.” During the performance, frontman Freddie Mercury can be seen reading the lyrics that were written phonetically on the palm of his hand. The crowd, naturally, goes wild and eventually sings along with the band.
The Hungarian concert was later released as a film, Queen: Live In Budapest (later renamed Hungarian Rhapsody), and was certainly a memorable one for the group.
“That night was amazing, with the Hungarian folk song and the whole atmosphere,” guitarist Brian May shared. “It may sound like an exaggeration, but it was like we took a step into infinity that night.”
August 13 marks 50 years since the release of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s debut album, (Pronounced ‘Lĕh-‘nérd ‘Skin-‘nérd), which features some of the band’s most well-known songs.
Recorded in Jacksonville, Florida, in a rehearsal space Skynyrd called Hell House, the album launched the Southern rockers to superstardom, thanks to tracks like “Simple Man,” “Gimme Three Steps,” “Tuesday’s Gone” and their iconic track “Free Bird.”
Most of those songs are as popular today as they were in the ’70s, and current Skynyrd guitarist Rickey Medlocke believes it all comes down to the lyrics, co-written by the band’s original frontman, Ronnie Van Zant.
“Ronnie was a genius,” Medlocke tells ABC Audio of Ronnie’s lyrics, which he says “people could relate to.”
Ronnie’s younger brother, and Skynyrd’s current frontman, Johnny Van Zant, agrees. “I think it was the lyrics, it’s the music, you know, I think it just touches generations,” he says. “And Ronnie was a poet and a writer for the common people of the world.”
(Pronounced ‘Lĕh-‘nérd ‘Skin-‘nérd) went on to be certified double Platinum by the RIAA and peaked at #27 on the Billboard album chart.
Sadly, every Skynyrd member who played on the album has now died; Ronnie and vocalist Steve Gaines died along with four others in a 1977 plane crash following a concert in South Carolina. The last surviving original member of Skynyrd, guitarist Gary Rossington, passed away in March 2023.
But the music of Lynyrd Skynyrd lives on. The current lineup, which features Johnny and Rickey, is currently on their Sharp Dressed Simple Man Tour with ZZ Top. It hits Wheatland, California, on Friday, August 11. A complete list of dates can be found at lynyrdskynyrd.com.
Bon Jovi appears to be thoroughly impressed by music fans in Belfast, Ireland.
Video circulating on social media shows thousands of fans at the Féile [FAY-la] Dance Night in Belfast singing along to the New Jersey rockers’ classic hit “Livin’ on a Prayer,” with the whole crowd loudly belting out the song’s chorus.
The band caught wind of the clip and shared it on their social media account, calling the performance “epic!”
“Livin’ On A Prayer,” written by Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora and Desmond Child, was the second single off Bon Jovi’s third album, Slippery When Wet. It was the band’s second consecutive #1, following “You Give Love A Bad Name.” It went on to become a signature tune for the group.
