Nils Lofgren on the “long-distance collaboration” that became Crazy Horse’s ‘All Roads Lead Home’

Nils Lofgren on the “long-distance collaboration” that became Crazy Horse’s ‘All Roads Lead Home’
Nils Lofgren on the “long-distance collaboration” that became Crazy Horse’s ‘All Roads Lead Home’
NYA/Reprise Records

The members of Crazy Horse  Ralph Molina, Billy Talbot and Nils Lofgren  recently released the new album All Roads Lead Home. It features each band member contributing three original songs, which they recorded separately during the pandemic. But just because they weren’t physically together doesn’t mean they weren’t working together on the final product.

“It was kind of a long-distance collaboration, but a collaboration nonetheless,” Lofgren tells ABC Audio. “We listened to a lot of songs. I’d give them advice … and vice versa.”

He noted they “stayed in it with each other, but we worked in our own home environment and kind of carried it to an ending where we all picked our favorite three and came up with this great compilation.”

In addition to the three songs from each band member, Neil Young contributes the live bonus track “Song of the Seasons,” which originally appeared on the album Barn, also featuring Crazy Horse. Young also played a big role in the trio’s decision to change up their plans to make All Roads Lead Home a double album.

“Ralphie asked Neil to give us a bonus track and Neil said, ‘Yeah, I can do that. But instead of a double album, why don’t you pick your best songs, take my bonus track and do a great 10-song vinyl, just keep it lean and mean,’” Lofgren explains. “And that’s what we wound up doing.”

Considering the album came out during the COVID-19 pandemic, Lofgren thinks the title, which Talbot came up with, is beautiful. He adds of the record, “This was another labor of love, and music that allowed us to do something to actually share.” 

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Graceland reveals plans for 2023 Elvis Week

Graceland reveals plans for 2023 Elvis Week
Graceland reveals plans for 2023 Elvis Week
RB/Redferns

Elvis Presley’s life and legacy will once again be celebrated at Graceland this summer, with Elvis Week set to go down August 9-17 in Memphis, Tennessee.

This year marks the 46th year of Elvis’ passing. Elvis Week will once again include a candlelight vigil at Graceland’s Front Gate on August 15, which will be streamed online for fans. Elvis Week will also include an August 15 celebration of Elvis’ daughter, Lisa Marie Presley, who passed away in January.

There will be anniversary celebrations of two classic Elvis TV specials: On August 14, the 55th anniversary of the 1968 NBC comeback special will be marked with an enhanced screening, while the Aloha From Hawaii 50th Anniversary Concert will take place August 16. Both celebrations will feature a live band, special guests and more at the Graceland Soundstage.

Tickets, as well as a complete lineup of Elvis Week guests and activities, can be found at ElvisWeek.com.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Mott the Hoople’s Ian Hunter on David Bowie: “He wasn’t a guy I would have hung out with”

Mott the Hoople’s Ian Hunter on David Bowie: “He wasn’t a guy I would have hung out with”
Mott the Hoople’s Ian Hunter on David Bowie: “He wasn’t a guy I would have hung out with”
Michael Putland/Getty Images

Mott the Hoople and David Bowie are forever linked thanks to the 1972 classic “All The Young Dudes,” which Bowie wrote for the band. But it turns out the relationship between the artists didn’t last beyond the collaboration. 

“David was a different kettle of fish,” Mott the Hoople’s Ian Hunter tells Classic Rock magazine. “David was great all the time I knew him, but he wasn’t a guy I would have hung out with.” 

Hunter says it was “nothing personal,” and they “got on fine in the studio” and even hung out a few times. “But I don’t make mates easy. I never did,” he says. “And when I do make a mate, it’s for life. He was a friend like lots of people you meet along the way.” 

Bowie, who was a fan of the band, reportedly offered them a song after hearing they considered breaking up after their 1971 album Brain Capers didn’t perform well. Hunter is still a little surprised by the tune they got.

“It’s a great song,” he says. “God knows why he gave it to us. I’ve said that many times, but really, if I’d’ve had that song I wouldn’t have given it to anybody.”

Hunter describes Bowie as determined and ambitious, which he wasn’t, noting, “I just wanted to play rock ’n’ roll because it excited me.”

“But generous to a tee, lovely with the band,” he says of Bowie. “I mean, he gave us ‘Dudes.’ I’ve got nothing but praise for David.”

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

John Lennon’s “Lost Weekend” girlfriend May Pang opens up about relationship ahead of documentary

John Lennon’s “Lost Weekend” girlfriend May Pang opens up about relationship ahead of documentary
John Lennon’s “Lost Weekend” girlfriend May Pang opens up about relationship ahead of documentary
Art Zelin/Getty Images

The Lost Weekend: A Love Story, opening April 13, is a documentary about John Lennon’s relationship with his personal assistant May Pang. It began in 1973 when Lennon and Yoko Ono were on a break, with Ono encouraging Pang to become her husband’s girlfriend, although Pang wasn’t on board at first.

“I refused,” Pang tells People. “I respected their marriage. I said, ‘That’s not what I want to do.’ I was very happy as a worker.”

When they finally got together, Pang says she cried after their first sexual encounter because she didn’t know “where it was going to lead.” She says Lennon told her, “‘I don’t know where this is going to lead, but let’s just do the jump.'”

They eventually moved in together, and their relationship lasted 18 months. “He was just an interesting person. He really loved everything, and wanted to explore,” Pang says of The Beatles member. “He loved to get up, have his coffee in the morning. He loved blueberry pancakes, he loved swimming. He was just an awesome person who wanted to discover things.”

Lennon and Ono reconciled in 1975, although Pang says she and Lennon continued to see each other until his death in 1980.

“He’d secretly come over to see me. He would say, ‘You know, I still love you,'” she offers. “He said things to me that were really very intimate and you could sense there was something still. It was gnawing at him. It was not a finished situation.”

All in all, Pang seems grateful for the relationship. “The beginning was still raw. Now, I see it as a gift. Our relationship was a gift and it was meant to be,” she says. “I was happy I could give him something that he felt good about, that he never felt before.”

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Jimmy Buffett is the newest member of ‘Forbes’’ World’s Billionaires List

Jimmy Buffett is the newest member of ‘Forbes’’ World’s Billionaires List
Jimmy Buffett is the newest member of ‘Forbes’’ World’s Billionaires List
Tim Mosenfelder/WireImage

Jimmy Buffett is one of the newest members of the billionaires club. The “Margaritaville” singer has landed on Forbes’ annual World’s Billionaires List, one of 150 new people making the list this year. 

The mag notes that Buffett, who lands on the list at 2,540, has made his $1 billion fortune not only from his music, but from his lucrative Margaritaville brand. The brand includes 150 themed restaurants, more than 30 vacation resorts, and even casinos in Louisiana and Puerto Rico. There’s also plenty of merch, including apparel, pickleball sets, frozen drink mixes and booze, such as Margaritaville tequila and ready-to-drink cocktails.

And there could be even more on the horizon, with his new Margaritaville at Sea cruises to the Caribbean.

Breaking down Buffett’s billion, the mag notes that 56.8% is from cash, with his Margaritaville holdings making up 18% of his fortune and his music catalog another 5%. His fortune also comes from his homes, planes and yacht. 

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Jethro Tull releases “Hammer on Hammer,” the third single from new album ‘RökFlöte’

Jethro Tull releases “Hammer on Hammer,” the third single from new album ‘RökFlöte’
Jethro Tull releases “Hammer on Hammer,” the third single from new album ‘RökFlöte’
Inside Out Records

Jethro Tull’s new album, RökFlöte, is set to drop later this month, and they are sharing yet another new track with fans.

The band just released the new song “Hammer On Hammer,” which was inspired by the Norse god Thor. The accompanying video features images of Thor battling his mortal enemy, the sea serpent Jormungand, along with images of current wars and future destruction.

This is the third track Jethro Tull has released from the album, following “Ginnungagap” and “The Navigator.”

RökFlöte, the follow-up to 2022’s The Zealot Gene, is set to drop April 21. The album is being released in a variety of formats, including two limited deluxe editions featuring bonus material, an in-depth interview with Ian Anderson and more. All formats are now available for preorder.

And RökFlöte will be celebrated on April 17 with a special premiere in Dolby Atmos immersive audio. The event will take place at Dolby Studios in London, and Anderson will be in attendance, along with Bruce Soord, who mixed the spatial audio version of the album.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Stevie Nicks cancels three shows; postpones Texas show with Billy Joel to next year

Stevie Nicks cancels three shows; postpones Texas show with Billy Joel to next year
Stevie Nicks cancels three shows; postpones Texas show with Billy Joel to next year
Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Billy Joel & Stevie Nicks

Stevie Nicks’ tour continues to be affected by illness. After postponing several shows due to COVID-19 within the band, the singer has now canceled some of those dates and postponed another. 

Citing “ongoing illness within the band,” Stevie has canceled three shows: her Oklahoma City concert, which was originally postponed to April 11; her New Orleans concert, which had been postponed to April 15; and her April 5 concert in Birmingham, Alabama.

Meanwhile, Stevie’s concert with Billy Joel at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, that was supposed to take place Saturday, April 8, has now been postponed, although fans will have to hold on to their tickets for quite a while. The new show is now going to happen March 9, 2024. 

Fans will get refunds for all the canceled shows. Tickets for the Texas show will be honored on the new date.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Gov’t Mule releasing new album, ‘Peace…Like A River,’ in June

Gov’t Mule releasing new album, ‘Peace…Like A River,’ in June
Gov’t Mule releasing new album, ‘Peace…Like A River,’ in June
Fantasy Records

Gov’t Mule is ready to share some new music this summer. The band just announced they’ll drop their 12th studio album, Peace…Like A River, on June 16.

Peace…Like A River is very ambitious from a musical arrangement standpoint in the way that a lot of the songs take twists and turns that is not common in today’s pop music world,” guitarist Warren Haynes shares. “At the same time, it’s very much a song record and covers a lot of ground, stylistically speaking. Song for song maybe my favorite one.” 

The band has shared the first single from the record, “Dreaming Out Loud,” featuring Ivan Neville and Ruthie Foster. It incorporates inspirational quotes from leaders like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Robert and John Kennedy, and the late civil rights leader U.S. Rep. John Lewis.

In addition to Neville and Foster, the 12-track record features guest appearances by ZZ Top’s Billy F. Gibbons, actor Billy Bob Thornton and Celisse.

Peace…Like A River is available for preorder now. A special deluxe edition, coming out only on CD, will feature a special EP, Time Of The Signs, with four new, unreleased tracks and an alternate version of the album track “The River Only Flows One Way,” featuring Haynes on lead vocals.

Here’s the track list for Peace…Like A River:

“Same As It Ever Was”
“Shake Our Way Out” (ft. Billy F. Gibbons)
“Made My Peace”
“Peace I Need”
“Your Only Friend”
“Dreaming Out Loud” (ft. Ivan Neville and Ruthie Foster)
“Head Full Of Thunder”
“The River Only Flows One Way” (ft. Billy Bob Thornton)
“After The Storm”
“Just Across The River” (ft. Celisse)
“Long Time Coming”
“Gone Too Long”

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Bruce Springsteen, Dire Straits & more featured on soundtrack to new movie ‘Air’

Bruce Springsteen, Dire Straits & more featured on soundtrack to new movie ‘Air’
Bruce Springsteen, Dire Straits & more featured on soundtrack to new movie ‘Air’
Legacy Recordings

The new Ben Affleck/Matt Damon movie, Air, hits theaters Friday, April 5, and it comes with a soundtrack packed with classic ’80s tunes. The album features songs from Bruce SpringsteenDire StraitsThe ClashREO SpeedwagonSqueezeThe Alan Parsons ProjectCyndi LauperBig Country and more.

The film, which is directed by Affleck and also stars Viola Davis and Jason Bateman, tells the story of Nike’s partnership with a then-rookie NBA star Michael Jordan, which resulted in the hugely successful Air Jordan brand. 

The soundtrack will be released digitally on Friday, with a CD version coming June 2. Those will be followed by a cassette release June 23 and a vinyl September 15. All are available for preorder now.

Here’s the soundtrack for Air (Amazon Original Motion Picture Soundtrack):

“Money for Nothing” – Dire Straits
“Blister in the Sun” – Violent Femmes
“Ain’t Nobody” – Chaka Khan
“Sister Christian” – Night Ranger
“All I Need is a Miracle” – Mike + The Mechanics
“Born in the U.S.A.” – Bruce Springsteen
“Sirius” – The Alan Parsons Project
“Rock the Casbah” – The Clash
“My Adidas” – Run-D.M.C.
“In a Big Country” – Big Country
“Tempted” – Squeeze
“Time After Time” – Cyndi Lauper
“Can’t Fight This Feeling” – REO Speedwagon

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

On This Day, April 5, 1980: R.E.M. play their first-ever show

On This Day, April 5, 1980: R.E.M. play their first-ever show
On This Day, April 5, 1980: R.E.M. play their first-ever show

On This Day, April 5, 1980…

R.E.M. played their first-ever show at a friend’s birthday party at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church in Athens, Georgia, although at the time they were unnamed. The band – vocalist Michael Stipe, bassist Mike Mills, guitarist Peter Buck, and drummer Bill Berry – performed a set filled with originals, and covers of 1960s and 1970s tracks.

The band became a huge local success, and eventually recorded their first single, “Radio Free Europe” in 1981, which became a hit. They recorded their debut EP Chronic Town in October of 1981, and it was released on I.R.S. records in August of 1982, with their debut album Murmur dropping in 1983. 

R.E.M. went on to release 15 studio albums, seeing a huge commercial success with 1991’s Out of Time, featuring the hit “Losing My Religion,” and 1992’s Automatic for the People, which featured such classics as “Man on the Moon” and “Everybody Hurts.” 

R.E.M. was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2007 in their first year of eligibility. They officially disbanded in September, 2011.

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