Classic Hits

Last year, Dion DiMucci released a collaborative album titled Blues with Friends that featured contributions from a jaw-dropping cast of music legends.  Now the doo-wop and rock ‘n’ roll great has announced plans for a similarly star-studded follow-up project.

The album, titled Stomping Ground, will be released November 5, and features Bruce Springsteen and wife Patti Scialfa, Eric Clapton, Mark Knopfler, Peter Frampton, ZZ Top‘s Billy Gibbons, Boz Scaggs, Rickie Lee Jones and more. In addition, the record’s liner notes were penned by The Who‘s Pete Townshend.

In his own album notes, Dion writes, “To make music with friends, and to make friends through music: I can’t imagine a better life than this. I am grateful to my friends who made Stomping Ground with me — and my new friends who are listening.”

Stomping Ground features 14 tracks: 13 originals, plus a cover of Jimi Hendrix‘s “Red House” that Dion recorded with folk-blues artist Keb’ Mo’. You can pre-order the album now.

Last month, Dion released one of the new songs as an advance single — “I’ve Got to Get to You,” which features Scaggs and the father-son guitar duo Joe and Mike Menza.

The album’s lead track, “Take It Back,” which features blues-rock guitarist Joe Bonamassa, has just debuted, along with a companion video. A third advance song, “Angel in the Alleyway,” featuring Springsteen on guitar and harmonica and Scialfa on vocals, is due out October 13.

Townshend writes about Stomping Ground, “This one will blow those little white things in our ears right into your brain.”

In other news, a stage musical based on Dion’s life and music, titled The Wanderer, will premiere next March at the Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn, New Jersey.

Here’s Stomping Ground‘s full track list:

“Take It Back” — with Joe Bonamassa
“Hey Diddle Diddle ” — with G.E. Smith
“Dancing Girl ” — with Mark Knopfler
“If You Wanna Rock ‘n’ Roll ” — with Eric Clapton
“There Was a Time ” — with Peter Frampton
“Cryin’ Shame ” — with Sonny Landreth
“The Night Is Young ” — with Joe Menza and Wayne Hood
“That’s What The Doctor Said ” — with Steve Conn
“My Stomping Ground ” — with Billy F Gibbons
“Angel in the Alleyways ” — with Patti Scialfa and Bruce Springsteen
“I’ve Got to Get to You ” — with Boz Scaggs, Joe Menza and Mike Menza
“Red House ” — with Keb’ Mo’
“I Got My Eyes on You Baby ” — with Marcia Ball and Jimmy Vivino
“I’ve Been Watching ” — with Rickie Lee Jones and Wayne Hood

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This Saturday, The Zombies will return to London’s famed Abbey Road Studios, where the British Invasion legends recorded their classic 1968 album Odessey and Oracle, to play a special concert that will be streamed live worldwide.

The show, which will begin at 3 p.m. ET, will be viewable at the Veeps.com streaming platform.

Zombies frontman Colin Blunstone tells ABC Audio that the band will be playing in Abbey Road’s historic Studio Two, where The Beatles did most of their recording.

Regarding the set The Zombies have planned, Blunstone says, “We’re gonna be playing many hits, but lots of deep cuts too, and five new songs. And three of those songs, we’ll have strings with us.”

The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer adds, “[I]t’s gonna to be really exciting. Obviously, we’ve never done anything like this before.”

The new tunes are part of an upcoming album that the group is recording. Colin also notes that the band will be playing about four songs from Odessey and Oracle, which was recorded mostly in Abbey Road’s Studio Three.

Odessey and Oracle was the last album made by The Zombies’ original lineup, and the band actually broke up before its release. The album includes the group’s signature tune “Time of the Season.”

Following the streaming concert, Blunstone and Zombies co-founder, keyboardist Rod Argent, will take part in a remote Q&A with acclaimed rock journalist David Fricke. The band mates also will take questions from members of the virtual audience, including some surprise celebrity guests.

Tickets to watch the concert cost $20, while tickets offering both the show and the Q&A are priced at $35. More expensive bundles that include a T-shirt and/or a poster also are available. Tickets and bundles can be purchased at Veeps.com.

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An official music video has debuted for “She’s Fire,” Carlos Santana‘s new collaboration with acclaimed songwriter Diane Warren and hit-making rapper G-Eazy.

In the clip, G-Eazy meets an alluring women in a bar and she proceeds to do a sexy dance for him that sets the rapper and the entire watering hole on fire.

Carlos also appears in separate scenes, playing his guitar on a tropical beach. As he delivers an incendiary solo, Santana to is engulfed in flames. In addition, Warren makes a cameo in the clip as one of the bar’s patrons. You can watch the video at Santana’s official YouTube channel.

“She’s Fire” is featured on Warren’s debut album, The Cave Sessions Vol. 1, which was released in August. The track also will appear on Santana’s forthcoming studio effort, Blessings and Miracles, which is due out on October 15. The latter album also includes Carlos’ recently released new collaborative single with Matchbox Twenty‘s Rob Thomas, “Move.”

You can pre-order Blessings and Miracles now.

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Record Store Day has announced the list of exclusive vinyl discs that will be released this year for its annual Black Friday event, scheduled for November 26.

Among the limited-edition pieces that will be available are releases from Daryl Hall & John Oates, Aerosmith, U2, Fleetwood Mac and Carole King.

Hall & Oates’ release is Fall in Philadelphia: The Definitive Demos 1968-71, a collection of early recordings the duo made before their debut album came out. The LP is pressed on orange vinyl.

Aerosmith’s Black Friday offering is 1971: The Road Starts Here, featuring previously unheard early recordings of the band playing several songs in their rehearsal room, including “Dream On.” It’s available on vinyl and cassette.

U2 is issuing a four-track EP celebrating the 40th anniversary of its popular tune, “Gloria.” The disc, which is pressed on yellow vinyl, features the studio version of the song, plus three live renditions recorded in three different decades.

Fleetwood Mac is offering a two-LP set titled Alternate Live, a 14-track collection featuring performances of various songs taken from the band’s deluxe reissues of Rumours, Tusk and Mirage.

King is issuing In Concert — Live at The BBC 1971, which features the lauded singer/songwriter performing songs from her landmark album Tapestry, including a guest appearance by James Taylor.

Other artists issuing 2021 Black Friday releases include Bee Gees, Ray Charles, Leonard Cohen, Sam Cooke, Alice Cooper, David Crosby & Graham Nash, The Kinks‘ Dave Davies, Dire Straits, ZZ Top‘s Billy Gibbons, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, The Jackson 5, Modern English, Night Ranger, Poison, Lou Reed, Todd Rundgren, The Shangri-Las, Dusty Springfield, The Staple Singers, Stray Cats, The Clash‘s Joe Strummer, Tammi Terrell and Heart‘s Nancy Wilson.

For the full list of releases and participating stores, visit RecordStoreDay.com.

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An updated version of the Doors concert film Live at the Bowl ’68, along with bonus content, will be screened in select theaters on November 4 to celebrate the 50th anniversary this year of the band’s classic album, L.A. Woman.

The screening event, dubbed The Doors: Live at the Bowl ’68 Special Edition, will feature the full movie, as well as footage of a new performance by surviving Doors drummer John Densmore and guitarist Robby Krieger joined by various guest musicians, plus a conversation with Densmore, Krieger and the group’s manager, Jeff Jampol.

Tickets for the screenings go on sale starting September 21 at TheDoorsFilm.com.

Live at the Bowl ’68, which originally was released in 2012, features restored footage of a July 5, 1968, show that The Doors played at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles that’s widely considered to be one of the band’s best performances caught on film. An album featuring select songs from the same concert was released in 1987 under the title Live at the Hollywood Bowl.

The “Special Edition” of Live at the Bowl ’68 boasts a remastered audio mix in Dolby ATMOS and 5.1 surround sound created by longtime Doors engineer Bruce Botnick, who recorded the original Hollywood Bowl show and co-produced L.A. Woman.

“The magic that has been done to enhance the picture and sound quality of this show will make everyone feel as though they have a front-row seat at the Hollywood Bowl,” says Krieger.

As previously reported, an expanded 50th anniversary reissue of L.A. Woman will be released on December 3.

Here’s the full Live at the Bowl ’68 song list:

Show Start/Intro
“When the Music’s Over”
“Alabama Song (Whiskey Bar)”
“Back Door Man”
“Five to One”
“Back Door Man” (Reprise)
“The WASP (Texas Radio and the Big Beat)”
“Hello, I Love You”
“Moonlight Drive”
“Horse Latitudes”
“A Little Game”
“The Hill Dwellers”
“Spanish Caravan”
“Hey, What Would You Guys Like to Hear?”
“Wake Up!”
“Light My Fire”
“Light My Fire” (Segue)
“The Unkown Soldier”
“The End” (Segue)
“The End”

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Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts was laid to rest last week but, according to U.K. newspaper The Sun, his band mates Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood were not able to attend the funeral because of COVID-19 restrictions.

The paper reports that small private ceremony for Watts was held in Devon, U.K., but because the band was in Boston rehearsing for The Stones’ upcoming U.S. tour, they weren’t allowed to travel back to their home country for the services.

The Sun also reports that it was the wishes of Watts’ family that the funeral took place secretly, without much attention.

According to the newspaper, an inside source said that The Rolling Stones plan to pay tribute to Watts at their upcoming concerts, and also are organizing a celebration of his life that will be held in the U.K. later in 2021.

Watts died on August 24 at the age 80. As previously reported, before his death, Charlie had handpicked lauded session drummer Steve Jordan to step in for him on the band’s forthcoming trek.

The Stones’ 2021 No Filter Tour of the U.S. kicks off September 26 in St. Louis and is mapped out through a November 20 show in Austin, Texas.

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David Lee Roth helped bring the 2021 MTV Video Music Awards to a close on Sunday when he hit the stage to present the Video of the Year honor.

Backstage at the event, the Van Halen frontman was interviewed by Us Weekly, and he shared some words of tribute to his late band mate Eddie Van Halen and also revealed that he has plans for a special performance at the end of the year.

Asked if he had any new music plans, Diamond Dave revealed that he was going to be playing “Las Vegas on New Year’s,” and then said a few words about Eddie.

“You know, my guitar player passed away, Eddie Van Halen,” Roth said. “He’s either in heaven raising hell or he’s in hell, consequently in heaven. Read into that as you wish, and he would have me say it just like that.”

Eddie died on October 6, 2020, after a long battle with cancer. He was 65.

Roth also offered a brief quip about one of his other Van Halen band mates, drummer Alex Van Halen.

“I just spoke to Alex,” Dave told Us Weekly. “We’re about to celebrate our 50th year of ragging on each other.”

While no official announcement has been made about Roth performing in Las Vegas later this year, he had been about to play a second series of 2020 shows in Sin City at the House of Blues in March of last year when he was forced to postpone the engagement because of the COVID-19 pandemic. He played his first run of House of Blues gigs in January 2020.

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Sammy Hagar is launching a new alcoholic beverage venture called Sammy’s Beach Bar Cocktail Co. featuring sparkling rum cocktails in a can, and he’ll celebrate the new drink line with a special free concert in Las Vegas on Wednesday, September 22.

The show, which will feature the Red Rocker performing with his band The Circle, will take place on the rooftop of the Paris Las Vegas hotel at the Beer Park bar, beginning at sunset, 6:30 p.m. local time.

Fifty pairs of free tickets will be given out to Hagar fans who register at RedRocker.com. Registrations will be accepted until midnight ET on Thursday, September 16. You must be at least 21 years of age to enter. Winners, who will be selected by a random drawing, will be announced this Friday, September 17.

Meanwhile, Hagar also is giving away a signed electric guitar via a contest on Sammy’s Beach Bar Cocktail Co.’s Instagram. To enter, visit Instagram.com/SBBCCo and post your best inspirational motto.

Sammy’s Beach Bar Cocktail Co. drinks are available in four flavors — Tangerine Dream, Pineapple Splash, Island Pop and Cherry Kola Chill. The cocktails, which are made with made with Hagar’s Beach Bar Rum, will go on sale this month in California, Texas and Nevada, will be available in several other states soon.

“Sammy’s Beach Bar Cocktail Co.’s sparkling rum cocktails will make you want to dip your toes in the sand,” says Hagar in a statement. “You’ll want to throw these cocktails in a cooler and take them to the beach, your pool party, out tailgating, and your backyard barbeque. They’re so good that they’re even going to be your favorite drink at your local bar.”

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Last November, founding Byrds bassist Chris Hillman published an autobiography called Time Between: My Life as a Byrd, Burrito Brother and Beyond, and now an audiobook version is set for release on October 19.

In addition to Hillman reading the entire book, the audio version of Time Between also includes newly recorded snippets of 21 songs that span the influential musician’s long and wide-ranging career.

“Recording my narration for the book was far more challenging than I could have ever imagined,” Hillman notes. “For me it was completely different from going into a studio and recording music, and vocals, which I’ve been doing for nearly six decades.”

He adds, “We tossed around the idea of adding a bit of music to embellish the title of each chapter. Each chapter was named after a song I had written, and or had recorded. This began to take on a whole new dimension in the presentation.”

As previously reported, Time Between follows Hillman from his childhood in Southern California, through the adversity of his father’s death by suicide when he was a teenager, and the development of his passion for bluegrass music, to becoming a member of legendary ’60s folk-rock band The Byrds and beyond.

The book not only details Chris’ adventures with The Byrds, but also his experiences with The Flying Burrito Brothers, the influential country-rock band he co-founded with Gram Parsons, and with his later groups Manassas, Souther-Hillman-Furay, McGuinn, Clark & Hillman and The Desert Rose Band.

Meanwhile, Hillman has several concerts lined up this year and about a dozen in 2022 that will feature him performing with his former Desert Rose Band mates Herb Pedersen and John Jourgenson. Echoing his memoir’s title, the concerts have been dubbed “Time Between: An Evening of Stories and Songs.”

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Musicians and singers including Kenny Loggins, Michael McDonald of The Doobie Brothers and Jimmy Buffett, are featured on Jake & Friends, new collaborative album by Hawaiian ukulele virtuoso Jake Shimabukuro that’s due out on November 12.

Other artists who contributed to the 16-track collection include ex-Yes frontman Jon Anderson, Bette Midler, Jesse Colin Young, former Allman Brothers Band guitarist Warren Haynes, Willie Nelson, Ziggy Marley, Jack Johnson and Vince Gill.

“I have to pinch myself when I see those names on my own album,” Jake says of the duets project. “It’s like, ‘Did that really happen?’ Making the album was a real challenge, but I’m deeply honored that all of the artists agreed to record with me.”

Loggins appears on a version of his own original tune “Why Not,” which he previously recorded with his Blue Sky Riders side group. McDonald contributes to a rendition of the early Moody Blues hit “Go Now,” and Buffett revisits his 1974 composition “Come Monday.”

Anderson sings on a cover of The Beatles‘ “A Day in the Life,” while Midler delivers an updated rendition of her hit 1980 ballad, “The Rose.”

Young, meanwhile, is featured on a new version of the folk-rock classic “Get Together,” popularized by his old band, The Youngbloods.

Jake & Friends also includes two other Beatles covers — “All You Need Is Love” sung by Marley, and “Something,” a duet featuring Gill and his wife, Amy Grant.

Two songs have been released as advance singles from the album: an updated rendition of one of Willie Nelson‘s signature tunes, the 1920s standard “Stardust,” featuring the country legend, and a new version of Nashville indie-rock group Moon Taxi‘s 2017 hit “Two High.”

Jake & Friends can be pre-ordered now. Here’s the full track list:

“A Place in the Sun” — featuring Jack Johnson and Paula Fuga
“Sonny Days Ahead” — featuring Sonny Landreth
“All You Need Is Love” — featuring Ziggy Marley
“Why Not” — featuring Kenny Loggins
“Smokin’ Strings” — featuring Billy Strings
“Find Yourself” — featuring Lukas Nelson
“On the Road to Freedom” — featuring Warren Haynes
“Come Monday” — featuring Jimmy Buffett
“Something” — featuring Vince Gill and Amy Grant
“Two High” — featuring Moon Taxi
“A Day in the Life” — featuring Jon Anderson
“Go Now” — featuring Michael McDonald
“Wrapping Paper” — featuring Ray Benson & Asleep at the Wheel
“Stardust” — featuring Willie Nelson
“The Rose” — featuring Bette Midler
“Get Together” — featuring Jesse Colin Young

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