Classic Hits

We’re about to learn a lot more about Devo: a new documentary on the band is currently in the works.

Devo is described as the “first-ever fully authorized film” on the band, who formed in 1973 in the aftermath of the Kent State massacre and went on to have a huge hit in 1980 with “Whip It.” It’s directed by Chris Smith, who previously directed the Netflix docs Frye and Tiger King.

The film will include archival footage and interviews, in order to tell the story of the band’s “evolution from hippie artistes to art-rockers with a message, to their unexpected mainstream success as a hit rock band and the pioneers of the MTV age.” 

“DEVO was a huge influence on me,” Smith shares. “Their approach to music, film, video and art was something I had never seen before and was one of the truly formative artistic influences that showed me there were entirely new ways to look at things.”

So far there’s no word on when Devo will be released.

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Here’s a unique experience few Beatles fans will want to pass up. Rock ‘N’ Roll Fantasy Camp’s upcoming summer session will give participants a chance to jam with the iconic band’s original drummer Pete Best.

Best will take part in The Camp from July 13 to 16 in New York, with Aerosmith bassist Tom Hamilton and Rolling Stones bassist Darryl Jones also confirmed for the weekend, along with “more surprise guests.”

“I am looking forward to jamming with and meeting all the amazing campers and sharing stories and licks!,” Best shares. 

As most Beatles fans know, Best was the Beatles first drummer and performed his first show with them in August of 1960. He was fired from the group in 1962, before the band gained worldwide success, and was replaced by Ringo Starr.

Now in its 27th year, Rock ‘N’ Roll Fantasy Camp offers music fans a once-in-a-lifetime chance to perform with their musical heroes. More information on how to sign up can be found at rockcamp.com.

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Bruce Springsteen and Gladys Knight were at the White House Tuesday where President Joe Biden honored them with the National Medal of Arts, which “honors exemplary individuals and organizations that have advanced the arts in America.” 

“The work of our honorees is as diverse as the nation that celebrates with them today, but common threads weave them together in many ways ,” Biden said at the ceremony. “The pursuit of excellence, the drive to create, the yearning to connect and the boldness to be truth tellers, bridge builders and change seekers.” He added, “Above all, you are masters of your craft.”

When it came to Bruce, who received the customary chants of “Bruuuce,” Biden tried to claim him for Delaware instead of New Jersey, which drew laughs. “Bruce Springsteen a poet, troubadour a chronicler of American life, resilience and hope,” Biden said, noting the rocker’s many achievements including the “love of millions of fans across generations.”

Regarding Knight, the National Endowment of the Arts highlighted how she “inspired generations of artists, captivated by her soundtrack of a golden age in American music,” with Biden adding, “you are truly one of the best things to happen in terms of music.” 

Also receiving an honor was Jose Feliciano, who did not attend the ceremony. The NEA recognized Feliciano’s 60 years in the business, noting he’s “opened hearts and built bridges—overcoming obstacles, never losing faith, and enriching the goodness and greatness of the Nation.”

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The Isley Brothers are in a battle over their name. Billboard reports that Rudolph Isley has filed a lawsuit in Chicago Federal Court against his brother Ronald Isley over the trademark rights to their group’s name.

Rudolph is claiming that despite the name “The Isley Brothers” being jointly owned by both of them, Ronald alone filed for a federal trademark of the name in 2021 and it was approved by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

“Counsel for defendant Ronald Isley has asserted in correspondence that defendant alone has exclusive ownership of the [trade]mark,” the complaint reads. “These assertions … are false.” 

Rudolph’s suit seeks to have a judge declare the trademark rights to the name are “jointly owned” by both brothers “equally,” and he wants any revenue Ronald made from exploiting the trademark to be divided.

But in legal correspondence from before the suit was filed, lawyers for Ronald argue the trademark belongs to the person actually using the name, which is Ronald, noting Rudolph hasn’t performed with The Isley Brothers since 1986. They say for this reason, any profits Ronald made are his and shouldn’t need to be shared.

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Journey’s Neal Schon is giving fans a taste of his live show with a new album coming in May. 

Journey Through Time, dropping May 19, is a recording of a 2018 benefit concert at The Independent in San Francisco, California. Schon was joined for the performance by his Journey and Santana bandmate Gregg Rolie, along with Journey/Bad English rocker Deen Castronovo on vocals and drums, Marco Mendoza on bass and John Varn on keyboards and vocals.

The 21-song set features songs from the entire Journey catalog including such classics as “Separate Ways,” “Lovin’, Touchin’, Squeezin,” “Wheel in the Sky” and “Lights,” along with early Journey tracks like “Journey,” “Look into the Future,” and “Next.” 

The live show, which took place February 9, 2018, raised money to help those affected by fires that hit the North Bay Area of San Francisco in October, 2017.

Journey Through Time is being released as a 3CD+DVD set and is available for preorder now.

Here’s the Journey Through Time track list:

“I’m Gonna Leave You”
“Look into the Future”
“Kohoutek
“Daydream”
“La Do La”
“Line of Fire”
“Walks Like a Lady”
“Feelin’ That Way”
“Anytime”
“Lights”
“Still They Ride”
“Separate Ways”
“Lovin’, Touchin’, Squeezin’”
“Wheel in the Sky”
“Patiently (Medley)”
“Trial by Fire (Medley)”
“Stay Awhile (Medley)”
“Mystery Mountain”
“Of a Lifetime”
“Just the Same Way”
“Lovin’ You Is Easy”

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Melissa Etheridge is looking back at her start in the music industry and how she was asked to hide her sexuality.

The singer recalled to SPIN FIRE’s Free Speech + Other Dirty Words that when she was signed by Island Records in the mid-80s, there was a jarring moment that came shortly before she released her self-titled 1988 debut album. She said, “There was a meeting at an office with a conference table where everybody was sitting round, and someone said, ‘So, what are we going to do about the gay thing?'”

Melissa remembered advocating for herself at that meeting and responding with, “I am not going to pretend I am something else and find a guy to take pictures with — I am going to be me.”

“They said, ‘Well, as long as you don’t flag wave.’ This was before we had the rainbow flag,” Melissa added. “Four years later, I was flag waving!”

Melissa publicly came out alongside singer Janis Ian on January 20, 1993, during former President Bill Clinton‘s inaugural celebration.

Melissa also reflected on the difficulty of protecting everyone’s right to free speech, even if it upsets her, noting that. Recalling her disagreement with Eminem over the slurs he used in his 2000 song “Criminal,” she noted that freedom of speech “works both ways.”

“We want the freedom to say what we like even though it offends others; I gotta let him be even though it offends me. Because that’s freedom,” she said. “The American Experiment is about can we all live together inside those differences?”

Melissa also revealed the discomfort she felt when continuing her show on Sirius XM because the platform also hosted conservative firebrand Steve Bannon‘s Breitbart Daily News.  She admitted, “Free speech is hard.”

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Looks like Madonna is cooking up new music in the studio and she has acclaimed Swedish record producer Max Martin helping her.

The singer revealed on Twitter that she’s working with Martin and shared a snap of the two brainstorming in a music studio. “When in Doubt go to Work,” she captioned the update. 

She added, “Nothing shuts Down the Noise or the Naysayers More then being in the Creative Process !!”

Martin has previously worked with superstars like Adele, Justin Timberlake, Britney Spears, Ed Sheeran, Lady Gaga and more. So far, he’s written or co-written 25 songs that went to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, including Katy Perry‘s “Roar,” Taylor Swift‘s “Blank Space” and The Weeknd‘s “Blinding Lights.”

So far, it’s unknown what Madonna’s cooking up with Martin but fans are antsy to get their hands on some new, original music from Madge, with some noting it’s been nearly four years since she released her most recent studio effort, Madame X, which dropped in June 2019. She did help tide fans over with her 2022 remix album, Finally Enough Love.

In addition, Madonna’s gearing up for her Celebration Tour, which kicks off July 15 and is slated to wrap December 6 of this year.

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Steve Hackett is ready to celebrate his career with Genesis with a new North American tour. Genesis Revisited: Foxtrot and Fifty + Hackett Highlights Tour will have the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer performing Genesis’ 1972 album Foxtrot in its entirety, plus other songs from Hackett’s catalog. 

Hackett shares, “I’m thrilled to be bringing my Genesis Revisited: Foxtrot at Fifty + Hackett Highlights tour to the USA and Canada in the autumn, and very much look forward to seeing you all then!”

The tour is set to kick off October 3 in Montreal, Canada. It hits the States October 5 in Ithaca, New York, with shows confirmed through November 18 in Los Angeles, California.

A complete list of tour dates and ticket information can be found at hackettsongs.com.

Released in October, 1972, Foxtrot was Genesis’ fourth studio album, and contained such classic songs as “Watcher of the Skies” and the epic 23-minute track “Supper’s Ready.” 

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Peter Gabriel is extending his North American i/o – The Tour, adding 13 new dates to the trek. Added cities on the tour include Washington, Buffalo, Pittsburgh, Columbus, Cleveland, Detroit, Milwaukee, St. Paul, Palm Springs, Denver, Austin, Dallas and Houston. 

The tour is set to kick off September 8 in Quebec, Canada and will now run through October 21 in Houston, Texas.

A special presale for the new shows starts Tuesday, March 21 for members of Gabriel’s fan club. The general on sale begins Friday, March 24 at 10 a.m. local time.

A complete list of Peter Gabriel tour dates can be found at petergabriel.com.

The tour is in support of Gabriel’s forthcoming new album, i/o, which is due out sometime this year. He’s been releasing a new song from the album each month to coincide with the full moon, with the latest release being “Playing for Time.”

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As previously reported, Roger Waters‘ concert in Frankfurt, Germany has been cancelled by the local government due to the rocker’s outspoken political beliefs, and now several of his fellow musicians are coming to his defense. 

A Change.org petition has been created to try and get the government to reverse its decision on Waters’ tour stop, and it already has close to 12,000 of the 15,000 signatures requested, with artists like Eric Clapton, Peter Gabriel, Tom Morello and Waters’ Pink Floyd bandmate Nick Mason among those who’ve signed.

“We artists, musicians, writers, and other public figures and organizations are deeply disturbed by the recent efforts by German officials to discredit and silence musician Roger Waters,” reads the petition. “Officials in Germany, concert organizers, and music platforms must not succumb to the pressure of those individuals and groups who would rather see Waters’ music removed than engage with the issues his music highlights.”

Other artists who’ve signed the petition include actor Susan Sarandon, music producer Brian Eno, directors Ken Loach, Terry Gilliam and Julian Schnabel and more.

Waters is currently on his This Is Not a Drill tour, which is set to hit Barcelona, Spain on Wednesday. The concert in Frankfurt is scheduled for May 28.

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