Classic Hits

Thursday marks the 20th anniversary of the death of The Clash‘s Joe Strummer, and the occasion will be marked with a special tribute in New York. 

Consequence reports that D Generation’s Jesse Malin, Gogol Bordello‘s Eugene Hutz and more will celebrate Strummer by busking at the annual Gates of the West holiday benefit, which kicks off at 6 p.m. outside Malin’s Lower East Side bar Niagara, where there’s a mural of the late Clash frontman. 

Following the tribute, which will move inside Niagara if it snows, there will be an after-party at Malin’s 96 Tears. Proceeds from the event benefit the nonprofit Music & Memory, which “helps individuals with a wide range of cognitive and physical conditions to engage with the world, ease pain, and reclaim their humanity through the use of personalized music.”

Strummer passed away December 22, 2002, at the age of 50, just a few months before the Clash were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. His official cause of death was an undiagnosed congenital heart defect.

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Some big-name rock stars came out in Las Vegas Monday to help magician Criss Angel celebrate his 55^th birthday — and it was all for a good cause.

Blabbermouth reports that KISS’ Paul Stanley, Cheap Trick’s Robin Zander and Skid Row’s Sebastian Bach played the bash at the House of Blues at the Mandalay Bay, along with Lita Ford, Kip Winger, RATT’s Stephen Percy and Faster Pussycat’s Taime Downe.

The birthday bash was actually a benefit concert to raise money for Angel’s Johnny Crisstopher Charitable Foundation, which raises money to fight childhood cancer. The charity also supports Make-A-Wish Southern Nevada. It is named after the magician’s son, who in 2015 was diagnosed with lymphoblastic leukemia.

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As we reported, Shirley Watts, widow of the late Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts, passed away December 16, and now Charlie’s bandmate Ronnie Wood is paying tribute to her.

Next to a picture of a young Charlie and Shirley, Ronnie writes that he and his wife, Sally, are “very sad to hear about the death of our friend Shirley Watts. We will miss you so much, but take comfort that you are reunited with your beloved Charlie.”

He adds, “Our thoughts and prayers are with their daughter Seraphina, granddaughter Charlotte, and son-in-law Barry, much love to you all at this very sad time.” 

Charlie and Shirley wed in 1964, before the Rolling Stones took off, and were together until the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer’s death on August 24, 2021.

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Performances by Nile Rodgers & Chic and former Bon Jovi guitarist Richie Sambora helped bring in big bucks for charity. 

Earlier this month, Rodgers headlined Nordoff Robbins‘ charity carol service, stepping in for The Who after they had to cancel. According to U Discover Music, the event wound up bringing in about $150,000 for the charity, which will be used to fund music therapy for vulnerable people living with life-limiting illness, disabilities or feelings of isolation. 

The concert, which took place at St. Luke’s Church in the Chelsea area of London, had Rodgers & Chic performing such classics as “Le Freak,” “We Are Family” and “Good Times,” while Sambora treated the crowd to Bon Jovi hits “Livin’ On A Prayer,” “It’s My Life” and “Wanted Dead Or Alive,” plus a cover of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah.”

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It was a busy year for Paul McCartney, including a long-awaited headlining set at the United Kingdom’s Glastonbury Music Festival. Now he’s reflecting on the experience in a new essay for the BBC, in which he also shares some personal behind-the-scenes photo from the big day.

“Festivals are special, but Glastonbury is particularly so and it’s a big event in lots of people’s year,” he shares. “Because it had been cancelled in 2020 and 2021 due to Covid, it became more important to pull it off.”

Sir Paul writes that Bruce Springsteen agreed to join him all the way back in 2020 and “he kept his promise two years later,” adding that it was “very exciting” having both The Boss and Dave Grohl as his special guests.

“It’s a pretty impressive scene for people in the audience,” he writes. “But we get the whole view up on the stage with the flags and the hills going back forever, so it was quite a big deal that they said yes to joining me in that experience.”

McCartney says it’s “a magical thing” seeing the emotions music can bring out in people. “Then you’ve got the spirituality of the place,” he shares. “When you have an event like Glastonbury and everyone comes together with good vibes and energy, I’m very happy to be part of that.” Check out the behind-the-scenes photos here.

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t’s not surprising to hear that Bob Dylan has some definite thoughts on how we should listen to music, but you may be surprised by some of the artists he’s enjoying these days.

In a new interview with the Wall Street Journal, Dylan shares that he listens to music on CDs, satellite radio and streaming, although he mentions the latter has made music “too smooth and painless.” 

“I do love the sound of old vinyl though, especially on a tube record player from back in the day,” he shares, noting, “the tone quality is so powerful and miraculous, has so much depth, it always takes me back to the days when life was different and unpredictable.”

Dylan says these days he discovers new music “mostly by accident, by chance,” or thanks to recommendations from others. When it comes to live music he says he’s seen gone to two Metallica concerts and “made special efforts to see Jack White and Alex Turner.”

As for which contemporary artists he listens to he says he likes  Oasis’ Liam and Noel Gallagher, as well as Julian Casablancas, Grace Potter, Royal Blood, Celeste, Rag and Bone Man, Wu-Tang, Eminem, Nick Cave, and Leonard Cohen, sharing that he enjoys “anybody with a feeling for words and language, anybody whose vision parallels mine.”

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Terry Hall, lead singer of the influential British band The Specials, has died, the band announced on social media. He was 63. In addition to his work with that band, he also co-wrote The Go-Go‘s debut single, “Our Lips Are Sealed,” with his then-girlfriend, Jane Wiedlin.

The band writes that Hall, “our beautiful friend, brother and one of the most brilliant singers, songwriters and lyricists this country has ever produced,” has passed away “following a brief illness.”

The statement described Terry as “one of the kindest, funniest, and most genuine of souls,” adding, “His music and his performances encapsulated the very essence of life … the joy, the pain, the humour, the fight for justice, but mostly the love.”

The Specials were part of the United Kingdom’s two-tone movement, which blended Jamaican ska — an early form of reggae — with punk and new wave. They’re best known for songs like “Gangsters,” “A Message to You, Rudy,” “Free Nelson Mandela” and, most famously, “Ghost Town,” which captured the mood of the civil unrest and riots experienced in the U.K. in the summer of 1981.

Hall was also a member of Fun Boy Three, which he formed with two other Specials members after they’d left the group. During that time, Hall and Wiedlin had a brief affair and co-wrote “Our Lips Are Sealed,” which was first recorded by the Go-Go’s in 1981 on their debut album, Beauty and the Beat. It was then recorded by Fun Boy Three in 1983. 

On Twitter, Wiedlin writes, “Gutted to hear of the passing of #terryhall. He was a lovely, sensitive, talented and unique person. Our extremely brief romance resulted in the song Our Lips Are Sealed, which will forever tie us together in music history. Terrible news to hear this.”

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Dionne Warwick has made a splash on Twitter in recent years, and she’s not ready to give up on it like some others have following Elon Musk‘s purchase of the platform. In fact, in a new interview, she tells People she wants to have a word with Musk to understand his true intentions with the social media site. 

“I have to meet him,” she says. “I know a lot of people have walked away from Twitter. That’s prior to knowing exactly what he’s going to do. He’s new to the game.”

She says that while she is all for freedom of speech, “There is away to do it.” If she does, in fact, get to meet him, she says, “That’s one of the conversations I’m going to have with him. What is your true intent? I understand your freedom of speech attitude but how are you going to contain it, so it does not get out of hand?”

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When Robert Plant and Alison Krauss first collaborated on their 2007 album, Raising Sand, it resulted in them winning the 2009 Grammy for Album of the Year. It took 14 years for them to come together again for 2021’s Raising the Roof. So, why did it take so long to reunite? 

In an interview with Billboard, Plant insists it was really just a matter of scheduling.

“I’m not in control of my own time, I just find the momentum in a project and go with it,” Plant shares, noting “if I’d finish something and I was really looking forward to doing something fresh, maybe Alison was in the middle of one of her projects, and that’s how it was.” He adds, “It was no negotiation except for with the calendar and with time.”

Of course, coming together did prove to be a success once again, with their latest up for three Grammy Awards. So, with the huge amount of success they’ve had working together, is it possible we’ll see another album from the pair? 

“I can’t see any reason why not,” he says. “I suppose if we wait another 14 years it could be a bit dicey for me, to be honest. I might find it a little bit difficult hitting a top C.” He adds, “But we can say it really works well, and we enjoy each other and that’s a great thing — so it seems like a great idea.”

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The Killers fans were transported to the ’70s for a bit during the band’s concert at Sydney’s Qudos Bank Arena on Monday.

The band is known for throwing in covers during their sets. According to the Sydney Morning Herald, this show was no exception, although this time The Killers brought out America’s Gerry Beckley for a performance of his band’s classic track “Sister Golden Hair.”

“Sister Golden Hair,” written by Beckley, was featured on America’s 1975 album, Hearts, and went to number one on the Billboard Hot 100 charts. It was their second single to reach number one, following “A Horse with No Name.”

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