Classic Hits

David Byrne will present a special benefit performance called American Utopia Farewell! on March 30, just a few days before his acclaimed stage production, David Byrne’s American Utopia, is scheduled to close at the St. James Theatre on Broadway.

Proceeds raised will benefit the former Talking Heads frontman’s non-profit organization Arbutus, a foundation “dedicated to re-imagining the world through projects that inspire and educate.”

Tickets for the event, which are available now at Eventbrite.com, include seating in the theater’s orchestra section, entry to a post-performance Q&A with Byrne and some special guests, and a gift bag. Those who purchase VIP tickets also will receive a signed copy of David’s new book, A History of the World (in Dingbats), and a vinyl LP of the David Byrne’s American Utopia original cast recording.

In addition, Arbutus has teamed up with social impact platform Propeller to offer fans who donate $5 or more the opportunity to win two premium tickets to the event. You can enter at Propeller.la.

Byrne has two current projects associated with Arbutus — the Reasons to Be Cheerful online magazine, which features stories meant to uplift and and inspire people, and David’s recently announced immersive theater piece Theater of the Mind, which will premiere August 31 in Denver.

“I created American Utopia with the seeds of curiosity and imagination, and those same seeds are why I founded Arbutus,” says Byrne in a statement. “The proceeds from the event on March 30th will allow Arbutus to continue our work at Reasons to be Cheerful and our world premiere of Theater of the Mind, hopefully making the world a little lighter and a little brighter.”

The last performance of David Byrne’s American Utopia is scheduled for April 3. Visit AmericanUtopiaBroadway.com for more information.

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A new album titled Carry Me Home, featuring an archival live recording of late Band singer/drummer Levon Helm and gospel/soul legend Mavis Staples performing together with their respective solo groups, will be released on May 20 on CD and digital formats.

The album was recorded in the summer of 2011 at one of the popular Midnight Ramble events held at Helm’s barn and studio in Woodstock, New York.

The show’s set list featured a mix of vintage gospel, soul, folk and blues tunes, along with renditions of Bob Dylan‘s “You Got to Serve Somebody” and The Band’s “The Weight.” Mavis was famously featured performing the latter tune with her family group The Staple Singers and The Band in the classic 1978 concert film The Last Waltz.

The Woodstock show marked the last time that Mavis performed with Levon, who died of cancer at age 71 in April 2012.

In advance of Carry Me Home‘s release, a performance of the traditional spiritual song “You Got to Move” has been made available as a digital single, and a video of Staples singing the song with Levon, his group and her own band has debuted at the ANTI- Records label’s YouTube channel. Mavis’ group included her sister and fellow Staple Singers member Yvonne, who passed away in 2018 at age 80.

A vinyl version of Carry Me Home will be released on June 17.

Mavis, 82, has more than 40 concerts on her 2022 tour schedule, which includes a lengthy stint as the opening act on Bonnie Raitt‘s U.S. summer tour:

Here’s the full track list of Carry Me Home:

“This Is My Country”
“Trouble in My Mind”
“Farther Along”
“Hand Writing on the Wall”
“I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free”
“Move Along Train”
“This May Be the Last Time”
“When I Go Away”
“Wide River to Cross”
“You Got to Move”
“You Got to Serve Somebody”
“The Weight”

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Rod Stewart, Gloria Gaynor, The Commodores and Dolly Parton will all be participating in a three-day virtual event being staged next week by AARP, the organization that focuses on issues affecting people aged 50 or over.

The event, called AARP Celebrates You, runs from March 24 to March 26. It’ll feature musical performances, celebrity chats, a movie screening and informational discussions, and it’s free.

Stewart will be performing March 25 from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. ET.  Organizers promise he’ll sing hits like “Maggie May,” “You’re in My Heart” and “Have I Told You Lately.”

Gaynor and The Commodores, as well as DJ Jazzy Jeff, all will perform as part of a two-hour event called “Daybreaker Live! Motown Dance Party” that’s scheduled for March 26 at 11 a.m. ET.

As for Parton, she’ll appear virtually with author James Patterson for a conversation about Run Rose Run, the new book they co-wrote. That event will air March 25 from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. ET.

AARP Celebrates You will kick off on March 24 at 6:30 p.m. ET with a moderated discussion featuring Tina Fey and Amy Poehler.

You can register for the event, and find out more about all the stars who’ll be taking part and the sessions being offered, at AARP.org/celebrates.

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Gwen Stefani added another major event to her packed summer schedule — the 2022 Hollywood Bowl. The Grammy winner will kick off this year’s festivities, which also coincide with the event’s 100th anniversary.

Gwenwill have the honor of launching the Hollywood Bowl’s summer lineup, which will double as an opening night spectacular featuring the LA Philharmonic, aka the LA Phil, the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association announced Tuesday. The singer will team with LA Phil to perform a medley of her hits, including “Don’t Speak,” “Used to Love You,” “Hollaback Girl” and more.

Musical director Gustavo Dudamel will also lead the LA Phil in debuting a  fanfare orchestral piece that composer John Williams created specifically to honor the Hollywood Bowl’s centennial anniversary.

Gwen will also be joined by Grammy-winning saxophonist Branford Marsalis, as well as the Let It Happen dance group and ballet dancer Roberto Bolle. The night will also feature the UCLA Bruin and USC Trojan marching bands, as well as a fireworks display.

The opening night celebration will be held June 3. Tickets are now on sale at the Hollywood Bowl’s official website.

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John Oates of Hall & Oates kicks off a brief solo acoustic tour tonight, March 16, in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania.

The trek will feature Oates teaming up with acclaimed Nashville session guitarist Guthrie Trapp, a longtime member of John’s solo group The Good Road Band, for an intimate evening of songs and stories.

Oates tells ABC Audio that the concept for the show “was spawned by [Guthrie and I] sitting in the living room and just playing, and we kind of looked at each other and said, ‘Man, this really sounds good. Wouldn’t it be cool if we could just go out and do this in front of people?’ And we kind of laughed and we said…’Why not? Let’s bring the living room to the stage.””

John says the show will feature songs by artists who influenced him as a young musician, some favorites from his solo career, tunes he co-wrote with artists other than Daryl Hall, and “newer songs that I’ve just written.”

As Oates explains, “I’m using this show as a vehicle to…show people that, hey, there’s a whole other musical life here that…was definitely shelved during the halcyon days of the Hall & Oates craziness.”

That being said, John reveals that he will include a few of his favorite Hall & Oates tunes in his show, performed “in a very acoustic kind of reimagined way.”

Oates tells ABC Audio that he and Trapp have played a few gigs like the ones they’ll be showcasing on the tour, noting that “the response has been phenomenal, and people really seem to love the intimacy and the casual approach that we’re doing.”

The U.S. trek, which visits seven venues in the Northeast, runs through a March 26 date in Newport, Rhode Island. Check out John’s full schedule at JohnOates.com.

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Sammy Hagar knows a thing or two about what makes a great cocktail, having launched a number of popular liquor brands over the years, so it seems natural that the Red Rocker would want to share some of his favorite drink recipes with the world.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer will be doing just that with a new book titled Sammy Hagar’s Cocktail Hits: 85 Personal Favorites from the Red Rocker, which will be released on March 29.

Hagar co-wrote the book with James Beard Award-winning cookbook author James O. Fraioli. The collection of recipes showcase drinks made with Sammy’s award-winning spirits, including Santo Tequilas and Santo Mezquila, brands that Hagar launched with celebrity chef Guy Fieri, and Beach Bar Rum, a partnership between Sammy and Rick Springfield.

Among the signature cocktails featured in the book are the Coconut Mojito, Maui Mama, Tiki Swizzle, Blanco Gimlet, Coco Loco, Coronarita, Santo Oaxaca, Santo Paloma, Brazilian Kiss, Vojito, Strawberry Surf and Black & Blue Lemonade.

To accompany each recipe, Hagar has penned segments in which he shares some of his fondest memories.

“I wrote this book for [my fans] the Redheads,” says Hagar. “I have been working and studying the art of making and drinking cocktails for decades now and have finally pulled together all of my favorites, my knowledge on how to do it, and what you need to throw the best parties with the best cocktails. I guarantee this is the only cocktail book you will ever need.”

Sammy Hagar’s Cocktail Hits includes a foreword written by Fieri. The book can be pre-ordered now, and is available in hardcover for $29.99 and in a Kindle edition for $19.99. Visit RedRocker.com for more information.

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In a new interview with Apple Music 1’s Zane Lowe, Keith Richards reflects on his soon-to-be-reissued 1992 solo album, Main Offender, and working with his solo backing band The X-Pensive Winos, including drummer Steve Jordan, who now also keeps the beat for The Rolling Stones.

Richards says he thinks the remastered version of Main Offender, which will be released this Friday, March 18, sounds great.

“I hadn’t heard it for a long time, and that was one of the first things that struck me,” he notes, adding, “Yeah, I love that band.”

Main Offender was Richards’ second solo album, following 1988’s Talk Is Cheap. Keith says he was glad to work again with The X-Pensive Winos, because after the experience of recording and touring behind Talk Is Cheap, he felt “it was only just a beginning…and I felt the band feeling that way.”

Richards explains that it was late Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts who suggested he play with Jordan when he was forming a solo group during The Stones’ 1980s hiatus. Keith had wanted Charlie in his band, but he notes that Watts had said, “[N]o, you don’t want me…It’d just be like half the Stones. And that’s not what you should be.”

Richards wound up really connecting with Jordan, who also became his main songwriting partner for his solo releases. Then, last year, when Watts knew he’d be too ill to tour with The Stones, he again nominated Jordan as his replacement.

“[Charlie] thought that [Steve] was going to maybe just replace for a bit, but as it turned out, well…,” Keith laments, adding, “[I]t felt very comfortable to have my old friend solid there on the seat. It’s like, at least I know the man.”

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A new Whitney Houston special is coming next month.

Whitney, A Look Back is set to April 2, the night before the Grammys. The special, chronicling her life and career, will include rare and never-before-seen footage from Entertainment Tonight’s “vault.”

The special will also feature interviews with those closest to Whitney, including Dionne Warwick, Clive Davis, CeCe Winans, Monica and Kelly Price, as well as explore new details about the days leading up to and following her tragic passing 10 years ago at age 48.

Whitney, A Look Back will air Saturday, April 2, at 8 p.m. ET/PT on CBS.

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Lovers of the great outdoors have a friend in Carole King.

The legendary singer/songwriter is in Washington, D.C., to speak as a witness at a congressional hearing on Wednesday, March 16, focusing on wildfire response that also will feature testimony from U.S. Forest Service officials, as well as environmental experts and advocates.

The hearing, which will be overseen by California Congressman Ro Khanna, Chairman of the House of Representatives’ Subcommittee on Environment, will look at ways for the federal government to improve its wildfire preparation measures, while discussing the toll wildfires are taking in recent years as they have increased in severity due to such factors as drought, global warming and other issues.

King is a longtime Idaho resident and land conservation advocate who has worked for decades with scientists, environmental supporters and organizations to promote the preservation of the wilderness and biodiversity in the ecosystem of the northern Rocky Mountains.

The hearing, which is titled “Fighting Fire with Fire: Evaluating the Role of Forest Management in Reducing Catastrophic Wildfires,” will take place at 10 a.m. ET. The event will be livestreamed on the Committee on Oversight and Reform’s website and YouTube channel.

King posted a photo on her Facebook page of her with some other environmental advocates in Washington, D.C., in advance of the hearing.

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A collection of guitars and other instruments and memorabilia belonging to Rush‘s Alex Lifeson will be up for bid at a May 22 auction held at the Hard Rock Cafe in New York City.

The sale, hosted by Julien’s Auctions, will feature over 100 artifacts, including more than 60 guitars.

Perhaps the main highlight of the auction is the custom-built 1976 Gibson ES-355TD electric guitar known as “Whitie,” which was Lifeson’s main guitar from 1976 until 2015. Alex played “Whitie” on all of Rush’s albums, from 1977’s A Farewell to Kings through 1996’s Test for Echo.  It also was one of his preferred touring instruments. It’s estimated to fetch between $200,000 and $300,000.

Another notable guitar being sold is a 1980 custom-built Hentor Sportscaster electric model that Lifeson used to record many classic Rush songs, including 1981’s “Limelight.” It’s estimated to sell for between $100,000 and $200,000.

Others instruments up for bid include a 1981 Gibson Howard Roberts Fusion electric guitar played on the 1981 Moving Pictures tour; a 1971 Jose Ramirez acoustic guitar used on all of Rush’s classical-style recordings starting with the band’s 1978 album, Hemispheres; a 1976 Gibson Dove acoustic that Alex used to write “Closer to the Heart” and other tunes from 1977’s A Farewell to Kings album; and a 1970 Gibson Les Paul electric model that Lifeson played on most of the band’s albums and tours during the mid-to-late 1970s. All of these guitars are estimated to bring between $100,000 and $200,000.

The Lifeson auction is part of Julien’s Auctions’ next “Musical Icons” sale, scheduled for May 20-22. Bidding will take place in person and online at JuliensLive.com.

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