The Ides of March frontman and ex-Survivor member Jim Peterik revealed in a recent video update posted on his Facebook page that he’s recovering from a neck operation that has sidelined him during the past several weeks.
In the clip, Peterik, 71, is seen wearing a neck brace while sitting at the console of what appears to be his home studio. He explains that he’d recently been experiencing severe headaches and went to a doctor who told him that arthritis in his neck was impinging on a nerve and that if he didn’t have an operation to address the issue he could be paralyzed in a couple of months.
Peterik says he had the surgery about a month ago and reports that it went very smoothly, while admitting his recovery has been a bit difficult and that he’s experiencing a lot of pain. He points out that former Grand Funk Railroad frontman Mark Farner had a similar operation about four years ago and that Farner told him it took him about a year to recover, adding, “Hopefully it’ll be quicker than that [for me].”
Jim says he’s taking it easy, but has begun rehearsing with The Ides of March for some upcoming shows, the first of which is scheduled for April 27 at the City Winery in Chicago. He also reveals that the group will be playing an as-yet-unannounced special show in June backed by a full orchestra.
Meanwhile, Peterik shared some details about a few music projects he’s been working on, including a collaboration with Chicago‘s Robert Lamm, with whom he’s written songs for that band’s next studio album. Jim says that album will be released at the end of June, and its title is the name of one of the tunes he co-wrote.
Dhani and Olivia Harrison; Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic.com
George Harrison‘s son Dhani Harrison set a unique Grammy record on Sunday night.
Billboard reports that Dhani is now the first child of a Beatles member to win a Grammy. He did so by sharing the award for Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package, presented to the 50th Anniversary edition of George’s 1971 album, All Things Must Pass. His co-winners were his mother, Olivia Harrison, and Darren Evans.
Speaking of Olivia, she’s now the third wife or widow of a Beatles member to win a Grammy, following Linda McCartney‘s wins with husband Paul for the Wings songs “Band on the Run” and “Rockestra Theme,” and Yoko Ono‘s Album of the Year win with the late John Lennon for Double Fantasy.
John Lennon’s son Julian Lennon was nominated for the Grammy for Best New Artist in 1986, but lost to Sade.
As for other veteran performers at the Grammys, Joni Mitchell won for Best Historical Album for Joni Mitchell Archives, Vol. 1: The Early Years (1963-1967). She was also this year’s MusiCares Person of the Year honoree, making her, according to Billboard, the first person to both win a Grammy and be Person of the Year in the same year since Paul McCartney did it 10 years ago.
Backstage at the Grammys Sunday night in Las Vegas, artists answered questions from both reporters who were actually backstage at the MGM Grand Arena, and reporters who’d logged in on Zoom from around the country. But some of the night’s biggest winners didn’t appear backstage.
Olivia Rodrigo and Silk Sonic, both of whom won multiple awards Sunday night, posed for photos, but didn’t talk to reporters. Doja Cat, who won Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group for “Kiss Me More,” also declined to speak with reporters, but her duet partner, SZA, did come backstage, despite the fact that she was on crutches due to, as she put it, “falling out of bed” the day before.
“That’s the way it goes,” she laughed. “Everything awesome in my life has always come with something very random, but it just adds to the energy.”
SZA’s Grammy was her first win after 11 nominations, and R&B songstress Jazmine Sullivan and country duo Brothers Osborne were two other artists who finally won for the first time Sunday night after multiple nominations. Backstage, Sullivan, who actually won two trophies, said, “After losing so many times, I feel like I kinda gave up [hope of ever winning]…so it’s surreal to actually hold these babies!”
TJ Osborne of Brothers Osborne, who admitted that his mother “hates” that he dyed his hair blond, spoke about how “incredibly fulfilling” it’s been to perform for their fans since he came out as gay last year.
But country’s big winner was Chris Stapleton, who took home three trophies, including Best Country Album. Asked backstage who out there he’d like to collaborate with, Stapleton, who’s worked with Taylor Swift, Adele and Santana, among others, said he wouldn’t mind working with Harry Styles.
Country superstar Carrie Underwood won the Best Roots Gospel Album Grammy for her faith-based project My Savior and cried backstage as she spoke about how it “means the world” to her that she won because she’s wanted to make that kind of album “literally my whole career.”
H.E.R., who won the Best Traditional R&B Performance Grammy, was still buzzing from her performance with Lenny Kravitz on the show. “I was having so much fun…growing up, I’d literally study all his videos…he’s one of the reasons why I even wanted to play guitar, so having this full circle moment…I was at a loss for words.”
And The Late Show with Stephen Colbert bandleader Jon Batiste, who had the most Grammys going into the show, also cited Lenny Kravitz as HIS full circle moment: Kravitz announced that Batiste had won the Album of the Year for his project We Are. “We played together when I was 16, so it was surreal,” Batiste told reporters, adding, “Seeing Uncle Lenny up there, it was just like a whole vibe, like, ‘This is far out.'”
Foo Fighters swept the rock categories, but sadly, they didn’t attend due to the death of drummer Taylor Hawkins. St. Vincent won Best Alternative Album for Daddy’s Home and backstage, she mentioned how happy she was that Jack Antonoff, her co-producer on the album, had been named Producer of the Year.
She also spoke about how “times are changing” in terms of women in alternative rock, while rock legend Bonnie Raitt, who won the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, praised the new crop of young female artists, including Billie Eilish and Olivia Rodrigo.
“Across all genres, I think women are kickin’ it,” said Raitt.
Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for The Recording Academy
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made a surprise appearance at the 64th Grammy Awards and sent a powerful message about the cost of freedom and the healing power of music.
In a pre-taped video, the president spoke from an unknown location in his country, which is being bombarded by Russian bombs in an unprecedented attack to seize control of the country. Zelenskyy remained poised and spoke with a stern, gravel-like tone about the cost of Russia’s ongoing war.
“The war. What’s more opposite to music? The silence of ruined cities and killed people. Our children draw swooping rockets, not shooting stars. Over 400 children have been injured and 153 children died and we’ll never see them drawing,” he said. “Our parents are happy to wake up in the morning. In bomb shelters. Alive.”
Zelenskyy urged, “The war doesn’t let us choose who survived and who stays in eternal silence.”
“Our musicians wear body armor instead of tuxedos. They sing to the wounded in hospitals. Even to those who can’t hear them, but the music will break through anyway,” he continued, noting Russia is bringing “horrible silence with its bombs. The dead silence.”
He urged those at the Grammy Awards to “fill the silence with your music” and to “tell our story” by sharing the “truth” of the Russian invasion “on your social networks, on TV — support us in any way you can.”
While naming the besieged cities of Chernihiv, Kharkiv, Volnovakha and Mariupol, Zelenskyy declared, “I have a dream of them living and free. Free like you on the Grammy stage.”
The Ukrainian president’s speech was followed by John Legend‘s performance of “Free.” He was joined by Ukrainian instrumentalist Siuzanna Iglidan and singer Mika Newton for the inspiring number.
Foo Fighters swept all the categories for which they were nominated at the 2022 Grammys, which were handed out Sunday during the pre-show Premiere Ceremony.
Dave Grohl and company won Best Rock Album for Medicine at Midnight, Best Rock Song for “Waiting on a War,” and Best Rock Performance for “Making a Fire.” The Foos were also scheduled to perform during this year’s awards, but Rolling Stone reports that they canceled the appearance due to the tragic unexpected death of drummer Taylor Hawkins on March 25.
In winning Best Rock Song and Best Rock Album, the Foos beat their friend Paul McCartney, who’d inducted them into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, as well as Eddie Van Halen‘s son Wolfgang, who was up for Best Rock Song for Mammoth WVH‘s “The Distance.”
Other announced winners include former Police drummer Stewart Copeland and Ricky Kej‘s Divine Tides for Best New Age Album, marking Copeland’s first Grammy outside of The Police, with whom he’d won five. Dream Theater‘s “The Alien” won Best Metal Performance.
George Harrison‘s All Things Must Pass: 50th Anniversary Edition won for Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package, while Joni Mitchell Archives, Vol. 1: The Early Years (1963-1967) for Best Historical Album.
In celebration of the 50th anniversary of the legendary Swedish pop group ABBA, special screenings of a digitally remastered version of the 1977 film ABBA: The Movie will be held on May 12 and May 14 at over 400 theaters in the U.S. and Canada.
The film stars ABBA’s four members — Anni-Frid Lyngstad, Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus and Agnetha Fältskog — and captures the band during their 1977 tour of Australia. ABBA: The Movie was directed by acclaimed Swedish filmmaker Lasse Hallström, whose credits also include My Life as a Dog, What’s Eating Gilbert Grape and Chocolat.
The flick captures ABBA performing and backstage during the trek, and also features a lighthearted fictional subplot focusing on a naïve radio DJ who struggles to score an interview with the famous group.
Among the songs ABBA performs in full during the film are “Dancing Queen,” “Tiger” and “Name of the Game.”
Tickets for the ABBA: The Movie -– Fan Event screenings go on sale this Wednesday, April 6, at 9 a.m. ET at ABBAMovie.com.
“This will be such a fun event for fans to come together and experience ABBA on the big screen for the first time since the 1977 release,” says Trafalgar Releasing executive Kymberli Frueh. “We hope everyone will dig deep into their closets to find vintage 70s outfits to wear in celebration with us!”
The film event is scheduled just a couple of weeks before the May 27 premiere of ABBA Voyage, the concert experience featuring a performance by digital avatars of the band’s four members taking place at the specially built ABBA Arena at London’s Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.
It’s been almost 10 years since Patti Smith released her most recent studio album — 2012’s Banga — but the legendary singer/songwriter known as the “Godmother of Punk” has now revealed that she’s planning to make another one…and it may be her last.
In a new article published in U.K. newspaper The Guardian, Smith answered a variety of questions submitted by fans, including if she was planning a follow-up to Banga.
“I do have plans and I’ve written a lot of songs,” Patti said. “I’d like to do one more album and my record company, Columbia, has very generously left the door open.”
Another fan asked Smith to name her favorite album, and she chose Banga.
Patti explained, “‘Constantine’s Dream,’ the long improvised piece at the end, touched a lot of things that concern me — art, the future of mankind, climate change, the horrors done to our indigenous people, and love.”
She added, “I love the cover, which was shot on the fly by my friend Stephen Sebring. That record feels like me, like [my 1975 debut album] Horses feels like me.”
Besides her music, Smith’s an acclaimed poet and author. Asked about her unrealized dreams, she said, “There’s nothing I love more than books. I’ve written some and I’m really happy with them but I just want to write at least one that I feel deserves to be in the canon of books to endure. I basically want to write something as good as Pinocchio and, yes, I’ve started it.”
Smith has a variety of concerts lined up for 2022, with her next shows scheduled for May 6 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and May 7 in Austin, Texas. Check out her full itinerary at PattiSmith.net.
Fresh from their stint on the 2022 Flower Power Cruise, The Zombies kick off their first North American tour since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic tonight in Orlando, Florida.
The famed British Invasion band’s trek, dubbed the Life Is a Merry-Go-Round Tour, features a total of 49 dates and is broken into spring and summer legs.
The springtime outing, which visits mainly East Coast venues, is scheduled through a May 1 show in Fall River, Massachusetts. The summer leg, which is dominated by concerts in Canada and the Western U.S., begins on June 21 in Belleville, Ontario, Canada, and wraps up with a three-date stand, July 28-30, in Park City, Utah.
The Zombies will be playing plenty of hits and fan favorites on the tour, along with some brand-new tunes. The band also will be selling a new CD/DVD package, Live from Studio Two, exclusively at the concerts. The release documents the group’s special 2021 performance at London’s Abbey Road Studios that premiered as a livestream event.
After being postponed from January 31, the 2022 Grammy Awards ceremony finally takes place this Sunday. Here’s a rundown of many of the veteran artists who will vie for honors:
AC/DC was nominated for three Grammys, while Paul McCartney received two nods.
The Australian hard rockers and the former Beatles legend both will compete for the Best Rock Album prize, for Power Up and McCartney III, respectively.
AC/DC also was nominated for the Best Rock Performance honor for “Shot in the Dark,” while the song’s video scored a nod in the Best Music Video category. McCartney also is in the running for Best Rock Song, for “Find My Way” from McCartney III.
Other veteran artists receiving Grammy nominations this year include ABBA, Jackson Browne, Los Lobos, Police drummer Stewart Copeland, Carole King, Steve Cropper and ex-Talking Heads frontman David Byrne.
ABBA is up for the Record of the Year for their new song “I Still Have Faith in You.” Browne and Los Lobos will vie for the Best Americana Album trophy for their respective records Downhill from Everywhere and Native Sons.
Copeland’s collaborative album with Ricky Kej, Divine Tides, is nominated for Best New Age Album. King received a Best Song Written for Visual Media nod for “Here I Am (Singing My Way Home),” which she co-wrote for the Aretha Franklin biopic Respect.
Cropper’s Fire It Up will compete for the Best Contemporary Blues Album honor.
Check out the full list of nominees at Grammy.com.
The Grammys airs live from Las Vegas at 8 p.m. ET on CBS, although many winners will be announced during the “Premiere Ceremony” event, which begins at 3:30 p.m. ET and will be streamed on the Recording Academy’s YouTube channel and on Live.Grammy.com.
Julian Lennonhas revealed the title of his forthcoming seventh studio album, Jude, which will be his first collection of new songs since 2011’s Everything Changes.
Julian, the older son of the late John Lennon, will release two advance tracks from Jude on April 8 — “Every Little Moment” and “Freedom.” The songs, which you can pre-save now, will be available on all streaming platforms.
The album’s title is a nod to the famous Beatles song “Hey Jude,” which Paul McCartney wrote to try to comfort five-year-old Julian following his parents’ separation. McCartney originally wrote the tune as “Hey Jules,” but changed the name because he preferred the way it sounded in the song.
“Many of these songs have been in the works for several years, so it almost feels like a coming-of-age album,” Julian explains of the new project. “With great respect for the overwhelming significance of the song written for me, the title Jude conveys the very real journey of my life that these tracks represent.”
Lennon co-produced Jude with his longtime guitarist Justin Clayton. The album will be released as part of Julian’s recently announced label deal with BMG.
