Get ready to swoon, ’90s kids: Debbie Gibson and New Kids on the Block member Joey McIntyre just dropped the official video for their duet version of Debbie’s 1989 number-one hit “Lost in Your Eyes.”
The video features the two former teen idols in the studio singing the romantic ballad, for which Debbie still holds the record as the youngest person to write, perform and produce a number-one hit. At the end, it cuts to Debbie and Joey onstage performing the song.
The “Lost in Your Eyes” duet is included on Debbie’s upcoming album The Body Remembers, which is her first collection of original material in 20 years.
As previously reported, Debbie and Joey will team for a limited engagement at The Sands Showroom in the Venetian Resort Las Vegas this August and September.
Bryan St. Pere, drummer for the ’90s rock band Hum, has died. He was 52, Pitchfork reports.
The surviving members of Hum revealed the sad news in a social media post Thursday, writing, “It is with very heavy hearts and tear filled eyes that we share the news that our beloved friend and bandmate, Bryan St. Pere, has passed away.”
The post does not disclose a cause of death, but his passing is described as “sudden and unexpected.”
“Bryan was a dear friend, a loving father, brother, and was an incredible person and musician,” the post reads. “We all feel extremely lucky to have shared time and space with him. Peace and love to all who knew Bryan, and those he touched. We will miss him dearly.”
Hum formed in the late ’80s, with St. Pere joining in 1990. They released four albums in the ’90s, including 1995’s You’d Prefer an Astronaut, which spawned the alternative rock radio hit “Stars.” The group went on hiatus in 2000 and reunited for sporadic performances over the years before returning in 2020 with a new album, Inlet.
Deftones frontman Chino Morenohas cited Hum as one of his influences.
Sammy Hagar‘s recently announced four-date Las Vegas residency taking place at The STRAT Theater on October 29-30 and November 5-6 is completely sold out, so the Red Rocker has lined up two additional shows at the venue, on November 12-13.
Tickets for the newly added concerts will go on sale to the general public this Saturday, July 3, at 10 a.m. PT via TheStrat.com. Members of Hagar’s fan club and The STRAT resort’s True Rewards program will be able to purchase pre-sale tickets beginning Friday, July 2, at 10 a.m. PT.
Hagar also has confirmed that more Vegas shows will be scheduled soon in 2022.
“Adding these shows so quickly makes me happier than anyone for the fans that didn’t get tickets the first time,” Sammy says. “This is exciting, we’re going to be doing this for a while.”
As previously reported, Hagar’s Las Vegas show, which has been dubbed Sammy Hagar & Friends, will feature the Red Rocker performing with a rotating cast of his musical pals, similar to the annual birthday bashes he’s known for throwing at his Cabo Wabo Cantina in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.
The first two concerts will feature Hagar playing with his current group The Circle, which also includes founding Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony, acclaimed rock drummer Jason Bonham and guitarist Vic Johnson of Sammy’s longtime backing band, The Wabos. Anthony and Johnson also are confirmed to perform with Hagar on November 5, 6, 12 and 13. Other special guests will be announced at a later date.
When Jimmie Allen heads out as an opening act for Brad Paisley’s headlining tour this summer, it’ll be a big deal for both artists. Not only is Brad a musical idol to Jimmie, but their duet, “Freedom Was a Highway,” is now rising at country radio.
This will be the first time Brad’s ever toured with an artist with whom he shared a current single, as the country veteran points out during a recent interview the two singers did together for Apple Music Country.
“I’ve never had a tour with the person I had a duet out with,” Brad reveals. “When Carrie [Underwood] and I had ‘Remind Me,’ she wasn’t on tour with me anymore. She was way bigger than that.”
The singer goes on to say that there have been other near misses where he almost shared the stage with a current duet partner, but the timing’s never quite worked out before.
“I’ve had songs with Dierks [Bentley], I’ve had songs with Alan Jackson, but I’ve never had them out on the road while I had that. And in this case, while [the song is] rising like this…we’ve got great entrances planned for you, you know what I mean?” Brad tells Jimmie.
“We’re gonna shoot him out of a cannon for the song,” he jokes.
Before they hit the road together, Jimmie and Brad will take the stage for Good Morning America’s Summer Concert Series on July 5. They’re part of a lineup of July 4th festivities that also includes a performance from Lady A.
Janet Jackson is one of 395 individuals who’ve been invited this year to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences — the folks who hand out the Oscars. If she accepts, she’ll get to vote on who wins them in the future.
The invitees have “distinguished themselves by their contributions to theatrical motion pictures,” the Academy notes, and are divided into different groups, such as actors, cinematographers, directors, makeup artists and hairstylists, and, in Janet’s case, music.
On the list of invitees, Janet is noted for two of her movies: Poetic Justice and Tyler Perry’s Why Did I Get Married Too? Janet starred in the latter and recorded the song “Nothing” for its soundtrack. She also starred in Poetic Justice and her hit “Again” was used as the film’s closing song. It received a Best Original Song nomination at the 1994 Oscar ceremony.
Among the other musicians invited to become Academy members this year is singer/songwriter H.E.R., who just won the Best Original Song Oscar this year for “Fight for You,” from Judas and the Black Messiah. The list also includes singer/songwriter Meshell Ndegeocello, Leslie Odom Jr. and Jon Batiste, who wrote the score to the animated film Soul.
In an attempt to make its membership more diverse, the Academy notes that 46% of this year’s invitees are women, and 39% are from “underrepresented ethnic/racial communities.”
As previously reported, Jimmy Buffett is among the artists taking part in the 2021 edition of PBS’ A Capitol Fourth television special. Now comes word about what the lauded singer/songwriter will be performing on the show.
Buffett will be singing folk legend Woody Guthrie‘s classic Americana tune “This Land Is Your Land” in a segment that was taped at a Southern California location overlooking the Pacific Ocean.
The performance also features two members of Buffett’s Coral Reefer Band — keyboardist Mike Utley and steel-drum player Robert Greenidge — and will be intercut with scenes of various American landmarks, including the Statue of Liberty, the Golden Gate Bridge and the Grand Canyon.
Written in 1940 and first recorded by Guthrie in 1944, “This Land is Your Land” was chosen in 2002 to be added to the Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry.
The 41st annual edition of the A Capitol Fourth special will be broadcast this Sunday, July 4, at 8 p.m. ET on PBS. The program also will stream on Facebook and YouTube as well as PBS’ website.
The special’s performance lineup also includes Gladys Knight, Train, Cynthia Erivo, Kermit the Frog, Alan Jackson, Pentatonix, Renée Fleming and many more.
Vanessa Williams will host the festivities but due to the pandemic, A Capitol Fourth will feature pre-recorded performances from stages all across the country, in lieu of the traditional concert on the U.S. Capitol’s West Lawn.
The show also will feature a live fireworks display over the D.C. skyline, as well as tributes to the men and women of the military and their families, and a salute to the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Teams ahead of this year’s Olympic Games in Tokyo.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has confirmed the news reported Wednesday by Page Six, that Bruce Springsteen, Paul Simon and Jennifer Hudson will be among the headliners of a huge concert held August 21 in the city’s Central Park to celebrate the post-COVID-19 reopening of the Big Apple.
Speaking about the event, apparently called the Central Park Homecoming Concert, at a press conference Thursday, de Blasio declared, “[I]t’s gonna be a great moment for the city marking our rebirth, marking our comeback, and it’s gonna be one of the greatest Central Park concerts in history.”
In revealing Springsteen’s participation in the show, the mayor noted, “He just did something amazing by bringing back his show on Broadway, and starting the Broadway rebirth. He is beloved in New York City in an extraordinary way, even though he happens to come from New Jersey — no one’s perfect — he is amazing, and I’ve loved his music from the first moment I heard it, and I know so many others have as well.”
Regarding Simon, de Blasio mentioned that the folk-rock legend played two previous historic concerts in Central Park, in 1981 — with Art Garfunkel — and 1991.
De Blasio promised that a full lineup and a lot more details about the show will be announced soon, adding “get ready for a concert for the ages and a big part of the rebirth of New York City and the summer of New York City.”
As previously reported, the massive concert is being organized by famed music mogul Clive Davis.
4th of July in New York City is BACK! Join me at City Hall as we get ready for this weekend’s celebrations.
Former Yes frontman Jon Anderson will return to touring for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic started last year, with a brief U.S. summer trek featuring the students of the Paul Green Rock Academy.
The 11-date outing will visit venues in the Northeast and Midwest, starting July 30 in Patchogue, New York, and winding down August 28 with a show in Woonsocket, Rhode Island.
The tour marks the relaunch of a tradition Anderson began in 2005, when he first hit the road with the young “all stars” of Green’s School of Rock.
The new tour will feature the 76-year-old Rock & Roll Hall of Famer performing with a backing band made up of 25 young musicians from the Paul Green Rock Academy. The concerts will feature Yes classics and deep cuts, songs from Anderson’s solo catalog, mash-ups and more, with lush arrangements including choral vocals, horns and other musical elements.
“I sang and toured with the Paul Green School of Rock many years ago,” says Anderson. “It was a miracle for me to join in with their young energy…and learn from them…Now here we are with the Paul Green Rock Academy…And again, their excitement and joy for making music really makes it all worthwhile…Plus they are a really talented bunch.”
He adds, “There is a future in music, and these young souls prove it every time I hear them sing and play…I know you will have a wonderful evening spending time with the future of rock ‘n’ roll.”
Here are all of Anderson’s upcoming dates with the Paul Green Rock Academy:
7/30 — Patchogue, NY, Patchogue Theater
8/1 — Salisbury, MA, Blue Ocean Music Hall
8/3 — Annapolis, MD, Rams Head on Stage
8/5 — Ridgefield, CT, Ridgefield Playhouse
8/7 — Phoenixville, PA, Colonial Theatre
8/9 — Ocean City, NJ, Ocean City Music Pier
8/19 — Des Plaines, IL, Des Plaines Theatre
8/21 — St. Charles, IL, Arcada Theatre
8/24 — Canton, OH, Palace Theatre
8/27 — Huntington, NY, Paramount Theatre
8/28 — Woonsocket, RI, Stadium Theater
Carlos Santana has curated a streaming compilation titled Splendiferous Santana that puts a spotlight on the music his famous band released during the last 20 years following the group’s massively successful 1999 album Supernatural.
ABC Audio exclusively reports that the playlist will premiere on Friday, July 2, and will be available via all major streaming platforms.
The Splendiferous playlist features songs from six different post-2000 Santana albums — nine tracks each from 2002’s Shaman and 2005’s All That I Am, three from 2007’s Ultimate Santana compilation, one from 2012’s Shapeshifter, six from the 2014 Spanish-language collection Corazón and two from 2019’s Africa Speaks.
“I always felt that [1970’s] Abraxas [album] and Supernatural got a lot of deep, hands-on hug[s], but…songs [from] these other albums not as much,” Carlos explains to ABC Audio. “So I wanted to gather them together and put ’em in a certain sequence, because when I listen to them…they give me courage, they give me joy, they give me hope, and they give me…[the] ingredients to have a delicious life.”
Carlos says he hopes that when people hear the playlist, they go, “This music makes me feel very grateful and happy to be alive.”
Among the songs Carlos chose are collaborations with an eclectic variety of singers and musicians, including Plácido Domingo, will.i.am, Macy Gray, Seal, Nickelback‘s Chad Kroeger, Metallica‘s Kirk Hammett, Tina Turner, Gloria Estefan and Aerosmith‘s Steven Tyler.
Reflecting on getting to work with such a diverse array of artists, Santana says, “I’m very, very grateful…At this point, I [look] at myself like one of those Swiss [Army knives]…In other words, with clarity, I am not a one trick pony.”
Here is the full Splendiferous Santana playlist:
“Novus” (featuring Plácido Domingo) — Shaman (2002)
“Eres La Luz” — Shape Shifter (2012)
“Aye Aye Aye” — Shaman (2002)
“Con Santana” (featuring Ismaila, Touré Kunda) — All That I Am (2005)
“Adouma” — Shaman (2002)
“El Fuego” — All That I Am (2005)
“Hermes” — All That I Am (2005)
“I Am Somebody” (featuring will.i.am) — All That I Am (2005)
“Saideira” (featuring Samuel Rosa) — Corazón (Deluxe Version) (2014)
“Mal Bicho” (featuring Los Fabulosos Cadillacs) — Corazón (2014)
“Da Tu Amor” — All That I Am (2005)
“Amoré (Sexo)” (featuring Macy Gray) — Shaman (2002)
“You Are My Kind” (featuring Seal) — Shaman (2002)
“Into the Night” (featuring Chad Kroeger) — Ultimate Santana (2007)
“Cry Baby Cry” (featuring Sean Paul, Joss Stone) — All That I Am (2005)
“Twisted” (featuring Anthony Hamilton) — All That I Am (2005)
“Nothing at All (featuring Musiq) — Shaman (2002)
“Sideways” (featuring Citizen Cope) — Shaman (2002)
“Hoy Es Adios” (featuring Alejandro Lerner) — Shaman (2002)
“Amor Correspondido” (featuring Diego Torres) — Corazón (Deluxe Version) (2014)
“Yo Me Lo Merezco” (featuring Buika) — Africa Speaks (2019)
“Trinity” (featuring Kirk Hammett) — All That I Am (2005)
“The Game of Love” (featuring Tina Turner) — Ultimate Santana (2007)
“Beijo de Longe” (featuring Gloria Estefan) — Corazón (2014)
“Margarita” (featuring Romeo Santos) — Corazón (2014)
“Brown Skin Girl” (featuring Bo Bice) — All That I Am (2005)
“Just Feel Better” (featuring Steven Tyler) — Ultimate Santana (2007)
“La Flaca” (featuring Juanes) — Corazón (2014)
“Candombe Cumbele” (featuring Buika) — Africa Speaks (2019)
“Victory Is Won” — Shaman (2002)
Wolfgang Van Halen, the son of late Van Halen icon Eddie Van Halen, is earning many fans of his own with his Mammoth WVH solo project. One of those fans is former Van Halen vocalist Sammy Hagar, who tells ABC Audio he’s been “shocked” by one particular aspect of Wolf’s sound.
“My most impressive thing isn’t the fact he played every instrument,” Hagar says. “That’s cool, that’s awesome, but he’s Eddie Van Halen’s son, hello? Eddie could play every instrument too, you know, so he was raised that way.”
“But, I love his voice,” the Red Rocker adds. “I think he’s a great singer, and being a singer myself, that was shocking to me.”
Hagar shares that he’s heard “about five songs” from the self-titled debut WVH album, which dropped earlier this month. With each one, he became more and more impressed with Wolf’s vocals.
“I loved his voice,” Hagar says. “Every song I’ve heard him sing, he’s got a sweet, soulful voice.”
In fact, Hagar implies that Van Halen would’ve been better off in the band’s later days if Wolf, who starting playing bass in the group in 2006, took over vocal duties as well from one David Lee Roth.
“He could’ve sang with the reunion tour with that Roth character,” Hagar says of Wolf. “He could’ve sang ‘Right Now,’ ‘Why Can’t This Be Love.’ He could’ve sang ‘Top of the World.'”
The Red Rocker adds, “Wolfie could’ve sang the songs. But I’m sure Diamond would’ve had no part of some guy on stage singing better than him.”
Wolf will be bringing his sweet, soulful voice on the road this summer and fall while opening for Guns N’ Roses. He’ll also be playing several headlining dates.
Hagar, meanwhile, just announced a Las Vegas residency, kicking off in October.
