If you feel the need to Power Up with alcohol, AC/DC‘s got you covered.
The band has teamed with the high-end collectible company KnuckleBonz and the CaliCraft Brewing Company to introduce two new beers: AC/DC PWR UP Juicy IPA and AC/DC TNT Double IPA. They’ll be coming to select retail outlets in mid-September, but you can pre-order them now; depending on where you live, direct-to-consumer shipping starts July 26.
The 6.6% ABV PWR UP Juicy IPA is inspired by AC/DC’s most recent album, and features “massive flavors of bright passionfruit, ripe peaches, and juicy mandarin.” The TNT Double IPA is 8.2% ABV, and is described as “big and bold,” with flavors of “fresh cut grapefruit, sweet mango, and fresh pine.”
If you happen to be in California, there is a series of release events for the beers on July 23, 24 and 25 at the CaliCraft Brewing Company at 2700 Mitchell Dr. in Walnut Creek, CA.
CaliCraft says that AC/DC had final approval over all the details of the beer, including the designs on the cans, and these two brews are the first in what will be a series of AC/DC-branded beers.
The next Verzuz will see The Lox and Dipset go hit for hit at Madison Square Garden.
On Wednesday, it was announced that the the legendary hip-hop groups would face-off on Tuesday, August 3 at the iconic indoor arena.
“NYC stand up this one is for the history books,” the Instagram post read.
Presumably, all members of both groups will be hitting the stage for the experience. Dipset is comprised of rappers Cam’ron, Jim Jones, Juelz Santana, and Freekey Zeekey, while Jadakiss, Styles P, and Sheek Louch make up The Lox.
Tickets to view the event live in person will be available Thursday, July 15 at 12 p.m. EST at MSG.com. Fans can also stream the event live on the Triller app and on the Verzuz Instagram Live.
Buckcherry is the latest band to change their touring plans due to the presence of COVID-19 in their inner circle.
On Wednesday, the band posted a note reading, “We just discovered that two of our band members have tested positive for COVID-19. Out of an abundance of caution and for the safety of all involved, we will be canceling all shows until July 30th in Columbus to allow them to recover and to quarantine.”
The “Lit Up” band went on to say that “the safety of our fans is of the utmost importance to us and we will use every effort to reschedule the 9 shows prior to that date.” Fans are advised to hold onto their tickets until the new dates are announced.
It’s not clear which members of Buckcherry have been affected. The canceled shows run from a July 16 date in Joplin, MO through a July 25 concert in Cincinnati, OH.
Buckcherry’s latest album, Hellbound, was released last month.
Bastille has teamed with Jeep to showcase a new song, “Give Me the Future.”
The song is featured in a video for the automaker’s latest campaign, Life Electrified, which shows the evolution of Jeep over the past 80 years and all the new technology the brand’s vehicles will be featuring in the coming years. And if you need another reason to watch it, there’s also an adorable dog featured in the video.
Bastille frontman Dan Smith says “Give Me the Future” is about “plugging into endless possibilities,” adding, “Literally, it feels like everything is out there for the taking, all tastes catered for.”
Smith goes on to say that the spaceship sound at the start of the track is “us crash landing in the future.” He explains, “The reality we live in at the moment was the science fiction of not that long ago. Take a film like Minority Report. The technology in that seemed so far off, a fantasy. But it’s here, we’re way beyond it already. Had someone told you that 20 years ago, when the film came out…you’d have laughed. Or been terrified.”
“Give Me the Future” is the follow up to Bastille’s latest single, “Distorted Light Beam,” which was co-written and co-produced by Ryan Tedder of the pop group OneRepublic. Bastille will perform on ABC’s Good Morning America on August 23.
Judas Priest fans have another thing comin’: a massive box set that includes every official live and studio album the heavy metal icons ever released, plus 13 discs of unreleased material.
Judas Priest: 50 Heavy Metal Years, due out October 15, includes photos signed by band members Rob Halford, Glenn Tipton, Ian Hill, Richie Faulkner and Scott Travis, as well as a numbered British Steel metal razor blade — which has been blunted, of course — plus replica tour programs and posters.
The albums span from 1974’s debut Rocka Rolla to 2018’s Firepower. Also included are the concert albums Unleashed in the East, Priest…Live!, ’98 Live Meltdown, Live in London and A Touch of Evil Live.
The unreleased material includes numerous newly restored live sets: Live in Atlanta ’82, Live in Houston ’86, Live at the Mudd Club ’79, Live in New Haven ’88, Los Angeles ’90, London ’81, Denver ’80 and Irvine ’91. Plus, there are two albums’ worth of demos and various live tracks recorded over the years. All in all, you’ll get 42 discs.
You can pre-order the set now at JudasPriestStore.com: It’ll set you back $480. If your pockets aren’t that deep, you can get Reflections –– a collection of highlights from the box — on vinyl for 40 bucks, or on CD for $12.
The set is being released as the band gears up to finally celebrate its 50th anniversary with a U.S. tour this fall. The metal god himself, Rob Halford, describes the project as “the ultimate treasure trove defining the bands unwavering commitment to keeping and defending the heavy metal faith.”
Here’s the track list for the Reflections highlights package:
“Let Us Prey/ Call for the Priest”
“You Don’t Have to Be Old to Be Wise”
“Fever”
“Eat Me Alive”
“All Guns Blazing”
“Never the Heroes”
“Dissident Aggressor” (Live)
“Out in the Cold” (Live)
“Judas Priest – Running Wild” (Live)
“Victim of Changes” (Live) — May 9, 1978, Cleveland, OH, Agora Theatre*
“The Green Manalishi (with the Two Pronged Crown)” (Live) — Point of Entry Worldwide Blitz Tour, November 21, 1981, London, U.K., Foundations Forum – Hammersmith Odeon*
“Bloodstone” (Live) — Screaming for Vengeance World Vengeance Tour, December 11, 1982, Atlanta, GA, The Omni*
“The Ripper” (Live) — July 12, 1991, Irvine, CA, Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre*
“Beyond the Realms of Death” (Live) — Killing Machine Hell Bent for Leather Tour, March 11, 1979, New York, NY, The Mudd Club*
“The Hellion/Electric Eye” (Live) — Turbo Fuel for Life Tour, June 21, 1986, Houston, TX, The Summit*
“Sinner” (Live) — Ram It Down Mercenaries of Metal Tour, August 7, 1988, New Haven, CT, New Haven Veterans Memorial Coliseum*
Jeff LaBar, lead guitarist for the hair-metal band Cinderella, has died. He was 58.
His son, Sebastian, confirmed his father’s death on Instagram and shared a slew of family photos in the emotional tribute.
“So i just got the call… @jefflabar , my father, my hero, my idol, passed away today,” he wrote Wednesday. “I’m currently at a loss for words. I love you pop!”
Sebastian added, “If you could, please share pictures or video of all the fun times we all had with my dad. It would be greatly appreciated.”
Gaile LaBar-Bernhardt, LaBar’s ex wife, said in a separate statement to TMZ that LaBar was found deceased in his Nashville home. A cause of death has not been revealed.
According to LaBar-Bernhardt, she went to check on her ex-husband after no one heard from him in a few days.
LaBar’s Cinderella band mates — frontman Tom Keifer, bassist Eric Brittingham and drummer Fred Coury — issued joint statement paying homage to him.
“Heavy hearts cannot begin to describe the feeling of losing our brother Jeff,” the musicians say. “The bond between us over decades of creating music and touring the world is something that we as a band uniquely shared. Those memories with Jeff will be forever alive in our hearts. It’s unimaginable that one of our band brothers has left us. We’re sending his wife Debinique, his son Sebastian, family, and friends our deepest condolences.”
Pitbull is the latest celebrity to speak out about the ongoing crisis in Cuba. In an emotionally charged message to fans on Wednesday, he called upon Amazon founder Jeff Bezos to “step up” and help.
“This is a message for the world,” the Cuban-American singer addressed via Instagram. “We need to stand up, step up — but if you don’t understand what’s going on — you need to wake the f*** up.”
Cuba, which is going through its worst economic crisis in decades, is experiencing one of its largest anti-government demonstrations in recent history, with thousands protesting rising prices, food and medicine shortages amid the COVID-19 pandemic, and persistent blackouts.
Cuba’s government stoked tensions further by deploying armed forces into the streets.
“This isn’t about politics — this is about saving lives… bottom line, this is about taking action,” the Grammy winner said before revealing he is unable to send aid to his home country.
“It frustrates me… Being a Cuban American and having a platform to speak to the world and not being able to help my own people. Not being able to get them food, not being able to get them water, not being able to get them medicine,” he said, explaining that he is most frustrated that he can’t give Cubans what they deserve, which he says is “freedom.”
Pitbull then issued a call to action on global businesses to get involved and raise awareness before he singled out Bezos, who has Cuban ties.
“Jeff Bezos, Cuban-American, graduated from a high school in Miami, built one of the biggest companies in the world. The richest man in the world. He’s somebody that can get involved and really help us,” the rapper said.
He closed out his video telling his fellow Cubans to “keep the fight up.”
Foo Fighters announced on Wednesday that they’re postponing Saturday’s show at the Forum in Los Angeles due to a confirmed case of COVID-19 “within the Foo Fighters organization.”
The announcement, shared on the band’s official Twitter page, notes they came to the decision “out of an abundance of caution and concern for the safety of the band, crew and most of all the fans.”
Tickets for the show will be honored at a rescheduled date, which has yet to be announced.
Foo Fighters are set to head out on their 26th anniversary tour, which was rescheduled from their planned 25th anniversary tour for 2020.
Last month, the band headlined New York City’s Madison Square Garden, marking the famed arena’s first full-capacity in-person concert since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020.
Britney Spears is so happy, she’s doing cartwheels — literally.
On Wednesday, the 39-year-old songstress took to Instagram to post a video of herself horseback riding and doing cartwheels in the grass. Alongside the post, which was fittingly set to KT Tunstall‘s “Black Horse and the Cherry Tree,” she wrote, “Coming along, folks … coming along [middle finger emoji]!!!!!”
“New with real representation today … I feel GRATITUDE and BLESSED,” Britney continued. “Thank you to my fans who are supporting me … You have no idea what it means to me be supported by such awesome fans !!!! God bless you all !!!!!”
She concluded, “Pssss this is me celebrating by horseback riding and doing cartwheels today,” adding #FreeBritney.
The post comes after the court approved Britney’s request to appoint high-powered attorney Mathew S. Rosengart as her new legal counsel on Wednesday for her conservatorship case.
Britney’s boyfriend, Sam Asghari, as well as celebrities Ariana Grande, Jersey Shore’s Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi and thousands of fans showered the “Stronger” singer with support in the comments section of the post.
“YOU ARE SO VERY LOVED AND SUPPORTED,” Ari commented.
Nile Rodgers enjoyed reuniting with his legendary band CHICfor their first performance in over a year during last month’s Juneteenth Unityfest. The guitarist, songwriter and producer says he appreciates being a founder of the legendary pop-disco group, whose music transcends various musical genres.
“We play funky dance music. We started in the late ’70s. Even though CHIC had a very short run in just those two years, every single record we put out was a minimum of gold,” he tells ABC Audio. “And then after we had our first gold record, every record after that was platinum and multiple platinum, every single one.”
Among the hits Rodgers and CHIC co-founder Bernard Edwards crafted were “Dance, Dance, Dance,” and “Good Times,” the latter of which was a major inspiration for The Sugarhill Gang‘s classic “Rapper’s Delight.”
“‘Good Times’ went to number-one, but after that, we never had another number-one record. But my career kept going, because we were already signed with Diana Ross,” Rodgers explains. “We wound up making the biggest Diana Ross record ever.
After CHIC disbanded in the 1980s, Rodgers says he went on to produce a string of major hits for a variety of other artists. “I wound up making the biggest David Bowie record ever. Then the biggest Duran Duran record. Then the biggest Madonna record. Then the biggest INXS record,” he declares.
Looking back over his last 30 years in the music industry, Rodgers says it’s been “a great career,” but he expects to have more hits on the way.
“I look at it as being very fortunate and being lucky,” he adds.
