Music – Page 755 – 105.7 WDNY

Elton John celebrates 35th ‘sobriety birthday’

July 30, 2025 by WDNY Radio

Elton John‘s birthday is in March, but on Tuesday he marked a milestone birthday of another sort.

“Grateful for all the love on my sobriety birthday,” the Rocket Man wrote on Instagram, alongside a photo of cards, drawings and flowers. July 29 marked his 35th year of sobriety. One card in the photo reads, “Happy 35th Birthday! We are so proud of you!” It’s signed by Elton’s husband, David Furnish, and their sons.

Another card says, “Congratulations on 35 years! We are immensely proud of you and wish you a lovely birthday today.” It’s signed “Your Rocket Family.” Rocket Entertainment is the name of Elton’s company.

Elton has been open about his substance abuse and other addictions in multiple interviews, as well as in his autobiography, Me. He sought help, joining Alcoholics Anonymous and going to rehab, finally getting clean in 1990. In his book, he estimated he’d attended some 1,400 support group meetings. He’s gone on to help other celebrities get sober, including Eminem and Donatella Versace.

Jack White announces last-minute Nashville concerts

July 30, 2025 by WDNY Radio

Jack White is playing two last-minute concerts in Nashville Wednesday.

The performances will take place at 6:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. in the Blue Room, the tiny venue inside White’s Third Man Records store. Tickets are already sold out.

White played a number of surprise pop-up shows in 2024 in support of his latest solo album, No Name. He embarked on a full, properly announced tour behind the record in 2025.

White has several festival performances coming up, including Riot Fest, Bourbon & Beyond and the CBGB Festival.

For charity auction, Queen’s John Deacon signs first memorabilia since 1997

July 30, 2025 by WDNY Radio

Queen bass player John Deacon dropped out of the spotlight after he retired in 1997, but he’s now reemerged to take part in a charity auction coming up in September.

The Official Freddie Mercury Birthday Party, an annual charity event organized by the Mercury Phoenix Trust, is taking place Sept. 6 in Montreux, Switzerland. A silent auction will be held for a copy of the band’s classic album A Night at the Opera, signed by Deacon, guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor. The money raised will go toward HIV/AIDS awareness.

According to the Mercury Phoenix Trust website, you don’t have to attend the party to enter a bid, but you do have to physically submit it at the Montreux Casino, where Queen’s Mountain Studios were formerly located and where the party is being held.

As per NME, this is the first time that Deacon has signed memorabilia since 1997.

In 2023, May told The Guardian that despite his retirement, Deacon was “still very much a part of Queen.”

“If we have any major decision, business wise, it’s always run past John,” May said.

Metallica expands blood drive initiative with Give Where You Live campaign

July 30, 2025 by WDNY Radio

During Metallica‘s 2025 M72 tour, the band teamed up with the American Red Cross to set up blood drives around cities on the itinerary. Now, the metal legends are expanding the initiative nationwide with the Give Where You Live campaign.

If you sign up to participate in any Red Cross blood drive in the U.S. now through Feb. 28, 2026, you’ll receive a limited-edition Red Cross-themed Metallica T-shirt, while supplies last. You’ll also be automatically entered to win an ESP Snakebyte guitar featuring exclusive artwork and autographs by each Metallica band member.

For more info, visit RedCrossBlood.org/Metallica.

“Throughout the U.S. run of M72 shows, fans donated more than 2,000 units of blood and platelets!” Metallica says. “Each blood donation can help save more than one life; the Metallica Family is giving back and saving lives!”

Jonas Brothers to livestream five of their upcoming tour dates

July 30, 2025 by WDNY Radio

If you can’t score tickets to the Jonas Brothers’ upcoming tour, you’ll have a chance to see them perform without ever leaving your couch.

The group has inked a deal with Samsung TV Plus to livestream five of their concerts from the JONAS 20: Greetings From Your Hometown tour.

According to Samsung, the livestream will also feature a “surprise host” with interviews and commentary, immersive backstage access and “hometown tributes” from Joe, Kevin and Nick.

“This tour is about celebrating where we came from and sharing that with the fans who’ve been with us every step of the way,” Jonas Brothers said in a statement. “Streaming it live on Samsung TV Plus means we get to include every fan, everywhere. No matter where you are, this is your hometown show.”

The shows will premiere on Samsung Television Network, the platform’s newly launched flagship channel, starting on Aug. 10 with their East Rutherford, New Jersey, concert. The livestream dates also include their Aug. 31 show in Dallas, the Oct. 12 show Milwaukee, the Oct. 26 show Orlando and the Nov. 9 show in Buffalo, New York.

Julian Casablancas’ The Voidz releases new EP, ‘Męğż Øf Råm’

July 30, 2025 by WDNY Radio

The Strokes frontman Julian Casablancas has released a new EP with his side project, The Voidz.

The four-track set is called Męğż Øf Råm and is out now via digital platforms. It includes the previously released single “Blue Demon,” plus new songs called “Unholy Lover,” “Russian Coney Island” and “Drifto.”

Męğż Øf Råm follows The Voidz’s 2024 album, Like All Before You.

The most recent Strokes album is 2020’s The New Abnormal.

On This Day, July 30, 1988: Steve Winwood hit #1 with ‘Roll With It’

July 30, 2025 by WDNY Radio

On This Day, July 30, 1988 …

Former Traffic star Steve Winwood topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart with “Roll With It,” the title track from his fifth studio album.

The track spent four weeks in the top spot and was one of two #1 hits Winwood would have during his solo career. The other was “Higher Love,” which topped the chart in August 1986.

While Winwood wrote “Roll With It” with Will Jennings, the performing rights organization BMI later gave the Motown songwriting team of Holland-Dozier-Holland – Lamont Dozier and brothers Brian Holland and Eddie Holland – credit, due to the song’s similarity to “(I’m a) Roadrunner,” which they wrote for Junior Walker.

“Roll With It” went on to earn Grammy nominations for record of the year and best male pop vocal performance. The album was also nominated for album of the year.

Riley Green wanted to be more romantic in the ‘Worst Way,’ but then he hesitated

July 30, 2025 by WDNY Radio

When you think of Riley Green‘s latest #1, “Worst Way,” its steamy video starring the athlete from Alabama probably comes to mind.

Although Riley wrote it in an attempt to be more romantic, once it was done, he was hesitant.

“I just think I write a lot of sad songs, you know, and a lot of ballad, story type songs,” he tells ABC Audio. “And I just don’t have a lot of love songs. I thought, ‘Man, I need to really try to dig into that.'”

“So I wrote it and I remember sitting on it for a while,” he reveals. “Kinda like, ‘I don’t know,’ and finally cut it and it just, it raised its hand and became a big hit for me.”

Riley also made a memorable video for a very different song on the Don’t Mind If I Do album, “Jesus Saves.” He wrote it after an interaction with an unhoused man got him thinking.

“There’s a lot of topics in that song that are real-life situations,” he says. “And when you listen to it, you kinda follow that story of this guy. It’ll tug at you a little bit, man. It does me anyway.”

Riley continues on the Damn Country Music Tour this summer, before heading overseas for eight sold-out shows in the U.K. and Ireland this fall.

Wiz Khalifa releases music video for ‘Red Eye’

July 30, 2025 by WDNY Radio

Enter the world of a stoner in Wiz Khalifa‘s new music video for “Red Eye.”

Directed by Jo Lenz and Torin “ODB” Harris, the clip finds Wiz performing in front of a small band and hanging out with a group of women partying and smoking his Khalifa Kush.

“Always getting to the point, always rolling up a joint/ Always able to supply what they wantin,'” he raps. “Always staying on my grind, this ain’t comfort/ Wanted kush, make sure they got what they come for.”

The music video ends with each person at the table turning into a different mammal.

“Red Eye” appears on Wiz’s latest album, Kush + Orange Juice 2, the sequel to his 2010 mixtape.

He’s currently on the road with Sean Paul as part of his Good Vibes Only Tour: Smoker’s Edition.

Grahame Lesh talks celebrating the Grateful Dead & more with The Heart of Town shows

July 30, 2025 by WDNY Radio

Grahame Lesh is hosting a three-night concert series, The Heart of Town, to help celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Grateful Dead.

Lesh’s shows, taking place July 31-Aug. 2 at San Francisco’s Pier 48, coincide with Dead & Company’s three-night stand at Golden Gate Park Aug. 1-3. Lesh tells ABC Audio the weekend is about celebrating more than just the band’s music.

“The Grateful Dead is so all-encompassing,” Lesh, son of the late Grateful Dead bassist Phil Lesh, says. “I think every aspect of the weekend is going to celebrate some aspect of the band.”

He adds, “It’s just become this whole Bay Area wide celebration of the band, of the music, of the community and, you know, of the area honestly, of the city itself.”

Artists on board to celebrate The Dead’s legacy include Taylor Goldsmith and Griffin Goldsmith of Dawes, John Medeski and Duane Betts, with Lesh noting it wasn’t hard to find artists who’ve been influenced by The Dead.

“That sort of like just opens up this whole world of people who love to play this music or love to play adjacent music or any sort of thing like that,” he says.

Lesh says his main goal with The Heart of Town is to put on a great show, but he hopes fans leave grasping the “breadth and the depth” of the Grateful Dead’s music and its community.

And when it comes to the set, fans may be in for some surprises.

“I’m planning to play some Dead songs that I’m sure Dead & Co. is not going to do,” Lesh says. “There’s so much … they couldn’t get it all in to three nights either.”

The Heart of the Town is presented by San Francisco Giants and Relix, and produced by Terrapin Station Entertainment and Dayglo Presents. More info can be found at mlb.com.

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