Big Rig ROCK Report 3.27

FLEETWOOD MAC: Mick and Lindsey in the Studio

Lindsey Buckingham and Mick Fleetwood might not be in the same band anymore, but that doesn't mean the two friends can't still work together. Swedish songwriter and producer Carl Falk, who's been working with Fleetwood on a new solo album, posted photos of Buckingham and Fleetwood in the studio together recently. Falk wrote, "Slightly unreal moment to sit with Lindsey Buckingham and Mick Fleetwood to play Lindsey the album we have been working on. And to see his genuine happiness for Mick to finally do his own album and offering to play guitar and to sing on it. Can’t wait to finish this one." Falk also posted a photo of Buckingham with a guitar in the studio. And Buckingham wasn't the only recent guest in the studio -- Adam Granduciel of The War on Drugs was also playing some guitar on another track.

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN: Made Guy Playing Dad Cry

Actor Stephen Graham, who plays Bruce Springsteen's father Douglas in the upcoming bio-pic Deliver Me From Nowhere, said that Springsteen texting him about his performance in the film left him in tears. Graham told the Soundtracking with Edith Bowan podcast that he'd wrapped shooting on the film and was heading to the airport when Springsteen sent him one of “the most gorgeous texts I’ve ever had in my life... It said, ‘Thank you so much. You know, my father passed away a while ago and I felt like I saw him today and thank you for giving me that memory.'" Graham added, “I was crying reading the text, do you know what I mean? Oh mate, it was beautiful. You couldn’t ask for anything more, you know, to share that with someone was gorgeous. He’s a lovely man." Deliver Me From Nowhere is due out later this year.

ZZ TOP: Mississippi Honor

The Delta Blues Museum in Clarksdale, Mississippi will honor ZZ Top on April 9th as part of its annual Muddy Waters Month celebration. This is the first fundraising event in an anticipated series saluting musicians influenced by the blues, demonstrating the power of blues music and how it lives on in disparate genres. Billy Gibbons will represent ZZ and will take part in a Q&A with the Delta Blues Museum’s “Blues Ambassador,” singer, harmonica player and Delta native Charlie Musselwhite. They will discuss the life and legacy of Muddy Waters and his enduring influence on music. In the late '80s, ZZ Top gifted the Delta Blues Museum with a guitar fabricated from a cypress timber that had fallen from the roof of the “shotgun shack” childhood home of Muddy on nearby Stovall Farm. The guitar, dubbed “Muddywood” has been part of the Delta Blues Museum’s collection ever since. ZZ's tour hits Tifton, Georgia later today (Wednesday).

Gene Simmons Defends Charging $12-Thousand To Be His Assistant For A Day

Last week, we learned you could be Gene Simmons' personal assistant for a day...for the low, low price of just $12-thousand. While some KISS fans may see that as a bargain at twice the price, others see it as just another in a long line of money grabs for the KISS bassist. Gene, however, sees it differently. In an interview with the "New York Post" Simmons explained, "When I was a kid and went to see shows, I was always curious, ‘What’s it like when they’re in a hotel? What’s it like when the stage is set up? What’s it like being onstage when they’re performing and seeing the audience from the stage?' I decided, ‘You know what, nobody’s ever done it. Why not open the idea to be my personal roadie for the day?'" So what does the "assistant" get? Breakfast with the legend, and "You ride with me to the gig. You can set up amplifiers and drums to your heart’s content. You’re onstage, right offstage to my right. You can video the crowds, whatever. And I pull you onstage to sing a song with me," said Simmons. Whoever signs up to be his "personal assistant" will also receive a bass signed Simmons. 

SEBASTIAN BACH, JOEY BELLADONNA, DEE SNIDER, NANCY WILSON Among Musicians On 'Magic Power: All Star Tribute To Triumph'

A new tribute album, "Magic Power: An All-Star Tribute to Triumph," featuring musicians like Slash, Sebastian Bach, and Nancy Wilson, will be released June 6th. The album, produced by Mike Clink, includes covers of Triumph's classic tracks performed by a talented lineup of artists including Dorothy, Dee Snider, Sebastian Bach, Nancy Wilson, Mickey Thomas, Joey Belladonna, Slash and more. Other names appearing on the 15 tracks include famed drummers Kenny Aronoff and Tommy Aldridge, and guitarists Bumblefoot, Paul Gilbert and

Nita Strauss. Fans can pre-order the album on CD and 2-LP vinyl through Triumph's official merch site at triumphmusic.com. The track list includes:

 

1.Rock & Roll Machine – Sebastian Bach

2.Magic Power – Joey Belladonna

3.Lay It on the Line – Dee Snider

4.Somebody’s Out There – Lawrence Gowan

5.Never Surrender – Deen Castronovo

6.Hold On – Jeff Keith

7.Fight the Good Fight – Nancy Wilson

8.Follow Your Heart – Jack Blades

AEROSMITH Bassist TOM HAMILTON's New Band CLOSE ENEMIES Announces Third Single, More Tour Dates

AEROSMITH bassist Tom Hamilton's new band CLOSE ENEMIES is set to release its third single, "Sweet Baby Jesus," on April 11. The band includes members Trace Foster, Peter Stroud, Tony Brock, and Chasen Hampton. CLOSE ENEMIES recently released its debut single, "Sound Of A Train," and a second single, "Inside Out," to positive reception. The band formed two years ago and is gearing up for a series of live shows.

Pat Benatar Reveals "Violent" Episode In Recording Studio

Pat Benatar is admitting that conflicts with her record label once led her to throw a stool through a recording studio glass window. Benatar says it happened shortly after she had her first child. Speaking on "The Magnificent Others with Billy Corgan," Benatar said her contract with Chrysalis Records called for "an album every nine months."She said her label "didn't care" that she had just given birth, "it was time to go back into the studio...chop chop." Stool through window notwithstanding, she went on to finish her 1985 album "Seven the Hard Way." She said after that, she scaled back recording to put more focus on being a mom.Benatar and husband Neil Giraldo had a second daughter in 1994.

Rare showcase tape of The Beatles discovered in Canada after over 60 years 'lost'

A rare audition tape recorded by The Beatles in 1962 has been discovered in a Vancouver record store. The demo, labeled ‘Beatles 60s Demos,’ was found by the store owner, Rob Frith, who initially thought it was a bootleg. The tape features a young Beatles, including Pete Best on drums, performing for Decca Records in London. Frith has offered a copy to Decca for release and extended an invitation to Paul McCartney to visit Neptoon Records to receive it personally.

John Lennon once said he wasn't 'man enough' to give wife Yoko Ono credit for co-writing 'Imagine'

A new book suggests that Yoko Ono may have actually prolonged the life of the Beatles and John Lennon himself. The book reveals that Ono accompanied Lennon to the sessions that resulted in the final Beatles albums, providing him with the support he needed. Ono's childhood in Japan, marked by emotional poverty and the devastation of World War II, influenced her avant-garde art and relationship with Lennon. The couple's partnership led to Lennon's hit song "Imagine," which was inspired by Ono's philosophy and conceptual art. Lennon acknowledged Ono's significant contribution to the song, admitting that it could never have been written without her.

Garbage Announces 2025 Tour Dates

90s kids get ready. Garbage has announced their "Happy Endings" tour ahead of the May 30th release of their upcoming album, "Let All That We Imagine Be The Light." The trek marks the first US headlining tour for the band in over a decade. The 31-date tour will kick off September 3 in Orlando, Florida, and wind through most of the US before wrapping up in Phoenix, Arizona on November 2. See the first ten dates of the tour below, and visit the band's website for more tour and ticket information. Tickets go on sale next Friday, April 4.

September 3 - Orlando, FL - Hard Rock Café

September 5 - Pompano Beach, FL - Pompano Beach Amphitheatre

September 6 - St Petersburg, FL - Jannus Live

September 8 - Atlanta, GA - The Eastern

September 10 - Nashville, TN - The Pinnacle

September 12 - Cleveland, OH - Agora Theatre

September 13 - Detroit, MI - Masonic Cathedral Theatre

September 16 - Philadelphia, PA - Franklin Music Hall

September 17 - Washington, DC - The Anthem

September 18 - Boston, MA - Roadrunner

IN OTHER NEWS

Stevie Nicks will be inducted into the Pollstar Live Music Hall of Fame at the 36th annual Pollstar Awards April 16th in Los Angeles. Pollstar is a concert industry publication.

A Paul McCartney Royal Mint gold coin signed by him brought in $600,000, making it one of the most valuable modern British coins ever sold. Stack’s Bowers Galleries handled the auction, which also had four silver coins. The entire auction brought in a total of $753,600.

Eric Clapton plays on two songs on Father & Son, the debut album by his bassist Nathan East and his son, Noah East. It will be out on April 18th.

Sting will headline the inaugural Mexican Caribbean Music Festival on May 17th at Zamna in Tulum, Mexico. The festival is free, but everyone attending needs a ticket.

Dee Snider of Twisted Sister isn't happy that KISS are doing a non-makeup show in Las Vegas in November. He tweeted, "14 months since their last farewell. That may be a new record for them. I can’t believe people still put up with their [crap]. To me it’s insulting.”