New Papa Roach Arrives "Braindead"
According to Jacoby Shaddix, "We wanted to create something that felt urgent, honest, and in your face — and bringing Toby in took it to the next level. This song is a call to wake up before it's too late."
In a recent interview with Skratch N' Sniff, Shaddix stated about the progress of the songwriting and recording sessions for the follow-up to PAPA ROACH's 2022 album "Ego Trip": "We've got about five, six songs finished up. We don't have a release date yet [for the record]. We just wanna get this one perfect before we drop it. But fans can expect new music throughout the year. Actually, after I go in the studio, I'll jump back down to L.A. We're shooting a music video for a brand new single we're gonna drop in the middle of June, and so that's coming up right around the corner. And that one's a fucking banger, dude. I'm so excited about this next song."
Billie Joe Armstrong Halts Concert To Confront Misbehaving Fan
Green Day vocalist Billie Joe Armstrong stopped the band’s set at Germany’s Hurricane Festival on Sunday when he saw a fan spraying him with a water gun. Video on TikTok shows the 53-year-old turning the mic to the crowd, then pulling off his guitar, crouching at the stage edge, and yelling at the person before putting the guitar back on. The clip says the fan kept shooting water at his face throughout the show. Armstrong finished the song once the spray stopped. Fans online say the pause was fair because water and amps don’t mix. It’s not clear if the guest was thrown out or faces any penalty.
STEVE VAN ZANDT: Sidelined on A Street
Bruce Springsteen is down a guitarist as Steve Van Zandt has undergone surgery for
appendicitis. Van Zandt says, "Got a sharp pain in my stomach, thought it was food poisoning, turned out to be appendicitis. Got lucky with an exceptional hospital in San Sebastian, Spain. Operation was a complete success and I'm hoping to get back on stage for at least one of the shows in Milan. Thank you all for all the good vibes. See you soon." Fortunately for Springsteen, the show goes on as Van Zandt's replacement in 1984, Nils Lofgren, the best guitarist, if not overall musician in The E Street Band, is still on board. The latest show was last night (Tuesday) in San Sebastian, Spain.
BILLY JOEL: AND SO IT GOES Documentary Sets HBO Premiere
Billy Joel fans can look forward to two nights with the piano man in July as HBO announces the premiere dates for its two-part documentary, Billy Joel: And So It Goes. The documentary, directed and produced by Susan Lacy and Jessica Levin, offers an in-depth look at the iconic musician's life and work, featuring exclusive interviews and never-before-seen performances. The documentary explores Joel's journey from his childhood on Long Island to his monumental successes in the music industry, shedding light on the complexities of his life and the inspirations behind his music. Despite Joel's recent health concerns, the filmmakers assure fans he is on the path to recovery and will be back.
SIMPLE MINDS: A Lot More Time
Simple Minds are reissuing Once Upon a Time for its 40th anniversary on October 17th.
There's a five CD box set that includes the original album, two discs of B-sides, rarities and extended mixes, and the full Live In the City of Light concert album, which was released in 1987, on two discs. The set also contains a 36-page booklet with rare photos, interviews and a track-by-track guide from Jim Kerr and Charlie Burchill. There's also a limited-edition red vinyl edition that adds "Don't You (Forget About Me)" to the end of the album and comes in a gatefold sleeve featuring Anton Corbijn’s photo of the band at Live Aid. Once Upon a Time was released in the U.S. on October 22nd, 1985 and peaked at number-10 on the Billboard 200. It spun off three hits -- the Top 5 single "Alive and Kicking" and two Top 30 hits -- "Sanctify Yourself" and "All the Things She Said."
Billy Idol Announces Three Classic Albums Are Getting Vinyl Reissues
If you're an audiophile and a Billy Idol fan, we have good news. Three landmark albums from his vaults, 1986's "Whiplash Smile," 1990's "Charmed Life," and 1981's "Don’t Stop" EP, will be released on vinyl, in a number of special editions. "Don't Stop" was the table-setter for Idol's hit "White Wedding," with early versions of "Mony Mony" and "Dancing With Myself." "Whiplash Smile" contained hits like "To Be A Lover," "Don't Need A Gun" and "Sweet Sixteen." "Charmed Life" featured "Cradle of Love" and "L.A. Woman." All three vinyl reissues will be available August 15th.
40th Anniversary Replay Of "Live Aid" To Air In July
The 40th anniversary of Live Aid is just weeks away and you'll be able to listen to a replay of the iconic benefit concert. Live Aid was the brainchild of former Boomtown Rats frontman Bob Geldof, whose foundation the Band Aid Charitable Trust raised millions of dollars for famine relief in Ethiopia. Live Aid took place on July 13th, 1985 at Wembley Stadium in London and JFK Stadium in Philadelphia. Performers included superstars such as David Bowie, U2, Queen, Eric Clapton, Billy Joel, Santana and Stevie Wonder. Phil Collins performed at Wembley, then flew across the Atlantic and performed at JFK."Live Aid Relived" will air on July 13th on "Greatest Hits Radio," which is available online.
BOB DYLAN: One More Cup of Coffee ... Table Book
Last month, actor Sean Penn, who narrated the abridged audiobook version of Bob Dylan's 2004 memoir, Chronicles: Volume One, said he's "about to do" the audiobook for "the second one." Well, it turns out the "second one" is the unabridged version. The news comes as publisher Simon & Schuster has announced that it will publish a second book of his drawings.
Point Blank (Quick Studies), a coffee table book of black-and-white drawings he did between 2021 and 2022, will be published on November 18th. It contains close to 100 portraits and landscapes, including images of roller skaters, a suspension bridge, a karaoke singer, a Parisian canal, a man with a crooked smile, and a roll of Scotch tape. Simon & Schuster President and Publisher Sean Manning says, “This book showcases Bob Dylan’s mastery of telling stories, creating moods and provoking feelings. The images are deeply evocative, at once innocent and world-weary, joyous and forlorn, humorous and sensual, enigmatic and familiar. "Dylan’s ability to find beauty and mystery in the seemingly mundane is one of his great gifts -- and the gift he’s continually given to the public over the years, including now with Point Blank.” Several of the drawings featured in the book are currently on display in London at the Halcyon Gallery. His first art book, The Drawn Blank Series, was published in 2008.
The Zombies announce documentary screenings for June and July
"Hung Up on a Dream: The Zombies Documentary" has been making waves since its premiere at the 2023 South By Southwest Film Festival, with screenings and Q&A sessions featuring director-producer Robert Schwartzman and Zombies frontman Colin Blunstone, along with surviving band members Rod Argent, Chris White, and Hugh Grundy; all are set to appear at another UK screening tomorrow (Thursday) night. The film offers a comprehensive look at the Zombies' journey from their formation in 1961 to their Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction in 2019. The screening will also include live performances of Zombies songs by Blunstone backed by Schwartzman's band Rooney. The documentary captures the enduring friendship and camaraderie among the band members, showcasing their easygoing nature and genuine bond. The band will return for a Saturday July 5th screening followed by a Q&A session. The Zombies will also be releasing their remastered catalogue later this year on QPrime, the first release of which will be the remaster of Odessey And Oracle.
Rod Stewart's Whiskey Distillery Announces Limited Edition Blend
An Instagram post this week by Rod Stewart includes a major announcement and it has nothing to with his shows. The intro for "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy" plays as a bottle from his Wolfie Whisky distillery rotates. A cover on the bottle says "Blends Have More Fun," a play on Stewart's 1978 album "Blondes Have More Fun." The caption invites visitors to "join the waitlist" for one of 15-hundred bottles of the limited edition Wolfie's Legend Edition."Stewart, recently canceled several U.S. snows due to illness, but he's still scheduled to headline the final night of the Glastonbury Festival in England this Sunday.
IN OTHER NEWS
The late Jeff Beck’s 1954 Oxblood Les Paul, pictured on the cover of his 1975 album Blow by Blow, has been re-created by Gibson Custom. It’s priced at $1300. Get details at
Sammy Hagar will hold his annual Birthday Bash at his Cabo Wabo Cantina in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico on October 7th, 9th, 11th and 13th, his 78th birthday. Hagar also wished his bandmate and best friend Michael Anthony a happy 71st birthday (June 20th), saying, “1986-2025! coming up on 40 years. Me and my brother have been doing it and enjoy it as much today maybe more than ever! Together, we are The Other Half. Mikey, my friend, without you I don’t believe I would still be playing music today. Certainly can’t imagine doing it without you! I think we can squeeze another decade or so out of these old, but well-oiled machines.”
Def Leppard singer Joe Elliott has paid tribute to Bad Company and Mott the Hoople guitarist Mick Ralphs who died Monday at the age of 81 from complications from cancer and a stroke suffered days after the band completed a UK tour in October 2016. He says, “[I’m] totally heartbroken … Mick has been a constant companion through my musical journey & he was one of the kindest souls I ever met. The world is a poorer place today.” And at Def Leppard’s show Monday in Rogers, Arkansas, Elliott did a shortened acoustic version of Bad Company’s “Seagull” in his memory.
86-year-old Ian Hunter is working on a new album. His last was 2024’s Defiance Part 2: Fiction. While yet to comment on the death of his Mott the Hoople bandmate Mick Ralphs on Monday, Hunter and keyboardist Verden Allen are the only two surviving members of the original lineup. Allen has commented, saying, "It's very sad to hear that he is gone. We have lasting memories, fond memories." Drummer Dale “Buffin” Griffin died in 2016, and bassist Pete Overend Watts followed in 2017.
Bon Jovi keyboardist David Bryan will be inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame along with The Isley Brothers and Jonas Brothers on November 21st at The Rink at The Arena at American Dream in East Rutherford, New Jersey, home of the Hall of Fame. Jon Bon Jovi was inducted in 2009.
Warren Haynes will release The Whisper Sessions, a collection of stripped-down versions of songs off his latest album, Million Voices Whisper, on September 12th. Haynes is joined by Derek Trucks on three songs, including a version of The Allman Brothers Band classic “Melissa."
Ozzy Osbourne posted a photo of himself with his Black Sabbath bandmates Geezer Butler and Bill Ward with the caption "Hello from rehearsals!" They're rehearsing for their last show on July 5th in their hometown of Birmingham, England.