SHINEDOWN Releases Music Video For 'Dance, Kid, Dance'
SHINEDOWN has released a music video for their No. 1 song "Dance, Kid, Dance," filmed in Brooklyn, New York, showcasing a dark underground world of rock fervor and dance. The video features high-energy choreography and a killer live performance by the band. The band is set to kick off the "Dance, Kid, Dance" tour in April, with BEARTOOTH and BUSH joining them on select dates. SHINEDOWN recently won two iHeartRadio Music Awards and continues to make history with their chart-topping singles and crossover success in 2025.
METALLICA's 'Master Of Puppets' Surpasses One Billion Streams On SPOTIFY
Metallica's iconic track "Master Of Puppets" from their third studio album has reached over one billion streams on Spotify. The band celebrated this milestone on social media and encouraged fans to help the song reach two billion streams. The achievement places "Master Of Puppets" in Spotify's Billions Club, joining other popular tracks. Fans can listen to the song and other members of the Billions Club on a dedicated link provided by Metallica.
The strange theories behind The Smashing Pumpkins' name
The origin of The Smashing Pumpkins' name has been a subject of much speculation and debate. Various explanations have emerged over the years, including claims from frontman Billy Corgan that the name came from a divine source. However, the most widely accepted theory is that former bassist D'Arcy Wretzky's friend, Bob English, coined the name before the band's formation. The band recently
confirmed that 'smashing' was intended as an adjective, meaning 'brilliant' or 'fantastic'. Fans have offered their own interpretations, with some suggesting the name reflects punk rock's disruptive influence, while others believe it may have originated from Billy Corgan's childhood experiences with pumpkins.
BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN: Tracks 2 Due June 27th
Bruce Springsteen's long-awaited Tracks 2: The Lost Albums will be released on June 27th.
The seven CD or nine LP set includes 83 tracks and covers from 1983 to 2018. It comes with a 100-page cloth-bound, hardcover book featuring rare archival photos, liner notes on each lost album from essayist Erik Flannigan and a personal introduction on the project from Springsteen himself. And just like how the original Tracks spawned a best of collection called 18 Tracks, Tracks 2 has a companion set, Lost and Found: Selections from The Lost Albums, also due out on June 27th that features 20 highlights from the collection. Springsteen
says, “The Lost Albums were full records, some of them even to the point of being mixed and not released. I’ve played this music to myself and often close friends for years now. I’m glad you’ll get a chance to finally hear them. I hope you enjoy them.” He also revealed that he finished off all of these albums during the pandemic. There's a trailer of Springsteen talking about the package on YouTube. The first track shared from the collection is "Rain in the River" off the Perfect World album. Check it out on YouTube.
Here are the seven albums in the set. Head to Springsteen's store for the full track listing.
1.LA Garage Sessions ’83
2.Streets of Philadelphia Sessions
3.Faithless
4.Somewhere North of Nashville
5.Inyo
6.Twilight Hours
7.Perfect World
Doors Pay Tribute To Kilmer
The Doors are paying tribute to the actor who played the band's late frontman Jim Morrison in the 1991 biopic. On social media, The Doors called Val Kilmer "a truly gifted actor" and said his "powerful performance as Jim in 'The Doors' film helped introduce the band's story and music to a new generation." The post also said Kilmer's "dedication to portraying Jim left a lasting impression" and that he'll "always be a part of The Doors' story." Kilmer's breakout performance led to top roles in other 90s movies such as "Tombstone" and "Heat." Kilmer, who was diagnosed with throat cancer more than ten years ago, died on Wednesday of pneumonia. He was 65.
ROLLING STONES: Ronnie Worries About Tech Taking Over Rock
Ronnie Wood of The Rolling Stones thinks that rock music has lost some soul because of all the technology involved today. Wood made the comments at a launch event for the book Buddy
Holly: Words Of Love Wednesday in London. Wood said, "We were throwing [crap] at the wall and some of it stuck. There’s something about the technology I feel personally, we’re losing the essence of the heartbeat. I think rock music has been so convoluted because we got to be forced and twisted for a mainstream audience to turn the guitar down." But even though he worries about tech's impact on rock, he does fell that some social media platforms have been useful for musicians. "Modern music’s been in a strange place, but it’s exciting because it’s really, I feel it’s very democratic again...A lot of major [labels] have been able to control what we’ve been placed in front of us, but we know apps like TikTok, Instagram and everything like that -- I really find that people can provide authenticity again directly. If you have a story to tell, you can tell it and tell it to the world. You don’t have to go through seven steps."
LYNYRD SKYNYRD, SPECIAL GUESTS: First Taste of Ryman
Lynyrd Skynyrd have announced that Celebrating 50 Years - Live at the Ryman will be out on June 27th. It was recorded at the historic Nashville venue on November 13th, 2022. It was the final performance for founding member and guitarist Gary Rossington before he died in March 2023. The concert features multiple guest appearances -- John Osborne of Brothers Osborne
("Working for MCA"), Marcus King ("Saturday Night Special"), Donnie Van Zant of 38 Special
("Red White & Blue (Love It or Leave)"), Brent Smith of Shinedown ("Simple Man") and Jelly Roll singing on "Tuesday's Gone," which is the first single and video. Watch it now on YouTube.
Celebrating 50 Years - Live at the Ryman will be available as two CDs, two LPs, a two CD and DVD set and as a Blu-Ray.
DEEP PURPLE: Wife Reveals Blackmore Had Heart Attack
The wife of ex-Deep Purple guitarist Ritchie Blackmore has revealed that he had a major heart attack in 2023. Candice Night tells TotalRock, "Ritchie has actually been told by his cardiologist not to get in a plane. He had a heart attack about a year and a half ago. He's got six stents. And I can't believe he's gonna be 80 on April 14th, which is crazy, but he doesn't look it, still doesn't act it, but eventually medical things wind up catching up with you." Night adds that it will likely be a while before we see Blackmore back on stage. "We've gotta make sure we keep him happy and healthy. And he's dealing with gout and some arthritic things. And, of course, his back has always been an issue for years. So it's getting harder for him -- it's tricky -- but, hey, I've seen people younger than him in wheelchairs on stage doing what they do. So I think he probably doesn't want people to see him that way."
Jon Anderson/Band Geeks Kick Off 2025 Tour
The first leg of Jon Anderson and The Band Geeks' tour is underway.The former Yes lead vocalist and his band kicked off their North American tour Wednesday night in Tucson, Arizona. The show contained only ten songs, but nearly half were more than ten minutes long, including Anderson's first live performance of "Once Upon a Dream" from his 2024 "True" album. The concert also included a number of Yes songs, closing out with "Owner of a Lonely Heart" and "Roundabout." The tour stops in Las Vegas Saturday night.
ELTON JOHN & BRANDI CARLILE: Do You Believe in Them?
Two months after Elton John and Brandi Carlile announced the details of their first album together comes the finished product. Out this Friday, Who Believes in Angels? was recorded in 20 days in October 2023. Elton said "The thing I love about this record is it's a duet record, and it's a proper duet record. It's not she takes one line and I take another -- it's not 'Don't Go Breaking My Heart.' These are songs that we sing together." And while Elton says it was "one of the toughest albums he ever made," Brandi has a theory on that. "I think that Elton is the greatest that's ever been. And it happens in the studio. You see these compositions coming out of him. It's from another place. It's otherworldly. And he says that he had a hard time and that was experiencing doubt or that he was ornery, but really, it was just so alive. Like so vibrant and dangerous and right on the edge. And if music's not being made like that way, I don't want to hear it."
Elton's longtime lyricist Bernie Taupin and Brandi both wrote the lyrics with Andrew Watt producing. Their backing musicians were drummer Chad Smith of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, bassist Pino Palladino, who has played with The Who, David Gilmour and many others, and former Chili Peppers and current Pearl Jam touring guitarist Josh Klinghoffer.
It's Elton's first album since The Lockdown Sessions in 2021, which featured Brandi on one song; and for Brandi, it's her first since 2021's In These Silent Days.
Elton and Brandi, along with Bernie Taupin and Andrew Watt, will mark today's release by premiering their film, Who Believes In Angels? Stories From The Edge of Creation, followed by a Q&A tonight at the 92nd Street Y in New York City. The 30-minute film takes a look at the making of the album, edited down from thousands of hours of raw footage. It contains warts and all -- from breakdowns, breakthroughs, tears, torn up lyric sheets and more. This film marks the first time that Elton has allowed cameras to film his writing and recording sessions while creating an album. Tonight's event will be shown on YouTube starting this Saturday.
Also on Saturday, Elton and Brandi will perform on Saturday Night Live. And to cap off the weekend, CBS will air on Sunday night at 8 ET An Evening With Elton John and Brandi Carlile, a one-hour concert and Q&A special captured last month at the London Palladium. It will also stream on Paramount+.
John Lydon Won't Reunite With The Rest Of The Sex Pistols
John Lydon (formerly known as "Johnny Rotten") is serious: he'll never reunite with the Sex Pistols. The former frontman for the punk icons re-established his position on the matter in an interview with "PA," in which he answered the question of a possible reunion between him and the rest of the band. "Never, not after what I consider their dirty deeds, let them wallow in Walt Disney woke expectations. They’ve killed the content, or done their best to, and turned the whole thing into a rubbish, childishness, and that’s unacceptable." And if it's still unclear, he added: "Sorry, I’m not going to give a helping hand to this any longer, as far as I am concerned, I am the Pistols, and they’re not." The Pistols, with replacement vocalist Frank Carter, recently announced their first tour of the US in over 20 years.
IN OTHER NEWS
The new Led Zeppelin documentary, Becoming Led Zeppelin, premieres on Pay-Per-View today (Friday). You’ll find it on Apple TV, Fandango at Home, Prime Video and more streaming outlets.
Metallica's "Master of Puppets" has joined the Spotify Billions Club for one-billion streams.
They’ve already postponed their Las Vegas residency to September because Vince Neil is "recuperating after a required medical procedure," and now Motley Crue have canceled their May 17th appearance at the Boardwalk Rock festival in Ocean City, Maryland. Alice in Chains will fill their slot.
The Black Crowes have added a few more headlining shows around their festival appearances this summer. They start July 29th in Bangor, Maine and run through September 27th in Bethel, New York. Tickets go on sale tomorrow (Friday).
Neil Young has shared a brief clip from his new concert film Coastal, which will be shown in theaters on April 17th. Check out the performance of "When I Hold You in My Arms" on YouTube.
Nils Lofgren of the E Street Band and Crazy Horse has put up a bunch more items from his gear collection for sale through Reverb. The gear includes signed guitars, amps and
Third Man Records Vault Package 64 is Jack White's Break It All Down!!!, a three-LP live set recorded on White's No Name tour. Sign up for a Vault subscription by April 30th to get the package.
Roger Waters has shared video from the rehearsal for his London Palladium show that's included on The Dark Side of the Moon Redux box set. Watch it on YouTube.
John Mellencamp has continued his series of spoken-word renditions of his songs. Check out "For the Children," which was originally on 2008's Life, Death, Love and Freedom, on Instagram.
The MTV Video Music Awards will air on CBS for the first time this year. The show is set for September 7th at the UBS Arena in Elmont, New York. The show will also be shown on MTV and Paramount+.