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Keith Richards is promising some big things in 2023. In a video posted on his socials on Wednesday (Jan. 11) the Rolling Stones guitarist and solo bandleader gave fans something to get excited about when he gave an update on the plans for this year.
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“Hi guys, here we are again. Wishing you all a belated Happy New Year,” said Richards in the 15-second clip in which he looks super-chill hanging in a tropical-looking locale in round shades, a green t-shirt and matching headband. “There is some new music on the way and hopefully we’ll get to see you. Anyway, let’s keep our fingers crossed.”
While Richards did not specify who the music was coming from, there have been ongoing rumblings about the band’s first album of new material since 2005’s A Bigger Bang. At press time there was no official announcement about the follow-up to 2016’s covers album, Blue & Lonesome, guitarist Ronnie Wood reportedly confirmed to The Sun in October that the band’s firsts new album in nearly two decades will drop this summer and that it will feature some drumming from late timekeeper Charlie Watts, who died at 80 in August 2021.
At the time, Wood said the band was slated to finish tracks in Los Angeles in late 2022 and that it will feature playing from Watts and and touring drummer Steve Jordan; the unnamed album will be the first one from the group recorded without Watts.
In the meantime, fans can slake their third for Stones classics with the upcoming definitive live album, GRRR Live!, which is due out on Feb. 10. The 24-track collection features the biggest hits from throughout the legendary band’s 60-year career, including “Honky Tonk Women,” “Start Me Up,” “Get Off of My Cloud,,” “Paint it Black” and “Miss You.”
The Rock and Roll Hall of Famers celebrated their 50th anniversary in 2012 and 2013 on the 30-show 50 & Counting Tour, which included a Dec. 15, 2012 show at Newark, New Jersey’s Prudential Center that featured a number of special guests. Some of those performances are chronicled on the album, including collabs with the Black Keys (“Who Do You Love?”), Lady Gaga (“Gimme Shelter”), Gary Clark Jr. and John Mayer (“Going Down”), former guitarist Mick Taylor (“Midnight Rambler”) and Bruce Springsteen (“Tumbling Dice.”) After its original airing on pay-per-view in 2012, recordings of the anniversary shows have not been available to fans until now.
Check out Richards’ message here.
Rod Stewart is remembering Jeff Beck as “the greatest,” an otherworldly axeman with whom he formed one of rock music’s hallowed partnerships more than 50 years ago.
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Beck, who passed away Tuesday (Jan. 10) after contracting bacterial meningitis, at the age of 78, was a guitarist “on another planet,” Stewart recounts in a social post.
Posting a picture of the pair together, he writes that Beck “took me and Ronnie Wood to the USA in the late 60s in his band the Jeff Beck Group and we haven’t looked back since. He was one of the few guitarists that when playing live would actually listen to me sing and respond. Jeff, you were the greatest, my man. Thank you for everything. RIP”.
Beck tapped Stewart in 1967 to join his post-Yardbirds project as singer and occasional songwriter. Stewart performed on the albums Truth (from 1968) and Beck-Ola (1969), both cracking the U.S. top 20 and kick-starting Stewart’s Hall of Fame career.
As the decades passed, the magic was still there. In 1985, the pair reunited on “People Get Ready,” a rare hit under Beck’s own name which charted in the U.S., Australia and Europe.
The legendary, late guitarist is considered one of the most gifted musicians to play the six-string, proof of which can be seen in the outpouring from the music community, as the likes of Mick Jagger, David Gilmour, Jimmy Page, Ronnie Wood, Tony Iommi and Buddy Guy pay tribute on social media. The estates of John Lennon, David Bowie, Jimi Hendrix, and others also paid their respects.
“Now Jeff has gone,” writes Ronnie Wood, “I feel like one of my band of brothers has left this world, and I’m going to dearly miss him. I’m sending much sympathy to Sandra, his family, and all who loved him. I want to thank him for all our early days together in Jeff Beck Group, conquering America.”
🙏Now Jeff has gone, I feel like one of my band of brothers has left this world, and I’m going to dearly miss him. I’m sending much sympathy to Sandra, his family, and all who loved him. I want to thank him for all our early days together in Jeff Beck Group, conquering America. pic.twitter.com/UareDAdtZ9— Ronnie Wood (@ronniewood) January 11, 2023
Along the way, Beck won eight Grammys and was nominated 17 times throughout his career, and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice — as a member of the Yardbirds in 1992 and as a solo performer in 2009.
Stewart has endured a particularly difficult stretch of late, with two of his brothers dying in as many months during 2022. The two-time Hall of Famer is slated to tour North America, Australia and New Zealand in 2023, while also slotting into a residency at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas in May.
You’re likely to find Jeff Beck‘s face on any Mount Rushmore of guitarists — and maybe of musicians, period.
His musical praises are being sung worldwide since his shocking death Wednesday (Jan. 11) from bacterial meningitis at age 78. And rest assured that everything being said about the seven-time Grammy winner and two-time Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee is true. And maybe even understated.
While his skills are unquestionably worth celebrating, those discussions sometimes obscure the fact that Beck’s greatest gift was in service to the songs he played. Whether with the Yardbirds or the various incarnations of his own band, or with a wide variety of collaborators, Beck elevated his songs with purposeful and deliberate choices — of notes, riffs, phrasings — that raised them to the proverbial next level. He demonstrated plenty of flash and drama during his 60 years of recording, but always in a manner that made the songs soar.
The best are, not surprisingly, hard to choose, and there’s plenty of genuine greatness to be found deep in all of Beck’s albums. But these 10 — in alphabetical order — are at the top of the heap, all performances that transcend the individual songs to establish some new standards for music itself.
Jeff Beck died Tuesday (Jan. 10) at age 78, and his peers and fellow musicians have flocked to social media to remember him.
“No one played guitar like Jeff,” Gene Simmons tweeted before urging his followers to “Please get ahold of the first two Jeff Beck Group albums and behold greatness.”
Former teen idol Paul Young — known in the U.K. for ’80s hits like “Every Time You Go Away” and “Everything Must Change” — added his own tribute to Beck’s memory, tweeting, “Devastated to hear of the sudden and tragic death of legendary guitarist Jeff Beck. He was loved by everyone in the know; the guitarists guitarist! My condolences to his family & friends. RIP.”
Simmons’ KISS bandmate Paul Stanley also memorialized his friend, writing, “WOW. What awful news. Jeff Beck, one of the all time guitar masters has died. From the Yard Birds to The Jeff Beck Group on, he blazed a trail impossible to follow. Play on now and forever. @jeffbeckmusic.”
Other reactions poured into Twitter from the likes of Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath and Dave Davies of The Kinks to Genesis’ Steve Hackett and Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page, the latter of whom described Beck as “the six-stringed Warrior” who had the ability to “channel music from the ethereal.”
Over the course of his life, the British musician won eight Grammys out of 17 total nominations and was inducted twice into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He also released 11 solo albums as well as studio sets with the Jeff Beck Group, the Yardbirds and the short-lived Beck, Bogert & Appice. His last and most recent LP was 18, a collaborative full-length with Johnny Depp in July.
Read social media tributes to Beck’s memory below.
Heartbreaking news to report the late, great Jeff Back has sadly passed. No one played guitar like Jeff. Please get ahold of the first two Jeff Beck Group albums and behold greatness. RIP. pic.twitter.com/3qnPOCyhUj— Gene Simmons (@genesimmons) January 11, 2023
His technique unique. His imaginations apparently limitless. Jeff I will miss you along with your millions of fans. Jeff Beck Rest in Peace.https://t.co/4h1DfXXmWI— Jimmy Page (@JimmyPage) January 11, 2023
Is this true about Jeff Beck is this really happining I’m in fucking shock I can’t believe it— Dave Davies (@davedavieskinks) January 11, 2023
Devastated to hear of the sudden and tragic death of legendary guitarist Jeff Beck. He was loved by everyone in the know; the guitarists guitarist! My condolences to his family & friends RIP. 😢 pic.twitter.com/OcCv1jSNvx— Paul Young (@PaulYoungParlez) January 11, 2023
WOW. What awful news. Jeff Beck, one of the all time guitar masters has died. From The Yardbirds and The Jeff Beck Group on, he blazed a trail impossible to follow. Play on now and forever. @jeffbeckmusic pic.twitter.com/8LVeq47wxx— Paul Stanley (@PaulStanleyLive) January 11, 2023
I was totally shocked to hear the very sad news of Jeff Beck’s passing. Jeff was such a nice person and an outstanding iconic, genius guitar player – there will never be another Jeff Beck. His playing was very special & distinctively brilliant! He will be missed. RIP Jeff -Tony pic.twitter.com/i6BGdqTUKU— Tony Iommi (@tonyiommi) January 11, 2023
Devastating news about the loss of much loved, influential guitar legend Jeff Beck. He made the electric guitar sing… a powerful influence on myself and many others.— Steve Hackett (@HackettOfficial) January 11, 2023
Jeff Beck, member of The Yardbirds, founder of the Jeff Beck Group and one of the most influential rock guitarists of all time, died on Tuesday (Jan. 10). He was 78 years old.
The news of his death was confirmed in a statement released by his family on Wednesday (Jan. 11). “It is with deep and profound sadness that we share the news of Jeff Beck’s passing,” the statement reads. “After suddenly contracting bacterial meningitis, he peacefully passed away yesterday. His family ask for privacy while they process this tremendous loss.”
The British rocker brought his adventurous and powerful guitar style to The Yardbirds in 1965, when he joined the British band to replace Eric Clapton on the recommendation of fellow session musician Jimmy Page. He spent 20 months in the band, working on the 1966 album Roger the Engineer.
After being fired from The Yardbirds, Beck recorded a number of solo singles produced by Mickie Most, including “Hi Ho Silver Lining” and “Tallyman.” He went on to form his own band, the Jeff Beck Group, featuring vocalist Rod Stewart, bassist Ronnie Wood and drummer Nicky Hopkins, and the group released two albums together, 1968’s Truth and 1969’s Beck-Ola.
In the ’70s, Beck briefly formed a trio with bassist Tim Bogert and drummer Carmine Appice of Vanilla Fudge and Cactus.
He won eight Grammys and was nominated 17 times throughout his career, and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice — as a member of the Yardbirds in 1992 and as a solo performer in 2009. Beck recently wrapped up a tour in support of 18, his joint album with Johnny Depp.
See the family’s statement below:
Posters promoting Demi Lovato‘s newest album, Holy Fvck, have been banned in the United Kingdom with the provocative visual being deemed potentially offensive to Christians.
Great Britain’s Advertising Standards Authority announced the decision on Wednesday (Jan. 11) after starting an investigation into the promo material that started popping up all over London. Four people ultimately complained to the watchdog group about the posters’ content, which featured the album’s subversive cover art, according to a report by CNN.
“We considered that the image of Ms. Lovato bound up in a bondage-style outfit whilst lying on a mattress shaped like a crucifix, in a position with her legs bound to one side which was reminiscent of Christ on the cross, together with the reference to ‘holy fvck’, which in that context was likely to be viewed as linking sexuality to the sacred symbol of the crucifix and the crucifixion, was likely to cause serious offense to Christians,” the ASA said in a statement about its decision.
Billboard has reached out to Lovato for comment.
The singer herself had previously wondered how the album could be promoted on radio and in the press when she chose the name of the album. “I remember being the one asking questions, like, ‘Am I gonna be able to say this? And what do I say instead?’” the singer recalled in a July interview with SiriusXM. “And it’s just like, look, it’s f–king rock n’ roll. They’ll bleep you if they need to and, like, if they don’t, even better.”
At the time of its release, Holy Fvck debuted at No. 7 on the Billboard 200 and has spawned singles “Skin of My Teeth,” “Substance” and “29.” It also bowed at No. 1 on Top Rock & Alternative Albums, Top Rock Albums and Top Alternative Albums, earning Lovato their first chart-topping hat trick on those three tallies.
See Lovato’s album cover image below:
Finn Wolfhard goes full method on his latest single. The Stranger Things star and frontman of indie band The Aubreys dropped the Pavement-like slacker anthem “Pieces of Gold” on Tuesday (Jan. 10), a strummy track credited to Ziggy Katz, his character in the upcoming A24 film When You Finish Saving the World.
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The woozy ballad opens with gently plucked bass over a hypnotic, repeating keyboard riff and acoustic guitars as Wolfhard/Katz urgently sings, “Piece of gold, straddling paper/ Owing to nothing and turning to vapor/ The air is thin, the locks are set/ You lift your chin, she feigns regret/ Two high-speed trains on parallel tracks/ Running out of steam not turning back.”
The Jesse Eisenberg written and directed films co-stars Julianne Moore as Ziggy’s uptight mom, and in a description we learn that the high schooler performs his original folks songs for an adoring online fan base from the comfort of his bedroom home studio. “This concept mystifies his formal and uptight mother, Evelyn, who runs a shelter for survivors of domestic abuse,” it reads.
“While Ziggy is busy trying to impress his socially engaged classmate Lila (Alisha Boe) by making his music less bubblegum and more political, Evelyn meets Angie (Eleonore Hendricks) and her teen son, Kyle (Billy Bryk), when they seek refuge at her facility. She observes a bond between the two that she’s missing with her own son, and decides to take Kyle under her wing against her better instincts.”
Eisenberg’s directorial debut (due in theaters on Jan. 20) was adapted from his audio project of the same name and the trailer portrays the sometimes awkward Ziggy getting interrupted by his mom while he livestreams and struggling to maintain a connection to her as she put her focus on Kyle.
A Spotify bio for Katz offers some insight into the singer’s influences, beginning with Elvis, John Lennon and Bob Dylan. “Streaming live from his bedroom in the midwest, Ziggy Katz is a global sensation. Katz burst onto the scene with his hit single, ‘Particles of You,’ a song Pitchfork said, ‘sounded improvised’ and Rolling Stone called, ‘lengthy.’”
The lighthearted origin story adds that Katz followed that first hit up with “Mouth of a Liar” and “Meredith’s Weekend,” a pair of songs that “confirmed Katz’s status as someone who sings and plays guitar all the time.”
Listen to “Pieces of Gold” below.
U2 will release a compilation entitled Songs of Surender in March containing 40 reworked version of tracks from throughout their 40-plus year career. The collection, a seeming companion to singer Bono’s recent memoir, Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story, is slated to drop on March 17.
The news was announced on Tuesday (Jan. 10) in a minute-long trailer (which featured the word “new” slashed out and replaced with “re-imagined” to describe the album) set to an unplugged, intimate version of the band’s soaring 2000 anthem “Beautiful Day.” The video features a Sgt. Pepper‘s-like animated montage of pictures from throughout the group’s career. At press time the band had not shared the track list for the album.
Sone lucky fans said they got a physical letter (in numbered envelopes) from guitarist The Edge that explained the inspiration behind the album, with some posting what is purported to be a personal message tied to the hashtag #U2SOS40.
“When a song becomes well known, it’s always associated with a particular voice,” The Edge’s handwritten letter begins. “I can’t think of ‘Tangled Up in Blue’ without the reedy timbre of Bob Dylan or ‘All the Time in the World’ without the unique voice of Louis Armstrong. So what happens when a voice develops and experience and maturity give it additional resonance? U2 have been around long enough to know what that is like. It’s true for us all, but it’s particularly true for Bono.”
It goes on to note that most of U2’s songs were written and recorded when the quartet were a bunch of “very young men,” and that they mean something different to the now 61- and 62-year-old members. “Some have grown with us. Some we have outgrown. But we have not lost sight of what propelled us to write those songs in the first place,” he wrote. “The essence of those songs is still in us, but how to reconnect with that essence when we have moved on, and grown so much? Music allows you to time travel and so we started to imagine what it would be like to bring these songs back with us to the present day and give them the benefit or otherwise, of a 21st century re-imagining. What started as an experiment quickly became a personal obsession as so many early U2 songs yielded to a new interpretation.”
The guitarist known for his epic, echoing riffs said the post-punk urgency of the originals has been replaced with intimacy, with new keys, new chords, new tempos and even some new lyrics. “It turns out that great song is kind of indestructible,” he said. “Once we surrendered our reverence for the original version each song started to open up to a new authentic voice of this time, of the people we are, and particularly the singer Bono has become. I hope you like our new direction.”
Bono has been on a cross-country press tour for his memoir in 40 songs, with RS noting that at the end of the book released in Nov. the singer noted that the Surrender sessions happened during the COVID-19 lockdown. He said that the project gave him a chance to “live inside those songs again as I wrote this memoir,” as well as revisit some lyrics that have been “nagging me for some time. The lyrics on a few songs that I’ve always felt were never quite written. They are now. (I think).”
U2’s most recent album was 2017’s Songs of Experience.
See the Songs of Surrender trailer and one of the letters below.
Foo Fighters were announced as headliners for not one, not two, but three festivals in 2023 on Tuesday (Jan. 10): Bonnaroo, Boston Calling and Sonic Temple Art and Music Festival.
By the time the trio of fests arrives, it will be more than a year since the 2022 death of the band’s drummer, Taylor Hawkins. He unexpectedly passed away during a tour a stop in Bogota, Colombia, last March when the rockers were set to headline the the Estéreo Picnic Festival.
The loss has left a massive and glaring absence within the group as Dave Grohl and his bandmates have mourned the loss of their longtime friend, and it’s still unclear who will serve as the band’s drummer for their upcoming slate of headlining slots. So Billboard wants to know who you think could take a seat behind the drum kit and support the Foo Fighters for what’s sure to be an emotional return to the stage.
An obvious choice would be Grohl himself, considering he would often switch places with Hawkins during shows for the late drummer to front fan-favorite tracks such as “Sunday Rain” off 2017’s Concrete and Gold, and covers of Queen’s “Somebody to Love” and Pink Floyd’s “Have a Cigar.” However, it’s unrealistic the frontman would be able to do so for an entire set, so we’ve put together a list of friends and fellow musicians who could possibly lend a hand.
Both Chad Smith of the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Matt Cameron of Pearl Jam were good friends with Hawkins, and could honor his legacy at one or more of the dates. Though just 12 years old, viral wunderkind Nandi Bushell has proven she has the chops to play just about anything, and already has a lovely relationship with the band. (She also played on “Everlong” during the band’s Aug. 26, 2021, concert in Los Angeles.) And Hawkins own son, Oliver, joined his dad’s bandmates to play “My Hero” at a tribute concert held at Wembley Stadium last September.
Plenty of other big-name drummers also performed during the tribute show for Hawkins — as well as at a second concert weeks later at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles — including Travis Barker, Stewart Copeland of The Police, the Pretenders’ Martin Chambers, sessions drummers Josh Freese and Omar Hakim, and many others.
Vote for the drummer you’d like to see play Bonnaroo, Boston Calling and Sonic Temple with the Foo Fighters below.
The 2023 Sonic Temple Art & Music Festival will feature headlining sets from the Foo Fighters, Tool, Godsmack, Avenged Sevenfold, Queens of the Stone Age, KISS, Rob Zombie and the Deftones. The event at Historic Crew Stadium in Columbus, Ohio will take place on Memorial Day weekend (May 25-28) after a three-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Also slated to perform at the hard rock extravaganza are: Falling In Reverse, Chevelle, Puscifer, Beartooth, I Prevail, Jawbreaker, Sublime with Rome, Bullet For My Valentine, The Pretty Reckless, Pennywise, Trivium, Black Veil Brides and more.
The event marks the third festival date featuring the Foo Fighters to be announced this week, marking the band’s first major performances since the tragic death last March of drummer Taylor Hawkins while on tour in Colombia; at press time the group had not yet announced who will take over for Hawkins.
“We’ve always enjoyed playing Historic Crew Stadium in Columbus and are excited to be a part of this year’s Sonic Temple,” said A7X singer M. Shadows in a statement. “It’ll be a blast to share the stage with Tool, Foo Fighters and others, we can’t wait to see and play for all of our amazing fans again.” Danny Wimmer of Sonic Temple producer Danny Wimmer Presents added, “It’s great to be coming back to Columbus. Foo Fighters, Tool, Avenged Sevenfold, KISS plus 75 more, it’s our biggest lineup ever! There is so much history at Historic Crew Stadium, it truly is the heartbeat of rock for many of us… the excitement surrounding the return of Sonic Temple is unparalleled!”
Among the other acts slated to perform are: Suicidal Tendencies, Anti-Flag, Black Stone Cherry, Born of Osiris, Rival Sons, Senses Fail, From Ashes to New, Awolnation, Nothing More, Grandson, White Reaper, The Bronx and many more.
An exclusive presale for festival email subscribers will begin on Wednesday (Jan. 11) at 10 a.m. ET; fans who sign up for the Sonic Temple email list before 10 p.m. ET on Tuesday (Jan. 10) will receive a dedicated code with first access to buy festival passes; sign up here. The general public on-sale will begin at noon ET on Friday (Jan. 13).
Check out the full lineup below.