Weekly Music News 24.7.22
A roundup of music news for the week beginning July 24, 2022.
Singer David Lee Roth has shared a tribute to his band, "Van Halen". On "Nothing Could Have Stopped Us Back Then Anyway", he looks back nostalgically on his Van Halen days, singing, "We laughed, we cried, we threw the television off that balcony". It was recorded in 2007 with guitarist John 5 and drummer Gregg Bissonette for an album that never came out. The video includes previously unseen footage from the Van Halen years.
Remember "Bush"? They are back with a ninth album and an amazing new single, "More Than Machines". "The Art Of Survival" arrives on October 7. Singer Gavin Rossdale says the song deals with threats to women's rights, the destruction of the planet, and artificial intelligence and robots replacing us.
"Sammy Hagar and the Circle" have announced their new studio album, "Crazy Times", and released its title track as the first single. The supergroup, featuring Sammy Hagar, Michael Anthony, Jason Bonham and Vic Johnson, recorded it in Nashville during the pandemic, which inspired its title. The album is due on September 30.
"Deep Purple" have announced that guitarist Steve Morse is leaving the band after more than a quarter of a century.
Steve's personal circumstances prevented him from committing to the band's schedule for 2022 and beyond. He also missed their amazing Israeli show on May 22, 2022. A few months ago, he told fans that his wife Janine was battling cancer and that he "simply must be there with her". Since joining in 1994, Steve has written and recorded eight studio albums with the band.
A few months after "Unlimited Love", "Red Hot Chili Peppers" have announced "Return Of The Dream Canteen", due on October 14. When the previous album came out, Anthony Kiedis said the band had recorded nearly fifty songs with Rick Rubin and planned to release more in the near future. It is happening sooner than expected. Mark your calendars...
Newport Folk Festival audiences witnessed a particularly moving piece of history. Singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell gave her first full performance in about twenty years. Seven years ago, she suffered a brain aneurysm that left her musical future uncertain. This was a full-circle moment, 55 years after her first Newport appearance in 1967, an important early performance in her career.
Is a "The Kinks" reunion on the horizon? Dave Davies said in an interview this week that he is optimistic about a reunion soon. He hopes the band will work together again for the sixtieth anniversary of their first hit, 1964's "You Really Got Me". Although the band have never formally split, Dave and Ray Davies have had a difficult relationship over the years.
"Pulp" are also hinting at a reunion. Singer Jarvis Cocker said the band would reunite in 2023 and posted a fifteen-second Instagram clip with the caption "What exactly do you do for an encore?" a reference to their acclaimed album "This Is Hardcore", whose 25th anniversary is approaching. Drummer Nick Banks also confirmed the news and said more would follow soon.
There is no timetable for Neil Young's return to the stage. Asked by a fan about Farm Aid 2022, he replied that he was not ready yet, did not think it was safe during the pandemic, and missed performing very much. Young co-founded the annual benefit for American farmers, but also skipped last year because of continuing COVID concerns. This year's Farm Aid takes place on September 24 in North Carolina, with Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp, Dave Matthews, Tim Reynolds, Sheryl Crow and others.
What is happening on "Rage Against The Machine"'s reunion tour? Two weeks ago we reported on singer Zack De La Rocha's leg injury during their Wisconsin show. This week it was guitarist Tom Morello's turn: a security guard accidentally tackled him off the stage while trying to stop an enthusiastic fan from getting onstage.
Guitarist Nita Strauss, who has spent years in Alice Cooper's band, is changing direction while continuing her solo career. Nita recently told fans she was leaving Cooper to pursue a new opportunity, stressing that she was neither ill nor pregnant: it was simply time for a change. Soon afterward, she appeared with pop star Demi Lovato on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!", performing "SUBSTANCE". Rock and roll!!
From "Foo Fighters", guitarist Chris Shiflett has released "Long, Long Year". Recorded in Nashville, Tennessee, it features bassist Jack Lawrence of The Raconteurs and drummer Julian Dorio of Eagles of Death Metal and The Whigs. Shiflett says it emerged during lockdown, alongside the first new material he had written since 2019's "Hard Lessons".
It only took 36 years, but "Metallica" have finally released a new lyric video for the mighty "Master Of Puppets", following the renewed attention brought by the phenomenal "Stranger Things". The words are accompanied by strange images and footage. It is so much fun to see a new video for such a huge classic.
"Ghost" also have a new video, for "Spillways", from their latest album, "Impera", released on March 11, 2022. It is the fourth single from this excellent record.
Former Judas Priest and current KK's Priest singer Tim "Ripper" Owens has released the official video for new solo song "Embattled". It will feature on an upcoming EP, his first solo release since 2009's "Play My Game". The project features Nick Bellmore on drums, Charlie Bellmore on guitars and Chris Beaudette on bass.
We have barely recovered from "King's X"'s excellent first new single in fourteen years, from their forthcoming September 2 album, and here comes a second: "Give It Up". We also wish guitarist Ty Tabor a speedy recovery after his recent diagnosis with a serious illness forced the postponement of their European tour, which was due to begin in September.
"Lamb of God" have released the fierce title track from "Omens", due on October 7. It features guest vocals from members of Body Count, Cold Cave, H2O and Youth Code.
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