In the video below from AXS TV, ZZ Top’s Billy F Gibbons meets up with Sammy Hagar to talk about music, and who he is off the stage. He also reveals his tendency to wear pyjamas a lot when he isn’t out in public.
Billy F Gibbons will take his solo band, The BFGs, out on the road early next year.
The 25-date tour begins with four shows at Blue Note in Honolulu, Hawaii, followed by another four shows at Blue Note in Napa, California. The complete routing can be found below.
January 17 – Blue Note Hawaii – Honolulu, HI 18 – Blue Note Hawaii – Honolulu, HI 19 – Blue Note Hawaii – Honolulu, HI 20 – Blue Note Hawaii – Honolulu, HI 21 – Blue Note Napa – Napa, CA 22 – Blue Note Napa – Napa, CA 23 – Blue Note Napa – Napa, CA 24 – Blue Note Napa – Napa, CA 25 – Agua Caliente Casino – Cathedral City, CA 26 – Musical Instrument Museum – Phoenix, AZ 28 – Vilar Performing Arts Center – Beaver Creek, CO 31 – The Pageant – St. Louis, MO
February 1 – Park West – Chicago, IL 2 – House Of Blues – Cleveland, OH 4 – Jergel’s Rhythm Grille – Warrendale, PA 6 – Kentucky Theatre – Lexington, KY 7 – The Paramount Theater – Charlottesville, VA 8 – Borgata Theater – Atlantic City, NJ 10 – The Bardavon 1869 Opera House – Poughkeepsie, NY 12 – The Music Hall – Portsmouth, NH 13 – The Cabot – Beverly, MA 14 – Ridgefield Playhouse – Ridgefield, CT 15 – Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center – Great Barrington, MA 19 – The Birchmere – Alexandria, VA 20 – Paramount – Bristol, TN
Having risen to fame in the early 80s as frontman with Finnish glam legends Hanoi Rocks, flamboyant vocalist/ saxophonist Michael Monroe has delivered a dozen solo albums, most recently the collection that he considers to be his best yet, I Live Too Fast Die Young.
Having recently completed a run of dates celebrating the 40th anniversary of Hanoi Rocks’ 1984 masterpiece Two Steps From The Move, Monroe will tour the US in April 2025 and the UK the following month.
Below, he chooses some prime examples of the music that made him the man that he is today.
The first music I remember hearing
My mother and father listened to classical music when I was a kid. Symphonies, Sibelius. My maternal grandfather played cello and double bass, and his father was an oboe player. So I listened to classical music right up until I saw Black Sabbath on TV when I was eight. I’d never heard anything like it and I thought: “Wow, that guy going crazy upfront, maybe I could do that. And if I could make a living doing that, that would be amazing.”
The first song I performed live
Kill City Kills, the B-side of the first Hanoi Rocks single. It’s the song that started our first Hanoi gig, with our first line-up, back in 1980 at a place called Glädjehuset in Stockholm.
The greatest album of all time
Who’s the king and queen of rock’n’roll? Little Richard. So I’d have to say The Best Of Little Richard. He made a huge impression on me – his outrageousness, his make-up, the power in his voice. And Alice Cooper. My dad bought Love It To Death for my brother, and that changed my world.
The singer
Little Richard. The best rock singer of all time, if I’ve got to choose just one. This is gonna be a really one-sided selection, with Little Richard in every category.
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The songwriter
Ian Hunter. His lyrics may be autobiographical sometimes, but you can relate to everything he writes. I know he’s a fan of Bob Dylan, but I prefer him. And he’s such a great guy, ageless and still doing his thing. Like Mick Jagger he’s an inspiration. People used to say rock’n’roll’s bad for you, but Mick Jagger’s still running a marathon on stage.
The guitar hero
Chuck Berry, he started it all. I first heard about him when I saw a documentary about rock’n’roll, which is where I also first saw Little Richard and the Rolling Stones. Which is when I thought if I ever have a band it’ll have two guitarists like that. So yeah, Keith Richards is a great rhythm player, but when it comes down to one: Chuck Berry.
The cult hero
[Dead Boys and Lords Of The New Church vocalist] Stiv Bators. I used to feed his cat Ziggy when he was away, then after his wife moved out I moved in so we’d save money by sharing the rent. It was a great time. Little Steven came over to produce the Lords, then Johnny Thunders got kicked out by his girlfriend’s family in Sweden, and he moved in too. Those were the days; the good old, bad old days.
Dead Boys – Sonic Reducer (Live at CBGB’s 1977) – YouTube
The Ruts. They were amazing, incredible players, and Malcolm Owen’s attitude… What a frontman. They didn’t get a long enough career, but were everything that a four-piece band should be in those days. One of my favourite groups of all time
My Saturday night party song
Rocks Off by the Rolling Stones. Goats Head Soup’s my favourite Stones album, but Exile On Main St.’s right up there. I envy Jagger’s style, his laid-backness, when he starts singing [drawls] ‘I hear you talking when I’m on the street’ it sounds like he just rolled out of bed. It’s so cool. He’s underrated as a vocalist because people look at his flamboyance, his appearance and all that, but he’s a really amazing singer.
My ‘in the mood for love’ song
There was a funk band in the early 70s called the Undisputed Truth who did this album called Higher Than High. It’s the coolest funk ever. The second song’s called Poontang and the lyric goes: ‘Poontang, I used to hate it till I ate it…’ So that’s my ‘in the mood for love’ song.
The song that makes me cry
Ian Hunter’s song Boy, from his eponymous debut solo album, co-produced with Mick Ronson. It’s a masterpiece. I use that album, especially the drum sound, as a reference when I mix my albums. It was made in 1975 and it still has the greatest sound.
The song I want played at my funeral
The long organ piece at the end of Killer by Alice Cooper. As a kid I used to say I wanted that played at my funeral, but then I decided I didn’t want to die. Just because nobody’s lived forever yet doesn’t mean that it’s impossible, so maybe I will live forever. But there’s a probability that I will, like most of us, leave this body of existence, and on that occasion I’d like to be remembered, by some close friends, who will be listening to the ending of Killer by Alice Cooper.
Michael Monroe’s US tour begins in New York on April 2, with UK shows kicking off at Newcastle University on May 22. For dates and tickets, check out Michael Monroe’s LinkTree.
Fans who are tired of the ticketing industry gouging concertgoers can now rejoice: Kid Rock is coming to the rescue.
In a post to Instagram, Rock – real name Robert James Ritchie – revealed that he has met with Donald Trump’s Attorney General nominee Pam Bondi to tackle issues plaguing the concert ticket industry.
“What a treat to break bread with our soon to be Attorney General Pam Bondi,” the Bawitaba singer wrote. “I look forward to working with her and the whole administration to help fix the fiasco of buying concert tickets. Gonna open a can of whoop ass on the bots, scalpers, venues, ticketing companies, managers and artists alike who rip off and deceive the public with the horse shit that has gone on for decades and only gotten worse.”
Scalping, junk fees and the rise of “dynamic pricing” are just some of the major issues that have hindered many fans’ abilities to attend concerts. To that end, Rock went on to challenge industry leaders to be part of the solution.
“Whoever in charge that wants to help fix this, get your ass to the table,” the rocker declared. “Otherwise, Fuck Around and Find Out.”
Kid Rock’s Support for Donald Trump
Rock has been a longtime supporter of Donald Trump. He’s performed at several of the politician’s rallies and even visited Trump at the White House during his first term in office.
Despite his heavily right leaning views, Rock offered a surprisingly measured response following Trump’s reelection earlier this year.
“Now is not the time to gloat,” the musician said in a message to his fans. “We must remember that most of our left-leaning friends are good people, who want the same things in life as we do, but simply think differently on how to get there. It is now time to be the bigger man, to extend an olive branch and unite all reasonable people of this great nation. God has blessed America, and together with President Trump, we will make America great again.”
Former Sabaton guitarist / Majestica frontman Tommy Johansson has shared his weekly cover, this time performing “When Christmas Comes To Town” from the 2004 Christmas movie, The Polar Express. Check it out below.
Symphonic power metal quartet, Majestica, have announced their brand new studio album, Power Train, which will see the light of day on February 7 via Nuclear Blast Records. After more than four years since their last album, the Swedes are ready to set the bar high once again with their new long player and are presenting their fans what is their strongest album to date.
Power Train is a spellbinding experience that awakens sleeping dreams with powerful riffs and epic choruses. The enchantment rises like a breath of stars, propelling listeners into the heart of a fairytale world. This is particularly evident in the album’s first single. With the title track “Power Train”, Majestica leaves an exciting first impression and also presents a strong music video, which you can witness below.
Tommy Johansson comments: “Get ready for explosive power metal with a ”can’t stop singing along”-chorus in the new track ‘Power Train’. The video literally takes you onboard the Power Train with elements taken from the entire album.”
Stream the single here, and pre-order/pre-save the new album here.
When it came to the process of recording and putting all the pieces together, the band did not change a lot compared to the last projects. Again the music was written, recorded, and produced by Majestica themselves.
“Like our previous albums this one is also produced by ourselves, and we recorded most parts in our new place Majestic Studios. For mixing we went back to Jonas Kjellgren as we have been very happy with the sound of A Christmas Carol and Metal United,” says bassist Chris Davidsson.
Regarding the amazing artwork for Power Train, Chris explains: “For the artwork we teamed up with Jan Yrlund / Darkgrove design. It invites you to join this majepic ride of the Power Train, imagine standing there on the platform eagerly waiting, and you hear ”all aboard”!”
Power Train contains ten brand new tracks and will be available in the following formats: CD Jewel (incl. booklet), Vinyl, and digital.
Power Train tracklisting:
“Power Train” “No Pain, No Gain” “Battle Cry” “Megatrue” “My Epic Dragon” “Thunder Power” “A Story In The Night” “Go Higher” “Victorious” “Alliance Anthem”
“Power Train” video:
Shortly before the release of their new album, Majestica will play a few shows, perfect to warm up for the upcoming album. The tour, which is called The Dead Don’t Die Tour, kicks off on December 26 in Nürnberg, Germany. Along with headliners Dominum and support Hammer King, the Swedes are going to stop in seven cities. Furthermore, Majestica will play a festival show at No Sleep After X-Mas Festival in Runkel with some extra focus on their Christmas album, A Christmas Carol, on December 29.
Additionally, Majestica have already confirmed some first festival appearances, including 70000 Tons of Metal 2025 which takes place one week before the release of the album and where fans can have justified hopes that Majestica will also play a few new tracks from Power Train live.
Bloodstock Open Air 2024 organizers have released the new video below, along with the following message:
“On August 9th, 2024, the legendary Swedish progressive metal band Opeth graced the stage as the highly anticipated headliners of the Bloodstock Open Air Metal Festival at Catton Park, UK. Known for their groundbreaking fusion of death metal, progressive rock, and atmospheric melodies, Opeth delivered an unforgettable night of music that thrilled metalheads from all over the world.
This video showcases their powerful live rendition of “Deliverance”, a beloved masterpiece from their critically acclaimed album of the same name. The track highlights Opeth’s extraordinary talent for fusing intense growls, intricate guitar harmonies, and spellbinding melodies, all executed with exceptional skill and passion. Frontman Mikael Åkerfeldt’s magnetic stage presence and the band’s precision brought this iconic song to life, leaving the audience in sheer awe.
Under the starlit sky, the crowd at Bloodstock 2024 erupted into a frenzy, headbanging and chanting along to Opeth’s spellbinding performance. The energy and connection between the band and their fans created an unforgettable moment that defined the festival. Whether you’re a die-hard Opeth fan or discovering their genius for the first time, this performance is guaranteed to leave you breathless.”
Opeth’s 14th studio album, The Last Will And Testament, was officially released on November 22 via Reigning Phoenix Music / Moderbolaget and is now charting internationally.
The current positions can be found below:
The Last Will And Testament lands at #26 on BraveWords’ BravePicks 2024 Top 30, currently counting down here.
Opeth’s fourteenth album was written by Mikael Åkerfeldt, with lyrics conferred with Klara Rönnqvist Fors (The Heard, ex-Crucified Barbara). The Last Will And Testament was co-produced by Åkerfeldt and Stefan Boman (Ghost, The Hellacopters), engineered by Boman, Joe Jones (Killing Joke, Robert Plant), and Opeth, with Boman, Åkerfeldt, and the rest of Opeth mixing at Atlantis and Hammerthorpe Studios in Stockholm. The strings on The Last Will And Testament were arranged by Åkerfeldt and returning prog friend Dave Stewart (Egg, Khan) and conducted by Stewart at Angel Studios in London. Not one to miss a beat, visual artist Travis Smith returns to the fold, crafting his 11th cover, a haunting “photograph” reminiscent of Stanley Kubrick’s infamous “Overlook Hotel” photograph. Miles Showell (ABBA, Queen) also revisits mastering and vinyl lacquer cutting at Abbey Road Studios in London.
Åkerfeldt rolls out the red carpet for storied flautist and Jethro Tull main man Ian Anderson. Not only do Anderson’s signature notes fly on “§4” and “§7”, he narrates on “§1”, “§2”, “§4”, and “§7”. Joining Anderson, Europe’s Joey Tempest lends a backing vocal hand on “§2”, while Åkerfeldt’s youngest daughter, Mirjam Åkerfeldt, is the disembodied voice in “§1”.
The Last Will A Testament is gripping from start to finish, jaw-dropping inside and out, representing some of Opeth’s finest material to date. Just as Opeth welcomed many into its distressed arms over the years, the Swedes again deliver on the promise that great music always tells a compelling story—this time with growls.
The Last Will And Testament is available worldwide via Moderbolaget / Reigning Phoenix Music. Order here.
Album cover by Travis Smith.
The Last Will And Testament tracklisting:
“§1” “§2” “§3” “§4” “§5” “§6” “§7” “A Story Never Told”
“§4” lyric video:
“§3”:
“§1” (Radio Edit) lyric video:
Track by track video:
After conquering North America this past October, Opeth will embark on a headlining tour throughout Europe and the UK starting February 9 of next year. The full itinerary can be found below. Tickets here.
Tour dates (w/ Grand Magus):
February 9 – Helsinki, Finland – Ice Hall 11 – Stockholm, Sweden – Cirkus 12 – Oslo, Norway – Sentrum Scene 14 – Copenhagen, Denmark – DR Koncerthuset 15 – Hamburg, Germany – Docks 17 – Cologne, Germany – Palladium 18 – Berlin, Germany – Tempodrom 19 – Munich, Germany – Muffathalle 21 – Paris, France – L’Olympia 22 – Amsterdam, Netherlands – AFAS Live 23 – Brussels, Belgium – Ancienne Belgique 25 – Bristol, UK – Bristol Beacon 26 – London, UK – Roundhouse 28 – Birmingham, UK – Symphony Hall
March 1 – Manchester, UK – Albert Hall 2 – Glasgow, UK – Barrowland
More than 30 minutes of rare live Black Sabbath film has made its way online. The video was shot on the band’s Technical Ecstacy tour show at the 10,000-capacity Selland Arena in Fresno, CA, USA, on November 9 1976, a night when they were supported by Boston and Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band.
Black Sabbath played 14 songs on the night, and six of those are featured in the clip: Symptom of the Universe, Snowblind, All Moving Parts (Stand Still), War Pigs, Gypsy and Children Of The Grave.
Of those songs, Children Of The Grave has been available on YouTube since 2017 via the account of Reelin’ In The Years, a production company that licences live music and interviews for use in feature films, documentaries, TV commercials, DVDs, CDs, museum exhibitions and concert tours.
The company’s name – and the film timecode – is overlaid on this “new” footage, suggesting that they’re also the original source of this clip (they have 12 songs from the performance listed in their database), and that it may not stay online for long.
“For the Technical Ecstasy tour we didn’t have a very big production, just musical equipment, a snow machine and dry ice,” wrote Tony Iommi, in his book Iron Man: My Journey Through Heaven and Hell with Black Sabbath. “Nothing fancy, no coming in through the stage or flying in from the rafters. But Bill had this brilliant brainwave of having a big sea shell built behind his drums.
“It was made out of fibreglass and it was loud, as it projected the sound. And every night he had tons of fresh flowers around his kit as well. He started getting more loony, but the shell was better than his original idea, where he wanted all these tubes around his kit with water going through it, changing colour. He had all these fancy ideas. They were great until you tried to get them to work: impossible.”
“It was a clever tactical manoeuvre, selling an album at the price of a single. Many people bought it to play frisbee with! But it worked”: For Faust, music has always been just a part of the art
(Image credit: Petra Glaeser)
In 2014, Just Us marked the return of German art revolutionaries Faust, at that point as a duo. Bassist Jean-Hervé Péron drew Prog a line from their 1970s origins to their latest work, discussing unpredictable sounds, a tour that promised no hits – but the real possibility of seeing old ladies knitting on stage with the band.
Even by the idiosyncratic standards of the krautrock movement that countered the UK’s progressive rock splurge in the early 70s, Hamburg’s Faust were plainly a peculiar breed. Named after the German word for ‘fist’ – with all the revolutionary and devilish connotations such a moniker entailed – they were a band who eschewed all the usual rock’n’roll tropes in favour of an ethos that elevated their status from adventurous musical ensemble to frequently mind-bending art collective, making several seminal albums along the way.
Unlike their native contemporaries in Can, Neu! and Kraftwerk, Faust started with a clean slate, jettisoning traditional musical ideas and any semblance of blues or pop, and building their bewildering and diverse sound from scratch.
They incorporated anything and everything, from primitive electronics to surreal visuals, in relentless pursuit of the new. Progressive in both word and deed, they were a mesmerising anomaly 40 years ago, and they remain so today.
Faust in 2014 number just two of their original line-up – drummer Werner ‘Zappi’ Diermaier and French-born bassist Jean-Hervé Péron; standard bearers for the original principles upon which the band were founded in 1971.
Faust have had a sporadic recording history and regular bouts of interpersonal turbulence; until fairly recently there were two legitimate incarnations in action, following an abrupt parting of ways with keyboardist Hans Joachim Irmler a decade ago.
Yet the overwhelming character of new album j US t – pronounced ‘Just Us’ – is one of wide-eyed exploration and limitless sonic scope, albeit still driven by the pointedly non-virtuoso approach that made krautrock such a distinct entity from its distant prog relatives.
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“Fortunately we are bad musicians!” laughs Péron. “We couldn’t play the riffs by those fantastic progressive rock guitar players. Maybe I’m joking, maybe I’m not; I’m not sure! But it was a decision for many German bands.
We couldn’t play virtuoso guitars and bass… we gave more importance to structures, methods and meanings
“The young German people, our generation – I’m not German, but I do feel German – we were all looking for our own identity. We loved everything that was coming from the States and the UK, but we wanted to do our own stuff.
“Combined with the fact that we couldn’t play virtuoso guitars and bass… we looked into different realms, like electronic music and field recordings. We gave more importance to structures and methods and to lyrics and meanings.”
One factor that always set Faust apart was the total absence of any influence from blues or rock’n’roll, even to the extent that early albums like So Far and Faust IV showcased a wilful dismantling and reconstruction of sonic norms.
Even when playing something approaching a normal rock song – for instance, the comparatively straighforward The Sad Skinhead on Faust IV – the band were plainly hellbent on wringing fresh inspiration and something deliciously alien from well-worn ingredients.
“We were influenced by all kinds of things,’ says Péron. “The sounds I heard in my mother’s belly, the music I heard on the radio when I was a teenager. You can’t escape what’s around you, and why should you? As the 60s ended, social, religious and sexual structures and education systems were given big question marks, and so art followed.
“Dadaism and surrealism had existed before, of course, but with most theoretical movements, it’s like a bass sound. If you have your head right next to the cabinet, it’s not as loud or as clear as if you’re six metres away. It takes a while for the deep frequencies to develop.”
We never saw what we were doing as just music… concerts always mingled with things happening
In keeping with their lack of interest in traditional music industry obsessions, Faust’s most notable moment of commercial glory came almost by accident. They signed with Richard Branson’s nascent Virgin imprint in 1973 and, for their first release, unleashed The Faust Tapes: 43 minutes of interwoven song segments and found sounds culled from a year-long residency at Wümme Studios.
It retailed for an irresistible 49p – the price of a single at the time. The album sold remarkably well; but it’s hard not to have a retrospective giggle at what some of the reactions to this wildly experimental and purposefully subversive record must have been.
“After we’d been kicked out of Polydor Records because we were not The Beatles, we went to Virgin,” Péron recalls. “The truth is, we never rehearsed at Wümme; we were just playing, so we had many hours of recordings.
“We took those and made a collage, and that’s The Faust Tapes. It was a very clever tactical manoeuvre from Richard Branson, selling an album at the price of a single. Many people bought it to play frisbee with! But it worked.”
While albums like Can’s Tago Mago and Neu!’s eponymous debut remain standard fixtures in all-time greatest albums lists, Faust have never quite received the acclaim or recognition that their myopic bravery deserves.
Even today, Péron admits they struggle to find promoters in Germany who fully grasp what they’re all about – which explains why their live performances are both intermittent and legendary.
Faust IV was very listenable and it sold well… I saw how the audience changed after that
The real sticking point seems to be that Faust have always regarded themselves as artists first and makers of music second. This makes them a fascinating proposition for those of us who demand a little more from music than catchy tunes and cosy familiarity, of course. But profit-orientated record companies can be forgiven for not being quite so patient or enthusiastic.
“It was always a problem, yeah,” Péron smiles, with a mischievous twinkle in his eye. “We never saw what we were doing as just music. The few concerts that we did, we always mingled with things happening… paintings, actions, lots of lyrics, decorating the room while playing and so on. And that’s not commercial. It has always been like this for us.”
Their most accessible moment came with Faust IV, a stone cold classic that opens with the epic Krautrock itself. If only briefly, it made their music seem a little more palatable to the masses. “Faust IV was very listenable and it sold well, yes, and I saw the audience and how it changed after that,” says Péron.
The Sad Skinhead (2006 Digital Remaster) – YouTube
“For the first three LPs, it was an intellectual, male audience, rather middle-aged. Suddenly we got a really mixed crowd. So those are the people that bought our LPs. Why they did it… they liked something in it, triggered by The Faust Tapes, maybe. Faust IV is not commercial, but it’s not hardcore either.”
In recent times, they’ve continued to pursue their noble artistic aims, sometimes joining forces with like-minded souls – most notably left-field hip hop crew Dälek and industrial oddballs Nurse With Wound – or recruiting additional members to embellish their own ideas, as on 2011’s Something Dirty, which featured the talents of James Johnston from bluesy punk mob Gallon Drunk and painter Geraldine Swayne.
A sound engineer set up a very basic recording situation at my place and the same at Zappi’s, so we had all the time in the world
The Faust of Just Us, however, is very much a two-man operation and, predictably perhaps, the result of another happy accident. “How did this happen? Well, this is like a flower that grew on a lump of shit,” grins Péron. “At the end of 2012, Zappi and I started a project that was just the two of us, recording ground tracks and then sending them to different friends, asking them to add something.
“The idea was to do an audio cadavre exquis [‘exquisite corpse’ – a way of creating art by assembling a collection of ideas], and it didn’t work, for reasons I don’t want to go into. So we decided to do it the way we did the You Know FaUSt album [1997], with home recordings. We asked a sound engineer to set up a very basic recording situation at my place and the same thing at Zappi’s place, so we had all the time in the world. It’s not a fancy production. It’s not totally raw but it’s very spontaneous.”
The coming year should see Faust embarking on a slightly more rigorous touring schedule than in recent times, although anyone expecting a cursory trot through the band’s greatest hits – clue: there aren’t any – should probably steer well clear. Just as it was in 1971, the duo’s ethos remains firmly rooted in lofty artistic goals and an unerring dedication to creating something that aims higher than mere entertainment.
“Anything can happen, it’s true,” Péron says. “We invite people to perform with us. It could be a painter, a mason, a guitar player, a poet, a politician, ladies knitting, vacuum cleaning – whatever comes our way.
You see ladies knitting and a German rock band playing… this disbalance is optimal for absorbing the message
“I remember having a cleaning lady onstage once. She was doing her job with dedication before the venue opened and she was doing it with a dignity and thoroughness, so I invited her to make sure the stage remained clean while we were playing. She vacuum- cleaned and dusted while we played.
“It brings things together that aren’t supposed to happen, and that brings distortions to your perception. You see ladies knitting and a German rock band playing; this doesn’t fit, and your mind asks, ‘Why? What’s happening?’ and this disbalance is optimal for absorbing the message, for reflection.
“Other bands would say, ‘Oh, come on, you can’t do that!’ But it’s Faust, so it can’t be wrong.”
Dom Lawson has been writing for Metal Hammer and Prog for over 14 years and is extremely fond of heavy metal, progressive rock, coffee and snooker. He also contributes to The Guardian, Classic Rock, Bravewords and Blabbermouth and has previously written for Kerrang! magazine in the mid-2000s.
In a statement, Hussain family noted his cause of death was idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.
“His prolific work as a teacher, mentor and educator has left an indelible mark on countless musicians,” the family wrote. “He hoped to inspire the next generation to go further. He leaves behind an unparalleled legacy as a cultural ambassador and one of the greatest musicians of all time.”
Born in Mumbai, India on March 9, 1951, Zakir was raised in a musical household. His father, Alla Rakha, was also a revered tabla player, and he taught Hussain how to play the hand drum instrument when he was just 7 years old.
By 19, Hussain was such a prodigious talent that he became popular beyond traditional Indian audiences. In 1970, he headed to America, where he spent the next several years collaborating with some of rock’s biggest stars.
Who Did Zakir Hussain Work With?
Harrison recruited him to play on 1973’s Living in the Material World, though Hussaain initially hoped to play drums on the LP.
“George looked at me and said ‘You are here because you have something unique to offer. If you want to play drums, that’s fine. But then you will join the 5,000 other drummers who are waiting in line to play with me and you will have to work your way up to get here,’” Hussain recalled to The National in 2022. “That was the day I dropped the idea of wanting to be a rock drummer and focus on making my instrument speak all the languages of rhythm that exists on this planet. I can’t thank George enough for straightening me out.”
Six years later the musician was featured on Morrison’s 1979 LP Into the Music, performing on the songs “Bright Side of the Road” and “Steppin’ Out Queen”. Hussain’s further credits included work with Earth, Wind & Fire, jazz saxophonist John Handy and contributions to motion picture soundtracks, including those for Apocalypse Now (1979) and Little Buddha (1993).
Hussain also became good friends with Hart, the Grateful Dead’s drummer. The two musicians collaborated on a total of seven studio albums together, including 1991’s Planet Drum, which won a Grammy for Best Global Music Album in the first year of the category’s existence. In total, Hussain won four Grammys across his impactful career.
On Friday, December 13th, Machine Head streamed a new edition of Electric Happy Hour. During the two-hour long video, which can be seen in its entirety below, Robb Flynn and his mates offered up their take on the iconic Phil Collins song, “In The Air Tonight”. The complete setlist – along with the banter, babble and burps – was as follows:
“Welcome And Beers Up” “Desire To Fire” “The Blood, The Sweat, The Tears” “From This Day” “Nø Gøds, Nø Masters” “Clenching The Fists Of Dissent” “In The Air Tonight” – Phil Collins “Locust” “Chøke Øn The Ashes Øf Yøur Hate” “Old” “End Of Heartache” – Killswitch Engage “Ten Ton Hammer” “Davidian” “Nausea” [Excerpt] “Darkness Within”
Bay Area metal titans, Machine Head, recently announced a massive North American tour alongside Swedish metal icons In Flames, Italian alt-metallers Lacuna Coil, and American metalcore maestros Unearth.
Head Cases can enjoy a sneak peek of what is in store for the upcoming North American tour via the Machine Head single, “These Scars Won’t Define Us”, featuring all four bands on the tour adding vocals for a Wu-Tang Clan-level thrash collaboration.
Listen/purchase “These Scars Won’t Define Us” digitally, here, and watch a lyric video below:
The 24-date trek will kick off on April 5 with a “hometown” show for Machine Head at the legendary Fox Theater then heads South into Texas before heading East and making it way across Canada.
April 5 – Oakland, CA – Fox Theater 7 – Phoenix, AZ – The Van Buren 9 – San Diego, CA – The Observatory North Park 10 – Los Angeles, CA – Wiltern Theater 12 – Las Vegas, NV – House Of Blues 13 – Salt Lake City, UT – The Union Event Center 15 – Denver, CO – Fillmore Auditorium 17 – San Antonio, TX – Aztec Theater 18 – Houston, TX – House Of Blues Houston 19 – Dallas, TX – House Of Blues Dallas 21 – Raleigh, NC – The Ritz 22 – Silver Spring, MD – The Fillmore 23 – Brooklyn, NY – Brooklyn Paramount 25 – Reading, PA – Santander Arena 26 – Boston, MA – House Of Blues Boston 27 – Montreal, QC – MTelus 28 – Toronto, ON – History 30 – Cincinnati, OH – The Andrew J. Brady Music Center
May 2 – Detroit, MI – The Fillmore Detroit 3 – Chicago, IL – Radius Chicago 4 – Minneapolis, MN – The Fillmore Minneapolis 5 – Winnipeg, MB – Burton Cummings Theater 7 – Calgary, AB – Grey Eagle Event Centre 8 – Edmonton, AB – Midway 10 – Klowna, BC – Prospera Place
In the following video, courtesy of AXS TV, Sebastian Bach goes through his favorite records of all time and talks to Eric Young about the stories of why they are so important to him.
According to Baz, “I listen to music for diffferent reasons. If I’m running for a long – four or five miles, or something. I’m gonna want to listen to some metal to get me through that sh*t. But, if I’m driving on the tour bus to the next city, and I’ve just played metal for two hours, and I have to drive, like six hours, I’m listening to The Allman Brothers. Music hits me! Metal hits me, but then so does The Eagles, in a completely different way.”
In the video below, Sebastian Bach provides his insight of the creation of his album, Child Within The Man, looking at “Future Of Youth”:
Bach recently released the video for “Future Of Youth’ – the fifth from Child Within The Man – with special guest performer, singer, songwriter and guitarist, Orianthi. Watch the video for the musically explosive and lyrically unflinching single below.
“I am so excited to share this song and video with the world!,” says Bach. “This collaboration with my friend Orianthi began many years ago. The song ‘Future Of Youth’ has always been very listenable to my ears due to the musicians involved and also the unbeatable combination of Elvis Baskette and Robert Ludwig. The chorus is something I could hear on the radio.”
In tribute to the song’s title, “Future Of Youth” features the Las Vegas Academy Of The Arts Choir from BACH’s recently adopted hometown of Las Vegas.
“To have the Las Vegas Academy Of The Arts Choir perform and sing in the video makes my heart pound with emotion,” Bach says, “because I fell in love with singing in my own church choir many, many years ago. It has always been a dream of mine to have an actual choir in one of my rock videos—to have one of the top choirs in the country rock out in ‘Future of Youth’ is exactly what the message of the song is about. The Future of Youth belongs to the Youth and no one else!”
Child Within The Man was recorded in Orlando, Florida; produced and mixed by Elvis Baskette; engineered by Jef Moll, assistant engineered by Josh Saldate; and mastered by Robert Ludwig/Gateway Mastering. Bach wrote or co-wrote all the album’s 11 tracks and sang all lead and backing vocals. Child Within The Man features guest appearances from John 5, Steve Stevens, and Orianthi – who all co-wrote their respective tracks with Bach – and two tracks co-written with Myles Kennedy (“What Do I Got To Lose?” and “To Live Again’); Devin Bronson on guitars, Todd Kerns (bass) and Jeremy Coulson (drums) round out the players on the album.
The album is available on CD (Jewelcase), cassette and double LP in a variety of color options. The album artwork holds special meaning since it was designed by Bach’s father, noted visual artist David Bierk. “This album artwork was started in 1978 and finished in 2024!” Sebastian says.
“Everybody Bleeds” “Freedom” (featuring John 5) “(Hold On) To The Dream” “What Do I Got to Lose?” “Hard Darkness” “Future of Youth” (featuring Orianthi) “Vendetta” “F.U.” (featuring Steve Stevens) “Crucify Me” “About To Break” “To Live Again”
