Former Guns N’ Roses and Velvet Revolver drummer Matt Sorum is a proud papa!
Sorum and his wife, Ace Harper, have just announced that Harper gave birth to a baby girl named Lou Ellington Sorum on June 11.
Lou, who is the couple’s first child, was born in Palm Springs, California, and weighed in at 6 pounds, 14 ounces.
“Our Hearts are so full of gratitude that God has brought this angel into our lives,” Matt and Ace say in a statement. “Our baby girl Lou Ellington is pure Love & Joy.”
Sorum and Harper, who’ve been married since 2013, announced the impending birth of their daughter back in March in a People magazine article.
Ace is a singer/songwriter, dancer, artist and fashion designer who previously collaborated musically with her husband in a band called Diamond Baby.
Sorum, meanwhile, co-produced, co-wrote and plays drums on ZZ Top frontman Billy Gibbons recent solo album, Hardware. In addition, he’s preparing to publish a book called Double Talkin’ Jive: True Rock ‘n’ Roll Stories on September 7 that will feature him discussing his experiences trying to achieve a successful music career, while reflecting on the challenges of being a rock star.
Mark Hoppus shared an update regarding his ongoing cancer battle, telling fans during a recent Q&A that the cancer he’s fighting is the same type that his mother beat.
The Blink-182 bassist revealed he has an aggressive form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. “The cancer isn’t bone-related, it’s blood-related,” he said.
“My classification is diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) Stage 4-A, which means, as I understand it, it’s entered four different parts of my body,” the musician continued. “It’s entered enough parts of my body that I’m Stage 4, which I think is the highest that it goes. So, I’m Stage 4-A.”
Hoppus remained upbeat and revealed he’s grown even closer to his mother because, a few years ago, she battled DLBCL and won.
“I’ve been able to talk with her and bond with her quite a bit. Oddly enough, we have the exact same form of cancer that she had. And she beat it,” he said, noting she is also a three-time cancer survivor. “Twice for breast cancer and one for the same cancer that I have.”
“I can’t get sick and I have to vigilantly take my temperature and make sure I don’t have a fever,” he explained.
Hoppus said he’ll soon know if chemotherapy is working, noting he will undergo a PET scan and hopes doctors will tell him, “Congratulations! Your chemotherapy has worked and you are all done and you’ll never have to think about this cancer again for the rest of your life.”
“We’re beating this cancer,” he assured. “It’s just a matter of time.”
Enormous: The Gorge Story, a new documentary about the history of the popular Washington State concert venue The Gorge Amphitheatre, will get its theatrical release as a one-night-only event on July 21, with additional screenings also slated to take place in select locations.
The film includes interviews with various artists, including Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready, Dave Matthews and Portugal. The Man, who share their recollections of playing at the beloved venue situated in rural eastern Washington.
Additionally, the doc includes performance footage of Bob Dylan, Mumford & Sons, Heart, Elvis Costello and others.
The screenings also will include bonus interview footage with several well-known artists, five short documentaries about The Gorge, and a blooper reel featuring McCready, Matthews and a number of the musicians that appear in the film.
In a trailer for Enormous: The Gorge Story, McCready explains how attending a Stevie Ray Vaughan show at The Gorge inspired him to pursue playing music seriously.
Additionally, Rolling Stone has premiered a clip from the film featuring McCready talking about Pearl Jam’s 1993 show at The Gorge with Neil Young.
“With The Gorge reopening this July, after more than a year of shuttered theaters, music venues, and a dire lack of live communal experiences, Enormous: The Gorge Story couldn’t be releasing at a better time,” says the film’s director, Nic Davis. “Our film is about the power of place. And the power of community. And how some great music got millions of people from around the world to dance together on a patch of rural farmland.”
Foo Fighters are finally performing live again, but a recent concert for fully vaccinated fans only has been met with protests.
Billboardreports that the 11-time Grammy winning band performed at The Canyon Club in Agoura Hills, which required its 600 attendees to show proof of vaccination for the Tuesday show.
The mandate caused a crowd of protestors to show up at the venue, where they waved signs that equated the rule to Nazism and accused the band of promoting segregation, according to photos.
“No vaccine passports! Only Nazis ask for your papers,” one sign read while another remarked, “Foo Fighters fight to bring segregation back.”
The protest was also allegedly attended by NYPD Blue star Ricky Schroder, who was photographed standing among those waving signs.
Lance Sterling, who owns Canyon Club, was unbothered by the protest and told the publication, “They’re exercising their right to protest and we’re exercising our right to be here.”
Meanwhile, the Dave Grohl-fronted band hasn’t remarked on the protest, but did thank the club for hosting them.
“Thank you @canyonagoura!!! It was hot and loud…and we can’t wait to do it again,” the band said Wednesday on Instagram and uploaded several photos of the intimate performance.
The band’s next show will be Sunday at New York City’s Madison Square Garden, which is sold out. The performance will mark the venue’s first concert since the COVID-19 pandemic shut it down in March 2020. The concert will also kick off the Foos’ 26th anniversary tour.
For the full list of dates and all ticket info, visit FooFighters.com.
Bruce Springsteen will be featured on a new tune by The Killers called “Dustland” that, according to a post on the modern rockers’ socialmediasites, will be released on Wednesday, June 16.
The band also has posted a link to pre-save the digital track, as well as a 10-second clip of an apparent music video for the tune showing both Springsteen and Killers frontman Brandon Flowers singing.
The Killers first teased the news of the collaboration on Thursday, when they tweeted, “We’re announcing a killer collab (pun intended) later this week, but you’ve got to figure out who it’s with.” They added that they would be posting different clues leading up to the announcement, and encouraged fans to submit their guesses via TheKillersMusic.com/GuesstheFeature.
The first clue was a photo of a Ferris wheel on the Atlantic City, New Jersey, boardwalk, accompanied by the caption, “This city is down on the boardwalk and also the title of a song by our mystery artist.” The Boss, of course, wrote a song called “Atlantic City” that appeared on his 1982 album Nebraska.
However, after reports emerged Thursday that Springsteen had called in to his radio show and revealed that he and The Killers were working on a new song together, the band then unveiled the new details about the tune.
“Looks like the cat’s out of the bag,” a message tweeted by The Killers late Thursday reads. “When The Boss decides it’s time to make an announcement, it’s time to make an announcement.”
Travis Barker, who survived a plane crash in 2008 that killed nearly everyone aboard, says he is still healing from the horrifying incident.
Speaking with Men’s Health, the Blink-182 drummer admitted he hasn’t flown on a plane since the incident, which claimed the lives of the two pilots, assistant Chris Baker and security guard Charles Stil — and left his most of his body covered in third-degree burns.
The only other crash survivor, Adam “DJ AM” Goldstein, died of an overdose a year later.
Barker recalled, “I was told I wasn’t going to run again because I had so many grafts on my feet, and there was even talk of me never playing the drums again.”
The “What’s My Age Again?” drummer challenged himself to prove the doctors wrong and grinned, “And now I’m in better shape than I’ve ever been.”
While he has overcome his physical wounds, his mental scars are still there, Barker says. The 45-year-old is still seeking treatment for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD.)
“It’s gotten better the further I get away from it,” he admitted, but said he was in a “dark” place after the crash.
“I couldn’t walk down the street. If I saw a plane [in the sky], I was determined it was going to crash,” the drummer admitted, recalling the vivid flashes of “being in an accident and being burned, trying to grab my friends from a burning plane.”
As for how he’s helped himself heal, the Grammy nominee says he has “memorials on my legs for everyone that I lost in my plane crash” and has committed himself to flying on a plane again because “I want to make the choice to try and overcome [my fear.]”
Added Barker, “Why should I still be afraid of airplanes?”
The Billboard Music Awards winners were revealed in ceremonies Sunday night at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, California, and broadcast live on NBC. The Weeknd was the night’s top winner, taking home 10 trophies in total. Nick Jonas served as the host of this year’s ceremony. Here’s the complete list of winners:
Top Artist The Weeknd
Top New Artist Pop Smoke
Artist of the Decade Drake
Icon Award Pink
Change Maker Award Trae Tha Truth
Top Male Artist The Weeknd
Top Female Artist Taylor Swift
Top Duo/Group BTS
Top Billboard 200 Artist Taylor Swift
Top Hot 100 Artist The Weeknd
Top Streaming Songs Artist Drake
Top Song Sales Artist BTS
Top Radio Songs Artist The Weeknd
Top Social Artist BTS
Top R&B Artist The Weeknd
Top R&B Male Artist The Weeknd
Top R&B Female Artist Doja Cat
Top Rap Artist Pop Smoke
Top Rap Male Artist Pop Smoke
Top Rap Female Artist Megan Thee Stallion
Top Country Artist Morgan Wallen
Top Country Male Artist Morgan Wallen
Top Country Female Artist Gabby Barrett
Top Country Duo/Group Florida Georgia Line
Top Rock Artist Machine Gun Kelly
Top Latin Artist Bad Bunny
Top Latin Male Artist Bad Bunny
Top Latin Artist Karol G
Top Latin Duo/Group Eslabón Armado
Top Dance/Electronic Artist Lady Gaga
Top Christian Artist Elevation Worship
Top Gospel Artist Kanye West
ALBUM AWARDS
Top Billboard 200 Album Pop Smoke, Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon
Top R&B Album The Weeknd, After Hours
Top Rap Album Pop Smoke, Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon
Top Country Album Morgan Wallen, Dangerous: The Double Album
Top Rock Album Machine Gun Kelly, Tickets to My Downfall
Top Latin Album Bad Bunny, YHLQMDLG
Top Dance/Electronic Album Lady Gaga, Chromatica
Top Christian Album Carrie Underwood, My Gift
Top Gospel Album Maverick City Music, Maverick City Vol. 3 Part 1
SONG AWARDS
Top Hot 100 Song The Weeknd, “Blinding Lights”
Top Streaming Song DaBaby ft. Roddy Ricch, “ROCKSTAR”
Top-Selling Song BTS, “Dynamite”
Top Radio Song The Weeknd, “Blinding Lights”
Top Collaboration Gabby Barrett ft. Charlie Puth, “I Hope”
Top R&B Song The Weeknd, “Blinding Lights”
Top Rap Song DaBaby ft. Roddy Ricch, “ROCKSTAR”
Top Country Song Gabby Barrett, “I Hope”
Top Rock Song AJR, “Bang!”
Top Latin Song Bad Bunny & Jhay Cortez, “Dákiti”
Top Dance/Electronic Song SAINt JHN, “Roses (Imanbek Remix)”
Top Christian Song Elevation Worship ft. Brandon Lake, “Graves Into Gardens”
Top Gospel Song Kanye West ft. Travis Scott, “Wash Us In The Blood”
Today, May 19, marks what would’ve been late Ramones singer Joey Ramone‘s 70th birthday.
Ramone’s milestone birthday will be celebrated tonight with a virtual “Birthday Bash” that will be streamed for free at JoeyRamone.com.
Joey was born Jeffrey Hyman, but like the other members of his band, he took on the surname Ramone, which came from a pseudonym that The Beatles‘ Paul McCartney used early in his career.
Formed in 1974, The Ramones were among the earliest groups to emerge from the punk rock scene centered around New York’s legendary punk club CBGB. The band combined its varied musical influences, sped up to a breakneck pace, to create sound that was fresh, unique and infectious.
Lyrically, The Ramones’ tunes included elements of cult and horror films, weird humor, the drug culture and teenage angst.
Joey wrote or co-wrote many of the band’s popular songs, including “Beat on the Brat,” “I Remember You,” “Sheena Is a Punk Rocker,” “I Wanna Be Sedated,” “Rock ‘n’ Roll High School,” “Do You Remember Rock ‘n’ Roll Radio?” and “Merry Christmas (I Don’t Want to Fight Tonight).”
Among the many bands that have cited The Ramones as influences are The Clash, Sex Pistols, U2, Pearl Jam and Green Day.
Outside of the band, Joey was among the many stars who joined “Little Steven” Van Zandt‘s music-industry activist group Artists United Against Apartheid, and lent vocals to the collective’s 1985 protest song “Sun City.”
The Ramones broke up in 1996 after a farewell tour. Joey passed away from lymphoma on April 15, 2001. His debut solo album, Don’t Worry About Me, was released posthumously in February 2002.
The following month, Joey was inducted posthumously into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame along with The Ramones.
R.E.M. is celebrating the 40th anniversary of its debut single, “Radio Free Europe,” by releasing a replica of the original seven-inch vinyl 45-rpm disc.
The single, which was released on the independent Hib-Tone label in July 1981 and also included an early version of “Sitting Still,” was housed in a sleeve featuring a photo taken by R.E.M. frontman Michael Stipe.
The band also is offering a limited-edition reproduction — on cassette — of its previously unreleased 1981 demo tape. It’ll be packaged as a bundle with the “Radio Free Europe” vinyl single and made available exclusively at the group’s official online store.
The cassette features early versions of “Radio Free Europe,” “Sitting Still” and the rarity “White Tornado,” with packaging that recreates Stipe’s original hand-written labels.
R.E.M. recorded the original versions of “Radio Free Europe” and “Sitting Still” with producer Mitch Easter at Easter’s Drive-In studio in Winston, North Carolina.
“We were all just kind of finger-painting,” Easter tells Rolling Stone, recalling working with the band for the first time. “They weren’t super-deliberate about anything. I loved that about the sessions.”
Mitch went on to work on R.E.M.’s 1982 debut EP Chronic Town, and their first two albums: 1983’s Murmur and 1984’s Reckoning. Murmur features updated versions of “Radio Free Europe” and “Sitting Still.”
Reflecting on the original version of “Radio Free Europe,” Easter says, “Those guys just hit the right note. There’s a lot of good stuff that falls through the cracks, or it’s discovered later and enjoyed briefly, then it goes away again. But this stuff, it just stayed alive.”
Foo Fighters, Todd Rundgren and The Go-Go’s are among the 2021 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees.
This year’s class also includes JAY-Z, Tina Turner and Carole King. Artists are eligible to be inducted 25 years after the release of their first commercial recording.
Foo Fighters are being inducted in their first year of eligibility. Frontman Dave Grohl is now a two-time Rock Hall inductee, after previously being enshrined as a member of Nirvana. In addition, Turner and King also will be inducted for a second time, joining Stevie Nicks as the only women to be welcomed into the Rock Hall twice.
Speaking to ABC Audio about the Foos’ induction, Rock Hall Vice President of Education Jason Hanley says, “They’ve really carried the torch for classic rock ‘n roll.’
Hanley also notes that The Go-Go’s are the first “all-female band where they played their own instruments” to be inducted.
“This is not just a singer or songwriter or something like that,” he says. “This is a rock ‘n roll band.”
Of Rundgren, Hanley says his work as both a musician and a producer makes him a worthy inductee.
“He never did one thing twice,” Hanley says. “He always innovated something new each album.”
In addition to the six inductees entering the Rock Hall in the Performer Category, several other artists are also being inducted in conjunction with receiving special Rock Hall awards. For example, three artists will be honored with the Musical Excellence Award: Ozzy Osbourne guitarist Randy Rhoads, R&B artist and Beatles and Rolling Stones session keyboardist Billy Preston, and rapper LL Cool J.
Additionally, electronic pioneers Kraftwerk are being recognized with the Early Influence Award, along with blues legend Charley Patton and soul musician and poet Gil Scott-Heron, while music executive Clarence Avant will be given the Ahmet Ertegun Award.
As Hanley explains, artists who receive these awards are all official Rock Hall inductees.
The Artists who were nominated this year but were not chosen for induction were Iron Maiden, Rage Against the Machine, Devo, New York Dolls, Kate Bush, Mary J. Blige, Chaka Khan, Fela Kuti and Dionne Warwick.
The 2021 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will take place October 30 in Cleveland.
