KISS to Receive Kennedy Center Honors

KISS will be honored at the Kennedy Center Honors, and the band members, including Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, and Ace Frehley, expressed gratitude for the accolade.Simmons stated, “KISS is the embodiment of the American dream. We are deeply honored to receive the Kennedy Center Honor.”Stanley emphasized that KISS embodies the American ideal of hard work paying off and accepted the honor on behalf of the band's long legacy.Frehley reflected on his humble beginnings in the Bronx and called the honor "a dream come true that I never thought would materialize."President Trump, who unveiled the nominees, praised KISS as one of the great rock bands ever and expressed it as an honor to present them.

Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons' Past Comments on Trump

Despite President Donald Trump awarding KISS with the Kennedy Center Honors, Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons have been critical of Trump in the past.In March 2016, Gene Simmons predicted Trump's victory and praised his unfiltered style, stating, "He is the truest political animal I’ve ever seen onstage."Simmons defended some of Trump's policies in May 2018, mentioning the U.S. embassy move to Jerusalem and plans for a border wall, comparing it to the Vatican's wall.

Paul Stanley criticized Trump's behavior in August 2020, calling it "incendiary & abhorrent" for any candidate to claim election fraud.

Stanley condemned Trump's call to Georgia Secretary of State in January 2021, labeling it as "Mob Boss behavior" and a threat to democracy.Stanley responded to the January 6 Capitol attack by calling the perpetrators "TERRORISTS" and blaming Trump and specific senators for inciting the violence.

AEROSMITH: Two Out of Five Will Have to Do

With Aerosmith's touring days behind them due to Steven Tyler fracturing his larynx on stage in 2023, guitarist Joe Perry will keep some of the songs alive as The Joe Perry Project starts a tour this Wednesday in Tampa. Joining him is Aerosmith's other guitarist Brad Whitford, along with Black Crowes singer Chris Robinson, Stone Temple Pilots' bassist Robert DeLeo, Aerosmith touring keyboardist Buck Johnson, and former JPP drummer Jason Sutter in place of STP's Eric Kretz who had to drop out due to a "family emergency."

And while Perry hopes Aerosmith can do the occasional show, he says their touring days are definitely over. "I've been spending a lot of time with Steven and he just doesn't want to tour and he can't tour. It's tough. I'm not sure I would want to go out and book another 40-city tour. It's a long way to the top and staying there takes it out of you, especially an Aerosmith tour." But, with the band working on a documentary, Perry adds that they could do a show as "part of it." The Joe Perry Project will do 10 shows through September 17th in Los Angeles, one of two shows in support of The Who.

Eddie Van Halen's 1982 Kramer Electric Guitar To Hit Auction Block

A piece of music history could be yours, but it's gonna cost you. Eddie Van Halen's 1982 Kramer electric guitar will be auctioned by Sotheby’s New York in October. If you're interested, be prepared to pay. A previous Sotheby’s sale for a guitar owned by the legend - that one from Van Halen's "Hot for Teacher" music video - brought in almost $4-million two years ago. According to estimates, this guitar, which was custom-built for the guitarist,

is expected to bring in between two and three million dollars. The guitar has a history; Van Halen gifted the guitar to longtime friend and guitar technician Robin "Rudy" Leiren, who later sold it to Mick Mars of Mötley Crüe. Mars then used it during the recording of the band's

blockbuster "Dr. Feelgood album." If you've got the cash, feel free to bid here.

METALLICA: Sphere Dreams

For a band that hasn't officially booked a gig at the Sphere in Las Vegas, the members of Metallica sure like talking about the one-of-a-kind venue. Back in April guitarist Kirk Hammett said in an interview that he'd love to play there. Then last week drummer Lars Ulrich confirmed that the band had started talks with the venue but nothing was booked yet.

Now bassist Robert Trujillo told Eddie Trunk that “I’m already thinking like, imagine this, imagine that, imagine, you know, because Metallica’s music is so visual,” he said. “I mean, imagine a song like [1986 song] ‘Orion’ and what you can do with that… The possibilities are endless.” He added that while nothing has been booked, they're having serious conversations about it. He says, “So for me, it’s again, like a dream come true. We’ll see what happens. I know we’re talking about it and hopefully this is gonna happen.”

ROBERT PLANT: Why He Didn't and Won't Go Back to the Beginning

Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi invited Robert Plant to be part of Back to the Beginning, the final show for Sabbath and Ozzy Osbourne on July 5th in Birmingham, England, but Plant graciously declined. He tells Mojo magazine, “I said, Tony, I’d love to come, but I can’t come. I just can’t. I’m not saying that I’d rather hang out with Peter Gabriel or Youssou N’Dour, but I don’t know anything about what’s going on in that world now, at all. I don’t decry it, I’ve got nothing against it. It’s just I found these other places that are so rich.”

And those places are why he’s also shying away from playing some of Led Zeppelin's better known songs on his tour with Saving Grace. “What were the hits?," he asks? "How can they be related to now, where do they fit? They fit as a sort of memoir. When people say that I don’t like ‘Stairway To Heaven,’ I just don’t like the idea of it. These iconic things – they’re just what they are. “But you know, most people have missed some of the best Zeppelin stuff. ‘For Your Life’ on Presence. ‘Achilles Last Stand!’ ... Just extraordinary that three people and a singer can do that.” The Zeppelin songs he's been playing on this tour are "Ramble On," "Four Sticks," "Friends," "The Rain Song," "Gallows Pole" and "Black Dog." Plant and Saving Grace start their U.S. tour on October 30th in Wheeling, West Virginia in support of their self-titled debut album, which will be out on September 26th. In Zeppelin news, they've released a visualizer video for "Houses of the Holy" from the 50th anniversary of Physical Graffiti, which will be out on September 12th.

JOHN FOGERTY: You Go Bruce

It's no secret that John Fogerty is a friend and fan of Bruce Springsteen. So it should come as no surprise that he admires Springsteen for the stance he's taken against President Trump and his administration. Appearing on Rolling Stone’s Music Now podcast he said, “I’m really proud of Bruce for just sticking up for his values and, and not being afraid to voice them. Even though they’re very similar, President Nixon would’ve realized not to give the other side publicity by acknowledging and talking about it. ‘Cause you just make it more famous when you do that.”

And of course, Trump did, calling Springsteen "highly overrated.” This past April, Fogerty was presented with an American Music Honors award by the Bruce Springsteen Archives & Center for American Music on the campus of Monmouth University in West Long Branch, New Jersey.

Springsteen presented the award, saying he's the "Hank Williams of our generation” adding that “people ask what songs I wish I’d written. My answer? John Fogerty’s entire catalog.” Springsteen then joined Fogerty for "Bad Moon Rising," "Proud Mary" and "Fortunate Son."

"I love Bruce Springsteen and over the years we've certainly been good friends, but also compadres in music and mischief making. The feeling in that theater that night, especially I know, just standing there with Bruce and singing some songs and enjoying music like we were kids. We both expressed that to each other later that night. That was really one of the highlights of my life being there and getting to feel that way. That's why we do this."

Neal Schon Teasing Possible Journey "Off-Shoot" Band

Recent social media posts by Journey guitarist Neal Schon might be teasing a Journey "off-shoot" band. Schon posted on his X account a logo that says "Journey Beyond." A caption simply says "into the future." A website that researches trademark filings with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office shows an application for "Journey Beyond" that was filed on April 10th by Neal Schon of Highland, Utah. The application is still "awaiting assignment to an examining attorney" according to the website uspto.report.

BILLY JOEL: He's Moving Out

Billy Joel continues to downsize his real estate holdings. With his $30-million Oyster Bay mansion on the market, he's also putting a going out of business sign on his motorcycle shop, 20th Century Cycles. In business for 15 years and home to many of his motorcycles, a flier states that "The Piano Man is moving out! ... Motorcycle Parts Sale! Everything Must Go!" His spokeswoman says he will be auctioning his bike collection later this year due to his “recent medical issue.” Joel was diagnosed with Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus, a condition where cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) accumulates in the brain's ventricles, but the pressure inside the skull remains within the normal range. It's curable. The shop will remain open on weekends through the end of the month.

In other news, many of his albums and songs have been re-certified by the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America). Among them are:

·Piano Man (album) - five-million

·"Piano Man" (song) - eight-million

·An Innocent Man - eight-million

·The Stranger - 12-million

·"Uptown Girl" - six-million

·"We Didn't Start the Fire" - six-million

·"It's Still Rock 'N' Roll to Me" - four-million

40th Anniversary Of Huey Lewis Milestone

This month marks the 40th anniversary of a major milestone for Huey Lewis and the News. From 1982-to-1984, Huey and his boys had five top-ten songs on the Billboard Hot 100. "Heart and Soul" reached number seven and the other four songs peaked at number six. On the chart for the week of August 10th, 1985, the band broke the number-six hex when "The Power of Love" jumped two spots from seven-to-five. Two weeks later, the song from the blockbuster "Back to the Future" became their first number one.

HALL & OATES: They Went For That

The lawsuit Daryl Hall filed in 2023 against his former partner John Oates over Oates wanting to sell his share of the rights to their music has been settled. Papers were filed Monday in Nashville, bringing an end to this ugly chapter in the duo's history, which led to them breaking up. Details of the agreement were not made public, and it appears that it will be a cold day in hell before the two work together again with Hall telling The Times of London in March, “That ship has gone to the bottom of the ocean. I’ve had a lot of surprises in my life, disappointments, betrayals, so I’m kind of used to it.” And Oates agrees, having told Rolling Stone, "I don't see it. I really don’t. Life is funny though. You never know what kind of curve it will throw you." Hall & Oates did their last show on October 22nd in Laughlin, Nevada.

IN OTHER NEWS

Dave Grohl's prototype DG-335 that he played on stage from 2005 to 2007 is up for sale on Reverb for $300,000.

Def Leppard singer Joe Elliott posted a video on Instagram of him taking a shot out of a disposable cup and then flipping the cup in an attempt to have it land upright on the ground. The clip shows numerous flips until he lands two in one night. WARNING!!! Video contains an expletive!!!

Sammy Hagar and Michael Anthony have posted a video on YouTube of them discussing Van Halen’s last album with Hagar, 1995’s Balance, which will be re-released this Friday on CD, vinyl and digitally in celebration of its 30th anniversary. This collection contains bonus material, including cuts from their June 24th, 1995 concert at London’s Wembley Stadium.

WARNING!!! Video contains an expletive!!!

Paul Stanley has posted a video on Instagram of him and his son Evan doing an acoustic version of “Wouldn’t You Like to Know Me” off his 1978 self-titled album.

Dave Mason has posted a tribute to Derek and the Dominos and Delaney & Bonnie and Friends keyboardist Bobby Whitlock who died Sunday from cancer. He says, “I’ll always be grateful for our time making music together in the early days of Derek and the Dominoes, with Delaney & Bonnie, and during the recording of George Harrison’s All Things Must Pass. Prayers and blessings to the Whitlock family and to the many, many fans who’ve enjoyed the music all these years…” Whitlock was 77.

Astrophysicist Brian May posted a video on Instagram of Jupiter and Venus being visible to the naked eye earlier today and on Monday. He says, “A beautiful sight at dawn… Jupiter and Venus are having a sparkling affair… An iPhone capture on Instagram can't capture the real magnificence of this 'conjunction' of two planets…”

Patti Smith has posted the cover of her new memoir, Bread of Angels. She says it was taken by her former late boyfriend Robert Mapplethorpe in “the same room where he shot the [cover for her 1975 album] Horses. This cover is a beautiful way to continue our lifelong collaboration.” The photo is an outtake from the sessions that produced the one for the cover of her 1979 album, Wave. Bread of Angels will be published on November 4th, 15 years after her first memoir, Just Kids.

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