A Marc Bolan and T.Rex tribute album is in the pipeline for release on July 31. Angel Headed Hipster: The Songs Of Marc Bolan and T.Rex was being coordinated by Hal Wilner, The musical director of Saturday Night Live and producer of a multitude of other tribute compilations lost his life to COVID-19 earlier this month. Included on the album are two versions of Bang A Gong (Get It On) - a live U2 cover of it recorded in New Orleans three years ago with a piano part added afterward by Elton John and another rendition of it by David Johansen, Joan Jett's take on Jeepster, Nick Cave doing Cosmic Dancer, A Lucinda Williams take on Scenescof, Todd Rundgren doing Planet Queen, and a dozen more tracks by others.

Of all the coming album releases in 2020, none has us more intrigued than the June 5 release that pairs Dion DeMucci with Joe Bonamassa, Bruce Springsteen, Steven Van Zandt and Patti Scialfa of the E Street Band, Billy Gibbons, Van Morrison, Jeff Beck, Paul Simon and others. Blues With Friends has the potential to be very ear pleasing.

Fins Up! Parrotheads, Jimmy Buffett will release his first studio album in 7 years on May 29. Life On The Flip Side drops on May 29, and proceeds from some specially packaged ones with merch will benefit Covid-19 relief funds. Check those out here..

https://www.mailboatrecords.com/collections/life-on-the-flip-side

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Billy Gibbons is hunkered down in Las Vegas during this extended stretch of down time. In a conversation with John Katsilometes of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the ZZ Top guitarist said he was getting so antsy he might have to resort to doing some yard work, a prospect he called "...against my better judgement". Good news for Top fans; when asked whether he's been in contact with Dusty Hill and Frank Beard, Gibbons replied, "Oh, yes! We have been cooking up another round of wicked sounds for the next ZZ record. Long distance rock ’n’ roll."

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With few exceptions, music fans only see the finished work of album cover artists. So at a time when most people have more time on their hands than they know what to do with, it's welcome news that one of the great creators of album covers is going to let us look over his shoulder virtually as he works on the next cover art for Yes. The opening session streams on his Facebook page this afternoon (4/22) at 3pm (eastern) in the US.  Here's the link: 

https://www.facebook.com/rogerdeanofficial/

Sammy Hagar's Rock & Roll Road Trip" is back with new episodes starting Sunday night (4/19) at 8:30 (eastern) on AXS-TV. Here's what's on tap this time...

Tonight's One World Together at Home special event landed a major last minute addition. The special being televised by ABC, NBC and CBS and broadcast on iHeart Media radio stations has added the Rolling Stones to a lineup that will also include appearances by Paul McCartney, Elton John, Eddie Vedder and many more.
The event kicks-off at 8:30pm (eastern).

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Eddie Money's parting gift to fans is out today.Brand New Day is the title of the album the eternally optimistic and upbeat singer had been working on before esophageal cancer made it impossible for him to continue to record.in 2019. The five songs he had completed are on a digital EP released today. If Eddie was still around, he'd be doing everything he could to lift the spirits of friends, family and fans. We miss The Money Man.

Pink Floyd fans can look forward to a free weekly concert stream from the band starting at noon (eastern) today with the the masterful 1995 Pulse, filmed during The Division Bell tour. If you haven't merged your streaming device to a Bluetooth soundbar or other enhanced speaker system, this would be a good time to do it.

The Red Rocker and his Circle band mates take on this VH track as song 3 in their ongoing Lockdown Challenge.

Jethro Tull's Ian Anderson and singer Leslie Mandoki share this musical thanks to the men and women on the front lines of the pandemic response.

Willie Nelson, Neil Young, John Mellencamp and Dave Matthews are cooking-up an At Home With Farm Aid streaming event for April 11. The event will be carried by AXS-TV and online at www.farmaid.org. Willie and his sons will host the session. In announcing it, Nelson drew attention to wanting to support those on the front lines of providing and transporting food in this time of national crisis.

In addition to losing John Prine yesterday to Covid-19, we lost another less well known but also wonderful musical figure. Hall Willner played an integral role in guiding the music segments on Saturday Night Live. 

He also produced a number of projects, including some that would only end up on the radar of someone with his wide ranging and eclectic musical interests. His 1984 tribute to Thelonious Monk included Peter Frampton. Michael Stipe and Ringo Starr were among the artists featured on his 1988 collection saluting the music of classic Disney films. Vernon Reid, Keith Richards, Charlie Watts, Henry Rollins, Leonard Cohen, and Elvis Costello contributed material to his 1992 Meditations on (Charles) Mingus.  Bono and Van Dyke Parks appear on his 2006 double CD Rogue's Gallery: Pirate Ballads, Sea Songs and Chanteys.

Willner also produced a number of live performance tributes involving Randy Newman, Neil Young, Bill Withers, Lou Reed, Allen Ginsberg, the Firesign Theatre, and served as the music coordinator or producer on movies that include Finding Forester, Gangs of New York and Talladega Nights.

Julia Louis-Dreyfus noted his passing by writing, "Absolutely devastated to get this news about my weird and lovely pal, Hal. We are heartbroken."

Paul McCartney, Eddie Vedder and Elton John have enlisted for an April 18 benefit being carried multiple television networks,YouTube, Twitter and Facebook. One World: Together At Home will raise money for the Covid-19 Solidarity Response Fund of the World Health Organization. The event will also include performances by Stevie Wonder, Alanis Morissette, and Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong, and will be hosted by Jimmy Fallon, Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Kimmell.

Queen guitarist Brian May was joined by musicians in Spain, the UK and US when he and Mig Ayesa, Chris Allan and Ally McLachlin streamed this version of Hammer to Fall Tuesday (4/7)

Bob Weir will launch a free weekly concert stream via Nugs.TV, the NugsTV web site and Bob's Facebook page tomorrow night at 8. Week one of Weir Wednesdays features Bob Weir and Wolf Brothers November 10, 2018 concert at the Capitol Theatre in Portchester, NY, a concert that included special guest Warren Haynes.

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As the producer and/or engineer on an amazing number of iconic album recording sessions,including five albums each from Led Zeppelin and the Rolling Stones, the first three Jimi Hendrix albums, Frampton Comes Alive!, the original Woodstock soundtrack, Derek and the Dominos, Traffic, and several KISS albums, Eddie Kramer has plenty of great memories to share. He will in an upcoming documentary being produced by Joe Berlinger, Spencer Proffer and Rolling Stone magazine.

Sammy Hagar and his Circle band mates deliver a Who classic in the Red Rocker's Lockdown Session 2.

Who fans can add reading a new biography of John Entwistle to their options of things to do while avoiding others during the pandemic. The Ox: The Authorized Biography of John Entwistle gets published on Tuesday.

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Sammy Hagar shared this tribute to Bill Withers, who passed away Monday (3/30) at 81 due to heart problems.

Deep Purple is holding back the group's next album. Whoosh! had been slated for a June 12 release, but now won't drop until August 7th. We like the way Ian Gillan explained the decision to delay; "For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction... well, not exactly in this case, more cause and effect, where the latter is often greater than the former."

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Larry Campbell, the guitarist that has impressed so many with his work with Bob Dylan, Levon Helm and his wife, Teresa Williams, has been fighting for his life since being diagnosed with the corona virus. Campbell told Rolling Stone that the first symptoms developed a few days after the Love Rocks New York benefit concert on March 12th at the Beacon Theatre. He thought the coughing attacks he was experiencing were triggered by allergies, but then a fever developed. He got tested in his doctor's parking lot on March 16th and got the positive results five days later.

Like many others, Campbell experienced a dramatic loss in his sense of taste and smell, noting that even a bunch of sauteed broccoli and garlic was undetectable to his nose and taste buds. His fever topped out at 102, he suffered frequent headaches and began to fear pneumonia would set in, but things took a turn for the better and he is now gaining ground toward recovery. He sums up his experience with the virus by saying, "This thing has been a beast".

We hope that Larry comes back strong and healthy, and wish the best for all musicians and fans confronting this illness.

Lynyrd Skynyrd's current configuration has just released a song paying tribute to its departed members titled Last of the Street Survivors.