When Theo Epstein was inexplicably cut loose by the Red Sox, the team and its fans lost one of the most brilliant front office minds in the modern-day game and one of the hipper musical guys in the national past time.  Beantown also saw cool charity event he and former Boston Globe sports guru Peter Gammons staged in Boston while Epstein ran the club relocate to Chicago after the Cubs landed Epstein.  Gammons and Epstein decided to bring the event back to Boston this spring when the Cubs visited Fenway Park for the first time as the defending World Champions.  As he has in the past, Eddie Vedder, one of Rock's most avid baseball fans, headlined the event.  The Pearl Jam front man delivered a set than included songs from his own band, the Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen, the Who, the Talking Heads and Aerosmith.  Epstein joined in on a Buffalo Tom song.

Two masters of their crafts shared the stage at the Beacon Theatre during the Tribeca Film Festival Friday (4/28).  Bruce Springsteen and Tom Hanks spent an hour in front of a full house that opened with a brief exchange about director Jonathan Demme and Philadelphia, the 1993 film that earned the actor and musician Academy Awards.  Springsteen called the director, who passed away earlier in the week, '...such an inspirational guy' and Hanks added, 'Well, I have to tell you, if you ever want to have a great moment in a motion picture, walk out a door and make sure they just put up a Bruce Springsteen Song.'  But, oddly for a film festival event, the musician got the starring role.  Hanks was there to provide the Q's in the Q&A session.  Some highlights:

Bruce saying the bold change of sound and direction of Born To Run emerged because '...we weren't selling any records the other way' 
When the audience was asked whether anyone there had seen Bruce live pre-E Street Band, one person clapped. Bruce quipped 'He's lying'.
Manager Jon Landau's passion for films provided a lot of inspiration for the songs Springsteen wrote for Darkness on the Edge of Town.

Born In The U.S.A. is an album he is conflicted about.

His realization that even though he is most comfortable as a musician, 'At the end of the day, it's just our job.  It's just your work. Life awaits you outside of those things.'
RollingStone.com

MORE BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN INSIGHTS

Singing in bands was something John Mellencamp had done since his early teens, but becoming a successful painter was his ambition - until he was offered a recording contract while scouting for art opportunities in New York City.  During his appearance on NBC's Late Night with Seth Meyers Wednesday (426), John talked about that, his ongoing interest in painting - and confirmed that another musician convinced him that he should start selling his paintings.

John also performed one of the new songs with Carlene Carter fromt their new album Sad Clowns & Hillbillies and did a solo, acoutsic version of Jack and Diane.

Dave Grohl and his mother, who has written a book about her and other mom's experiences as mothers to Rock stars, guested together on Wednesday's (4/26) Late Show With Steven Colbert. During the course of their conversation with the host, the subject of Kurt Cobain's death came up.  Virginia said, 'It was such a dark, sad time, and Dave came home after that, so we all sort of had to regroup.  We talked a lot - we've always been able to say anything to each other - but that was a particularly incredible time.  It's hard to express.'  Here is some of the rest of the visit.

HenneMusic.com

Before Steve Perry fronted Journey, Greg Rolie handled lead vocals.  Although he did not perform with the group when it got inducted into the Rock hall Of Fame, Rolie, who is also in the Hall as a member of Santana, says he and Neal Schon remain on good terms and suggested the opportunity for him to work with the band could develop.  Speaking with Radio.com, Rolie expressed disappointment that it did not happen during the Hall induction performance. 'I'm not in the band. Neal wanted me to do that, and I wanted to to do it, and I think it would have been tremendous for the fans, but there was a couple of guys that voted no.'  His closing comment on the prospects of working together with Schon was, 'I love playing with him. I always have. I've known him since I was 15. I got him into Santana, for God sakes.  So hea and I have crossed paths many times, and we're older and kinder to each other, so we'll see what happens.'

Johnathan Demme, the acclaimed film director that passed away recently at 73 as a result of a heart ailment and esophageal cancer, was deeply appreciated by a number of musicians.  Demme was the filmmaker being Stop Making Sense, the 1984 Talking Heads concert documentary many considered to be the best of that genre ever produced.  The band's David Byrne praised Demme on his web site in a post that made note of his approaching that film "...almost as a theatrical ensemble piece, in which the characters and their quirks would be introduced to the audience, and you'd get to know the band as people, each with their distinct personalities."  He also called the director "...incredibly generous during the editing mixing" by including the band in the process, an approach Byrne said was "greatly inspirational" to him in his own future career in music and film.

Byrne also admired Demme for electing to use lesser known artists and songs in his non-music work, writing that many of his films were, "...jam packed with songs by the often obscure artists he loved.  He'd find ways to slip in a reggae artist's song or a Haitian recording into a narrative film in ways that were often joyous and unexpected."
Justin Timberlake, who Demme made a 2016 concert film with, wrote of Demme, "You, master of humanity. You, genius of storytelling. You, generous and warm man. You, special soul. You taught me so much about life and art and about standing up for what you believe.  You made me better at my craft. And, time spent with you away from a camera and a stage made a better human out of me.

Bruce Springsteen wrote on his Facebook page, "Over here on E Street, we're deeply saddened to hear about the passing of Jonathan Demme.  He was an inspiration for me, a beautiful filmmaker and a great spirit.  Always smiling, always involved with the world and always pushing you to go for your best.  He will be deeply missed."

Anyone that read Gregg Allman's autobiography or is aware of his past knows that it is remarkable he is still with us.  A recent decision to cancel his 2017 tour dates on doctor's orders and his absence on the night the night other former Allman Brothers band members paid tribute to drummer Butch Trucks raised concerns about the severity of his health issues. So rumors that surfaced Monday indicating Gregg was entering Hospice care met with little skepticism and spread quickly.  A management representative issued a categorical denial and a Facebook message purporting to be from Allman himself cropped up at about the same time reading, "Hey everyone, I just wanted y'all to know that I'm currently home in Savannah resting on my doctor's orders. I want to thank you for the love you are sending.  Looking forward to seeing everyone again. Keep Rockin'."

VARIETY.COM

MORE GREGG ALLMAN INSIGHTS

Trey Anastasio paused in his band's set at the Wanee Festival in Florida to share his heart-felt account of the first time he played with Butch Trucks and Allman Brothers Band on that stage.

Styx returns with a concept album on June 16 with the release The Mission, a project based on a 2033 manned mission to Mars.  The group kept a tight lid on its return to the studio. Work has been ongoing for the better part of two years. Speaking with Ultimate Classic Rock, Tommy Shaw says the band set out to be true to the mid-late 70's Styx approach;'Our favorite Styx sound is that era around The Grand Illusion and Pieces of Eight'.  He also credits Alan Parsons and his work with Pink Floyd for inspiring him as a song writer.  Shaw says the secrecy was out of caution in case the risks of doing a concept album proved too daunting, explaining, 'Whenever you're writing any kind of music or creating something new, it's very easy for it to be destroyed with just a funny look from somebody. Where you go. "Well, who's stupid idea was this" and it dies.' (Think Mr. Roboto).  Shaw says that a tour performing the album is a possibility if the release is well received by fans.

MORE STYX INSIGHTS

The years long battle by U2 guitarist The Edge to buld five luxury homes on a hillside overlooking the Pacific Ocean gained ground Friday (4/21) when a California judge ruled against a petition submitted by the Sierra Club seeking to block the development.  The ruling by the LA Superior Court judge upholds a previous decision by the California Costal Commission to approve the project in December, 2015.  The Sierra Club challenge contended the Commission had neglected to abide by its own standards when evaluating the potential air quality and greenhouse gas implications of the proposed development.
MyNewsLA.com  City News Service

MORE U2 INSIGHTS

       Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Roger Waters has dished some additional details about Is This The Life We Really Want, his forst solo album since 1992.

The 12 song disc from the former Pink Floyd mainstay gets released June 2 and finds him backed by Nigel Godrich (keyboards & guitars), Gus Seyffert (bass, guitars, keyboards) Jonathan (guitar, keyboards) Joey Waroker (drums), Roger Manning (keyboards), Lee Pardini (keyboards), Lucius, Jessica Wolfe and Holly Proctor (vocals).
Waters kicks off a US tour on May 26 in Kansas City.

Track List

When We Were Young

Deja Vu

The Last Refugee

Picture That

Broken Bones

Is This What We Really Want?

Bird In A Gale

the Most Beautiful Girl

Smell The Roses

Wait For Her

Oceans Apart

Part Of Me Died

Spring 2017 Record Store Day will offer vinyl enthusiasts lots to choose from. Some highlights for Classic Rock buyers along with the quantity available:

Alice in Chains: Welcome to GAZI picture disc
Ben Folds with the Australian Symphony Orchestra
Blondie: Long Time single
Bruce Springsteen: Hammersmith Odeon 1975 (3,000 4lp sets)

Buddy Guy: Sick With Love/She Got it Together (New songs, 1,500)
David Bowie: Cracked Actor - a live 1974 LA recording

Cars: Live atthe Agoura 1978 (4,000)
Dave Matthews Band: Red Rocks 1995 (2,500)

David Crosby: The Lighthouse Band (2,500)
Def Leppard: First, rare EPs (4,000)
Doors: Live at the Matrix  1967 (4,500)
Emerson, Lake & Palmer: Brain Salad Surgery single (1,500)

Fleetwood Mac: Mirage Alternate takes LP (3,500)

Frank Zappa: Rollo (4,000)
Grateful Dead; Vancouver 1966 (4,000)
Kinks: All Day and All Of The Night single (2,500)

Lou Reed: Perfect Night 1997 London Live acoustic shows (3,000)

Neil Young: Decade (5,000)

Patti Smith: Hey Joe single (2,250)

Paul McCartney & Elvis Costello: Flowers In The Dirt (cassette)

Pearl Jam: State of Love/Thrust single (5,000)
Pink FLoyd: an extended version of Intestellar Overdrive recorded in 1966
Ramones: 76-79 singles box set (6,500)

Red Hot Chili Peppers: Go Robots/ Dreams of a Samauri Live (5,000)

Rush: Cyngus X1, Hemispheres EP (5,000)

Santana: Woodstock 1969 (3,000)

Sex Pistols: Anarchy In The UK box set singles (3,500)

Stevie Ray Vaughan: Carnegie Hall double lp (3,000)

Sting: Live at Bataclan (3,500)

T Rex: Rock N Roll single (750) and T Rex Live 1977 album

Talking Heads: The Wilding - This Could Be The Place single (3,000)

Todd Rundgren: Fox Theater Live 1973 (1,000)

U2: Red Hill Mining Town 12" picture disc

Who: Ready,Steady Go single

Yes: 90125 picture disc (2,500)

The Sierra Club and The Edge's legal representatives had at it Tuesday (4/18) in a California appellate court hearing on the Club's challenge to block a proposed Malibu development the U2 guitarist has spent seven years trying to break ground on (story).

MORE U2 INSIGHTS

The often planned but always scuttled reunion of the Faces gets another chance to happen during Rod Stewart's set at the 2017 Isle of Wight festival.  Festival coordinator John Giddings is dropping hints that Stewart plans to bring former Faces bandmates Ron Wood and Kenny Jones to the stage for his set at the annual UK fest.  Unfortunately, the reunion comes too late for Ronnie Lane who died in 1997 and keyboard player Ian McLagan who passed in 2014.  Mac was the Faces member that put the most effort into getting the band back together for a gig or tour.  The Stewart set is scheduled for Sunday, June 11.
TV3.ie

MORE ROD STEWART INSIGHTS

A recently discovered shrimp native to the Pacific near Panama has the distinction of a disproportionately large pinkish hued claw that allows it to generate a considerable amount of sonic energy by snapping it open and shut rapidly.  The combination of the claw's color and the capability of producing loud powerful sounds has inspired Dr. Sam De Grave of the Oxford Museum of Natural History to name the sea creature Synalpheus pinkfloydi, the first crustacean named in honor of Pink Floyd.  A damselfly bears the name Umma gumma in recognition of the Prog Rock legend's 4th album Ummagumma (1969).

Oxfordshireguardian.co.uk

MORE PINK FLOYD INSIGHTS

  Photo: Arthur Anker

R&R = Rock & Roll 51 weeks of our year.  The other week it's Rest & Relaxation. After a week of it in the desert southwest, we're back at it, tracking down what's going on in the world of Classic Rock. Know people that share your interest in music? Invite them along for the ride, both here and at facebook.com/classicrockinsights

Just days after the amicable appearance of Yes for acceptance into the Rock Hall Of Fame, a war of words has broken out between former and current members of the lineup.  Jon Anderson, Trevor Rabin and Rick Wakeman had been performing as ARW.  The announcement that the group as elected to add Yes to the name and promote themselves as Yes Featuring Anderson, Rabin, Wakeman has prompted the lineup touring as Yes to issue a statement calling on promoters and ticket sellders to take measures to '... respect Yes' magnificent and loyal fan base and minimize confusion regarding the use of Yes Featuring Anderson, Rabin, Wakeman.'  Jon Anderson considers the matter clear, offering, 'It's very simple.  The fans want it, we want it and it's our right to use the name.  YES music is in our DNA.'  In our opinion, any band touring without its original core members and the lead vocalist that earned the band its standing is a cover band.

AntiMusic

Steve Perry was on hand when Journey was honored by the Rock Hall Of Fame last week, but the former front man let Arndel Pineda handle the vocals when they performed at the induction.  He also praised Pineda, who was not inducted, as a guy '...who sings his heart out every night.'  Perry is not done making music, though.  His next solo album will be a heart-felt one inspired by a woman he fell in love with but lost to breast cancer a few years ago.  Speaking with ABC, Perry said the process of writing and recording the songs he plans to release later this year was cathartic for him.

AntiMusic.com

The inevitable last minute rumors swirled in the hours leading up to the Rock Hall Of Fame induction ceremony at the Barclays Center Friday night (4/7). Claims Steve Perry would sing with Journey resurfaced and proved false. So did the statements from the Rock Hall itself denying earlier rumors that Geddy Lee would perform Roundabout with Yes after inducting the Prog Rock legends.

Perry did emerge with Journey to accept his former group's honor as members of the Hall on their first time on the ballot.  He was gracious about it, attributing Journey's induction to its fans and praisingArnel Peneda, the singer that took his place but was left unrecognized by the Hall.

Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson introduced Yes.  Lifeson called Yes his '...gateway band in so many ways'. The Rush bass player and lead singer credited the band for changing the way he played and listened to music and later added while speaking with media members covering the induction, 'Chris Squire was one of the most inventive sounding bass players ever.'  About playing with the band on Roundabout, Lee said of Squire, 'It's one thing to mimic his parts - you can mimic anything if you practice it - but to write those parts is sheer brilliance. It was a great honor for me to step in'.  The performance also marked the first performance with Yes of original lead singer Jon Anderson since he was replaced several years ago.

Measured by memorabilia, Gary Zimet qualifies as Bruce Springsteen's biggest fan.  He started big, buying the 1957 Chevy Bel Air The Boss owned early in his career.  Less than a decade later, Zimet had compiled a collection that included original hand written lyrics, guitars, clothing and all sorts of other personal belongings of Springsteens. Now, it all must go - except the Chevy.  Zimet is putting everything else up on a buyer-takes-all basis, and he is aking $7.5 million.  Among the rare artifacts are Bruce's 8th grade report card, his4F deferrment from the draft and the flannel shirt he wore for the cover shot for The River album.
Billboard.com

The Cleveland Plain Dealer came-up with a cool interactive adaptation of an artist's drawings of each year's Rock Hall Of fame inductees.  Hover over each and a career highlights box materializes.

http://www.cleveland.com/pdgraphics/index.ssf/2017/03/rock_and_roll_hall_of_famers_i.html