Sex Pistols guitarist Steve Jones says he hasn’t spoken to his former bandmate John Lydon (aka Johnny Rotten) for well over a decade. “I haven’t spoken to him in years,” Jones admitted during a recent appearance on the Rockonteurs podcast. “2008 was the last time I spoke to him. We did 30 shows around Europe. […]
Kid Rock has announced the second annual installment of his Rock the Country festival, bringing his traveling roadshow to 10 cities throughout spring and summer 2025. Canadian rockers Nickelback will co-headline all of the dates alongside Rock, with each tour stop comprising a two-night stand. Additional support will vary by city, including Lynyrd Skynyrd, Hank […]
Pete Townshend doesn’t appreciate pundits who claim they know the secret to creativity. During a recent appearance on the Rockonteurs podcast, the Who legend talked about the creative process, and singled out Rick Rubin for what he perceived as conflicting messages regarding songwriting. “You see a lot of stuff on YouTube and Instagram, people nagging […]
Break out your flannel, scrunchies and high-rise jeans, because it’s time to revisit the ’90s with the new book 501 Essential Albums of the ’90s: The Music Fan’s Definitive Guide. Featuring contributions from Ultimate Classic Rock team members Michael Gallucci, Matthew Wilkening and book editor Gary Graff, 501 Essential Albums of the ’90s is designed […]
When MTV debuted in 1981, it ushered in a golden era of music videos. The network’s launch was groundbreaking for artists everywhere. Suddenly, music was no longer a purely audible medium. Visuals soon meant as much – or perhaps even more – than what the song sounded like. Some bands jumped head first into the […]
Steve Lukather recalled how Quincy Jones stopped him from turning “Beat It” into a heavy metal song – even though the late producer wasn’t even there at the time. The Toto guitarist and session veteran hailed Jones’ ability to operate like a movie director, guiding his chosen musicians to bring the best out of everyone in […]
Gregg Allman and Warren Haynes shared a bond for a long time, even before they knew each other. “Gregg was one of my favorite singers forever,” Haynes tells UCR now. “Even before I picked up a guitar, I was a fan of Gregg’s voice. Once I started playing guitar, I became a huge fan of […]
Now that Kiss‘ farewell tour is over, Paul Stanley has admitted he feels a bit adrift. “There’s no way to give that up and not feel a sense of, if not lost, kind of disoriented,” he recently explained on the podcast Rock of Nations With Dave Kinchen & Shane McEachern. “It was time [for Kiss to […]
Kid Rock has offered an olive branch to Kamala Harris voters, telling fellow supporters of newly re-elected President Donald Trump that “now is not the time to gloat.” Republican nominee Trump handily defeated the Democratic candidate Harris in Tuesday’s presidential election, making him just the second person ever to be elected to the country’s highest […]
My wife spent years in higher education earning a PhD and has since helped improve the lives of countless people with PTSD and other mental health issues. I spent high school skipping as many classes as I could to read old Rolling Stone magazines, and have since written hundreds of articles about Kiss. We have […]