ROB HALFORD, JOE BONAMASSA, EXTREME, NITA STRAUSS Perform At ALICE COOPER's 18th Annual 'Christmas Pudding'

Renowned as one of Phoenix's signature holiday events, Alice Cooper's 18th annual "Christmas Pudding" fundraiser brought together Michael Bruce, Neal Smith and Dennis Dunaway from the original ALICE COOPER band, JUDAS PRIEST singer Rob Halford, legendary guitarist Joe Bonamassa, Cooper's HOLLYWOOD VAMPIRES bandmate Johnny Depp, Cooper guitarist Nita Strauss and EXTREME's Gary Cherone and Nuno Bettencourt for an evening of music and mayhem.

Prior to this year's event, Cooper told SanTan Sun News: "Every year, I try to get an entirely different lineup. I thought, 'Who haven't we had on the show?' Bonamassa is going to be great. He's one of the greatest guitar players of all time. Rob Halford, the guys from EXTREME, the original ALICE COOPER band, Jim Breuer, GARY MULE DEER, Mark Slaughter, and we invited Nita Strauss and her boyfriend, who plays the drums. They have an album out. She was just voted one of the best female guitarists in the world. She's going to come up and do a couple songs..

"We make it very loose," he added. "Everybody can sit in with everybody. I've invited Johnny Depp. He's been to the 'Pudding' five or six times. If he wants to drop in, he can."

Cooper and his former bandmates reunited for "No More Mr. Nice Guy", "Be My Lover", "Under My Wheels", "I'm Eighteen" and "School's Out" while Cherone and Bettencourt played EXTREME's "Get The Funk Out", "Hole In My Heart" and "More Than Words". Halford sang a five-song set of some of PRIEST's greatest hits — "Heading Out to the Highway", "Diamonds & Rust", "Breaking The Law", "Living After Midnight" and "You've Got Another Thing Coming" — with the "Christmas Pudding" house band SIXWIRE.

Proceeds from the December 14 event at the Celebrity Theatre directly benefit the free music, dance, arts, and vocational programs for teens at Alice Cooper's Solid Rock Teen Centers.

Cooper explained to Fox 10 Phoenix: "You get a kid interested in something other than what is going on in the street, and you know what is going on in the street a lot of bad stuff. It takes their whole attention and they might be thinking, 'I might join that gang,' or 'I might run away,' but they say, 'Wait a minute. I might want to play guitar or play drums or an art class that's for free.'"

Credits: Blabbermouth

The Clash’s ‘London Calling’: 10 Things You Didn’t Know

This month marks the 40th anniversary of the Clash’s London Calling. Well, sort of. The album came out in England on December 14th, 1979 but didn’t cross the Atlantic to America until January 1980. That’s just a matter of weeks, but it’s the reason that NME has called it one of the single best albums of the Seventies and Rolling Stone labeled it the best album of the Eighties.

It’s a rare album that can considered among the best works of two separate decades, especially ones as packed with timeless rock records as the Seventies and Eighties, but the accolades are well earned. London Calling documents one of the mightiest bands in rock history operating at the absolute peak of its abilities.

The double LP is a unique fusion of punk, rockabilly, reggae, R&B, and pop that’s unlike anything heard before or since. It also dated from a time when the group’s primary songwriters, Mick Jones and Joe Strummer, were working together seamlessly and bringing out the best in one another.

The band soon began to fall apart, starting the next year with the messy, sprawling Sandinista! and would disintegrate forever after Combat Rock in 1982. (Strummer and bassist Paul Simonon briefly kept the flag waving on 1985’s Cut the Crap before ending the band, but by then, they were the Clash in name only.) Joe Strummer’s death in 2002 means that the Clash can never re-form in any meaningful way, but they left behind at least one flawless statement with London Calling. Here are 10 things you might not know about the album.

The Who wrapped up an extensive North American tour in October, but they return to the road in March for a run of UK arena dates before returning to America in late April. They just released Who, which is their first album of new material since 2006’s Endless Wire. “We’ll probably try to include a few new songs [next year] from the album, but maybe not,” Townshend says. “I don’t know. We don’t have much time to build that.”

1. The title track was originally called “Ice Age.”

Joe Strummer’s early drafts of “London Calling” are far different than what wound up on the album. Lyrics for the song appear in his notebook under the title “Ice Age.” “The USA is sinking,” he wrote. “The world is shrinking/The sun is blinking/While I’m drinking/The oil stops flowing/The wheat stops growing/The world stops knowing/The Ice Age is coming/The sun getting nearer.”

2. The “London Calling” lyrics reflect the chaos that was engulfing the world at the time.

Much of London Calling was crafted while the Clash traveled across the globe in 1979. It was a period of tremendous instability marked by the Three Mile Island nuclear accident, the Iran Hostage crisis, the Ixtoc I oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, the rise of Margaret Thatcher in England, and a major energy crisis. Drawing on the chaos, Strummer’s “London Calling” lyrics are essentially a radio broadcast from a dystopian future that was easy to envision at that point in time.

3. “Brand New Cadillac” is an old rockabilly song.

One of a handful of songs on London Calling not written by the members of the group is “Brand New Cadillac,” a 1959 tune by rockabilly great Vince Taylor. Everyone in the Clash loved the song and they often used it to warm up before recording. Notably, it’s the first song they recorded for London Calling and it set the stage for everything that followed. “Vince Taylor was the beginning of British rock & roll,” said Strummer. “Before him there was nothing. He was a miracle.”

4. Producer Guy Stevens is the unsung hero of the album.

London Calling was produced by Guy Stevens, best known at that point for his work with Mott the Hoople and the Faces. “He was really important, and he helped create a very positive atmosphere, even though he was a little crazy,” Simonon told Rolling Stone in 2013. “But he was like a conductor. He brought out the best in everybody, and he was the crazy one that let us not be crazy and get on with the job. I think if you put us all in the room together, you’d look at Guy and you’d say, ‘Yeah, he’s the crazy one. Those other guys, they’re the normal ones.'” (Stevens died of a drug overdose in 1981. The Clash paid tribute to him with the song “Midnight to Stevens.”)

5. “The Guns of Brixton” was partially inspired by Jimmy Cliff’s movie The Harder they Come.

“The Guns of Brixton” was the first Clash song that Paul Simonon wrote by himself. He grew up in the South London neighborhood of South Brixton, where the song imagines Jimmy Cliff’s Ivan character from his 1972 film The Harder, They Come residing. “The mystery of writing songs had become a bit clearer,” said Simonon. “That was a big moment for me. The thing I realized was songwriters get all the money. You don’t get paid for designing record sleeves and clothes.'”

6. “Spanish Bombs” was written about a real-life incident.

Strummer was driving home late one night from the studio when he heard a report about a hotel on the Costa Brava in Spain getting bombed by Basque terrorists. Around this same time, the IRA were setting off bombs of their own in the U.K. It didn’t take him long to write “Spanish Bombs,” which stretches from the Spanish Civil War of the Thirties all the way to the recent attacks on the country.

7. “Train in Vain” wasn’t originally listed on the album sleeve.

The final song recorded for “London Calling” was the Mick Jones composition “Train in Vain.” The band had already created the artwork by that point, so there was no time to list it on the album sleeve. That didn’t stop them from releasing it as a single in much of the world, though, and it rose to Number 23 on the Hot 100 in America, making it by far their biggest hit in the States. The song is quite poppy when compared to the rest of the album, leading many to assume they didn’t list it on the back because they were embarrassed by it. The truth is a bit more mundane.

8. Joe Strummer began writing “Lost in the Supermarket” on the back of a guitar-string package.

One of the most interesting items in the Clash’s vast archive is a package of Ernie Ball Custom Gauge Strings with these words written on the back in the handwriting of Joe Strummer: “I’m all lost in the supermarket/I can no longer shop happily/I came in here for the special offer/Guaranteed personality.” It was the beginning of the anti-consumerist screed that he let Mick Jones sing on London Calling.

9. “Revolution Rock” is a cover of an obscure reggae song.

The lyrics of “Revolution Rock” seem so quintessentially Clash that many fans simply assumed they wrote it. But it’s actually by Jamaican reggae singer Danny Ray and released by him months before the Clash got their hands on it. It wasn’t a big success, but the royalties from the Clash’s cover have been pretty nice over the years.

10. The Cover shows Paul Simonon smashing his bass a day earlier than everyone thinks.

The Clash played New York’s Palladium on September 20th and 21st, 1979. When they were done, photographer Pennie Smith walked away with a photo of Paul Simonon smashing his bass onstage that became the cover of the album. For decades, it’s been written that the photo was taken on the 21st. But when Robert Gordon McHarg III was assembling the new book The London Calling Scrapbook he found a notebook by Ray Lowry, the man who designed the iconic cover, clearly stating that Simonon smashed his bass on the 20th. [Update: Clash fan Dave Marin proved this beyond any reasonable doubt back in 2015.]
Rolling Stone Magazine – Andy Greene

Watch Henry Rollins & Cyndi Lauper Sing Black Flag’s “Rise Above” At Home For The Holidays Benefit

The forthcoming album by Huey Lewis and the News finally has a name and release date.

Every winter, Cyndi Lauper hosts her all-star Home For The Holiday benefit. The show raises money for True Colors United, the nonprofit that Lauper founded in 2008 to battle against LGBTQ youth homelessness. Last night, Lauper headlined the 2019 edition of the show at the Novo for the event’s first year in Los Angeles. Lauper performed alongside people like Marilyn Manson, Kesha, King Princess, Perry Farrell, and Lily Tomlin. She had Belinda Carlisle and Brandi Carlile; I wonder if those two know each other. And she also shared a magical moment onstage with a very different sort of ’80s icon.

In recent years, we’ve seen two competing reunited versions of Black Flag, both of which have featured ex-members of the beloved LA hardcore institution. Henry Rollins hasn’t taken part of any of them. Rollins was Black Flag’s fourth singer. He’s the most famous and longest tenured of the band’s frontmen. But even though Rollins has the Black Flag bars tattooed on him, he doesn’t trade too much on his past in the band these days. Last night, though, he gave it a shot.

At last night’s benefit, Rollins sang “Rise Above,” Black Flag’s immortal 1981 hardcore rager, and he sang it with Cyndi Lauper. Lauper had a mohawk and a leather jacket and a gigantic plaid skirt. Rollins still looks ripped as shit, and he’s gone grey in a dignified way. If Henry Rollins sings “Rise Above” while wearing a shirt, does it even count? Does it count if he’s wearing anything other than a tiny black pair of running shorts and nothing else? I don’t know. (As far as I know, none of the many iterations of Black Flag had a keytar player, either.) But it’s still fun as hell to watch these two singing the song together.

"The Simpsons" At 30: A Complete History Of Every Band That's Ever-Rocked Springfield

From Lady Gaga to Little Richard, scores of musicians have popped up on the beloved animated show over the last three decades...

Following a Dec. 17 Christmas special, January 14 will mark 30 years since the official season premiere of "The Simpsons." Today, the show still holds the trophy as the longest-running primetime TV series. If you look back on the 670-plus episodes of the animated series, you're likely to find a few constants: Homer will undoubtedly cause a catastrophe, Lisa will voice her opinions on issues important to her, Bart will get into trouble and a musical guest or two will appear in nearly every season. In fact, since the series premiered, music has played an integral role in many of the storylines and has arguably helped "The Simpsons" become as venerable of a show as it is today.

As evidence of music's permanent place in "The Simpsons," we learn in multiple episodes that Homer is often regretful of not having lived out his dream to become a rock star; Lisa can often be found playing her baritone saxophone when not studying; the now-popular theme song was composed by GRAMMY winner Danny Elfman, and countless bands, artists and musicians have lent their voices to tons of episodes, often playing themselves but sometimes other characters.

What is it about music and "The Simpsons" that make the two pair so well together, and what has helped the show, after 30 years and counting, remain as popular and influential today? To help us understand the continued cultural impact of "The Simpsons," we asked a few of the guest stars, and one of the individuals behind the show, about the everlasting impression that Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, Maggie and the rest of the cast have made on all of us.

"There's something so compelling about them," says supervising director Mike Anderson, who's been with the show for 30 years and was the one who made Sigur Rós' participation in season 24 happen. "I think somehow the Simpsons—the yellow Simpsons—represent all of us. I think we are them, we have seen the experiences, somehow, we understand them. And they're a part of us that we love. And also, we can watch from the safety of our homes as Homer bashes his head between a ship and a pier post or saws himself in half [Laughs]."

Peter Frampton, who appeared in the season seven episode "Homerpalooza" says it’s the juxtaposition of pairing artists who reach different demographics. "I’m on the same show as the Smashing Pumpkins, who started out much later," he says. "Everything put together makes the most impact for the script."

Shawn Colvin, who appeared in two episodes as the lead singer of a church band named Rachel Jordan, adds, "'The Simpsons' has a certain edge and sophistication and irreverence in its humor and content, while still being silly and fun, thus making it relevant to all ages. The characters are so lovable and well-developed, not to mention well-played. They are relatable. Ultimately, it’s an intelligent show that also succeeds in being kind of stupid, in the best possible way."

Randy Bachman of Bachman Turner Overdrive, who appeared with the band in season 11, says having music play such a large role on the series has "made the Simpsons a very hip and relevant contemporary show. Besides the continuing family adventures of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, Maggie and all the other characters, it was unique to see musicians cartooned and hear their music integrated into the shows. It was a win-win-win for all."

Welsh singer/songwriter Judith Owen, who appeared in two episodes of the show, says, "One of the charms of 'The Simpsons' is that it actually has a foothold in reality. The fact that you've got this father, who's doing a really boring job in a factory but feels the regret of having given up his dream to be a musician, how many people are like that in real life? These are real experiences that people feel, which is having to give up their youthful dreams because they can’t pursue it because they have a family or obligations. Those are things that make the show pertinent and real."

Owen adds, "The music acts, like it so often does in life, as being the thing that connects you to humanity, and that is what music does anyway. Whether it be artists, or the very nature of the characters being musical, it connects the viewer to them in a very human way because even though it’s all make-believe, it has real things that we all understand."

Anderson adds that what makes "The Simpsons" so relevant 30 years later, is that we can find ourselves in one of the characters. "They hold up a mirror to the craziness in the world going on, but they make fun of it. It's a safe way to look at problems." As far as the impact "The Simpsons" as had on all of us, the viewers, Anderson posits, "It's in our DNA now. It’s hard to imagine a world without the Simpsons." To celebrate the 30th anniversary since the show's premiere, we've compiled a complete list, with some highlights, of every musical guest appearance on the show. Take a walk down memory lane and see if you can imagine a world without "The Simpsons."

See the entire list and videos by clicking here

Credits - CRYSTAL LARSEN / GRAMMYS