Brian May: Last News

Queen guitarist Brian May has expressed his views on the use of artificial intelligence to make music, saying that he finds the prospect “massively scary”.The guitarist was speaking as part of an interview with Guitar Player when he revealed his concerns about the extent to which the use of AI could change the music industry for the worse.“My major concern with it now is in the artistic area,” he began when asked about his thoughts on the advancement of AI platforms. “I think by this time next year the landscape will be completely different.

Katcy Stephan Editor, composer, director and producer John Ottman is teaming with film and music industry executive David Franco to develop a dramatic biopic based on the life of world-renowned Italian composer Antonio Vivaldi. The project, written by Kevin Lund and TJ Scott, has had been long-gestating, beginning 20 years ago when Ron Howard was set to direct. After many unsuccessful attempts, including with members of the famous Italian filmmaking De Laurentiis family in 2008, the project needed a new vision.

Carolyn Giardina “Queen Rock Montreal” will make its global streaming premiere May 15 on Disney+ as the first concert film available with Imax Enhanced sound by DTS. When it arrived in theaters in January, the remastered 1981 concert was Imax’s biggest exclusive engagement.

Bruce Springsteen has enlisted the help of Tom Morello to perform two songs for the first time on his ongoing tour – see the performances below.This past weekend (April 7), Springsteen brought the ongoing Springsteen & E Street 2024 tour to the Kia Forum in Los Angeles, California. Springsteen and co.

The Bear star Jeremy Allen White is reportedly being eyed to portray Bruce Springsteen in an upcoming film about the making of the singer’s 1982 album ‘Nebraska’.According to Deadline Hollywood, White is the favourite to play a young Springsteen in the film – reportedly titled Deliver Me From Nowhere – which was announced this January. Deadline notes that an negotiations with White have not begun, and that popular film house A24 is in talks to board the project.Scott Cooper – who directed the Jeff Bridges-led Crazy Heart, Black Mass, Antlers and more – is slated to direct the upcoming film.

Bruce Springsteen returned to Las Vegas last night (March 22), greeting the city with a rendition of Elvis Presley’s ‘Viva Las Vegas’ – check out the footage below.The track was included as one of a number of surprise setlist inclusions at the show, which also saw songs like 1992’s ‘Roll of the Dice’ and 1978’s ‘Racing in the Street’ get their first outings in several years.It was the second show of the 2024 leg of Springsteen’s current world tour, which has restarted after the Boss had to postpone a hefty chunk of shows in 2023 due to health concerns.The worries arose towards the end of last year, when the singer-songwriter needed to be treated for peptic ulcer disease, and was forced to delay all of his shows after playing in New Jersey on September 3.On March 19, they returned to the stage in Phoenix, Arizona, playing a set incorporating tracks from across his extensive discography, ranging from his first album, ‘Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J.’, through 2022’s ‘Only the Strong Survive’.Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band played in Las Vegas on March 22:‘Roll of the Dice’‘Lonesome Day’‘Prove It All Night’‘No Surrender’‘Ghosts’‘Letter to You’‘The Promised Land’‘Spirit in the Night’‘Don’t Play That Song (You Lied)’‘Nightshift’‘Mary’s Place’‘Hungry Heart’‘Racing in the Street’‘Last Man Standing’‘Backstreets’‘Because the Night’‘She’s the One’‘Wrecking Ball’‘The Rising’‘Badlands’‘Thunder Road’‘Viva Las Vegas’‘Born to Run’‘Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)’‘Glory Days’‘Dancing in the Dark’‘Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out’‘I’ll See You In My Dreams’In other Bruce Springsteen news, the Boss recently took part in Mark Knopfler’s star-studded charity re-recording of ‘Going Home’, which starred the likes of Queen‘s Brian May, Bruce

Mark Knopfler‘s Guitar Heroes have shared the official video for the new version of ‘Going Home’, which reveals a “who’s who” of guest collaborators on the track.The star-studded re-recording of Knopfler’s 1983 solo single was released last Friday (March 15), with all funds raised being donated to the Teenage Cancer Trust and Teen Cancer America.Clocking in at almost 10 minutes, the new take on the Local Hero theme song sees the Dire Straits frontman join forces with rock icons including the likes of Queen‘s Brian May, Bruce Springsteen, Black Sabbath’s Tony Iommi, Eric Clapton and Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood.Additionally, the Guitar Heroes’ take on ‘Going Home’ includes the last ever recording by the late Jeff Beck – which he laid down for the single shortly before his death in January 2023.Knopfler also enlisted The Beatles‘ Ringo Starr on drums, Sting on bass and The Who frontman (and Teenage Cancer Trust patron) Roger Daltrey on harmonica.Arriving today (March 22), the music video for ‘Going Home’ reveals who plays which parts on the collaborative charity single.

A special Red Nose Day 2024 show was broadcast live from Media City on Friday night (March 15).

Mark Knopfler’s re-recorded version of his song ‘Going Home’ has been shared, starring contributions from some of the biggest names in the rock world. Check it out below.After being teased earlier this year, the track officially dropped today (March 15), and sees all funds raised being donated to the Teenage Cancer Trust and Teen Cancer America.A new take on Knopfler’s solo hit, the 2024 edition runs across nine-minutes, and sees the Dire Straits frontman join forces with rock icons including Queen‘s Brian May, Bruce Springsteen, Black Sabbath’s Tony Iommi, Eric Clapton, Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood and many more.It also includes the last ever recording by guitar virtuoso, Jeff Beck – which he laid down for the track shortly before his death in January 2023.As well as the truly astonishing number of renowned guitarists on the track, Knopfler also enlisted The Beatles’ Ringo Starr on drums, Sting on bass, and The Who frontman (and Teenage Cancer Trust patron) Roger Daltrey on harmonica.The charity track was recorded at British Grove Studios in West London, and produced by Knopfler’s longtime collaborator Guy Fletcher.

Freddie Mercury could be on the way.Hints that a new hologram show featuring the late Queen frontman emerged after Mercury Songs Limited – the organisation which has ownership over the singer’s solo works – reportedly filed to trademark his moniker for virtual reality and 3D.News of the move was shared by The Sun newspaper’s Bizarre column, which obtained the filing and reported that it covers “immersive 3D virtual, augmented, and mixed reality experiences” for “virtual environments” (via Music News).With the filing, it seems possible that the musician could return to the stage as a digital avatar, similar to that seen in the hugely successful ABBA Voyage shows in London.It also wouldn’t mark the first time that Mercury has been depicted on stage in recent years, following his death from bronchial pneumonia, a complication of AIDS, back in 1991. Two years ago, an optical illusion of the frontman was shown during Queen’s ‘Rhapsody Tour’, which the band embarked on with Adam Lambert.

Jimmy Page, Brian May and Tony Iommi came together to launch the new Gibson Garage in London.The moment took place in Soho yesterday morning (February 22) as the guitar manufacturer held a special preview of the shop, which is set to open on Saturday (February 24).It is inspired by the Nashville flagship branch and has over 300 guitars for sale, as well as a live music space downstairs and a made-to-measure counter for ordering bespoke, custom guitars.At the first preview of the store, Led Zeppelin icon Jimmy Page was in attendance to reveal a new collaboration with the brand – launching a replica of his iconic 1971 Doubleneck.As well as Page, Brian May of Queen and Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath were in also attendance, and joined the Led Zeppelin guitarist in cutting the opening ribbon.

“Under Pressure” under protest.The 1981 hit — a colossal collaboration between British music gods Queen and David Bowie that soared to No. 1 in the UK and has remained a class-rock mainstay — didn’t mesh as well with May as it has with fans over the years.“I never liked it, to be honest, the way it was mixed,” May, 76, told “Total Guitar” magazine.Indeed, the Queen guitarist clashed with the late Bowie during the “very difficult” late-night studio session “after we had a meal and a lot of drinks.”An earlier version of the song — which was much more to May’s liking — “sounded like The Who” and was “massively chord-driven.”“I was beaming because I liked The Who.

The Dandy Warhols have shared their latest single, ‘I’d Like to Help You With Your Problem’, which features Slash on guitar. Check it out below.The song is set to be included on the band’s upcoming 12th studio album ‘Rockmaker’, which comes out on March 15 via Sunset Blvd.

Queen guitarist Brian May has revealed that he has “never liked” the mix of ‘Under Pressure’, the band’s 1981 smash hit collaboration with David Bowie. Speaking in an interview with Total Guitar (via Guitar World), May revealed that the original version of ‘Under Pressure’ “sounded massively chord-driven,” but that much of its “heavy guitar was lost” following Bowie’s input on the final mix.Recalling the song’s creation, May said ‘Under Pressure’ was the result of spontaneous late nights in the studio, with the initial cut featuring a “pretty heavy backing track.” At first, May said he was “beaming” over the heavier guitar sound because it reminded him of The Who.May raised that comparison to Bowie, who said “‘it’s not going to sound like The Who by the time I’ve finished with it.’” May continued: “[Bowie] didn’t want it to be that way.”The guitarist said that the changes were made because “we all had different ideas of how [‘Under Pressure’] should be mixed,” specifically naming Bowie and Queen frontman Freddie Mercury.“Basically it was Freddie and David fighting it out in the studio with the mix,” May recalled, “and what happened in the mix was that most of that heavy guitar was lost.”May went on to reveal that he originally played the main riff of ‘Under Pressure’ on an electric guitar, but that it was replaced by the “acoustic bits which were done first as a sort of demo.” As for the final mix that was eventually released, May admitted that he “never liked it, to be honest.”“I do recognise that it works.

Queen have shared a new clip of the performance of ‘We Are The Champions’ from their live movie Queen Rock Montreal. Check it out exclusively on NME above.After a London premiere earlier this week, a digitally-remastered cut of the recording of the rock icons’ legendary 1981 shows at the 18,000-seat Montreal Forum will be released in 450 IMAX Cinemas tomorrow (Thursday January 18).The live movie includes 12-channel surround sound, crystal-clear images, and IMAX’s customiSed theatre geometry, as the band deliver a set packed with classics including ‘We Will Rock You’, ‘Somebody To Love’, ‘Under Pressure’, ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’, ‘Another One Bites the Dust’ and many more.“I don’t think we quite realised it at the time, but this film has preserved one of the highest peaks in Queen’s touring life, on stage in the old glory days,” said guitarist Brian May.

Tony Iommi has provided details for the box set of the albums Black Sabbath recorded with vocalist Tony Martin.In his 2024 New Year’s message – a yearly tradition the Black Sabbath guitarist has maintained since 2022 – Iommi addressed the box set of the Tony Martin-era Black Sabbath albums which was slated for release last year.“Last year, when I did my message, I did say we’d have a box set coming out,” said Iommi after warm holiday greetings to fans. “Well, now, I’m being informed that it will be out in May.

Queen‘s Brian May has joined Black Sabbath‘s Tony Iommi for a performance of ‘Paranoid’.The guitarists reunited to discuss the Black Sabbath classic for a segment in the new guitar-themed Sky Arts documentary, Greatest Guitar Riffs. “I’m sitting down with my mate, Brian, to talk riffs,” narrated Iommi at the head of the clip.

Brian May has shared that he is concerned over the increase in copyright strikes issued against Queen and Adam Lambert concert videos posted on social media.Yesterday (December 18), May took to his official Instagram page to share a screenshot of a fan’s post in which she claimed to have received a strike from both Universal and YouTube over Queen concert videos she posted on the platform.“Hi guys, it looks like Universal and YouTube are now coming for everyone who posts concert videos of Queen and Adam [Lambert]. I got a strike and deleted most of my concert videos. If you get multiple strikes you may lose your channel.

Sky Arts have revealed the UK’s favourite guitar riff in a brand new three part documentary series, titled, Greatest Guitar Riffs, which aired on November 24.A poll of 2000 music fans votes was carried out to find out the nation’s favourite riff, and included in the top 40 were Sam Fender’s ‘Seventeen Going Under’, Arctic Moneys’ ‘Do I Wanna Know’ and Pharrell William’s ‘Happy’.But the top choice was revealed as ‘Sweet Child O’ Mine’ by Guns N’ Roses. The track, which was released in June 1988, quickly topped the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, becoming the rock band’s only US Number One single.It came in at number 88th on Rolling Stone’s The 500 Greatest Songs Of All Time list in 2021, and is clearly still a favourite of the UK public.‘Purple Rain’ by Prince was the runner-up, with ‘Sultans Of Swing’ by British rock band, Dire Straits, coming in at third place.Director of Sky Arts, Phil Edgar-Jones, spoke on the series saying: “Whether its’ the late, great Jimi Hendrix, the stalwarts such as Iron Maiden and Led Zeppelin, or the new artists coming through, rock n’roll will never die.”“There’s new talent coming through constantly.

Nandi Bushell got to perform with Queen guitarist Brian May in her first TV acting role – check out their performance below.Bushell is appearing in the BBC children’s comedy series Andy and the Band, which sees a fictional band called Andy and the Odd Socks embark on adventures around Planet Rock.“Planet Rock is in distress due to a lack of pure, honest rock music coming from Earth,” reads the BBC’s description. The Godfather of Rock (May) is concerned, but his Goddaughter Emerald (Bushell) beats him to the punch and sets off for Earth.”The series concludes with a Battle Of The Bands competition in which Bushell and May team up.

Duff McKagan has shared his thoughts on the use of AI in songwriting, revealing that he has no plans to let the technology “affect my creativity”.The Guns N’ Roses bassist was speaking as part of an In Conversation livestream with author Dan Jones last week (October 4), when he opened up about the inspiration behind his new solo album ‘Lighthouse’, his ongoing struggle with panic attacks, and thoughts on the use of artificial intelligence in songwriting.Discussing how his personal life and long-running interest in history acted as inspiration for the upcoming LP, the musician and songwriter also shared his thoughts on the increasing use of AI in the industry, and confirmed he has no plans to be experimenting with the technology any time soon.“You’re gonna always have guys like me who [have] just got their middle finger up. They’re gonna just keep creating and not even pay attention to it, really,” he began.

Queen and Adam Lambert have begun their 2023 ‘Rhapsody’ tour in Baltimore. Here’s everything they played on opening night.The legendary band launched the acclaimed show back in 2019, and brought it to the UK, Ireland and Europe last year.