May 2023 News

By Wendy Rush | Photo by Mike Lawrie / Staff via Getty Images




The BLACKHEARTS are back at making the music.

Rock legend JOAN JETT and her band The BLACKHEARTS have a new EP coming out soon. Of all new music, unlike their last one. They've already dropped the first single, called "If You're Blue" and we're excited.

The new album comes a little more than a year after their last release. Changeup, which dropped in March of 2022, was JOAN JETT AND THE BLACKHEARTS' first acoustic album. It included 20 tracks of hits like Bad Reputation and Cherry Bomb. All performed stripped of the heavy instrumentation. It was cool in that in made us really pay attention to the lyrics more than we did before.

But Changeup also left a lot of fans longing for that plugged in rock sound JOAN JETT AND THE BLACKHEARTS are known for. Well we won't have to wait too long to be satisfied. And The BLACKHEARTS are really moving quickly on this new album. JOAN JETT teased a new release on her Instagram page earlier this month. When she posted a picture of herself in a recording studio. A week later the new album was available for preorder.

JOAN JETT isn't going to make people wait too long to hear the album either. She's dropping Mindsets on June 2. But Jett is being pretty secretive when it comes to the content of the album. And it seems she kind of digs that enigmatic thing. On her same Instagram page, she posted "Surprise" when she announced the album's drop.

So what can we expect from the first album of new music in nine years? Their last one was in 2014, titled Unvarnished. If this first single is any indication, sounds like we can expect the unexpected. "If You're Blue" sounds like a cross between the Sex Pistols and the Beach Boys. It starts out with quick guitar down strums. But by the first chorus, you're really tempted to do the Swim.

Whatever it is, we can't wait to hear the rest.

By ABC News




JOAN JETT AND THE BLACKHEARTS are celebrating the 35th anniversary of their sixth studio album, Up Your Alley, with a new vinyl release.

The album was initially released on vinyl for Record Store Day in April, but they're releasing it nationwide on July 21, marking the first time it's been widely available on vinyl since its initial 1988 release.

"We can't thank you all enough for the continued support and love for this album," Jett shared on Instagram.

Up Your Alley was a top 20 hit for JOAN JETT AND THE BLACKHEARTS, peaking at 19 on the Billboard 200 Album chart. The album featured the top 10 single "I Hate Myself For Loving You," which in 2006 was used as the theme for Sunday Night Football. Up Your Alley went on to be certified Platinum by the RIAA.



Meanwhile, fans won't have to wait too long for new music from the band. They recently announced the new EP Mindsets will be released June 2 and dropped the first single, "If You're Blue." Mindsets is available for preorder now.

By Liz Scarlett (Classic Rock)




Foo Fighters, JOAN JETT and Liliac are among the eight contenders for this week's Best New Song In Rock Music title - vote for your favourite

In all our years of curating Tracks Of The Week, we never expected to see a great Wolfmother versus Dolly Parton playoff, but that's exactly what the last seven days have given us, with Andrew Stockdale's feisty Australian rockers narrowly beating the Queen of Nashville in the unlikeliest of rock battles. Seattle's Ayron Jones came in third, but who's counting? Well, us, obviously.

This week's eight-way battle for rock supremacy features bands from two of the great rugby playing nations - Wales and New Zealand - plus some devilish Swedes, an official Queen Of Noise, some leading lights of Atlanta's goth-punk underground, a returning Stadium staple, a possible future stadium staple, and an all-sibling band whose father was born in Transylvania.

We hope they bring you great pleasure.

Lucifer - A Coffin Has No Silver Lining
On their first single from upcoming album Lucifer V, Stockholm doom metallers Lucifer bubble up an eclectic elixir, as they transform the leather-clad, fist-thrusting sound of 70s and 80s hard metal into smoky and seductive occult rock, draped in black velvet and Sabbathian crucifixes. Motored by a riff that sounds like a decelerated version of Motley Crue's Looks That Kill, the later chorus line 'who will wake you from this nightmare' calls to mind the kitschy gothic hooks of Alice Cooper. While certainly familiar in parts, as a whole beast, A Coffin Has No Lining makes for one potent and powerful blend.

By classicsdujour




JOAN JETT AND THE BLACKHEARTS will release a new EP. Titled Mindsets, the release features six brand new original songs including "If You're Blue", the first single, out now at radio and on digital and streaming services.

You can hear the new single in the player below.

JOAN JETT AND THE BLACKHEARTS are on the road this summer supporting Bryan Adams on his US tour.

For a full list of dates, visit joanjett.com

JOAN JETT AND THE BLACKHEARTS - If You're Blue (Official Audio)

By Michele Amabile




JOAN JETT AND THE BLACKHEARTS are set to release a new EP, Mindsets, on June 6.

The record-which arrive three days before the band plays Madison Square Garden on June 9 - is available for preorder on Friday, May 19.

The EP will be the first new release from JOAN JETT AND THE BLACKHEARTS since 2022's acoustic record, Changeup.

By ABC News




Are we about to get some new music from JOAN JETT? Well, that's the speculation after the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer teased fans on Instagram with a photo of her in the studio.

She captioned the shot, "Back in the studio. Big announcement coming..."

If the speculation is true, it will be the first new album from JOAN JETT AND THE BLACKHEARTS since 2022's Changeup, an acoustic record that featured new versions of classic hits like "Bad Reputation" and "Crimson and Clover." Their last album of all new material was the 2014 record Unvarnished.

JOAN JETT AND THE BLACKHEARTS will be busy on the road this summer. They have shows in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and Richardson, Texas, on May 19 and 20, respectively, and then on June 6 they kick off a tour with Bryan Adams in Baltimore, Maryland. A complete list of dates can be found at joanjett.com.

By Jessica Nicholson




The album includes collaborations with Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Elton John, Lizzo and more.

Dolly Parton's long-awaited first rock album, Rockstar, has a release date: Nov. 17. The country icon, was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's class of 2022, brings along a who's-who of her fellow artist collaborators on the album, including Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, Lizzo, Sting, Chris Stapleton, Debbie Harry, Elton John, John Fogerty, JOAN JETT, Steven Tyler, Peter Frampton and Kid Rock. The sprawling 30-track album features nine original tracks and 21 rock anthems, including "Free Bird," "Purple Rain" and "We Are the Champions."

Sting joins on The Police's 1983 hit "Every Breath You Take," while JOAN JETT AND THE BLACKHEARTS are on the 1988 hit "I Hate Myself for Loving You." Stapleton and Parton will offer up the Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band classic "Night Moves," while "Let It Be" will feature Parton with Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Peter Frampton and Mick Fleetwood.

Meanwhile, the cover art features strong '80s vibes, with Parton sitting on a motorcycle, holding a black guitar and clad in a black, studded-leather outfit slightly reminiscent of the one she wore during the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony.

Rockstar will be available as a four-LP set, a two-CD set and via digital download and on all streaming services.

"I'm so excited to finally present my first rock n' roll album, Rockstar!" Parton said via a statement. "I am very honored and privileged to have worked with some of the greatest iconic singers and musicians of all time, and to be able to sing all the iconic songs throughout the album was a joy beyond measure. I hope everybody enjoys the album as much as I've enjoyed putting it together!"

On Thursday, May 11, Parton will debut her first single from the album during the 58th annual Academy of Country Music Awards. She will also join Garth Brooks as they host the awards show, which will stream around the world live on Prime Video beginning at 7 p.m. CT from The Ford Center in Frisco, Texas.