Even seasoned geography buffs forget this overlooked state exists.

This annual tradition holds more historical meaning than we give it credit for.

The Rolling Stones won't be touring in 2026 to promote their upcoming album "Foreign Tongues" but the guitarist Ronnie Wood announced a few solo European tour dates. He will perform in Austria, Italy, England, Switzerland, Germany, Netherlands, France, Spain and Portugal next July, August and September. Ronnie Wood 2026 tour dates July 16 - With Van Morrison at Burg Clam, Sparken, Austria 17 - July: Lucca Summer Festival, Unica Data Italiana, Lucca, Italy August 21 - O2 Forum Kentish Town, London, England 23 - With Eric Clapton, Royal Sandringham Estate September 1 - Volkhaus, Zürich, Switzerland 3 - E-Werk & Palladium Köln, Cologne, Germany 5 - L’Olympia, Paris, France 7 and 8 - Paradiso Amsterdam, Netherlands 12 - Sala Razzmatazz, Barcelona, Spain 14 - Coliseu dos Recreios, Lisboa, Portugal Keith Richards says the Stones might do a residency rather than tour “I don’t know if tours are possible. It’s the travelling that takes it out of you. But I do see the possibility of us doing residency somewhere. Wherever it is, London, New York, Paris, anywhere. I’ll play Rome! But I don’t see why they shouldn’t be able to throw some shows together in a new format. (…) Is it still exciting? Yeah, it’ll be exciting until something inside me says, ‘That’s that.’ I love working with the guys. I mean, what am I gonna do? Jesus Christ. It’s necessary for me – at gunpoint, if needs be – to keep a band together. ‘You will play drums!’ I do my bit, but it’s an incredible gift from everybody else. I didn’t expect this in return. It’s still a bit mind boggling, even at this age,” he said. Ronnie Wood, who recently announced a solo tour for 2026, also talked about the band playing live: “We’re not getting any younger. None of us are getting out here alive. We all come from the same spirit. We all come from the Earth. We’re all connected, which is so lovely to think about,” he told UNCUT. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5d3jCR24DAs&pp=ygUQcm9ubmllIHdvb2QgMjAyNg%3D%3DThe post Ronnie Wood 2026 tour dates appeared first on Rock and Roll Garage.

Although Roger Waters has retired from touring, he is still involved in music and has released a new charity version of Pink Floyd's classic "Comfortably Numb". The track was recorded with acclaimed Palestinian singer Mona Miari and features new lyrics that combine English and Arabic. The proceeds will go to the Palestinian Children's Relief Fund, a non-profit organization that provides free medical care for injured and ill children in Palestine. "Every child deserves access to medical care, no matter where they are born. From organizing volunteer medical missions to building pediatric cancer centres and supporting children in need of critical care, PCRF works every day to heal wounds – both visible and invisible – caused by conflict, poverty, and displacement," Roger Waters said. Some of the biggest changes to the lyrics include the main line becoming "I will never become comfortably numb" and the addition of new lyrics such as "Equal human rights for all, from the river to the sea" and "Palestine will be free… Falasteen." Roger Waters releases charity version of "Comfortably Numb" with new lyrics https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WBmrT3uqmeM Lyrics "Roger - Verse 1: Hello, is there anybody in there? Just nod if you can hear me, Is there anyone at home? Come on now, I hear you‘re feeling down Well, I can ease the pain, Get you on your feet again Relax, Relax I need some information first Just the basic facts Can you show me where it hurts Mona - Verse 1: After all that’s happened There’s no one left No words are left Why ask at all? All that is gone Home.. beloved home The night fell silent and the dawn unraveled in whispers The olive branch reaches up to the stars carries the wounds of a wailing nation Chorus: Roger - verse 2: I feel your pain from New York City I feel your pain across the sea That distant ship on the horizon Is calling out to you and me Mona - verse 2: When I was young, I dreamt of freedom Today it is hope that fuels who I am. We are roots breaking through rocks From under the rubble, we birth our fate we are the light after darkness we are what’s promised, we are the dream Roger & Mona: I will never become comfortably numb Roger - Verse 3: We never knew about the Nakba I was only five years old in ‘48 We were unaware, what was happening over there It breaks my heart I came on board so late You reached us all, with your rallying call Now here we stand at your gate. Mona’s verse 3: Writer of the page, write on every line tell them how the siege rages all around Homes have fallen.. some live, so many die the land is going nowhere, we are destined to return Roger - Verse 4: The time has come for a new beginning Time to draw a new line in the sand It is time to wipe/clean the slate Go back to 1948 Before the settlers stole the land When grandma’s key unlocked the door And everyone revered the olive tree And every human life was sacred everyone, Every daughter, every son With equal human right for everyone Lullaby: Mona: The pretty birds in the courtyard The pretty birds in the courtyard Mother, come find me Roger: Is that a Lullaby Is that your child’s name I hear you through the rubble I can feel your pain Mona: Mother, come find me Embrace me in the sky Roger: I hear you every morning Praying with your mom Your steadfast perseverance Calls me from afar Mona: I leave you with the homeland, with the soil, with the trees, I hold your heart and pray at dusk Roger: I hear a mother’s prayer Across the raging main I hear an angel’s voice Calling out my name Mona: We remain the free we remain the free Even if exiled from earth to the sky Roger: Palestine must be free I would cross the ocean just To save one olive tree With equal rights, for everyone River to the sea Our destiny, our home, Palestine, Palestine." The official video for the song was filmed in New York and Gaza. According to the organizers, the crew came under bombardment in real time while shooting in Gaza. "The making of this video did not surpass the reality of Gaza today. Our Emmy-recognised crew was being bombed in real time while filming and would frequently lose connection with the production team. Most have never been permitted to leave Gaza, yet they continue to make vital work under siege." David Gilmour's name does not appear in the songwriting credits for this version, although he was credited on the original recording. This time, only Waters and Miari are listed as songwriters.The post Roger Waters releases charity version of “Comfortably Numb” with new lyrics appeared first on Rock and Roll Garage.

During the past six years Deep Purple has been extremely prolific, having released four studio albums, the latest one "Splat!" that will be out next July 3. The band's drummer Ian Paice, the only original member of the group who was part of all their releases, said in an interview with Rockonteurs that they might release another record next year if the band believe they have good ideas. Ian Paice says Deep Purple might release another album in 2027 "Well, that's already being discussed for, this is a heavy touring year — it's almost 100 shows or something — so next year won't be the same. You can't keep doing it that way. So if you have any ideas, making a record's easy. If you don't have ideas, making a record's impossible. So getting together, and if we find we have some ideas we all like, there's no reason why we shouldn't put together another record sometime next year. It's the nature of things. It's all about ideas. You can be an actor, but if the guy hasn't written a screenplay, you've got nothing to say." "(When we write) everybody comes in with a couple of basic notions of something that they probably woke up in the middle of the night and said, 'Oh, that sounds good.' And one person will start something. Now, if it's interesting, the other guys will join in. If it's not interesting, there's a deathly silence and somebody else starts something. The amazing thing with the whole process is you go in in the morning and you've got nothing, and you come out after five, six hours' work and you got two or three really nice somethings." He continued: "And that's what keeps it working for the next day. 'Okay, that was a really good day.' But you don't get three good ideas every day. The first day, all these things you've had loitering in your mind, they come to the fore. So next day, there aren't that many ideas, so it becomes a little more difficult as you go through. But after 10 days, you've probably got a lot more than you can put on an album in the way of ideas, but you gotta then separate the wheat from the chaff." "(During the writing sessions) you capture everything. 'Cause you may only play something once as a jam, and it's gone. So if you've caught it and say, 'Well, there was something good five minutes ago,' and then you take that and you see if you can go further with it. And so it's that process of trial and error. "When you start something, everything you do is the best thing that's ever been written, 'cause you're all excited about it. The next day you go, 'What a piece of crap.' But it's always been that way. We never had one dedicated songwriter. So it becomes out of the influence of the five people. Initially the four, because Ian's there noting all the atmosphere and what the emotions of it are," he said (Transcribed by Blabbermouth). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4RpBEg5uis&pp=ygUSZGVlcCBwdXJwbGUgZGlhYmxvThe post Ian Paice says Deep Purple might release another album in 2027 appeared first on Rock and Roll Garage.

During the band's existence, Van Halen recorded 12 studio albums and Eddie Van Halen was undoubtedly the driving force behind the band. He changed the course of guitar playing in the late 1970s and early 1980s, inspiring a whole new generation of musicians to emulate his technique. Many Van Halen songs remain fan favorites and continue to receive significant airplay on Rock radio stations and streaming services. However, there are also many underrated tracks that are less familiar to the general public and Eddie once mentioned two of them. The 2 underrated songs Eddie Van Halen said he liked The two underrated Van Halen songs that Eddie revealed that were some of his favorites were "Cathedral" and "Secrets".  They both are from the 1982 album "Diver Down". "I like everything on it ('Diver Down'). I like certain parts, let's say, I like each song in a different way. (...) The reason I said I like 'Secrets' as my favorite, and 'Cathedral', because I mean, 'Cathedral', I've been doing for over a year and I wanted to put it on the record. Ok, what I'm about to tell you, don't print, please, it's just that Dave (Lee Roth) said 'no more f*cking guitar solos', you know." "He's on an ego trip, he's always been, whatever and if you print this I'm gonna come up to your house and blow your ass away. You know, he just said 'man, no more guitar solos' (but) Ted (Templeman) didn't know the way Dave felt. So one day when Dave wasn't there I said: 'Ted, what you think of that?' I played him 'Little Guitars', the intro, the Flamenco sounding thing and 'Cathedral' (Instrumental). He's going 'Oh my God, you should have showed me that earlier'. I explained to him, that Dave just said 'f*ck the guitar hero shit', you know, over a band. So Ted just said, you know 'f*ck Dave'. So we put it on anyway". He continued: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2amyCWvGZVc&pp=ygURc2VjcmV0cyB2YW4gaGFsZW4%3D "(On Cathedral) I'm using like a 61 Stratocaster with just a volume knob, (going) on, off, on, off, on, off. I'm using an echo and a chorus. (The violin sound) is the same type of echo setting that I used in the minimoog for 'Dancing in the Streets'. I set the echo in a way where it sound like a sequencer. (It sounds like a Catholic church organ), that's why I call it 'Cathedral'." "(I like the albums to have) things between songs, little segways, whatever. To keep you interested as opposed to one song, next song, next song, you know. Like say 'Cathedral', 'Intruder, 'Little Guitars' intro, stuff like that. Making the album flow from beginning to end where you can listen to from beginning to end without being bored," Eddie Van Halen said in an interview with Jas Obrecht, for Guitar Player Magazine in 1982 (Transcribed by Rock and Roll Garage). Van Halen’s fifth studio album, "Diver Down", bothered Eddie a bit because it included too many cover songs. It was something the label pushed the band to do since their previous covers had been successful, such as “You Really Got Me.” That led the band to cover another Kinks song on that record, “Where Have All the Good Times Gone,” as well as “(Oh) Pretty Woman” by Roy Orbison, “Dancing in the Street” by Martha and the Vandellas, and “Happy Trails” by Roy Rogers and Dale Evans. Eddie said "Cathedral" was "semi-improvised" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3OqrWUooOJc&pp=ygUTY2F0aGVkcmFsIHZhbiBoYWxlbg%3D%3D In a 1982 magazine interview made available by Greg Renoff, Eddie said that the track was semi-improvised. He also agreed with the interviewer, who said it sound like something he picked up when he studied music at the Pasadena City College with Dr. Fisher. "It's possible", the guitarist said, then explaining how he got the sound for the track. "It does sound kind of weird. I'm just using the volume knob on the guitar with an echo set at slow repeat. It was all just hammers with the left hand and using the volume knob. For that kind of stuff I need the cheap volume pots where it all happens between 8 and 10. (The song) was semi-improvised. I don't always do exactly the same thing but it always goes through the same changes," Eddie Van Halen said. As for "Secrets", Eddie said, as pointed out by VHND, that he used a "Gibson doubleneck 12-string. It's the model Jimmy Page uses and played with a flatpick. The solo in 'Secrets' was a first take. I kind of laid back and it fit the song," he said. "Diver Down" was successful especially in the United States, peaking at number 3 on the Billboard 200 charts. Curiously, Eddie and Alex's father Jan Van Halen did a cameo in the song "Big Bad Bill". He played the clarinet, one of the instruments he played before in his career as a musician.The post The 2 underrated songs Eddie Van Halen said he liked appeared first on Rock and Roll Garage.