An Endless Summer may not be in store for the reunited Beach Boys.

Amidst hopeful talk of adding tour dates and recording another album comes a report that frontman Mike Love has scheduled his own “Beach Boys” tour dates this October. Apparently this was also news to Brian Wilson, who recently told Rolling Stone when the subject was brought up, “I wasn’t aware that Mike had some shows in South America.”

Love’s concerts have billed as the Beach Boys since 1998, when he licensed the name for his touring use. Love, Beach Boys member Bruce Johnston and hired musicians have set out on numerous “Beach Boys” tours through the years, often doing it on the cheap and performing the band’s biggest hits almost exclusively. In an interview with Billboard published today (June 27), Love calls the Beach Boys’ reunion tour “ridiculously expensive and intense.” The tour is in support of the Beach Boys’ new album, That’s Why God Made The Radio, released earlier this month to a No. 3 debut on the album chart (the band’s highest debut ever).

Details over Love’s South American concerts are hazy, at best. When asked for a confirmation of these shows, a rep who works with Love on his solo “Beach Boys” tours did not respond by press time. One thing is certain: Love was confirmed to perform in Winnie, TX at a venue called Nutty Jerry’s on October 6, just one week after the Beach Boys’ reunion tour wraps. The venue recently canceled the appearance, attributing the incident to a “misunderstanding” in a statement. “The group that was scheduled to perform at Nutty Jerry’s is not the same lineup as the current ‘Beach Boys 50th Anniversary’ tour,” the venue wrote on its website. “As a result Nutty Jerry’s did not feel that we could advertise the show as the ‘original’ Beach Boys.” Nutty Jerry’s did not return calls for further comment.

Kicking off April 24, the Beach Boys’ 50th anniversary tour includes 50+ shows in North America until mid-July before “America’s band” heads to Europe, Asia and Australia for dates through September. It’s a tour that reportedly took three major booking agencies to coordinate and blends Wilson and Love’s separate backing bands – but not always the visions of the cousins, who previously feuded in court over the Beach Boys. “Mike’s an entertainer. Brian is an artist. There’s room for both, but it’s hard to reconcile,” said band member Jeff Foskett in a recent Rolling Stone feature on the band’s reunion.

Yet in the same conversation that Wilson referred to Love’s tour dates as “news to me,” Brian remained positive about the band’s future. “There has been talk of doing more shows with the Boys and possibly a new record, which I would love to do,” he told Rolling Stone. “This reunion is blowing my mind.” Wilson told the Tampa Bay Tribune that he’d like to make another Beach Boys record that’s “a bit harder and faster” – a real “rock’n’roll” record.

Despite having his own touring agenda, Love also kept on message regarding the future of the Beach Boys. “There’s only one 50th anniversary, obviously, but… there’s talk of us going and doing a return to the Grammys next year, and there’s talk about doing another album together,” he told Billboard.

What the future holds for the Beach Boys… well, “God Only knows.”

- Jillian Mapes, CBS Local

Brian Wilson‘s confirmation that his Frank Sinatra project isn’t going to happen was the one bit of real information that came out of our conversation this afternoon. Going into my interview with him, I knew it was going to be tough. Brian doesn’t like to do interviews, and the fact that he made the effort to call was as much as anyone could hope for.  It’s not unpleasant speaking with him, he’s cordial and certainly non-combative, but he doesn’t engage in a conversation – no matter how many openings he’s given to say more. That, honestly, is fine with me. Brian has said, and continues to speak more through his music that he could in volumes of words. I’m looking forward to seeing him on stage with The Beach Boys and a great backup band supporting the melodies and lyrics that have supplied the soundtrack for several generations of fans.

How can you top that with an interview?

Here’s what he said.

How has the tour been for Brian and the group?

“So far, so good. We’re selling out everywhere we go and we’ve got very big audiences. We’re having a good time.” says Brian.

Brian gives me an update on whether the Frank Sinatra album is still in the works.

“No that is not in the works. I don’t think I’m going to do that.”

The best show I ever saw was when Brian came to town to do “Smile“, it was unbelievable. I asked Brian was there a relief for him after he completed “Smile” after 38 years.

“Yeah quite a lot, yeah. It was in the works for 38 years. And we finally did it”.

Brian shared with me his feelings on his new album “That’s Why God Made The Radio” debuting #3 on the billboard charts, which is the highest debut of any Beach Boys album.

“I was very proud”, says Wilson. “It was pretty amazing”.

With some much music going on in Brian’s head, I was curious on just how Brian relaxes.

“I relax in my conscious ya know. It’s rough”.

They say behind every great man is a strong woman so I asked Brian how Malinda, his wife, how has she affected his music?

“Well she help me through you know. Helped me get through my troubled times.” Brian tells me.

So what’s the best and worst part about touring again with the Beach Boys for Brian?

“The great side is the concerts, the downside is the traveling. We do a lot of flying.”

The Beach Boys 50th Anniversary Tour will be in town this Saturday, July 7th at Grand Canyon University. For more info go here.

Here’s the complete interview audio.

Read Steve Goddard’s The Beach Boys concert review and entire 50 song set list here!

 Check out all the pictures of all the fun we had here!

 See the concert photos here!

Are the Rolling Stones music’s most photographed band? With the plethora of photo exhibits and books popping up around the band, one must wonder just how many times Mick Jagger’s famous mug has been captured on film.

The latest Stones photo news: Band members will spend the 50th anniversary of their first gig at a special photo exhibit set to open in their honor on Thursday (July 12) in London.

London’s Somerset House will showcase photographs of the Rolling Stones – concert shots, studio footage, outtakes – taken throughout the band’s history. The exhibit will open to the public Friday (July 13), closing one month later on August 12th. Indeed, July 12th marks 50 years to the day since the band’s first show as “The Rollin’ Stones” at London’s Marquee Club.

“This is our story of 50 fantastic years,” the Stones said in a release. “We started out as a blues band playing the clubs and more recently we’ve filled the largest stadiums in the world with the kind of show that none of us could have imagined all those years ago.”

Across the pond in New York City, an exhibit showcasing Stones pictures from famed rock photographer Jim Marshall opened last week (July 5) at the Steven Kasher Gallery. The show, titled Jim Marshall: The Rolling Stones and Beyond, runs through September 8 and accompanies a new book of previously unseen Marshall photographs, The Rolling Stones 1972.

Additionally, another Rolling Stones photo show, Rolling Stones 50 Years in Photography, opened at New York’s Morrison Hotel this spring.

Also on the visual front, the Stones recently debuted a refreshed take on their iconic tongue logo, in celebration of their 50th anniversary.

- Jillian Mapes, CBS Local

It came together rather quickly, after Sony realized that Graceland – the defining album of Paul Simon’s solo career – was about to turn 25. Filmmaker Joe Berlinger, best known for his West Memphis Three documentary Paradise Lost, took a meeting with Paul Simon in April 2011. By July, they were in Johannesburg, South Africa filming Under African Skies, the documentary released last month in conjunction with the 25th anniversary box set of Graceland.

The most striking thing about the documentary, which first debuted at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year, is that it as much about the controversial politics surrounding Graceland as it is about the Grammy-winning album itself. While Under African Skies portrays the joyful reunion of Simon and the native South African musicians that comprised the Graceland band, there are tense moments that examine the role of artists in politics and society that end up defining the doc. And Berlinger wouldn’t have it any other way.
 
Speaking with CBS Local, Berlinger explained that he was “concerned” when first approached by Sony about making a documentary with Simon, whom he previously worked with on the Sundance TV show Iconoclast.
 
“I’m a pretty serious social issues storyteller, and I didn’t want to just do a Paul Simon puff piece, the way these box set DVDs sometimes can be,” Berlinger said. “Frankly, after making Metallica: Some Kind of Monster, I have been approached a lot about making music films. I’ve turned most of them down, because to me, a film about music has to have a deeper story to make it worthy of putting on film.”
 
Simon, too, wanted to tell a deeper story – something Berlinger gives him credit for. “A lot of artists, particularly at Paul’s level, wouldn’t necessarily welcome the opportunity to re-open a very controversial chapter in their lives,” he said.
 

 
Graceland’s legacy represents, in a way, a generational divide. Those who were conscious of current events during the album’s 1985 making can remember the fuss: Simon made the record in South Africa with black musicians like Ladysmith Black Mambazo amidst the country’s apartheid struggle, thus setting off accusations that Simon broke the United Nations’ cultural boycott of South Africa. Simon’s opponents still claim he was in the wrong to come to South Africa in the first place, while much of the country still treats Graceland with “religious reverence,” Berlinger said.
 
But those who’ve just come to discover the brilliance of Graceland in recent years, perhaps because of its name-checking by new acts like Vampire Weekend, simply hear an influential, classic album. These younger fans can consider Under African Skies a necessary political history lesson, thanks in great part to Simon’s intense scenes with Dali Tambo of Artists Against Apartheid, one of his biggest political opponents.
 
Footage from the surprisingly candid conversation between Simon and Tambo runs through Under African Skies – and speaks far louder than the complimentary remarks made by Paul McCartney, Quincy Jones, David Byrne and more in the film. As Berlinger explains, the sit-down between the two opponents was totally unplanned, sparked only after Berlinger himself finally nailed down – and nailed – an interview with Tambo once arriving in South Africa for the 10-day shoot. The next day, Simon went to Tambo’s house for the on-camera, two-hour face-off, which comes across more civilized than one would imagine – and ends, surprisingly, with a hug.
 
“I think it was a healing conversation for both of them,” Berlinger said, “even though neither one of them altered their opinion on the subject.”

- Jillian Mapes, CBS Local

Brian Wilson was the element that really made the Beach Boys’ big reunion this year work. While he has stated that he’d like to make another album and continue touring with the reunion lineup, it seems that’s not really in the cards for the family band.

RELATED: Classic Rock’s 5 Most Surprising Reconciliations

As Rolling Stone reports, an announcement has been made about the future of the reunited Beach Boys: Wilson, David Marks and Al Jardine will no longer perform with the group, following the final two reunion shows in London on September 27 and 28. The “Beach Boys,” at least in a touring sense of the word, will return to its pre-reunion lineup, led by Mike Love and consisting of member Bruce Johnston.

“As we move on, Bruce and I look forward to performing live for Beach Boys fans everywhere,” Love said in a recent press release.

The release continues: “The 50th Reunion Tour was designed to be a set tour with a beginning and an end to mark a special 50-year milestone for the band.”

Love’s concerts have billed as the “Beach Boys” since 1998, when he licensed the name for his touring use. Love, Johnston and hired musicians have set out on numerous “Beach Boys” tours through the years, often doing it on the cheap and performing the band’s biggest hits almost exclusively.

As previously reported, Love went ahead and booked some October shows under his version of the “Beach Boys” this summer, while the reunion was still in full force. There was a bit of confusion over this: Wilson was caught off-guard upon hearing the news, and some promoters were under the impression that they had booked the reunited Beach Boys and thus canceled Love’s shows.

As for Wilson, he told us back in July that he’d be interested in touring more with the reunited Beach Boys. He even talked a bit about another album for the Boys, to follow-up June’s That’s Why God Made The Radio. “We’d like to capture the Phil Spector rock’n’roll beat,” Wilson said of the album. “Get that rock’n’roll going, you know?”

Meanwhile, Wilson underwent a second surgery on his back last week, though he’s saying he’s recovering just fine. His health has continued to be of concern to those keeping an eye on the tour, where Wilson has been relatively low-energy during performances.

The Beach Boys will, however, release two new greatest hits compilations next month (October 8) and 12 reissues next week (September 25).

- Jillian Mapes, CBS Local

Writing songs for “The Lion King” makes you very rich but it doesn’t exactly make you cool. In other words, Elton John doesn’t get the kind of cred that Dylan does. But Elton made his choices, he knows what he did, and for a guy who once claimed to be “only the piano player” (not entirely untrue), he’s done exceedingly well for himself.

Of course, the purpose of this tale isn’t to besmirch one of the pop’s most enduring voices and biggest personalities. It’s to explain how, on the album where John made his humble claim (Don’t Shoot Me I’m Only The Piano Player), he also set out on his sometimes uncool yet very successful path toward being the kind of artist who is routinely dubbed A Legend. That album – his sixth – was released 40 years ago this week, while the first week of February marks the 40th anniversary of Elton’s first No. 1 (U.S.) single, “Crocodile Rock.”

“Crocodile Rock” is crucial in the EJ universe. Not only is it sonically different than anything else in his discography, it was the first international hit that went top 10 in nearly every market where Elton was getting airplay at the time. “Crocodile Rock” was also John’s first million-selling single, and amidst his other early hits, it sounds like the one that was written with that goal in mind. In the 1995 reissue of Don’t Shoot Me, John admits, “I wanted it to be a record about all the things I grew up with. Of course it’s a rip-off, it’s derivative in every sense of the word.”

For as successful as “Crocodile Rock” was, its level of derivation from 1950s sock-hop pop rubs a lot of listeners the wrong way. From the “la-la-la-la-la’s” to the cheesy storyline about “holding hands and skipping stones,” “Crocodile Rock” is a far cry from Elton’s biggest hit up to that point, “Rocket Man.” He progresses from a ballad about an astronaut struck in his situation, which was inspired by a Ray Bradbury short story (and a bit Ziggy Stardust-esque), to the shameless sheen and cheese of “Crocodile Rock” with a just one stop in between (“Honky Cat”). The follow-up to “Crocodile Rock” and second hit from Don’t Shoot Me was right back to the serious stuff: “Daniel,” a commentary on Vietnam veterans and one of John’s most powerful songs ever.

“Crocodile Rock” leaves people thinking of Don’t Shoot Me I’m Only The Piano Player in a certain light. It will never be as “classic” an album as 1972’s Honky Chateau, which will never be as “classic” as Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, released just eight months after Don’t Shoot Me. But without “Crocodile Rock” and Don’t Shoot Me, Elton wouldn’t have had the star power to catapult Goodbye Yellow Brick Road to such fame and longevity. Basically, he was setting himself up for the huge hits that were on their way just months later: “Candle in the Wind,” “Bennie and the Jets,” “Saturday Night’s Alright For Fighting.” He was still in the process of transitioning from a singer-songwriter type to a real pop star, playing around with all sorts of genres and styles of songwriting on Don’t Shoot Me. From a little country twang on “Texan Love Song” to a Rolling Stones ripoff on “Midnight Creeper,” the album’s most common criticism – too derivative – comes into focus. He’ll get the mix right on the cohesive Goodbye Yellow Brick Road and go on to cement his place in music superstardom – just give him a little time. 

- Jillian Mapes, Radio.com

Forty years ago today, The Eagles released their second album “Desperado”. This was their lowest charting album. It just missed being in the top 40, but it had one of their best songs on it…”Desperado”! Other tracks include “Tequila Sunrise”, and “Doolin’-Dalton”. I must say, the chart position does not really matter to me. Being an Eagles fan and sitting in s band room with a drum set and my boom box with some headphones…I learned the drum from Don Henley. I LOVE the Eagles and I celebrate 40 years of “Desperado”. That’s a lot of candles!

1983…two of my favorites got together and made a pretty KOOL song. What? Eddie Van Halen is playing guitar on a Michael Jackson record? Are you serious?! Yeah, and it was AWESOME! 30 years ago today, “Beat It” became a #1 record. I guess it worked! Notice in the video there is NO Eddie Van Halen? His record lable said he should not be in the video. Also, Eddie did this for NO MONEY. He did it as a favor. The “Thriller” album went on to sell over 30 million copies. That would have been a lot of money to Eddie, but he did it for the love of music and being able to work with Michael. That’s KOOL. Enjoy the video.

YES! I am already excited for the holidays…seriously.  What you may not know is that on THIS day back in 1942, Bing Crosby recorded the Irving Berlin song “White Christmas”.  He recorded the song with the John Scott Trotter Orchestra and the Ken Darby Singers in just 18 minutes!

According to the Guinness Book Of World Records, this version sung by Bing Crosby is the best-selling single of ALL TIME!   Here is to Christmas in MAY!  Oh, and by the way, he recorded this song on his best buddy’s Birthday…Bob Hope!

Can you believe it was 29 years ago today that Bruce Springsteen released his biggest album “Born In The U.S.A.”?

In fact it was the best-selling album in 1984 and produced a record tying 7 TOP 10 hits!  He tied with Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” album, and Janet Jackson’s “Rhythm Nation 1814″ album.  It featured “Born In The U.S.A.”, “Cover Me”, “I’m On Fire”, “Glory Days”, “I’m Going Down”, “Dancing In The Dark”, “My Hometown”, and more.

It put Bruce into the pop world and exposed him to a larger audience.  While staying true to his craft, Bruce had a huge tour that year to support the record.  It was one of my favorites.  I had a roommate in college that was a HUGE Boss fan, and made it known every day by blasting his music.  He exposed me to early Bruce which made me appreciate the artist even more.  Thanks Brian!

I remember being on our radio station boat in LaCrosse, Wisconsin (yes, our station had a boat on the Mississippi River- see below!) and listening to every Doors cassette tape we had. This was one of them. For the Doors fan, enjoy. Read more on this here…

http://ultimateclassicrock.com/doors-waiting-for-the-sun/

And here is the boat on the Mississippi…

It was on this day back in 1968 that the Beatles started recording their 7 minute song “Hey Jude” at their Abbey Road Studios.

This song was written by Paul McCartney and was about John Lennon’s son Julian.

Check out the whole story HERE.

On this day in 1928, Mickey Mouse made his screen debut in Steamboat Willie. It’s no secret that I am a Disney FANATIC, so much so that I had Steamboat Willie tattooed on my leg. I got the tattoo in San Fransisco on Haight-Ashbury in a little tattoo shop back in the 90′s. He’s a great story! Who is your favorite Disney character? Do you have a tattoo of them on you? Oh, please share!

Do you love your Boss? I’m talking about Bruce Springsteen! On this day he gave birth…to one of the biggest records EVER!

It was 31 years ago today, June 4th, 1984, when Bruce Springsteen released his “Born In The U.S.A.” album. When I was in college in LaCrosse, Wisconsin, my roomate was one of the biggest Bruce fans EVER. He would play his records everyday…over and over. Then “Born In The U.S.A.” came out, and it was played constantly!

The album had so many “hit” records on it…”Glory Days”, “Cover Me”, “Dancing In The Dark”, “I’m On Fire”, “I’m Going Down”, “My Hometown”, and more. It was an album that was needed in America. A spirit lifting album. A salute to America and hard working people, and family, and common, simple ways of life. It’s sounds just as fresh today as it did back then.

Six years ago we lost the King Of Pop, Michael Jackson. His music is timeless. From the early days with his brothers and the Jackson 5 to his days of “Thriller”, and beyond. I remember the “Off The Wall” album as I was growing up and heading to the roller rink every Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Those were the days! There would always be a sheet of paper on the counter close to the DJ booth where we could write down the songs we wanted to hear. Michael was always on the list. Always. He was loved by so many around the world.

If you click on the video above, you will see a VERY KOOL tribute to the King Of Pop from a guy who just goes by “Rob”. He is a huge Michael fan and a very talented artist. Watch him create his tribute art to Michael as he is driven around town on the back of a mini flatbed. Then wait until the very end, because the art will come to life!

@MichaelJackson #6yearswithoutmichaeljackson @CharlieHuero

Pretty in Pink, the 1986 rom-com, turns 30 this year. What better way to celebrate than by seeing it on the big screen one more time! Catch the John Hughes classic for two days around the valley, February 14th and February 17th. Might make a great Valentines date (wink)! Here are the participating theaters…

• AMC Westgate
• AMC Desert Ridge
• AMC Ahwatukee
• AMC Deer Valley
• Surprise Pointe 14 (Carmike)
• Cinemark 16 (Mesa)

Along with the original movie, they will also show a behind-the-scenes feature with the cast talking about an alternate ending that would’ve changed everything! Tickets are available now HERE…or at the box office of the participating theaters.