Former Kiss guitarist Ace Frehley said coronavirus lockdown restrictions have led him to start work on an album of original material, while the release of his covers collection, Origins Vol.2, has been delayed.

“I don't wanna be too idle, so I decided to start recording my next studio record. What the hell?” Frehley said on SiriusXM's Trunk Nation. He noted that the covers album was completed “months ago,” but its release has been pushed back "probably ... till September. But that can change. Don't quote me or anything. … Everybody's worried about their health. Health comes first, because without your health, you’ve got nothing.”

He added that he's been in touch with his former Kiss bandmates to check on them during the pandemic. “Everybody's okay, thank God,” he said. “Eric Singer’s been sending me some silly texts, ‘cause me and Eric always got along really well on the road.”

Meanwhile, Dave Grohl surprised a Foo Fighters fan on Jimmy Kimmel Live. The host introduced New York City nurse T.J. Riley, to honor his hard work on the front line, and then introduced Grohl, who performed the classic song “Everlong” to thank Riley for his service. You can watch the moment below.

The Doobie Brothers performed a home-based version of their 1974 hit “Black Water.” “We knew we would want to share something with others out there who are in isolation just like we are," Patrick Simmons said. "We are so grateful to our fans who contributed to the performance and our families who helped with the production.”

You can watch the song below.

Anthrax drummer Charlie Benante covered Tom Petty’s “Yer So Bad” in his latest lockdown video, with help from his girlfriend Carla Harvey of the Butcher Babies, and Roberto Diaz of Suicidal Tendencies. Benante hailed Petty as “one of the American greats."

“Not only a stellar multi-instrumentalist, but the king of storytelling through his lyrics," he said. "His songs are familiar, yet they never sound dated. … What you may not know about Petty was that he was an advocate for fair treatment of musical artists and fans alike. He fought the record industry to avoid his contract being transferred … and later fought to keep the prices of his albums down.”

You can watch the performance of "Yer So Bad" below.

Brian Eno invited fans to submit footage for an upcoming video. He and his brother Roger announced plans to expand on their recent album Mixing Colors. “We want to ask people in the next few weeks to take a single shot of a quiet scene, at home or out the window or in their garden,” they said. “Clouds passing, rustling tree leaves, a bird nesting, people conducting activities in the house. Quiet moments that we are all enjoying, together, in isolation.” You can find out more at their website.

Bandcamp announced that, after the success of their first day of waiving fees, and the confirmation of a second day scheduled for May 1, they're going to repeat the process on the first Fridays of June and July too. “Musicians will continue to feel the effects of lost touring income for many months to come,” the company noted. All proceeds on each first Friday will be sent directly to artists, as opposed to Bandcamp taking its usual cut of 10-15 percent.

A New York firefighter emulated Jimi Hendrix’s “Star Spangled Banner” to raise spirits in the city. ABC reported that the man “hopped up on his firetruck with some masked compatriots to rip a Jimi Hendrix-like version of the National Anthem outside of New York Presbyterian Hospital.” You can watch it below.

There are currently a total of 3.15 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 worldwide, with 218,484 deaths and 964,513 recoveries. Of the 1.97 million active cases, 97 percent are said to be mild and 56,880 described as serious or critical. In the U.S., a total of 1.036 million cases have been confirmed, with 59,266 deaths and 142,238 recoveries.

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