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The New Pornographers Announce New Album Continue as a Guest, North American Tour

They also shared the new single "Really Really Light," co-written by Dan Bejar.

January 9, 2023

The New Pornographers Announce Mass Romantic Reissue, North American Tour with Dan Bejar

The Canadian supergroup will alternate full album performances of Mass Romantic and Twin Cinema.

July 13, 2021

The New Pornographers announce new album In the Morse Code of Brake Lights, share "Faling Down the Stairs of Your Smile": Stream

Eighth studio effort lands in stores this fall.

August 2, 2019

Neko Case Dissects Her New Solo Album, Hell-On

The New Pornographers' singer-songwriter dives into the album's nuances, influences, and stories.

July 13, 2018

Neko Case reveals new solo album, Hell-On: Stream

Her first solo record in five years features Mark Lanegan, AC Newman, k.d. lang, and more.

May 31, 2018

Neko Case previews new album with "Hell-On": Stream

Case's first solo album in five years features Mark Lanegan, k.d. lang, AC Newman, Beth Ditto, and more.

March 6, 2018

The New Pornographers perform "Whiteout Conditions" on Colbert: Watch

Supporting the album of the same name.

July 14, 2017

Album Review: The New Pornographers - Whiteout Conditions

The Canadian rock band's latest has its charms but ultimately not enough rewards.

April 4, 2017

The New Pornographers share title track to their new album Whiteout Conditions -- listen

A charging track from the indie rock collective's forthcoming full-length.

March 24, 2017

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A.C. Newman  

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Perhaps more famous for fronting his indie rock “supergroup”, The New Pornographers, A. C. Newman live solo shows are every bit as worthwhile to see. While Newman's pop-oriented songwriting and arrangements will be familiar to New Pornographers fans, in a live setting his solo material takes on a much more personal and introspective feel.

The other thing you'll notice right away at a Newman show is that he's recruited a brilliant band to accompany him. Not only will they switch throughout the show from clarinets to flutes to melodica, but bassist Samantha Crain (who herself switches to clarinet as required at times during the set!) also does a nice job providing the lovely background vocals that complement Newman's songs.

Performing solo with his band, Newman seems most interested in putting the emphasis on his current albums at this point. His touring live band is far more geared to the folkier leanings of his solo material, and they stick almost exclusively to that during shows. While New Pornographers fans may miss some of the jokey irony of that band's songs, when Newman takes his new group through heartbreaking songs like “I'm Not Talking” and the lilting, lovely folk-pop carol “You Could Get Lost Out Here”, it isn't missed. Newman offers the audience an mesmerizing evening of some of the best-crafted songs being made these days.

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• New York (NYC) (11)
• SF Bay Area (6)
• Woodstock (3)
• Twin Cities (3)
• Philadelphia (3)

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• Neko Case (11)
• The Broken West (9)
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• Harriet (6)

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A.C. Newman Concert Setlists & Tour Dates

A.c. newman at the music of crosby, stills and nash 2024.

• I Used to Be a King
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A.C. Newman at Gundlach-Bundschu Winery, Sonoma, CA, USA

• I'm Not Talking
• The Fake Headlines
• Drink to Me, Babe, Then
• You Won't Need Those Where You're Going
• There Are Maybe Ten or Twelve...
• From Blown Speakers
• Adventures in Solitude
• Miracle Drug
• I Must Be in Love
• Higher Beams
• There's Money In New Wave
• Love Goes On!

A.C. Newman at Belly Up Tavern, Solana Beach, CA, USA

A.c. newman at rialto theatre, tucson, az, usa, a.c. newman at the van buren, phoenix, az, usa.

• There Are Maybe Ten or Twelve
• There’s Money in New Wave
• Brill Bruisers

A.C. Newman at Levon Helm Studios, Woodstock, NY, USA

A.c. newman at the casbah, san diego, ca, usa.

• Palace at 4 AM
• On the Table
• Encyclopedia of Classic Takedowns
• Secretarial
• The Changeling (Get Guilty)
• You Could Get Lost Out Here
• Do Your Own Time
• Like a Hitman, Like a Dancer

A.C. Newman at Echoplex, Los Angeles, CA, USA

• The Palace at 4 A.M.

A.C. Newman at Doug Fir Lounge, Portland, OR, USA

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Most played songs

• Miracle Drug ( 18 )
• On the Table ( 17 )
• Drink to Me, Babe, Then ( 16 )
• The Changeling (Get Guilty) ( 16 )
• The Heartbreak Rides ( 16 )

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Leonard Cohen The Go‐Betweens Graham Nash The New Pornographers The Rutles Tall Dwarfs

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A.C. Newman Ranks the 5 Best New Pornographers Songs

Including two title tracks and "a song of ours that I don't think gets enough love"

BY Alex Hudson Published Mar 28, 2023

More A.C. Newman

• Musicians Can't Stop Debating Steely Dan
• What Makes a Perfect Fall Album? Exclaim! Staffers Pick Their Favourites
• Canadian Musicians Celebrate the "Genius" of Neko Case

More New Pornographers

• Merge Records Gets Destroyer, New Pornographers, Wye Oak for 35th Anniversary Festival
• The New Pornographers Share Acoustic Version of "Firework in the Falling Snow" with Aimee Mann
• The New Pornographers Announce 20th Anniversary Reissue of 'Electric Version'

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A.C. Newman

Discography

Get Guilty Matador Records / Last Gang Records ©2008

The Slow Wonder Matador Records OLE 615/ The Blue Curtain ©2004

Homemade Bombs In The Afternoon Matador Records OLE 9002 ©2004

Homemade Bombs In The Afternoon

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Essaying the pop culture that matters since 1999

“Very Self-Conscious About Everything”: An Interview with A.C. Newman

A conversation with Carl Newman — the primary songwriter for the New Pornographers and who just released Shut Down the Streets his third solo project — is funny, pleasant, and just slightly painful.

Newman (who goes by “AC Newman” for his solo work) is honest and charming — and about as far from a “rock star” as a rock star can be. At 44, Newman is new dad and recently dealt with the death of this mother: not the usual chicks-and-cars-and-swagger stuff of a rock ‘n’ roll hit. But then this is a guy partly inspired to become a rock musician when he realized that Husker Du, “the coolest punk band of the moment, was made up of a guy with a handlebar mustache and another other guy who looks like a chubby preppy.”

Seeing that as a teenager made Newman realize “there doesn’t have to be an artifice there. You can just do what you want, and you don’t have to have some look or be part of some movement.”

Shut Down the Streets is hardly rock-by-the-numbers. Lyrically, it reflects (enigmatically, as with all of his lyrics) on Newman’s unique moment in life — middle-aged pop if you want to be cynical about it. Musically, these are ten sturdy but quirky songs full of unforgettable details and strong harmonic movement that turns left at moments when right turn would be the obvious choice.

In our conversation, Newman spoke about going his own and blending in to the band, about wanting to write complex music through using simplicity, and about his good fortune in being an introvert who makes his living on a stage in front of people.

Your rock songs contain more complex harmonies — fancier chords and harmonic colors — than almost anything that’s been on radio in the last 30 years. Have you always heard music that way? Are you really more of a 1970s singer-songwriter than a 21st century power-popper?

When I first started writing songs, I was looking to Brian Wilson, Burt Bacharach/Hal David, and Jimmy Webb. If you look at their songs and try to play them — they’re very strange and complex. No one thinks “Wichita Lineman” is a weird song. They just think it’s a country song. But if you really sit down and listen to it, you go, “This is a strange song.” Even the lyrics. I’ve always carried that with me. Because the first time I tried writing songs I was going for that — it became a part of me, even when I’m doing something more straightforward.

When I picked up the guitar, I loved the Pixies. So there is a part of me that wants to chug on a barred chord for a few bars or to play a power chord. But when the New Pornographers started, we started adding elements from The Cars, and Blondie, or The Stranglers. All through that, my music has been infused with those early, more complex, influences.

“Sing Me Spanish Techno” was one of the more popular songs on Twin Cinima , yet it has a very complex pre-chorus with tricky harmonies.

That song is a different kind of complex. It is a lot of simple elements put together in an odd way. It’s not complicated like some classical piece or something by Thelonious Monk. I want to do complex music but I’m not that masterful a musician. So I often throw together a lot of simple elements. It’s not that difficult to change chords or add a level of harmony, so I do that a lot.

I want the song to go somewhere else so I change the chords under the melody and that changes the feel of it. All of sudden your song can take a left turn. Going way back, there a song on Electric Version called “From Blown Speakers” which I wrote as a three-chord song, but decided, no-no, I’ve got to do something else with it. I just moved the chords around under the melody. But I kept the three-chord part for the big outro.

I remember when we were learning “Sing Me Spanish Techno” I would practice it with John and Kurt, the rhythm section and then I would come back a few days later and say, “I rewrote ‘Spanish Techno’. All of a sudden the second verse wasn’t the same as the first. The chords change and the melody changes. That the kind of stuff I did back then.

Rock music is generally supposed to be simple and direct. Do you worry that your music will be considered “pretentious” because it’s complex?

I’ve heard all the criticisms. They’ll stone you no matter what you do. With the advent of the really simple, primal two-person rock band, there is that attitude. If something is really ornate and baroque, people just aren’t into it. At the same time, Grizzly Bear are ornate and baroque and are massively popular.

It’s interesting to think about the influence of Brian Wilson. At the core of it, I like the way the chords move in his songs. I listen to “God Only Knows” and I think, I want to write a song that moves like that . And yet, when I play it, it’s like a garage rock song. But then there are other bands that take the production style of The Beach Boys but write songs that are a lot simpler than Wilson’s. A lot of bands have really mastered that delivery style.

Your songs seems to be built on craftsmanship rather than just your identity or a “sound.” People might cover your music well for that reason.

I feel that way more with the new record. It used to be that whenever I would get ready to play an acoustic show, I would sit down and ask, “How many of my songs can I play acoustically?” and there weren’t that many. It seemed like the rock elements were really essential to the songs — you could remove them and play the songs acoustic. But with the new record, Shut Down the Streets , I feel like I can sit down and play every song as an acoustic song. I think that these songs could be covered. I don’t [think] anybody would, but somebody could do a cover of “I’m Not Talking” and it would make sense. The song can stand on its own more. Over the last five years, I’ve tried to move toward that more.

I’m really proud of the first three New Pornographers records, but by the time I was working on Twin Cinema I was thinking, I’ve gotta do something more here. And I think you can tell. And then people felt that Challengers was the “break-off album” where that’s even more true. There can be a song sung just by Neko [Case, vocalist with the New Pornographers as well as the new record] that doesn’t even have a rhythm section — just an acoustic guitar, a little quiet electric, and vocals.

I’m just trying to keep myself interested. With the new record — I thought, I’m going to try to make a record like this and see what happens.

Now people are going to listen to it and tell me what they think. I really hate that. Even though I’ve made my life as a musician and a performer, I don’t feel entirely comfortable as a public person. That’s partly why I came to Woodstock to live. I like the solitude.

I’m not really been able to buy into any kind of “rock star” persona. It seems absurd to me. At the end of a show we’ll do a big rock ending, maybe. Todd and I will cross our guitar necks. It just seems absurd to me. When the New Pornographers perform, we talk a lot and joke around. That’s just how we are. That conversation could just as easily happen on the bus. That’s nothing new.

Wasn’t that what punk rock or the indie-rock revolution was about? That anybody could get on stage and it wasn’t really about posturing?

I like the idea that somebody would like my records and then would see me as such a normal guy. It send the message that maybe anybody could do it.

The fact that you sing with a bit of a lisp may be part of what makes you so approachable. That’s part of your lack of artifice. It seems very un-self-conscious.

I’m very self-conscious. I don’t really notice the lisp. I look for it now because other people are pointing it out.

Even though your music is quite polished, that little “imperfection” may help you to connect.

It’s hard to say. But, yes, I’m very self-conscious — about everything. I think that is a huge element of what goes into my songs. It’s partly why I’ve never done much songwriting with other people. For me, songwriting is very much a descent into the self. If I’m writing by myself, which is what I like to do, I can be ruthless, I can say, “This is garbage” and throw it out. Working with someone else, it’s hard to say, “Listen, I don’t like what you’re doing. This sucks.” You just can’t say that. Songwriting is very internal, and that’s what’s liberating about it. I’ve been a very shy person in my life. That you can dig deep into yourself and show it to people is liberation. I was a shy guy, but I wrote this song and played it for people and now girls like me: how about that! I kind of parlayed being a very private person into having a girlfriend! That has given me my life — my house and wife and my child and my career, and it all comes from this private place.

It’s interesting that such a private person would be most famous for being in a band that is a collective, where your work is blended with the work of other very distinctive artists. It’s interesting that you should be such a private guy but be involved in something that is so collaborative.

The New Pornographers was assembled with people that I trusted. You don’t want to have to do everything in a band. I can see why it might seem strange for a very private guy to be in a collaborative band. But, looking at it another way, if I don’t want to be the center of attention but I want to have a band, it makes sense to have a band like that where I’m just one of three singers and I can write a song and give it to Neko so I don’t even have to sing it. If I’m feeling self-conscious about my voice, well, I’ve got someone with this killer voice, and she can knock it out of the park. That makes me happy because then my song is as good as it can possibly be.

Why have Neko Case on this record — maybe confusing it with a NP project?

I felt confident enough that this record was really different that I could have her on here without risking confusion. There are a couple of moments, like on “Encyclopedia of Classic Takedowns”, that sound, straight-up, like a classic New Pornographers song. If was recorded a bit differently, it wouldn’t be out of place on Mass Romantic . When I was making the record, I thought, Does this song fit? But then I thought, Well, who cares? I liked it.

But there are other ways in which it fits. “Encyclopedia of Classic Takedowns” is the song where I’m talking about how self-conscious I am and how being in a band just seems absurd. When I sing the big chorus, “I didn’t mean to live that many lies,” I think that’s what I’m talking about. And that ties into everything I was feeling and still do feel about losing my mom and my child coming. There are so many bigger things in the world than my record coming out. When I find myself worrying about what the reviews will say, I want to slap myself and say, Who gives a shit? This is most unimportant bullshit on Earth. What people are saying about your record is not what’s important. But it’s hard to ignore. That’s part of what I do.

It’s a tough time to be a musician. It’s not easy to sell lots of records, and you have to tour constantly. What are the economics of making a career in popular music work these days — particularly if you’re not just trying to place songs on TV shows or turn yourself into Blink-182.

I’ve been lucky. I have placed songs on TV shows. It’s happened to an absurd level. There is even a new TV show that it doing to use one of our songs as the theme. I’ve been very lucky in many ways. But you still look at the future. How much money would you actually need before you think, I’m set for life. If someone gave a half million dollars, you would jump for joy but you wouldn’t quit your job. You have to really be a rock star before you’re like, “Yeah, I’ve got $5 million and I’m laughing and can do whatever I want.”

It is very strange — but so far, so good. When I’ve worried about money, money has come my way. It’s almost made me a religious man. There have been moments when I’ve been worried and then word comes that somebody wants to use one of my songs in a T-Mobile commercial. I’ve been like, “Thank you, God!”

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A.C. Newman Tour Diary By Jon Wurster: Part 2

• Post author By MAGNET Staff
• Post date June 9, 2009
• 1 Comment on A.C. Newman Tour Diary By Jon Wurster: Part 2

May 19 My early-to-bed routine has served me well. I’m up at 7 a.m. and doing my ablutions while Carl sleeps the sleep of the just got in a few hours ago from drinking. Soon, Alun shows up with the van. I don’t think he’s a tour manager or a van driver by trade. And that’s OK; this is a bare bones tour, and it’ll save us all a lot of money if we don’t hire a professional tour manager. I really can’t think of a more thankless job. You have to drive everywhere, keep track of everything and people are always asking you for stuff. I really should call my parents and tell them I love them.

When we get to the gear rental place, we find the amps are too big for the van. And, of course, the seats are bolted in and can’t be removed. Surely there were vans more suited to this kind of activity? Maybe not, I dunno. Frustrated, I walk away, all grumbly. Carl and Shane assume the roles of pack masters general. We head out of Manchester to our first gig in London. This band hasn’t played a full set together since early April, but I’m sure we’ll be fine. Our fifth member will be Kansas-based singer/songwriter Andrew Morgan; he’ll play keyboards and additional guitar, as well as open the shows. When we get to the Luminaire in the Kilburn section of London, we hunker down for a marathon soundcheck/rehearsal. Andrew has really done his homework, and everything sounds good. The sound guy is American and looks just like former Kiss guitarist Bruce Kulick’s older brother Bob . (I know what Bruce Kulick’s older brother Bob looks like. What does this say about me?)

I believe it was Winston Churchill who said, “It is times like these when copious amounts of wine could not be more of a help.” There’s that period between soundcheck and the show when time slows to a snail’s pace. Tonight there’s no time to get a proper dinner, so we snack on the rider (food and beverages provided by the club) and we break out the vino. I ask Alun if he’ll get us a corkscrew. “Please don’t judge me,” I ask. This is in reference to a conversation we had earlier today about a book I was reading:  The Easy Way To Stop Drinking . It’s probably a typical rock ‘n’ roll story: I didn’t really drink at all until about 1996. Superchunk was on a long and dismal European tour, and I started drinking beer to pass the post-soundcheck/pre-show hours. It helped, but it kind of made me feel like a loser, like I wasn’t meeting reality on its own terms. And I guess I wasn’t. But when your reality is a dingy rock club on the outskirts of town, it’s easy to fall into this. When I look back on the last two years I’ve spent in constant tour mode, I see how I’ve sometimes gotten into the same pattern. My performances didn’t suffer, but I was definitely using that handful of drinks a night to alleviate the boredom and loneliness that goes with touring. And I know I’m coming to the end of the line of that train ride.

At this point, Andrew needs to get ready for his set. He seems a little nervous; I think he’s still a little new to this. He needs to warm up and proceeds to do just that, in front of us. He sings and plays one of his songs just as he will onstage. It is both impressive and unsettling. I need to leave the room at one point because it makes me uncomfortable; I really don’t know how to react.

Later: Now that’s what I’m talking about. A great show. The club was sold out, and we all had a good time. There were a couple small mistakes, and Carl made a big production of blaming the problems on “the new guy” (even though they may not have been his fault). It was all in fun, though, and at one point Carl apologized to Andrew on mic for “throwing you under the bus.”

Tonight we’re staying at another Premier Inn, this one’s in Didsbury, which, little known fact, is where 100 percent of the world’s plastic change purses are produced. (I just made that up.) As we park, I’m shocked to learn that Alun wants us to load all the gear into the hotel. Though I understand his not wanting to risk having the gear or van stolen, the idea seems insane to me. I’ve been doing this a long time and have never brought all the gear inside. Thankfully, he finds a secure spot to back the van into and I don’t get all crabby.

Now, let’s get some fooking sleep.

May 20 The van and the gear were stolen. Just kidding. We’re heading back to Manchester today to play a place called the Retro Bar. Sounds promising, yes? Oh, just you wait. We stop at a travel plaza that features a Marks & Spencer food shop. M&S is a cross between a convenience store and a Whole Foods; you can actually get salads and other good things there. There’s a magazine shop in the travel plaza and a cursory look at the rack reveals that “Britain loves tits.” They call them “lads’ magazines,” and there are at least five of them, like  Maxim but with even more air-brushed fake breasts. One’s called  Nuts , and this saddens me deeply. On the bright side, one look at the cover of the new issue of the  NME has raised my spirits substantially: “The Arctic Monkeys Are Back And They Now Have Long Hair.”

Now, before we proceed, let me state that although I try my best to maintain a positive attitude on the road, I also quite enjoy bitching about things that get under my skin. I don’t know a touring musician who doesn’t. It’s a healthy and usually painless way to let off steam. That said, let’s go to the Retro Bar. Ah, yes, it’s all lining up: Multi-flight downstairs load-in? Check. Club so small there’s actually no need to mic guitars or drums? Check. Tiny corner stage decorated with Jack Daniels posters? Check. PA blasting Rage Against The Machine? Check. No rider? Check.

There’s also the fact that the club smells like a fetid cheese made from the lining of Satan’s own running shorts. If I didn’t know better, I’d swear we were in a bar in State College, Pa., at closing time. I mean, if State College, Pa., was located in deepest Hades. This is going to be one of those “what am I doing with my life” kind of nights. We can all feel it. Thankfully, Alun rustles us up some fruit, chips and vino. And the sad fact is wine does make it better.

Post-soundcheck, Miranda, Carl, Shane and I head down the street to an Indian restaurant. It’s located next to the hotel I stayed in last May when I was here with Bob Mould. We had a night off and did the inexplicable, deciding against seeing the Jello- /Peligro-less Dead Kennedys in favor of hitting the town. We ended up in a kebab shop packed with wasted teenagers. I was mistaken for Dave Grohl and our bassist, Jason Narducy, started pretending he was my security guard. “Please, no phone cameras, people … give him some space, please.” I think I told someone we were “all going to Liam’s for a spliff or two.” Oh, the stunts you pull in your 40s.

After another winning Indian meal, we reluctantly head back to the Retro Bar. There’s maybe 35 people here tonight. It’s a real shame because I think the songs are great and so is the band. I experienced the same thing when I toured with Robert Pollard. Without the name “Guided By Voices” or “New Pornographers,” it’s unfortunately a different ball game. Even though it’s  the same guy who wrote and sang the songs . Come on, people. The show is good, despite my snare-drum head literally breaking in half three-quarters through the set. Not from my Neanderthal style of bashing but from the drum’s misshapen hoop. (You guys love “drum talk,” don’t you?)

Now it’s back to the Premier Inn to watch a documentary about a 16-year-old girl trying to make her way into the totally awesome world of lads’ magazines.

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See First Photo Of AC/DC's New Touring Lineup

AC/DC has shared the first photo of the band's new touring lineup, featuring singer Brian Johnson , guitarists Angus and Stevie Young , drummer Matt Laug and the latest addition to the group's touring lineup, bassist Chris Chaney . You can see it below.

The legendary hard rock act's 24-date "Power Up" European tour will kick off all on May 17 at Veltins Arena in Gelsenkirchen, Germany and run through August. The trek will hit Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Germany, Austria and Switzerland before landing at London's Wembley Stadium for a pair of shows on July 3 and 7, then moving on to Germany, Slovakia and Paris and winding down at Croke Park in Dublin, Ireland. The European tour is the first run of gigs since AC/DC 's return to the stage at last year's rock Power Trip festival in Indio, California.

AC/DC 's last tour took place in 2015 and 2016 and had a $180 million gross, with 2,310,061 sold tickets reported to the Pollstar box office.

Laug is an American drummer who has played with many bands/artists such as Alanis Morissette , Alice Cooper , SLASH'S SNAKEPIT and Vasco Rossi . Matt moved to Los Angeles after graduating from South Florence High School in 1986 and after attending college in L.A., Matt became a sought-after studio drummer.

In 2001, Laug supported AC/DC as part of SLASH'S SNAKEPIT on the North American and European legs of the "Stiff Upper Lip" tour.

In its announcement about Laug 's addition to the band's Power Trip lineup, AC/DC offered no explanation for the absence of the band's longtime drummer Phil Rudd , who rejoined AC/DC for the recording of the group's comeback album, "Power Up" , which came out in November 2020.

Rudd was ousted from AC/DC when he was sentenced to eight months of home detention by a New Zealand court in 2015 after pleading guilty to charges of threatening to kill and drug possession. He was replaced on the band's "Rock Or Bust" tour by Chris Slade , who had previously served as AC/DC 's drummer between 1989 and 1994, playing on the album "The Razor's Edge" .

Rudd , who appeared on all but three of AC/DC 's 18 previous studio albums, toured in support of his 2014 solo debut, "Head Job" . It was the release of that album that led indirectly to Rudd 's arrest, with the drummer allegedly so angry at a personal assistant over the way the record was promoted that he threatened to have the man and his daughter killed.

AC/DC postponed the last 10 dates of its spring 2016 North American trek after Johnson was advised to stop playing live or "risk total hearing loss." The band went on to complete the European and North American legs of its "Rock Or Bust" tour with GUNS N' ROSES frontman Axl Rose as a "guest vocalist." At the time, Johnson had been AC/DC 's singer for 36 years, ever since replacing the late Bon Scott in 1980 and making his debut on the classic "Back In Black" album.

To enable him to perform live with AC/DC again, the now-76-year-old Johnson worked with audio expert Stephen Ambrose , who said he could help resolve the singer's hearing problems.

Ambrose , who invented the wireless in-ear monitors that are widely used by touring artists today, claimed to have invented a new type of ear-bud that would allow Johnson to perform without causing further damage to his eardrums. After three years of experimenting and "miniaturizing" the equipment, Johnson previously said the technology could allow him to tour again.

Chaney is best known as the bassist of JANE'S ADDICTION and as a member of Alanis Morissette 's touring and recording band. Chaney was also a member of TAYLOR HAWKINS AND THE COATTAIL RIDERS and CAMP FREDDY , as well as being a prolific and versatile session musician, having played with artists including Joe Cocker , Shakira , Slash and Avril Lavigne to Sara Bareilles , Gavin Degraw , Cher , SHINEDOWN and Celine Dion . Chaney is also a founding member and partner in the all-star supergroup ROYAL MACHINES along with Dave Navarro ( JANE'S ADDICTION ), Mark McGrath ( SUGAR RAY ), Josh Freese ( FOO FIGHTERS ) and Billy Morrison ( BILLY IDOL ).

Bassist Cliff Williams announced his retirement at the end of AC/DC 's 2015-2016 "Rock Or Bust" tour, which also saw Johnson leaving. However, Williams — and Johnson — took part in the recording sessions that resulted in "Power Up" . Both of them were also part of the AC/DC lineup that performed at Power Trip .

During an October 2020 interview with Dean Delray 's "Let There Be Talk" podcast, Cliff was asked if Johnson 's departure from the road was what led to his desire to stop touring. Cliff responded: "It was before then. I spoke to Angus about it initially. I was at a point — and this is at the beginning of the 'Rock Or Bust' tour — that I just felt, for me, it was time to hang it up. I knew that I didn't wanna keep doing these two-year tours, and I didn't wanna hold them back, so I made them aware of the fact that this was gonna be my last go-round. It was a tough tour to finish. God bless Axl for coming in and helping us out, finish it up. He did a great job. And at the end of that, I was definitely — that was it for me. Done — just done. That compounded the whole thing."

According to Williams , he wanted to take part in the recording sessions for "Power Up" as a tribute to Angus 's late brother, founding AC/DC rhythm guitarist Malcolm Young , who died in 2017 from effects of dementia at age 64. Malcolm is credited as a writer on all 12 tracks on "Power Up" .

"If 'Back In Black' has [late AC/DC singer] Bon Scott all over it, for me, 'Power Up' has got Malcolm Young ," Cliff said. "This is for him. And it's the band that we played together with for 40-plus years. And I wanted to do that — I wanted to come back and do that.

"We did some rehearsals earlier [in 2020] before this darn COVID thing popped up, and we had great rehearsals," he continued. "The band was playing really well. So [they asked me], 'Do you wanna do a few shows? 'Sure'. A few shows. We were planning on doing that. Everyone goes home to their respective homes, and bang, we've been here ever since [because of the coronavirus-related shutdown]."

Cliff went on to confirm that his commitment to AC/DC was only for "a few" dates in support of "Power Up" .

"For both [my mental and physical] health," he said. "I definitely have some physical issues, which I won't bore you with the details of. But, yeah, it's tough. I'm very grateful for everything. It's been fantastic. But I just don't wanna do that anymore."

Williams previously revealed that a "terrible" bout with vertigo contributed to his 2016 retirement. He also admitted the return of both Johnson and drummer Phil Rudd convinced him to rejoin the group. "It was like the old band back together," he told Rolling Stone . "It was not like starting over again, but as close to the band that's been together for 40-plus years as we can possibly make it. I didn't want to miss that."

The follow-up to 2014's "Rock Or Bust" , "Power Up" was recorded over a six-week period in August and September 2018 at Warehouse Studios in Vancouver with producer Brendan O'Brien , who also worked 2008's "Black Ice" and "Rock Or Bust" .

In the studio, gearing up for the #POWERUPTOUR⚡️kicking off in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, in just one week! 📷: Christie Goodwin Posted by AC/DC on  Thursday, May 9, 2024

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