DUFF MCKAGAN Releases Cover Of DAVID BOWIE's 'Heroes' And Original Song 'True To The Death Rock N Roll Ballad'

GUNS N' ROSES bassist Duff McKagan has announced today's premiere of two new songs, "Heroes" and "True To The Death Rock N Roll Ballad", both available now at all DSPs and streaming services. A distinctive cover of David Bowie's timeless classic, the double-sided single — which pairs "Heroes" with a brand-new Duff original — heralds next week's kickoff of McKagan's eagerly awaited "Lighthouse Tour '24", a world headline run getting underway September 30 at Dublin, Ireland's The Academy. U.S. dates begin November 4 at Boston, Massachusetts's Paradise Rock Club.

"We thought it was good idea to put out a couple of fresh songs right here on the eve of the 'Lighthouse' tour," says McKagan. "Choosing David Bowie's 'Heroes' seemed to be a natural subject matter for me (I am, of course, a massive history nerd)…star-crossed lovers in the shadow of the mid-'70s Cold War-era Berlin Wall. To try and compliment this era, I chose a sort of '70s glam-rock song that I wrote some time last year, 'True To The Death Rock N Roll Ballad', another lyric where love and lust and time are the central figures. We hope you dig this 'single' and thank you all for just being you!"

"Lighthouse Tour '24" will see Duff McKagan and his band traveling Europe and the United Kingdom, making stops in Scotland, England, the Netherlands, Germany, Czech Republic, Poland, Italy, Switzerland, Belgium, France, and Sweden through late October. Support on all European dates comes from Cardiff, Wales's JAMES AND THE COLD GUN. U.S. dates will follow, including intimate shows at New York City's Le Poisson Rouge (November 6),Chicago, Illinois's Outset (November 8),and Denver, Colorado's Bluebird Theater (November 10),all of which will have special guests Lee Ving's RANGE WAR, marking the first live performances from the famed FEAR founder's groundbreaking country punk outfit in over three decades. "Lighthouse Tour '24" then hits Los Angeles, California's historic El Rey Theatre (November 13) with support from acclaimed singer-songwriter Grace McKagan, before wrapping up at Portland, Oregon's Aladdin Theater (November 18) and Seattle, Washington's The Showbox (November 20) joined by extremely rare solo acoustic performances by legendary D.O.A. co-founder Joey "Sh*thead" Keithley. Tickets and VIP packages for all announced dates are on sale now.

McKagan has also announced a Black Friday Record Store Day (November 29, 2024) exclusive RSD vinyl LP release of his searing performance at Easy Street Records in Seattle, Washington on December 8, 2023. The set contains tracks from McKagan's critically acclaimed recent album "Lighthouse" and "This is The Song" EP.

Track listing:

01. Intro By Matt Vaughn
02. I Just Don't Know
03. Chip Away
04. Longfeather
05. Fallen Ones
06. Tenderness
07. I Saw God On 10th Street
08. Just Another Shakedown
09. This Is The Song
10. Lighthouse

Sep. 30 - Dublin, Ireland - Dublin Academy *
Oct. 02 - Glasgow, Scotland - The Garage *
Oct. 03 - Manchester, UK - Manchester Academy 2 *
Oct. 05 - London, UK - Islington Assembly Hall *
Oct. 07 - Utrecht, Netherlands - TivoliVredenburg *
Oct. 08 - Cologne, Germany - Die Kantine *
Oct. 09 - Munich, Germany - Freiheitshalle *
Oct. 11 - Brno, Czech Republic - Sono Centrum *
Oct. 13 - Warsaw, Poland - Klub Stodola *
Oct. 14 - Berlin, Germany - Heimathafen Neukölln *
Oct. 16 - Milan, Italy - Magazzini Generali *
Oct. 17 - Solothurn, Switzerland - Kulturfabrik Kofmehl *
Oct. 19 - Liege, Belgium - OM *
Oct. 20 - Paris, France - La Trianon *
Oct. 22 - Stockholm, Sweden - Nalen *
Nov. 04 - Boston, MA - Paradise Rock Club †
Nov. 06 - New York, NY - Le Poisson Rouge †
Nov. 08 - Chicago, IL - Outset †
Nov. 10 - Denver, CO - Bluebird Theater †
Nov. 13 - Los Angeles, CA - El Rey ^
Nov. 18 - Portland, OR - Aladdin Theater +
Nov. 20 - Seattle, WA - The Showbox +

* w/ JAMES AND THE COLD GUN
† w/ Lee Ving's RANGE WAR
^ w/ Grace McKagan
+ w/ Joey "Sh*thead" Keithley

McKagan's first solo headline run in half a decade, "Lighthouse Tour '24" celebrates last year's release of his critically acclaimed third solo album, "Lighthouse", available everywhere now. Hailed by Paste as "an emotional, personal and spiritual reckoning... [McKagan's] most important rock project yet," the album sees Duff McKagan baring more of his artistic spirit than ever before, fusing acoustic elements with hard-edged rock 'n' roll to land at the sweet spot between soul-searching reflection and pure energy. "Lighthouse" was met by critical applause from such international outlets as Rolling Stone, Kerrang!, Revolver and American Songwriter for such singles as "Lighthouse", "I Saw God On 10th Street" and "Longfeather", the latter hailed by Revolver as "folky, elegiac" and joined by an official music video streaming now at YouTube. McKagan later performed "Longfeather" with an exclusive appearance on ABC's "Jimmy Kimmel Live!"

Photo credit: Veronica Sams