FOREIGNER leader Mick Jones has paid tribute to the band’s original guitarist Ian McDonald, who passed away peacefully on February 9 in his home in New York City, surrounded by his family. He was 75 years old.

Earlier today, Jones released the following statement: “When I had the idea of forming FOREIGNER, Ian McDonald was among the first I turned to. He was and always will be a giant on the English progressive rock scene. He was a musician of great substance and versatility. It was a real thrill to work with him then and again at more recent FOREIGNER concerts. He will be sadly missed.”

A master multi-instrumentalist, McDonald’s musicianship was an integral part of launching celebrated progressive rock band KING CRIMSON. His keyboard and woodwind contributions led to the breakout success of the band’s debut album, “In The Court Of The Crimson King”, which is considered one of the most influential LPs of the genre. Blending elements of classical, jazz, and symphonic music, THE WHO’s Pete Townshend called it “an uncanny masterpiece”.

Joining FOREIGNER in 1976, McDonald played guitar as well as woodwinds and keyboard on the band’s first three albums: “Foreigner” (1977), “Double Vision” (1978) and “Head Games” (1979). These chart-topping albums all reached platinum certification status, producing such iconic rock anthems as “Feels Like The First Time”, “Cold As Ice”, “Hot Blooded” and “Double Vision”. He also was a part of a few FOREIGNER reunion shows in 2017 and 2018.

McDonald has figured prominently on four of the biggest-selling albums of the 10-year period from 1969 through 1979, encompassing two completely different rock genres (pop rock and progressive rock).

Most recently, McDonald’s talents shined in his New York City-based band HONEY WEST.

McDonald further cemented his legacy with his work as a session musician, playing saxophone, keyboards, flute, vibraphone, and guitar. He appeared on numerous recordings throughout his career, including T.REX’s iconic “Get It On (Bang A Gong)”.

Three years ago, McDonald said that he initially had second thoughts about leaving KING CRIMSON after “In The Court Of The Crimson King”, telling The Los Angeles Beat: “I used to have regrets about that, and that I should have stayed at least through the second album. But now I don’t regret it because had I stayed, things would have turned out very differently for me up until this moment… I’m very happy with the way things have played out since then.”

Asked in a 2017 interview with Glide Magazine if he was a musical child, Ian said: “Yeah, I listened to music as a child. There was an old upright piano that I used to plunk a bit on, I suppose. [Laughs] There was a Spanish-style guitar sort of lying around that my father had. We had a record player and thinking about it, I’m really glad. We had Les Paul and Mary Ford records and classical records and things like Scheherazade and things like that, so I did grow up listening to music, and then when rock and roll appeared, I got really interested and decided that’s what I want to do. People like Chuck Berry and Little Richard and others like Eddie Cochran and Gene Vincent and even Ricky Nelson — he made some great records as well. I got interested from that point of view, and then, of course, THE BEATLES came along and I was about sixteen years old and that was it. [Laughs]”

Ian McDonald is survived by his son Maxwell McDonald.

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British rock icons SKUNK ANANSIE have released an animated music video for their new track titled “Piggy”. A punk-rock blast of distorted riffs, snarling vocals and powerhouse rhythms, it’s as confrontational and uncompromising as anything the band has done over the course of its long and illustrious career.

Singer Skin comments: “If there’s one thing we’ve all learned over the past couple of years is that we cannot depend upon our governments to look after us. They seem to be unable to learn from the past and incapable of securing a decent future. This song was written in a moment of rage combined with bitter disillusionment. Brexit, then a complete mishandling of COVID. How the hell did we get to this?”

SKUNK ANANSIE will be heading out on a massive European tour this spring, featuring rescheduled dates from its hugely acclaimed 25th-anniversary tour, with new shows also added due to phenomenal demand, including a brand new date at London’s iconic O2 Academy Brixton. The band will also appear as part of the 2022 Meltdown Festival in June, which this year is curated by Grace Jones, with further live news and more brand new music to be announced in due course.

“Through thick and thin, through all of our trials and tribulations, our fans are the ones who have kept us going for all this time,” continues Skin. “So we aim to thank them the best way we can which is to bring them our best show ever! Right now we feel that we have a lot of shared troubles. We aim to honor that, not avoid it, but also bring a bit of relief from them. We’re really looking forward to being on stage again and are stupidly excited for the tour! Chomping on the bit to get back to what we do best and cannot fucking wait for ya’ll to hear the new stuff.”

The last 28 years have seen SKUNK ANANSIE internationally acclaimed as one of the greatest British rock bands of all time. They were presented with the Hall Of Fame Award at the 2019 Kerrang! Awards while Skin herself has become one of the world’s most iconic female performers, as well as inspirational role model, activist, trailblazer for women in the music industry, model and muse for designers. It’s no surprise that she picked up the Inspirational Artist Award at the Music Week Awards in 2018.

SKUNK ANANSIE is renowned as one of the most fearless acts in modern British history. Their reflective, emotional and radical music has seen them grow as an important cultural force, on and off stage, while remaining honest and timely.

In a new interview with Rocking With Jam Man, former MEGADETH guitarist Chris Poland was asked if he thinks “it’s fair” that David Ellefson was fired from the band last year following a sex video scandal. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “Not really, no. I don’t. Considering if it was, like, the ’80s, they would have applauded Dave for what happened. It’s the cancel culture thing. But you know what? Dave’s [Mustaine, MEGADETH leader] a, he’s a Christian now. Maybe he just didn’t feel right about it. I don’t know. Dave Ellefson’s a Christian too. It’s kind of, like, you’re supposed to forgive and forget, and I guess he just couldn’t. But that’s his business.”

Chris added: “You know what? When it comes down to it, we’re all sinners, man.”

According to Poland, the entire episode involving Ellefson was blown out of proportion.

“I don’t know if you ever read Dave’s books, but in his first book — I think it was his first; maybe it was his second — I had mentioned early on, before Dave Ellefson was an alcoholic drug addict, I know for sure he was a sex addict,” Poland said. “I mean, I suspected it back then, because, dude, it was, like, ‘Jesus. Really? Do you have to have sex with every woman you see?’ I just kind of thought about it, and I was, like, ‘Yeah, you’re totally sober. You’re not on drugs. You’re doing your thing. You got it together.’ But the sex thing just came out of nowhere. He’s dealing with that.

“He’s an adult,” Chris continued. “He’ll be fine. And everybody’s already over it. It’s not that big a deal. It’s really not.”

Poland added: “I thought he handled it really well.”

Ellefson stepped out of the public eye for several months beginning last May, just days after sexually tinged messages and explicit video footage involving the bassist were posted on Twitter. At the time, Ellefson released a statement on Instagram denying all social media chatter that he “groomed” an underage fan. He also filed a report with the police department in Scottsdale, Arizona alleging unlawful distribution of sexually explicit images of him by unknown offenders. In the report, Ellefson admitted that he had been exchanging sexual text messages with a Dutch teenager, who captured a video of several of their virtual “masturbating encounters” without his consent and shared them with friends. (According to Ellefson, the woman was 19 at the time of their first virtual sexual encounter.) Within two weeks, he was fired from MEGADETH.

David, a Christian who launched the Mega Life Ministries worship group in 2007, studied for a year at Concordia Lutheran Seminary in St. Louis a decade ago.

Last October, Ellefson told SiriusXM’s “Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk” that there is a perception that people of faith must set a higher standard of how they live with and treat others. “It’s almost like you’re this entity that’s floating up toward the heavens: ‘Oh, he’s such a wonderful man. He’s a man of faith. He’s got his family. And then this happens.’ It’s, like, ‘What the hell is this?'” he said.

“I mean, look, admittedly I’ve sort of trained the public to think that I’m one of the more well-behaved rock stars out there, and for the most part I have been,” he continued. “But at the same time, and this isn’t to claim anything other than just, oops, shit happens. That is what it is.”

Ellefson was in MEGADETH from the band’s inception in 1983 to 2002, and again from 2010 until his latest exit.

In July, MEGADETH leader Dave Mustaine addressed the possibility of Ellefson returning to the band while filming one of his own video messages on Cameo. Asked by Rock Feed if Ellefson could once again play with MEGADETH at some point down the line, Mustaine said: “Any chance on Ellefson coming back later on? The answer to that is no.”