• A 30-piece symphony orchestra will be backing Deep Purple on their "A Night with Deep Purple and the Songs That Built Rock" tour of North America during the month of June. The current lineup consists of three longtime (beginning late '60s) members -- vocalist Ian Gillan, drummer Ian Paice and bassist Roger Glover -- along with guitarist Steve Morse and keyboardist Don Airey.

• Peter Gabriel is also giving the orchestral treatment to his catalog in a North American tour in June. The New Blood Orchestra will also be featured on a new Gabriel album expected later this year.

• Scottish rockers Nazareth have a new album in the pipeline. Their 22nd studio release comes 40 years after the band's self-titled debut album was released in 1971. Original members Dan McCafferty (vocals) and Pete Agnew (bass) are joined by Pete's son, Lee (who was born the year the band released their first album) on drums, and guitarist Jimmy Murrison. Big Dogz has a May 10 release date.

^{Ian Gillan, Steve Morse photo by Donald Weber / Getty Images; Nazareth (circa 1975) photo by Hulton Archive / Getty Images}

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Classic rock artists are among the strongest supporters of those small, independent record stores where many of us began our love affair with classic rock. Many of them have saved some special vinyl releases for April 16 - Record Store Day 2011.

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It's entirely fitting that the Experience Hendrix tour, which began in 1995 as a single gig at Seattle's Bumbershoot festival, will include three festival dates when it hits the road in May.

Jimi Hendrix's Army buddy and bassist, Billy Cox leads a roster that also includes the likes of Aerosmith's Brad Whitford, Los Lobos' David Hidalgo and Cesar Rosas, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Chris Layton (ex-Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble) and Steve Vai.

Experience Hendrix has grown to the point that in 2010 there were two tours, in the spring and the fall. The 2011 edition currently consists of eight dates in late May, including the Doheny, Santa Cruz and Avila Beach blues festivals in California.

The same concept has also proven to work well with Led Zeppelin as the subject of the tribute. Last year, Jason Bonham, son of the late Zep drummer John "Bonzo" Bonham (and a A-list drummer in his own right) launched the first Led Zeppelin Experience tour, merging Led Zeppelin music with performance video and home movies of the iconic rockers.

The 2011 Led Zeppelin Experience visits 19 cities May 4-28.

^{Jimi Hendrix photo © Henry Diltz, courtesy Rhino Entertainment}

They've been teasing us since last July when they inquired on their Facebook page, "Anyone in the mood for a reunion by The Cars?" That would be the original lineup of The Cars, with Ric Ocasek doing lead vocals (for the first time since 1987.)

Come October and, to prove it wasn't just a hoax, a video is posted on the band's page, showing them in the studio, working on the promised new album, teasing one of the new songs.

Now, we have a firm release date (May 10) and title (Move Like This) along with two official videos, "Sad Song"(the first single from the album) and "Blue Tip".

So, what more could a Cars fan want? Well, maybe a tour, as is common when new albums are released. But if there is to be one, nobody associated with the band has said anything about it, and no dates booked.

For now, it will have to be enough that the orginal members of the band: Ocasek, Elliot Easton, Greg Hawkes and David Robinson have recorded a new album. We'll continue to monitor the band's Facebook page, which, so far, has been virtually the only source of information about The Cars reunion.

^{Ric Ocasek photo by Fotos International / Getty Images}

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