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MUSIC BRIEFS
(Updated 6/29/09)
THE SEEDS' SKY SAXON DIES
THE VENTURES' CO-FOUNDER BOB BOGLE DIES
PERFORMING SONGWRITER CLOSES
ROGER WATERS SAYS HE'LL PLAY WHEN WEST BANK "WALL" COMES DOWN
PEARL JAM BASS PLAYER JEFF AMENT ROBBED, ASSULTED IN ATLANTA
DYLAN'S "TOGETHER THROUGH LIFE" HITS #1
CAT STEVENS TO COLDPLAY: "IT'S MINE!"
PHIL SPECTOR MURDER VERDICT: GUILTY
NICKELBACK, SAM ROBERTS DOMINATE JUNO AWARDS
SMASHING PUMPKINS DRUMMER EXITS
RYAN ADAM'S SECRET WEDDING DATE
SPRINGSTEEN PAL LURASCHI RELEASES "THE END OF THE ROAD"
VETERAN BLUESMAN JOHN CEPHAS DIES
SPINAL TAP SETS 25TH REUNION TOUR AND ALBUM RELEASE DATE
THE SEEDS' SKY SAXON DIES
Sky Saxon, lead singer and founder of '60s Southern California garage band the Seeds, has died (6/26) after a brief illness. The Seeds enjoyed a 1967 hit with "Pushin' Too Hard". The Seed's song "Mr. Farmer" was included in the soundtrack for the movie Almost Famous.
THE VENTURES' CO-FOUNDER BOB BOGLE DIES
Bob Bogle, lead guitarist and co-founder of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame-inducted band the Ventures has died (6/14) after losing a battle with Lymphoma. He was 75. The Seattle surf-rockers had a string of hits beginning in 1960 with "Walk, Don't Run," "Telstar," and the "Hawaii Five-O" theme. The band recorded over 40 albums and sold 100 million records.
Performing Songwriter Closes
We are sad to say that after 16 years, Performing Songwriter has ceased publication and its online prsence. (6/9/09)
ROGER WATERS SAYS HE'LL PLAY WHEN WEST BANK "WALL" COMES DOWN
Pink Floyd's former frontman Roger Waters, 65, said he'll take to the stage the minute Israel tears down its West Bank separation wall, just as he did in Berlin two decades ago when another famous wall came down. Visiting a Palestinian refugee camp in the shadows of the imposing wall, Waters said he hopes "this awful thing is destroyed soon."
PEARL JAM BASS PLAYER JEFF AMENT ROBBED, ASSULTED IN ATLANTA
Rolling Stone reports that Pearl Jam bassist Jeff Ament was the victim of a violent robbery outside Southern Tracks Recording studios in Atlanta, where the band is recording their ninth studio album with producer Brendan O'Brien. According to police, Ament and a band employee pulled up to the rear of the studio on April 27th when three assailants with knives came out of the woods wearing black masks, gloves and pants. The robbers smashed the windows of a rented Jeep and the pair were assulted and robbed of $3,000 in cash and $4,320 worth of goods. Ament and his associate have recovered from their injuries. (5/14/09)
DYLANS "TOGETHER THROUGH LIFE" HITS #1
Bob Dylan's Together Through Life (Columbia) is the #1 selling album in the US. The record, his fifth #1 album and followup to 2006's Modern Times, was also #1 at iTunes and Amazon upon release (4/28) while the advance track "Beyond Here Lies Nothin'" is already Top 20 at Triple A radio. Dylan is on the cover of the current issue of Rolling Stone. (5/6/09)
CAT STEVENS TO COLDPLAY: "IT'S MINE!"
Yusuf Islam (Cat Stevens) says he believes that Coldplay's hit "Viva La Vida" is a take-off of his own song, "Foreigner Suite." Coldplay recently denied accusations by guitarist Joe Satriani, who claims that the band ripped him off for the song, but Stevens has since told Britain's The Sun that it is quite the contrary. "There's been this argument about Coldplay stealing this melody from Joe Satriani," he said. "But, if you listen to it, it's mine! It's the [1973 song] 'Foreigner Suite,' it is!" Stevens did not say that he would take legal action against the band. In 2003 the Flaming Lips agreed to split royalties for their song "Fight Test" with Cat Stevens after it was determined to be similar to his 1970 hit "Father And Son." Yusuf's new album Roadsinger (Eder/UMe) is now available as of 5/5. (5/5/09)
PHIL SPECTOR MURDER VERDICT: GUILTY
In the second trial of Phil Spector, the music producer was found guilty of second degree murder for the 2003 shooting of 40-year old actress/
hostess Lana Clarkson. Spector was convicted (4/13) by a Los Angeles jury after they deliberated for about 30 hours. It was Spector's second trial after jurors deadlocked 10-2 in 2007 in favor of conviction. Spector, 69, is looking at 18 years to life when he is sentenced May 29. (4/14/09)
NICKELBACK, SAM ROBERTS DOMINATE JUNO AWARDS
The 2009 Canadian Juno Award winners were
presented Sunday (3/29) night in Vancouver. Nickelback won Group of the Year and Album of the Year for Dark Horse (Roadrunner). Sam Roberts won Artist of the Year and Rock Album of the Year for Love at the End of the World (Rounder). (3/30/09)
SMASHING PUMPKINS DRUMMER EXITS
Drummer Jimmy Chamberlin has left the Smashing Pumpkins.
Chamberlin joined the band in 1988 and played on all their albums except 1998's Adore. The group called it quits in 2000 but reunited six years later. Lead singer/guitarist Billy
Corgan says that the group will continue to write and record as Smashing Pumpkins with plans to head into the studio this spring. (3/23/09)
LENO HOSTS PRINCE 3 NIGHTS IN A ROW MARCH 25-27
On the heels of Letterman's five-night stand by U2, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno has announced that Prince will play an unprecedented three nights in a row on the show March 25-27 in support of two new CDs.
Prince will appear again May 28 to help The
Tonight Show host celebrate the end of his 17-year run. Prince is releasing a three-disc CD set exclusively via Target on March 29th. The set will include two new albums, LOtUSFLOW3R and MPLSoUND, as well as a third, Elixer, by his new artist, Bria Valente. (3/18/09)
COLDPLAY, MIDNIGHT OIL PLAY AUSSIE WILDFIRE BENEFIT CONCERTS
Coldplay and the recently reunited Midnight Oil, featuring Australia's Environment Minister Peter Garrett, played separate stages in Sydney and Melbourne, respectively, on Saturday (3/14) to rally huge crowds to raise over $3 million for victims of the deadly wildfires and floods that recently hit Southern Victoria and Queensland. (3/16/09)
RYAN ADAMS' SECRET WEDDING DATE
Ryan Adams married his actress-singer girlfriend Mandy Moore recently in a secret ceremony in Savannah, GA. The pair became engaged last month. Meanwhile, look for Adam's second book Hello Sunshine (Akashic Books) to come out this fall.(3/13/09)
SPRINGSTEEN PAL LURASCHI RELEASES "THE END OF THE ROAD"
Bruce Springsteen's New Jersey Shore musician
friend John Luraschi
is losing the battle to
cancer. A longtime area bass player/vocalist and creator of Sounds of Asbury Park (S.O.A.P), John's last wish was to record a CD with his local friends, including Bruce. John cut The End of the Road with Joseph DeMaio of Shorefire Recording Studios. Playing with John on the record were DeMaio, Billy Hector, Frank Marra, George Meyer, Rose Montana, Pamela Moore, Kenny Sorensen a.k.a Stringbean and Danny Walsh. Thrill Hill Recording's Toby Scott
produced the Springsteen-
penned track featuring John and Bruce on vocals, "Savin' Up." The CD is being offered for a $5 donation to the American Cancer Society. The album has been serviced to Triple A radio. (3/11/09)
VETERAN BLUESMAN
JOHN CEPHAS DIES
John Cephas, the distinct veteran blues guitarist and singer in the duo Cephas & Wiggins, has died (3/4)
of natural causes at his home in Bowling Green, VA. He was 78. Cephas, a 1989 National Heritage Fellowship Award winner, served on the executive committee of the National Council for the Traditional Arts. Cephas & Wiggins were considered the new purveyors of the East Coast "Piedmont style" of finger-pickin' blues first popularized by artists such as Blind Boy Fuller, Rev. Gary Davis, Blind Willie McTell and Blind Blake. Cephas & Wiggins released their last record Richmond Blues (Smithsonian Folkways) in July of 2008.(3/6/09)
SPINAL TAP SETS 25TH REUNION TOUR AND ALBUM RELEASE DATE
To celebrate the 25th anniversary of This Is Spinal Tap, Christopher Guest, Michael McKean and Harry Shearer will embark on the Unwigged & Unplugged tour. The trio is set for an acoustic 30-city tour, launching April 17 in Vancouver and winding up May 31 in Milwaukee. The new Spinal Tap releases May 26 and will feature eight new songs. The touring trio will be playing Spinal Tap music and tracks from
their alter ego, The Folksmen, from the film A Mighty Wind.
(3/5/09)
U2 GETS NEW YORK STREET WITH A NAME
In the midst of U2's
unprecedented five-night stand on The Late Show With David Letterman, a block-long stretch of West 53rd Street was temporarily renamed "U2 Way" on Tues. (3/3). "Somewhere south of Duke Ellington Way and north of Joey Ramone Place we find ourselves," said Bono. "And we're the band where the streets have no name." The band joined Mayor Michael Bloomberg in unveiling the "U2 Way" sign on Broadway across West 53rd Street from the Ed Sullivan Theater, where Letterman is taped. Fans cheered from behind police barricades as the Mayor
presented each member of the band with his own copy of the sign. (3/3/09)
CHINA CALLS OFF
PLANNED OASIS CONCERTS
The BBC reports that the Chinese government has axed Oasis' upcoming April shows in Beijing and Shanghai as an apparent political payback for Noel Gallagher having played an acoustic set at a New York Tibetan Freedom Concert nearly 12 years ago. A scheduled Hong Kong concert and remaining dates on the band's S.E. Asian tour will continue as planned. (3/2/09)
STEVIE WONDER ACCEPTS GERSHWIN AWARD AT WHITE HOUSE
Stevie Wonder was invited to the White House on Wed. (2/25) to pick up the second annual Gershwin Award for Lifetime Achievement from the Library of Congress - and to play a few songs. As President Obama presented the award, he proclaimed, "Stevie
sang the soundtrack to my youth." Wonder's first DVD release Live At Last (Universal Motown) is set for a March 10 release. (2/27/09)
PAGE GOES SOLO, LEAVES BARENAKED LADIES
Frontman Steven Page has left the Barenaked Ladies. The singer-songwriter-guitarist plans to pursue solo projects, including theatrical opportunities. BNL, sans Page, will go back into the studio in April and will tour in the fall. (2/25/09)
RAHMAN WINS OSCARS FOR BEST ORIGINAL SCORE AND BEST SONG
A.R. Rahman won Academy Awards for best original score and best song for "Jai Ho" from the movie Slumdog Millionaire winning the Bollywood music veteran his first two Oscars Sunday night. (2/23/09)
E.L.O. BASS PLAYER DIES
Kelly Groucutt, bass player and singer for the Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) from '74-'83, has died (2/19) in England at age 63 from a heart attack. (2/23/09)
SIMON & GARFUNKLE REUNITE AT THE REFURBISHED BEACON
Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel teamed up for a surprise reunion in New York on Friday (2/13), performing three songs during the encore of Simon's show at the newly renovated Beacon Theater. The pair sang "The Sound of Silence," "The Boxer" and "Old Friends". (2/16/09)
U2 TO PLAY 5-NIGHT STAND ON LETTERMAN
U2 will play a five-night stand on the Late Show with David Letterman the first week of March. No band has ever played five straight nights on the show before. U2 will release their new album No Line on the Horizon (Interscope) during the week on Tues., March 3rd. The group kicked off the Grammy Awards on Sunday (2/8) with the album's advance single "Get on Your Boots". (2/13/09)
BUENA VISTA SOCIAL CLUB BASS PLAYER LOPEZ DIES
Buena Vista Social Club bass guitarist Orlando "Cachaito" Lopez, founding member of the internationally acclaimed Cuban band, has died at 76 from complications from prostrate surgery. (2/10/09)
SINGER-SONGWRITER JOHN MARTYN DIES
Veteran UK singer-songwriter John Martyn has died (1/29). He was 60. Cause of death was not not known. Martyn, born in England and raised in Scotland, released 20 studio albums throughout his career and worked with Eric Clapton, Phil Collins and David Gilmour, among others. Perhaps his best known album was 1973's acclaimed Solid Air, which featured the title cut - a tribute to his singer- songwriter friend Nick Drake - and "May You Never" - later covered by Clapton. (1/30/09)
LYNYRD SKYNYRD KEYBOADIST POWELL DIES
Lynyrd Skynyrd
keyboard player Billy Powell has died (1/28) from a heart ailment at his home near Jacksonville,
Florida. He was 56. Powell was one of two surviving band members from the 1977 plane crash that killed three members of the Southern Rock band. (1/29/09)
BOSS WINS GOLDEN GLOBE AWARD FOR "THE WRESTLER" SONG
Bruce Springsteen was on hand in Hollywood Sunday night (1/11) to pick up a Golden Globe award in the best original song category for his
track "The Wrestler," title theme to the Clint Eastwood-directed film starring Mickey Rourke. The song will appear as a bonus track on The Boss' upcoming release Working On A Dream (Columbia) due out Jan. 27. It's
Springsteen's second Golden Globe; he won one in '94 for "The Streets of Philadelphia" from the movie "Philadelphia." He also won the Oscar for best song that year for the same track. Springsteen stepped up to thank Eastwood and also gave a "happy birthday" shout-out to his longtime E Street band member 'Big Man' Clarence Clemons. (1/12/09)
DEAD TO REGROUP FOR 19-CITY TOUR IN SPRING
Surviving members of the Grateful Dead, now just
The Dead, will regroup for a 19-city tour starting
April 12 in Greensboro, N.C. and winding up May 10 in Mountain View, CA. Original members Bob Weir, Phil Lesh, Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann have toured off and on since the 1995 death of Jerry Garcia. The group came together recently for an Obama benefit concert in October in State College, PA. Look for Warren Haynes on lead guitar while Jeff Chimenti will play keyboards on the upcoming Dead tour. (1/2/09) |
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RELEASE DATES: Street Dates BIRTHDAYS/THIS DAY IN MUSIC: Show Prep
MICHAEL JACKSON DEAD AT 50 (6/25/09)
His epic 1982 Thriller was world's best-selling album of all time
Michael Jackson has died of cardiac arrest from a drug overdose after falling into a coma in route to UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles. He was 50. As the first true international pop star, Jackson lived an extraordinary gifted musical and controversial show biz career that spanned four decades. Born Michael Joseph Jackson in Gary, Indiana, he first appeared on stage as an 11 year-old lead singer of the Jackson 5, the pop/soul group he formed with his four older brothers. They broke with their first hit, "I Want You Back" on Motown in October of 1969. Subsequent hits included "ABC" and "I’ll Be There." His 1982 album Thriller — which featured guitarist Eddie Van Halen and included the hits "Beat It," "Billie Jean" and "Thriller" — is the best-selling album of all time, with an estimated 50 million copies sold worldwide. Jackson's total of 13 #1 hits leaves him shadowed only by the Beatles, Elvis Presley and Mariah Carey. With his string of groundbreaking moonwalking, crotch-grabbing '80s videos, he is widely credited with helping MTV usher in a new era of global electronic media. Jackson was a one-of-a-kind massive pop sensation complete with the freakish trappings, a career dogged by tabloid scandals, child abuse charges, and endless financial problems.
At the time of his death, the 'King of Pop' was planning a comeback via a series of shows in London's O2 Arena where his upcoming 50 shows there were sold out. As word of his death quickly spread around the world, impromptu memorial gatherings sprang up in major cities such as London, New York and Los Angeles while radio stations from coast to coast played nonstop Jackson and MTV played his library of '80s hit videos. Perhaps not since the deaths of John Lennon and Elvis has the world seen such reaction to the passing of a iconic pop/rock figure.
SINGER-SONGWRITER TIM KREKEL DIES (6/24/09)
Singer-songwriter Tim Krekel has died after a battle with cancer. He was 58. The Louisville-based artist was a big booster of WFPK and the local music scene. He recorded nine albums, along with various other musician collaborations. Krekel's songs were recorded by artists such as Delbert McClinton, Martina McBride, Patty Loveless, Lonnie Mack and B.J.Thomas. His career also included stints as guitarist in Jimmy Buffett's band (Son of a Son of a Sailor) in the 1970s and 80s.
"QUEEN OF THE BLUES" KOKO TAYLOR DIES (6/3/09)
Grammy Award-winning blues legend Koko Taylor has died (6/3) in her hometown of Chicago as a result of complications following recent gastrointestinal surgery. She was 80. Taylor's most recent CD, 2007's Old School (Alligator), was nominated for a Grammy as were eight of her total of nine Alligator albums. She won a Grammy in 1984 for her guest appearance on the compilation album Blues Explosion on Atlantic. Born Cora Walton on a sharecropper's farm just outside Memphis on September 28, 1928, Koko - nicknamed for her love of chocolate - fell in love with music at an early age, inspired by gospel music and WDIA blues disc jockeys B.B. King and Rufus Thomas. An impressed Willie Dixon landed Koko a Chess Records recording contract in 1962, where he produced her several singles, two albums and penned her million-selling 1965 hit "Wang Dang Doodle." After Chess folded, Taylor joined Alligator Records. Koko appeared in the films Wild At Heart, Mercury Rising and Blues Brothers 2000. In 1997, she was inducted into the Blues Foundation's Hall of Fame and in 1999 received the Blues Foundation's Lifetime Achievement Award. Taylor took her music from the tiny clubs of Chicago's South Side to concert halls and major festivals all over the world to share stages with every major blues star, including Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, B.B. King, Junior Wells and Buddy Guy as well as rockers Robert Plant and Jimmy Page. Taylor's final performance was last month on May 7 in Memphis at the Blues Music Awards, where she sang "Wang Dang Doodle" after receiving her award for Traditional Blues Female Artist Of The Year.
JAY BENNETT DEAD AT 45 (5/26/09)
Founding member of Wilco dies in his sleep
Jay Bennett has died. The former Wilco singer-songwriter and guitarist/keyboardist died in his sleep early Sunday morning (5/25) in Urbana, Illinois where he was running a recording studio. Bennett was 45. Cause of death is not yet known. He joined the celebrated Chicago band just before the release of their 1996 second album Being There. Bennett shared songwriting credits on nearly all the tracks on the band's 1999 Summerteeth album and played on both of Wilco's Mermaid Avenue albums with Billy Bragg. He left Wilco in 2001 after heated tensions during the recording of Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. Bennett would go on to record five solo albums. Earlier this month, Bennett sued Jeff Tweedy and his former Wilco bandmates, claiming he was owed royalties from his seven years in the group and also from the band's acclaimed 2002 documentary film I Am Trying To Break Your Heart. Rolling Stone reports that Bennett's motivation for suing Wilco might be related to his need to undergo hip surgery, as he did not have health insurance. Wilco, currently on tour in Spain, released a statement, "We are all deeply saddened by this tragedy. We will miss Jay as we remember him — as a truly unique and gifted human being and one who made welcome and significant contributions to the band’s songs and evolution. Our thoughts go out to his family and friends in this very difficult time."
BONNAROO JUNE 11-14 IN MANCHESTER TN: SPRINGSTEEN, PHISH, WILCO, NEKO CASE, BYRNE, THE LOW ANTHEM AND MORE (5/20/09)
Recession be damned, over 75,000 attendees are expected at this year's 8th Annual Bonnaroo Music And Arts Festival in Manchester, TN June 11-14 featuring Bruce Springsteen, Phish, Wilco, David Byrne, The Low Anthem, TV on the Radio, Elvis Costello, Neko Case, Al Green, Booker T and Lucinda Williams among the over 120 artists/bands and 20 comedians to perform on 13 stages.
BONNAROO 2009 LINEUP:
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band
Phish
David Byrne
Beastie Boys
Nine Inch Nails
Wilco
Al Green
Snoop Dogg
Elvis Costello (solo)
Erykah Badu
Paul Oakenfold
Ben Harper and Relentless7
The Mars Volta
TV on the Radio
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Gov’t Mule
Andrew Bird
Merle Haggard
MGMT
moe.
The Decemberists
Girl Talk
Bon Iver
Béla Fleck & Toumani Diabate
Rodrigo y Gabriela
Galactic
The Del McCoury Band
of Montreal
Allen Toussaint
Coheed and Cambria
Booker T & the DBTs
David Grisman Quintet
Lucinda Williams
Animal Collective
Gomez
Neko Case
Down
Jenny Lewis
Santogold
Robert Earl Keen
Citizen Cope
Femi Kuti and the Positive Force
The Ting Tings
Robyn Hitchcock & The Venus 3
Grace Potter and the Nocturnals
Kaki King
Grizzly Bear
King Sunny Adé
Okkervil River
St. Vincent
Zac Brown Band
Raphael Saadiq
Ted Leo and the Pharmacists
Crystal Castles
Tift Merritt
Brett Dennen
Mike Farris and the Roseland Rhythm Revue
Toubab Krewe
People Under the Stairs
Alejandro Escovedo
Vieux Farka Touré
Elvis Perkins In Dearland
Cherryholmes
Yeasayer
Todd Snider
Chairlift
Portugal. The Man.
The SteelDrivers
Midnite
The Knux
The Low Anthem
Delta Spirit
A.A. Bondy
The Lovell Sisters
Alberta Cross
Updated artist list, festival information and tickets found at Bonnaroo.com.
BUDDY GUY WINS BIG AT 30TH ANNUAL BLUES MUSIC AWARDS IN MEMPHIS (5/8/09)
The 30th Annual Blues Music Awards were held Thursday, May 7th at the Cook Convention Center in Memphis. Buddy Guy won Album of the Year and Contemporary Blues Album of the Year for Skin Deep, and Contemporary Blues Male Artist of the Year. Janiva Magness won B.B. King Entertainer of the Year and Contemporary Blues Female Artist of the Year while Eden Brent won Acoustic Album of the Year For Mississippi Number One and Acoustic Artist of the Year. Lil' Ed & the Blues Imperials won Band of the Year. Mannish Boys had lead the list of nominees with the most Award nominations. For the complete list of winners and nominees, visit Blues.org. (5/8/09)
BEN HARPER AND RELENTLESS7 RELEASE "WHITE LIES FOR DARK TIMES," TOUR KICKS OFF AT JAZZ FEST (5/6/09)
Ben Harper And Relentless7 released White Lies For Dark Times (Virgin/Capitol) this week (5/5), featuring "Fly One Time," impacting Triple A Radio beginning this Monday, May 11. Harper has put his band The Innocent Criminals on hiatus for the new album which features LA-via-Austin guitarist Jason Mozersky, bassist Jesse Ingalls and drummer Jordan Richardson. Ben Harper And Relentless7 are set to appear on The Late Show with David Letterman (tonight) 5/6 and Thursday 5/7 on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. Also on Thursday 5/7, Ben will appear on the ABC special Michael J. Fox: Adventures of an Incurable Optimist, with Ben and Michael in conversation and a Relentless7 performance of "Fly One Time". For a preview of the show, go here. The band launched a tour in support of White Lies For Dark Times April 30 in New Orleans at Jazz Fest.
BEN HARPER & RELENTLESS 7 SPRING/SUMMER TOUR:
April 30 New Orleans, LA New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival
May 1 Memphis, Beale Street Music Festival
May 2 Atlanta, Variety Playhouse
May 4 Washington DC, 9:30 Club
May 5 New York, Webster Hall
May 8 Brooklyn, NY Music Hall of Williamsburg
May 9 Philadelphia, PA Theatre of Living Arts
May 10 Boston, MA Paradise Rock Club
May 12 Montreal, Metropolis
May 13 Toronto, Phoenix Concert Theatre
May 15 Detroit, St. Andrews Hall
May 16 Chicago, Vic Theatre
May 25 George, WA Sasquatch Festival
May 27 San Francisco, The Fillmore
May 28 Los Angeles, Wiltern
June 13 Manchester, TN, Bonnaroo Music Festival
July 11 Masontown, WV, All Good Festival
July 18 Denver, Mile High Festival
DAVE MATTHEWS BAND LAUNCHES TOUR, NEW ALBUM "BIG WHISKEY..." DUE JUNE 2 (4/16/09)
Dave Matthews Band kicked off a new tour Tuesday night (4/14) at Madison Square Garden in support of their upcoming studio album, Big Whiskey and the Groogrux King (RCA), set to be released June 2. The group debuted the album's advance track "Funny The Way It Is" during the sold out three-hour show in New York, which paid tribute to the late DMB sax player LeRoi Moore who passed away in August. The new track is already receiving heavy airplay on Triple A radio stations throughout North America and is available as a free download for fans on the band's site.
DAVE MATTHEWS BAND SPRING '09 TOUR
4-14 Madison Square Garden, New York
4-15 IZOD Center, East Rutherford, NJ
04-17 John Paul Jones Arena, Charlottesville, VA
04-18 John Paul Jones Arena, Charlottesville, VA
04-20 Verizon Wireless Music Center, Pelham, AL
04-22 Time Warner Cable Music Pavilion at Walnut Creek, Raleigh, NC
4-24 Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre, Charlotte
4-25 Vanderbilt Stadium - Vanderbilt University, Nashville
4-26 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, Fair Grounds Race Course, New Orleans
4-28 Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre at Encore Park, Alpharetta, GA
4-29 Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre at Encore Park, Alpharetta, GA
5-01 The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, Woodlands, TX
5-02 Superpages.com Center, Dallas
5-05 Journal Pavilion, Albuquerque
5-06 Cricket Wireless Pavilion, Phoenix
5-08 Grand Garden Arena - MGM Grand Hotel, Las Vegas
5-09 Grand Garden Arena - MGM Grand Hotel, Las Vegas
NEW DYLAN STUDIO ALBUM "TOGETHER THROUGH LIFE" RELEASES APRIL 28 (4/13/09)
Bob Dylan is set to release his 46th album April 28 with Together Through Life (Columbia), the first new studio album in over three years by the legendary troubadour. The record, recorded late last year, was produced by Jack Frost and features the advance track "Beyond Here Lies Nothin'". Songs on Together Through Life were inspired by a song Dylan initially wrote for a forthcoming film by French director Oliver Dahan (La Vie En Rose) titled "Life Is Hard". Together Though Life is the follow up to Dylan's 2006 Grammy winning studio album, Modern Times, a Top 5 seller in 22 countries. Tell Tale Signs was released last year, the last of several volumes in his Bootleg Series. Dylan was awarded a special Pulitzer Prize in 2008 for his "profound impact on popular music and American culture, marked by the lyrical composition of extraordinary poetic power."
SPRINGSTEEN AND FRIENDS PLAY PETE SEEGER 90TH BIRTHDAY BENEFIT MAY 3 (3/18/09)
Dozens of musicians, including Bruce Springsteen, Dave Matthews, Eddie Vedder, John Mellencamp, Ben Harper, Steve Earle, Emmylou Harris, Tom Morello, Joan Baez and Michael Franti will celebrate the legendary Pete Seeger's 90th Birthday Concert at Madison Square Garden on May 3. The Clearwater Concert: Creating the Next Generation of Environmental Leaders will raise funds and awareness for Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, an organization founded by Seeger to preserve and protect the Hudson River. General public tickets go on sale March 30. The Madison Square Garden Seeger tribute concert is part of a series of 90th birthday events benefiting the Clearwater, including a solo acoustic show by Wilco's Jeff Tweedy March 28 in Beacon, NY and the 2009 Great Hudson River Revival June 20-21 at Croton Point Park in Croton-on Hudson, NY, which will feature Susan Tedeschi, Richie Havens, Arlo Guthrie and Old Crow Medicine Show, among other artists.
'09 ROCK HALL NOMINEES INDUCTED SATURDAY: THE STOOGES, RUN-DMC, JEFF BECK, WAR, WANDA JACKSON, BOBBY WOMACK, CHIC, METALLICA, LITTLE ANTHONY (Updated 4/5/09)
The 2009 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nominees were inducted in a ceremony April 4 at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland. Nominees for the class of '09 are: The Stooges, Run-DMC, Jeff Beck, Chic, Wanda Jackson, War, Metallica, Little Anthony and the Imperials, and Bobby Womack. In the "Sidemen" category, the inductees are Bill Black, DJ Fontana and Spooner Oldham. The induction ceremony returned to Cleveland for the first time since '97, and was broadcast live on Fuse TV. The ceremony will be supported by a weeklong series of events, including From Asbury Park to the Promised Land: The Life and Music of Bruce Springsteen opening on Wednesday, April 1 as the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum unveils the world's first major artifact-driven exhibit about Springsteen's legendary career. Saturday, April 4 is a "Free Admission Day" at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. For the first time in its 24-year history, tickets to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony was accessible to the public.
U2 PLAY FORDHAM UNIVERSITY "GOOD MORNING AMERICA" GIG (3/6/09) (Updated 3/9/09)
Bono dedicates "I'll Go Crazy..." to Fordham students
"I joined a rock & roll band so I could get out of going to college," Bono announced to the students at New York's Fordham University in the Bronx on Fri. morning (3/6) during a six-song set by U2 on the school's quad that aired live on ABC's Good Morning America. Classes were canceled for the concert, which was held literally on the steps of the university's Keating Hall. All it took was a Fordham U ID for admission. U2 ripped through three tracks off of the new No Line on the Horizon, "Get On Your Boots," "Magnificent," and "I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight," and received a rousing response after dedicating "I'll Go Crazy..." to the Fordham audience who sang along with the lyrics, "Every generation gets a chance to change the world." Many of the students had lined up early in the wee hours to land a choice spot close to the band for the 8am start time. The crowd was already chanting "Bono! Bono!" as the sun came up. U2 capped off a week-long promotion for the new record, having appeared each night on CBS's Late Night With David Letterman in an unprecedented five-night stand. Fordham University is the home of WFUV and WFUV's The Alternate Side. International dates for the "U2360 Tour" have been announced at U2.com.
BLUES HALL OF FAME 2009 INDUCTEES: IRMA THOMAS, REV. GARY DAVIS, SON SEALS, TAJ MAHAL (2/25/09)
Induction ceremony set for May 6th in Memphis
The Blues Hall of Fame has announced this year's inductees: Taj Mahal (a.k.a. Henry St. Clair Fredericks), Irma Thomas, Son Seals, and the Reverend Gary Davis. The heritage artists will be inducted in a ceremony May 6th in Memphis at the Memphis Marriott Downtown. On the following day, May 7th, the Blues Foundation's 30th Annual Blues Music Awards returns to the Memphis Cook Convention Center.
BUDDY MILLER RECOVERING FROM HEART ATTACK (2/24/09)
Veteran Nashville singer-songwriter, producer, guitarist - and recent Plant/Krauss touring guitarist - Buddy Miller suffered a heart attack in Baltimore on Friday (2/20). Miller, 56, was transported to Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore where he underwent triple bypass surgery, according to The Tennessean. The surgery was successful but look for Miller to be off the road recovering for weeks. On tour with Emmylou Harris, Patty Griffin and Shawn Colvin (dubbed "3 Girls And Their Buddy"), Buddy and Julie Miller had performed the night before at the Mammojam Music Festival. Buddy and his wife, Julie Miller, release Written In Chalk (New West) March 3. The new album features guests Robert Plant, Emmylou Harris and Patty Griffin.
PLANT/KRAUSE, COLDPLAY, ADELE WIN AT 51ST ANNUAL GRAMMY AWARDS (2/8/09)
Performances feature U2, McCartney/Grohl, Radiohead, Plant/Krauss
Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, Coldplay, Radiohead, and Adele were all big winners at the 51st Annual Grammy Awards (2/8) broadcast on CBS-TV from the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Plant/Krauss picked up five awards, including the night's top prize, Album of the Year for the T Bone Burnett-produced Raising Sand (Rounder). The one-time Led Zeppelin leader and Nashville bluegrass queen also won Record of the Year for the post-Zeppelin Plant/Page song "Please Read the Letter" and Best Pop Collaboration for "Rich Woman". Krauss has won a total of 21 Grammy's in her career, more than any female in Grammy history. Coldplay won three awards on the night, including Best Rock Album and Song of the Year for "Viva La Vida." Radiohead won Best Alternative Music Album for In rainbows. Columbia's 20-year-old Adele won Best New Artist and Best Female Pop Vocal for her "Chasing Pavements" from 19. Duffy's Rockferry won for Best Pop Vocal Album. The 2009 Lifetime Achievement Award went to Motown's The Four Tops.
All-star performances of the night featured U2 (opening the show), Al Green, Coldplay (with a cameo by Jay-Z), Paul McCartney with Dave Grohl on drums ("I Saw Her Standing There"), Radiohead (with the USC Marching Band), Stevie Wonder (with the Jonas Brothers), Plant/Krauss, John Mayer with B.B. King and Buddy Guy, Neil Diamond, and Katy Perry, among others. Grammy Awards were presented in a total of 110 musical categories: Complete list of Grammy winners.
For additional Grammy coverage and commentary, visit Mike Lyon's The Forest (media column).
SPRINGSTEEN RELEASES "WORKING ON A DREAM"; TOUR BEGINS APRIL 1 (Updated: 2/6/09)
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band have released the new album Working On A Dream (Columbia) January 27. It features twelve new Springsteen songs plus two bonus tracks, including the Golden Globe Award-winning movie theme song "The Wrestler." The album is the fourth collaboration between Springsteen and Brendan O'Brien, who produced and mixed the record. Springsteen said, "Towards the end of recording Magic, excited by the return to pop production sounds, I continued writing. When my friend producer Brendan heard the new songs, he said, 'Let's keep going.' Over the course of the next year, that's just what we did, recording with the E Street Band during the breaks on last year's tour." Working on a Dream is Springsteen's twenty-fourth album, recorded and mixed at Southern Tracks in Atlanta with additional recording in New York City, New Jersey, and Los Angeles. The Boss and band played President Obama's inaugural celebration concert in January and during halftime at Super Bowl XLIII Feb. 1 in Tampa. The 2009 Spring tour begins April 1 in San Jose.
SPRINGSTEEN/E STREET BAND SPRING TOUR - NORTH AMERICAN LEG
April 1: San Jose, CA (HP Pavilion at San Jose)
April 3: Glendale, CA (Jobing.com Center)
April 5: Austin (Frank Erwin Center)
April 7: Tulsa (BOK Center)
April 8: Houston (Toyota Center)
April 10: Denver (Pepsi Arena)
April 15: Los Angeles (LA Memorial Sports Arena)
April 21-22: Boston (TD Banknorth Garden)
April 24: Hartford (XL Center)
April 26: Atlanta (Philips Arena)
April 28-29: Philadelphia (Wachovia Spectrum)
May 2: Greensboro, NC (Greensboro Coliseum)
May 4: Hempstead, NY (Nassau Veterans Mem. Col.)
May 5: Charlottesville, VA (John Paul Jones Arena)
May 7: Toronto (Air Canada Centre)
May 8: University Park, PA (Bryce Jordan Center)
May 11: St. Paul, MN (Xcel Energy Center)
May 12: Chicago (United Center)
May 14: Albany, NY (Times Union Center)
May 15: Hershey, PA (Hersheypark Stadium)
May 18: Washington, DC (Verizon Center)
May 19: Pittsburgh (Mellon Arena)
May 21-23: E. Rutherford, NJ (Izod Center)
STOOGES GUITARIST RON ASHETON DIES (1/7/09)
Ron Asheton, the influential scorching guitarist for "the granddaddy of punk bands," the Stooges has died. He was 60. Asheton was found at his Ann Arbor home early Tuesday (1/6) by police. The death was reportedly of natural causes. Asheton was a founding member of the long-running iconic punk band, formed in Ann Arbor in 1967, along with his brother, Scott. In a statement, lead singer Iggy Pop called Asheton "my best friend." In 2003, Rolling Stone named Asheton the 29th greatest guitarist of all time, describing him as "the Detroit punk who made the Stooges' music reek like a puddle of week-old biker sweat." After recording three albums in the late 1960s and early 1970s, the Stooges broke up while Iggy Pop went solo. Asheton played guitar for bands including the New Order, New Race, Destroy All Monsters and Dark Carnival. In 2003, Asheton reunited with the rest of the Stooges and released the fourth Stooges album, The Weirdness, in 2007.
ROCK/SOUL VETERAN DELANEY BRAMLETT DIES (12/29/08)
Collaborated with Eric Clapton, George Harrison
Singer-songwriter, guitarist and producer Delaney Bramlett, half of the late '60s/early '70s duo Delaney & Bonnie, died (12/27/08) at UCLA Ronald Reagan Medical Center in Los Angeles. He had been suffering from ill health and had recently undergone gallbladder surgery. Bramlett was 69. He led a core of artists who bonded the original British Invasion with Southern roots rock. Bramlett emerged from his native Mississippi in the late '60s to form "Delaney & Bonnie & Friends" with his first wife, Bonnie Lynn. Among their "friends" were Eric Clapton, Duane Allman, John Lennon, Leon Russell, Dave Mason, and Gram Parsons, among others. Bramlett produced Clapton's 1970 self-titled solo album debut and co-wrote many songs on it, including "Let It Rain." He also produced Etta James, Elvin Bishop, John Hammond, and The Staple Singers. Bramlett helped to teach George Harrison to play slide guitar, heard on "My Sweet Lord" on Harrison's 1969 album All Things Must Pass. Delaney & Bonnie were best known for their songs "Never Ending Song of Love" and "Soul Shake." Bramlett released his last album, A New Kind Of Blues (Magnolia Gold) in late 2007. He teamed up with Jerry Lee Lewis to sing and play "Lost Highway" on Lewis' 2006 album, Last Man Standing. In addition to his wife, Susan Lanier-Bramlett, he is survived by four children, including Bekka Bramlett, a Nashville-based singer-songwriter (Fleetwood Mac, Faith Hill).
U2 TO RELEASE NEW "NO LINE ON THE HORIZON" ALBUM MARCH 3 (12/21/08)
The new U2 album, their twelfth studio recording, No Line on the Horizon (Interscope), is set to release March 3. The album is produced by Brian Eno, Daniel Lanois and Steve Lillywhite and was recorded in Morocco, Dublin, London and New York. No Line on the Horizon was originally anticipated for release by the end this year but U2 went back into the studio repeatedly to tweak the tracks. Among the songs expected to appear on the album are the title track along with "Moment of Surrender" and "Unknown Caller." No Line on the Horizon is the follow-up to 2004's Grammy-winning How To Dismantle an Atomic Bomb. The have announced that they will tour again in 2009 in support of the new album. The band recently signing a major touring agreement with Live Nation.
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