Wednesday, December 19, 2007 – The Jam are back, well two-thirds of them anyway. Founding members of The Jam, Bruce Foxton and Rick Buckler, join fellow musicians Dave Moore and Russell Hastings for a 13-city U.S. tour in the New Year starting Jan. 24 as From the Jam.
That means that lead singer Paul Weller, who has had a longstanding solo career, will not participate presumably leading to the name change.
These will be the first live shows in the U.S. since the original Jam disbanded.
The Jam fused a punk-rock sensibility with the classic mod sound and became one of the key acts to come out of England.
During the band's five-year span, The Jam's moody lyrics connected with disenfranchised youth in songs like "Down in the Tube Station" and "In The City."
Hugh Cornwell of The Stranglers will open the shows.
Tour dates are:
Jan. 24: San Diego - House of Blues
Jan. 25: Anaheim, CA - House of Blues
Jan. 26: Los Angeles - El Rey Theatre
Jan. 29: San Francisco - Great American Music Hall
Jan. 30: Portland, OR - Alladin Theatre
Feb. 1: Seattle - Moore Theatre
Feb. 2: Vancouver, BC - Richard's on Richards
Feb. 4: Chicago, IL - The Abbey
Feb. 5: Pontiac, MI - Crofoot Ballroom
Feb. 9: New York - Blender Theatre at Gramercy
Feb. 11: Alexandria, VA - Birchmere
Feb. 13: Atlanta - Roxy Theatre
Feb. 15: Dallas - Palladium Ballroom
Tuesday, December 18, 2007 – Joel Dorn, a multiple Grammy Award-winning record producer who first made a name for himself while at Atlantic Records in the late 1960s and early '70s with Bette Middler and Roberta Flack, died Monday from a heart attack, in New York City at the age of 65.
One of the most prolific producers of his time, Dorn's discography stretches from the multi-platinum soul sounds of Flack to the black classical music of Rahsaan Roland Kirk. He helped introduce Midler and the funky New Orleans' R&B of The Neville Brothers. His name can be found on the back of classic recordings by Les McCann and Eddie Harris, Mose Allison, Yusef Lateef, Leon Redbone, Peter Allen, Don Mclean, The Allman Brothers Band, David "Fathead" Newman, Donny Hathaway and Mongo Santamaria to name just a few.
"It's impossible to pick a highlight," Dorn once said. "If one record was a highpoint because of great sales, there's another to match it for the incredible fun that went into making it and another that achieved its intended artistic vision."
From an early age, Dorn knew he wanted to be in the music business, and not just anywhere in the business; Dorn knew he wanted to work specifically for Atlantic Records. At 14, he began correspondence with the label's co-founder Nesuhi Ertegun. "I'd send letters telling him who I thought they should have duet with Ray Charles, what talent they were missing out on, all sorts of critiques and suggestions," remembered Dorn.
In 1961, he officially began his career as a disc jockey at the pioneering Philadelphia jazz radio station WHAT-FM. "The DJ gig was a great way to get to know all the record companies, and get involved in the business, but I had my heart set on producing the entire time," he said.
Ertegun, who'd now been corresponding with Dorn for six years, finally began to take those opinions seriously. "My show had become popular in the Philly market, and I think Atlantic realized that I was becoming instrumental in breaking records for them on a regional level," figured Dorn. "Before long, the letters turned into telephone calls, and I eventually met Nesuhi."
In 1963, Ertegun offered Dorn the chance to produce one record by an artist of his choice for Atlantic Jazz. Dorn chose Hubert Laws, a young flutist he had seen in Philly performing with Mongo Santamaria's band. The resulting album, "The Laws of Jazz," would become the first album he would produce.
By 1967, Dorn joined Atlantic Records full-time as Ertegun's assistant. He was given the opportunity to sign artists, produce their records and become intricately involved with the promotion and marketing.
Rising quick through the ranks, Joel, along with Nesuhi and Ahmet Ertegun, Jerry Wexler, Arif Mardin and Tom Dowd became part of the most formidable record producing team of all time. Focusing primarily on jazz and R&B recordings, Dorn developed a production style that was unique to the time period. "I brought pop techniques and pop sensibilities to jazz and R&B records," recalls Dorn. "As a producer I had two gigantic influences: Lieber and Stoller and Phil Spector. To this day, before I go in and make a record, I'll throw on 'Be My Baby' or a Coasters' record."
His work at Atlantic Records with Flack on "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" and "Killing Me Softly" won two consecutive Grammy Awards for "Record Of The Year." Additional Grammies were soon to follow including "Jazz Record Of The Year" for Keith Jarrett and Gary Burton.
Dorn also went on to sign Midler and co-produce her debut album, "The Divine Miss M." "Some of the best times I've ever had involved recording artists who were completely unknown at the time like Roberta and Bette, and then watching them ascend to national prominence," Dorn said. "It's a great feeling to put your faith in a young artist who you believe in and see them flourish."
In 1974, after accumulating 10 Gold albums, 5 Platinum albums and 7 Gold singles, Dorn left Atlantic Records. He'd produce for a variety of labels and artists during this period, including albums by Leon Redbone, Lou Rawls, Don McLean, Peter Allen, Mink deVille and The Neville Brothers. He was awarded yet another Grammy for "Best Country and Western Instrumental" with Asleep At The Wheel's "One O'Clock Jump," and received two more Gold records for the Leon Redbone albums On The Track and Champagne Charlie.
In the mid-1980s, Dorn scaled back the hectic production schedule he'd maintained for the previous two decades. He took time off to travel the U.S. from 1986-89, and in the process gathered hours upon hours of previously unreleased "live" recordings from many of his favorite artists.
Four collections documenting Cannonball Adderley, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Les McCann and Eddie Harris were subsequently released on Dorn's own label, Night Records. He later referred to these albums as "audio verite." It was through this short-lived venture that Dorn began to reinvent himself within the industry. He was soon asked to consult for the likes of Rhino, GRP and Columbia, which were in the process of updating and reissuing their catalogs on CD. Dorn produced a 13-CD historical overview of the Atlantic Jazz years for Rhino. His production on the seven-CD John Coltrane box set entitled "The Heavyweight Champion" earned him an additional Grammy-nomination, while collections by Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday and Oscar Brown, Jr. cemented Dorn's reputation as a preeminent audio documentarian and reissue producer.
Four collections documenting Cannonball Adderley, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Les McCann and Eddie Harris were later released on Dorn's own label, Night Records. He later referred to these albums as "audio verite." It was through this short-lived venture that Dorn began to reinvent himself within the industry. He was soon asked to consult for the likes of Rhino, GRP and Columbia, which were in the process of updating and reissuing their catalogs on CD. Dorn produced a 13-CD historical overview of the Atlantic Jazz years for Rhino. His production on the seven-CD John Coltrane box set entitled "The Heavyweight Champion" earned him an additional Grammy-nomination, while collections by Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday and Oscar Brown, Jr. cemented Dorn's reputation as a preeminent audio documentarian and reissue producer.
Over the past decade, he'd produced albums by Jane Monheit, Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey, Leon Parker, Janice Siegel and The Frank and Joe Show (featuring guitarist Frank Vignola and percussionist Joe Ascione). In 2003, Dorn helped create HYENA Records. The independent label forged an identity with an intriguing mix of new and archival recordings, including those by Bobby Darin, Thelonious Monk, Dr. John and Joe Williams.
At the time of his death, Dorn was completing a five CD box set for Rhino Handmade entitled "Homage A Nesuhi," serving as a tribute to his mentor Nesuhi Ertegun and their years together at Atlantic Records. He was also the voice of Sirius Satellite Radio's "Pure Jazz" channel and was producing a series of music infomercials for Time Warner.
"I don't know how to do anything else. It's like if I don't do this what am I going to do? Sit in the park? I love doing stuff with music, with records. I enjoy it," Dorn once said about being a producer. "I know that might not be the great spiritual answer, but I really love making records."
Dorn leaves behind three sons, Michael Dorn, who operates his own furniture store in Philadelphia, David Dorn, Sr. Vice President New Media for Rhino Records, and Adam Dorn (aka Mocean Worker), a musician, and his longtime girlfriend Faye Rosen.
Thursday, December 13, 2007 – Anthrax has a new lead singer. Dan Nelson was announced by the metal band as the replacement for Joey Belladonna. Nelson is a virtual unknown, having fronted several local bands in the Long Island/New York area in the past.
After a reunion tour with former singer Belladonna in 2006, there were rumors of recording a new album with that lineup. However, talks fell through and the band was left, once again, without a singer.
Drummer Charlie Benante said, “(Anthrax’s) Rob (Caggiano) called me and said, ‘I have a singer, you should check him out.’ We gave him a shot, and he floored us.”
“I was actually looking for a band,” said Nelson. “Long Island, N.Y. is a pretty dead scene. I was in Unbroken, and through that I met Rob a couple years ago. I had gone through some stuff on a personal side where I took time off from the music. When I got back to the scene, I couldn’t find a band, so I contacted Rob through MySpace and offered my services. We sent music back and forth, got together and jammed for 10 hours straight. After 10 hours, he said, ‘I think you’d be right for Anthrax.”
“There’s no place else I’d rather be right now,” Nelson said. “It’s a great vibe. I feel great, and I’m ready to go. It’s lit that much more of a fire under me. I’m getting to live the dream, and it feels amazing. I can’t wait for all these people who think Anthrax is done to be proven wrong. The naysayers are gonna be shut down, and the true blue fans are gonna be pleased.”
Guitarist Scott Ian said, “It feels great working with Dan. The first time we jammed, we ran through a bunch of old songs, songs from the John Bush/Joey Belladonna eras. Right from the first second Dan started ‘Room For One More,’ we knew. We said, ‘Now that we’ve got that, let’s work his ass off.”
Anthrax, featuring Nelson on vocals, guitarists Ian and Caggiano, bassist Frankie Bello, and drummer Benante, is currently working on all-new material. “We wrote these songs, and they fucking kicked ass,” said Benante. “It was cathartic. We also want to take our time. This record will be under the microscope, more so than the others. We want to make sure it’s 100-percent perfect.”
No release date has been announced.
Two Anthrax records - “Sound of White Noise” and “Stomp 442” - are going to be available on iTunes on Dec. 18. They will be expanded editions with bonus tracks, and it’s the first time the records will be released digitally. The online versions of the albums will also include commentary tracks from the band members themselves.
Wednesday, December 12, 2007 – Juanes's La Vida World Tour will kick-off at New York's Madison Square Garden in March, part of a full-scale world-wide 2008 tour.
The first announced U.S. arena dates will go on-sale this Friday, Dec. 14. Further dates will be announced in early 2008 including extensive shows in Texas and many other U.S. markets.
Tour dates are:
March 6 New York Madison Square Garden
March 30 Washington, DC Patriot Center
April 2 Rosemont, Ill. Allstate Arena
April 9 Duluth Ga., Gwinnett Arena
April 10 Orlando Amway Arena
April 12 Miami American Airlines Arena
May 7-8 Los Angeles Nokia Theatre
May 16 San Jose, Cal. HP Pavilion at San Jose
Juanes will be tou8ring behind "La Vida…Es Un Ratico," released in October.
Monday, December 10, 2007 – Firewater signed with Bloodshot Records of Chicago with a new disc, “The Golden Hour,” due out in April.
In 2005, Firewater’s Tod A embarked on what would become a three-year sabbatical through the Middle East, the Indian Subcontinent and South East Asia. As the leader of a loose collective that has included a few dozen, he has always loved the act of collaboration, incorporating klezmer, ska, cabaret and gypsy elements.
As former singer and bassist for New York no wave descendents Cop Shoot Cop, Tod’s background is in the punk rock movement.
“I traveled overland starting in Delhi, India, through the Thar desert, then through Rajasthan, onward through the Punjab, then into Pakistan,” Tod recounted. “I had originally planned to continue overland through Afghanistan, Iran and Turkey, ending in Istanbul. Unfortunately I was forced to end my trip at the Khyber Pass on the Afghan border, due to general ill health and the unnerving likelihood of kidnapping.”
Recording with a single microphone and a laptop in his pack, he captured performances with a vast array of musicians across India and Pakistan - and eventually Turkey and Israel.
Firewater is scheduled to appear at SXSW in March 2008, will tour throughout Europe in April and launch a national U.S. tour in May.
Wednesday, December 5, 2007 – Kate Nash, who is making a splash in England, is gearing up for a short North American tour in the New Year in support of the U.S. release of her debut album "Made of Bricks," out Jan. 8.
Kicking things off with a performance at the Mod Club in Toronto Jan. 7, Nash will then celebrate the release of her debut full length album in New York before heading to the west coast for additional dates.
In 12 months since her first gig in England., Nash, 20, has been writing songs on her laptop while recuperating from a spill that left her with a broken foot, posting those songs on myspace, releasing her first single “Caroline’s A Victim,” signing with Fiction/Geffen Records, rocking the charts with her next single “Foundations” and seeing her debut album. "Made of Bricks," enter the British charts at number one.
Paul Epworth (Bloc Party, Babyshambles) produced the album.
Nash has been chosen by MTV for their 52/52 campaign. MTV's 52/52 campaign features one artist every week of the year for 52 weeks, giving phenomenal exposure to artists with 11 hours of on-air commercial time per week on MTV. The 52/52 spots on Nash will air on MTV the week of January 7th.
Tour dates are:
Jan. 7 Toronto, Canada Mod Club
Jan. 9 New York Bowery Ballroom
Jan. 12 San Francisco 330 Ritch
Jan. 14 Los Angeles Troubadour
Friday, November 30, 2007 – Los Angeles-based singer/songwriter Sara Melson signed with Nettwerk Music Group to release "Dirty Mind" Feb. 26, 2008. Melson produced the 12-song disc of ballads and rockers.
“Sara's voice and melodies are haunting, the lyrics raw and bare,” says Nettwerk CEO Terry McBride. “It’s an infectious combination that keeps her songs swirling in your head for weeks on end.”
"Dirty Mind" developed slowly over time, "guerilla-style," according to Melson, who worked as a yoga instructor and children’s music teacher.
The anthemic “Feel It Coming,” which will be featured in an upcoming episode of Grey’s Anatomy.
The full-length album is the follow up to Melson’s 2003 self-release, "Five Song EP," which she produced at home and in the studios of friends. Launch/Yahoo made it a Top Ten Pick in its Cool as Folk Radiocast; songs from the EP aired on Indie 103.1, XM Satellite Radio, and KCRW, and were featured in the ABC television show "Men In Trees," the new Viacom show "South Of Nowhere" and the independent film "Spectres."
Tuesday, November 27, 2007 – The Foo Fighters will hit the road in January and February in support of their new CD “Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace.” This will include the Foos's first ever show at New York's Madison Square Garden.
As on their warm up dates earlier this fall, core Foo Fighters Dave Grohl, Nate Mendel, Taylor Hawkins and Chris Shiflett will be joined by Pat Smear on guitar, Rami Jaffee on keyboards, Drew Hester on percussion and Jessy Greene on strings.
”Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace” is Foo Fighters's sixth studio album.
Tour dates are:
Jan. 16 - Sunrise, FL - BankAtlantic Center
Jan. 17 - Orlando - Amway Arena
Jan. 19 - Birmingham, AL - BJCC Arena
Jan. 20 - Pensacola, FL - Pensacola Civic Center
Jan. 22 – Houston - Toyota Center
Jan. 23 - Dallas - American Airlines Center (on sale now)
Jan. 25 - Memphis - FedEx Forum (on sale now)
Jan. 26 - Nashville - Nashville Municipal Auditorium (on sale now)
Jan. 28 - Fayetteville, AR - Barnhill Arena
Jan. 29 - Oklahoma City, OK - Ford Center
Feb. 18 - Worcester, MA - DCU Center (on sale now)
Feb. 19 - New York - Madison Square Garden
Feb. 21 - Philadelphia - Wachovia Spectrum (on sale now)
Feb. 24 – Detroit - Joe Louis Arena (on sale now)
Feb. 25 - Chicago - Allstate Arena
Feb. 27 - Minneapolis - Target Center
Thursday, November 22, 2007 – Danny Federici, an original member of the E Street Band, is taking a leave of absence from the current Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band tour to pursue treatment for melanoma.
Federici's last show before the break was Monday night in Boston, the final date of the U.S. tour.
Charles Giordano, who played with Bruce as a member of the Sessions Band, will temporarily fill in until Federici is able to return. Federici has been playing keyboards with Springsteen since the late Sixties.
Springsteen said, "Danny is one of the pillars of our sound and has played beside me as a great friend for more than 40 years. We all eagerly await his healthy and speedy return."
Thursday, November 15, 2007 – The Dresden Dolls kick off a two and a half week headlining tour with a pair of Capitol-area shows on Dec. 27. The 14-date tour – which includes a New Year’s Eve show at the Grand Ballroom in New York – wraps Jan.13 in Norfolk, Va.
The duo will be joined on by openers Meow Meow, Two Ton Boa and Luminescent Orchestrii on various dates along the trek.
“This tour is all about the fun. We have had this year to venture out into other areas aside from constant touring, so everyone’s batteries are charged and we’re ready to cut loose with the fans and go nuts,” says drummer Brian Viglione. “I’m looking forward to playing a lot of songs that we didn't get to play on tour last year and pull out some new surprises for people and maybe a rubber chicken or two.”
The tour marks the first extended run of dates for group - singer/pianist Amanda Palmer and Viglione – since the duo appeared on last summer’s True Colors Tour with Cyndi Lauper, Debbie Harry and others.
“We have always enjoyed a very close relationship with the people who come to the shows and you start to miss that feeling and seeing those faces when you are off the road for too long,” Viglione said. “Being that it’s only 14 shows, there’s an extra incentive to deliver the most you possibly can every moment you’re on stage. The mania is beginning to stir in everyone in our camp; this bodes well for the tour. Yeeuuussss!”
"We're hungry to play again in Dolls formation,” said Palmer. “We've missed playing with each other and we've missed connecting with our people out there. I love the post-hangover time of winter; it's like the last gasp of the holidays coupled with a healthy dose of reflection. We're planning on a simple, stripped-down, go-out-on-stage-destroy kind of show. Of course, I always say that and we wind up with a ton of people on stage, doing weird things. How does that always happen?"
Palmer has a pair of American solo dates at the end of November – Nov. 24 in Portland, Maine and Nov. 25 in Providence, R.I. - before heading to Australia in December for a string of solo performances (including festival dates at The Famous Spiegeltent in Melbourne and the Meredith Music Festival). Palmer’s Ben Folds-produced solo debut, “Who Killed Amanda Palmer?,” is due early next year.
Tour dates are:
Dec. 27 Washington, DC Sixth & I Historic Synagogue (5:30pm)
Dec. 27 Baltimore Rams Head Live! (10:15pm)
Dec. 28 Philadelphia The Fillmore at the TLA
Dec. 29 Boston Orpheum Theatre
Dec. 31 New York Grand Ballroom
Jan. 3 Montreal, QUE Le National
Jan. 4 Toronto, ON Phoenix Concert Theatre
Jan. 5 Chicago Vic Theatre
Jan. 6 St. Louis The Pageant
Jan. 8 Birmingham, AL WorkPlay Theatre
Jan. 10 Tampa, FL Tampa Theatre
Jan. 11 Atlanta Variety Playhouse
Jan. 12 Durham, N.C. Carolina Theatre
Jan. 13 Norfolk, VA Norva Theater
Monday, November 12, 2007 – Liverpool electronic pop foursome Ladytron signed with Nettwerk. The band is currently in Paris recording their fourth full-length album (title to be announced) with co-producer Vicarious Bliss of Ed Banger Records (Justice, DJ Mehdi, Busy P), due out in May 2008.
Nettwerk co-founder Mark Jowett said, “Ladytron is one of the coolest, most vital and cutting edge bands around right now. Each of their albums is more seductive than the last, and their live performance is electrifying. As a company, we are having the time of our lives with some amazing, energy-infused artists like Datarock and Felix da Housecat. It is an honor and a privilege to add Ladytron to that roster.”
The May release marks the follow up to 2005’s "Witching Hour." Ladytron toured worldwide behind the CD for nearly two years, both as headliners and as support for such acts as Nine Inch Nails and the Chemical Brothers.
“We came straight from our final shows in the U.S. to the studio in Paris to complete what we have been working on for the last year or so,” says band member Daniel Hunt. “The sessions are exciting, and we can't wait to get the new tracks out there.”
Ladyatron - Helen Marnie, Mira Aroyo, Reuben Wu and Hunt - formed in 1999 and released their debut, "604," in 2001. The album, which included their first single “Playgirl,” sparked an entire movement in music pop culture powered by vintage synths and electro-rock engines. Their darker, late 2002 release "Light & Magic" featured “Seventeen.”
A full North American tour is in the works for late spring 2008.
Thursday, November 8, 2007 – Seattle art punk band The Blood Brothers are calling it quits.
The quintet announced on its web site that it would break up. "After 10 years of making music as The Blood Brothers, we have made the collective decision that our time together has come to an end. We feel extremely fortunate to have spent such a deeply memorable and amazing part of our lives with each other."
"At this point, however, we feel it's best that our futures move forward on separate paths. We'd like to express our sincerest thanks and gratitude to all the bands we've played with, individuals who have helped us make our records, and fans who have come to our shows and picked up our music throughout the years. Your friendship, support and love hold such a profoundly special place in each of our hearts. We hope that the memories you attach to our music are as fond as those you have given us. Thank you and take care, we'll miss all of you."
Vocalists Jordan Billie Johnny Whitney and drummer Mark Gajadhar formed the band from a previous musical group when they were 15 years old. Joining with bassist Morgan Henderson and guitarist Devin Welch the following year, the Blood Brothers was born in August 1997. Votolato later replaced Welch.
The group recorded for label including V2 and Witchita.
Tuesday, November 6, 2007 – The Raveonettes signed a new record deal with Vice Records after having been on Sony. With three releases under their belt and more than 170,000 records sold in the U.S., the Danish rock duo will release "Lust Lust Lust" in early 2008 with a tour to follow.
The Raveonettes' Sune Rose Wagner and Sharin Foo met in Copenhagen, Denmark in 2001 and recorded their first EP, "Whip it On." "Chain Gang of Love," the band's first full-length record, was released in 2003 and the follow up, "Pretty in Black," in 2005.
Tuesday, October 30, 2007 – The B-52’s will release their first disc in 16 years in February 2008 on the Astralwerks label.
”Funplex” will be out Feb. 26, produced by Steve Osborne (New Order, Happy Mondays, Doves, KT Tunstall).
The disc was recorded in their native Athens, Ga. with all 11 songs written by Kate Pierson, Fred Schneider, Keith Strickland and Cindy Wilson. Strickland said, "It's loud, sexy rock and roll for your pleasure zones, with the beat pumped up to hot pink."
"We are thrilled to be bringing The B-52's music to a new generation of intergalactic fans. Cindy, Fred, Kate, and Keith have made an album that is incredibly fresh, dynamic and perhaps most importantly, quintessentially The B-52's ... instantly recognizable, instantly fun," Astralwerks label manager Glenn Mendlinger comments.
The band has been in touring mode, recently making returning to Europe after a 10 year absence, headlining Spain's Benicassim Festival and the London Lovebox Festival this past summer. Fans will get a sneak peak at 'Funplex' with live performances set for Oct. 31 at Roseland Ballroom in NYC and Nov. 16 at The Roxy in Los Angeles.
The song list is:
1. Pump
2. Hot Corner
3. Ultraviolet
4. Juliet Of The Spirits
5. Funplex
6. Eyes Wide Open
7. Love In The Year 3000
8. Deviant Ingredient
9. Too Much To Think About
10. Dancing Now
11. Keep This Party Going
Tuesday, October 23, 2007 – ”D-Sides,” an assortment of B-sides from Gorillaz' multi-platinum second album “Demon Days,” early demos and previously unreleased tracks compiled together for the first time, will be out Nov. 20 on Virgin Records.
”D-Sides” highlights include "Hong Kong," the song recorded by Gorillaz for “Warchild” and given an exclusive refit here with added strings; the dubbed-out collaboration with The Bees, "Bill Murray," and the apocalyptic scum-pop of "We Are Happy Landfill." "Stop The Dams" is another collaboration, this time with the Sugarcubes' Einar Orn, protesting against dam building in Iceland's wilderness. Demos "People" (which later became Demon Days single "DARE") and "Don't Get Lost in Heaven" give a sneak peek into the band's creative process, while the Mandarin version of "Dirty Harry" provides an insight into how Gorillaz might sound if they'd been born east of the Yangtze instead of Essex, while D-Sides' bonus CD of remixes includes reworkings by DFA, Junior Sanchez and Hot Chip.
A special edition of D-Sides will be available in a debossed glossy dual box, and will include two exclusive Jamie Hewlett prints, a collection of Gorillaz badges, stickers and a "Choose Pazuzu" patch. The track listing will be the same as the standard edition.
CD1:
1. 68 State FEEL GOOD INC. B-SIDE
2. People DARE DEMO
3. Hongkongaton DIRTY HARRY B-SIDE
4. We are Happy Landfill WEBSITE ONLY DOWNLOAD
5. Hong Kong WARCHILD
6. Highway (Under Construction) DARE B-SIDE
7. Rockit DEMO - DEMON DAYS SESSION
8. Bill Murray FEEL GOOD INC. B-SIDE
9. The Swagga DEMON DAYS LTD EDITION
10. Murdoc is God DIRTY HARRY B-SIDE
11. Spitting Out the Demons FEEL GOOD INC. B-SIDE
12. Don't Get Lost in Heaven DEMO VERSION
13. Stop the Dams KIDS WITH GUNS/EL MANANA B-SIDE
Bonus disc:
1. DARE (DFA Remix)
2. Feel Good Inc (Stanton Warriors Remix)
3. Kids With Guns (Jamie T's Turns To Monsters Mix)
4. DARE (Soulwax Remix)
5. Kids With Guns (Hot Chip Remix)
6. El Manana (Metronomy Remix)
7. DARE (Junior Sanchez Remix)
8. Dirty Harry (Schtung Chinese New Years Remix)
9. Kids With Guns (Quiet Village Remix)
Saturday, October 20, 2007 – Ministry bassist Paul Raven, 46, was found dead today in a private home in a small French village on the Swiss border. Initial reports indicate Raven's passing was due to a heart attack. Raven, known also for his work with Killing Joke, Prong, was in Geneva, Switzerland, working with French recording artists Treponem Pal on their new release, with Marco Neves, Ted Parsons (Prong) and members of The Young Gods.
Born in Wolverhampton, England on Jan. 16, 1961, Paul Vincent Raven established himself with his work in the seminal post-punk/industrial group Killing Joke when, in 1982 he replaced the original bassist for the band, recording and touring with the group throughout its most commercially successful period, performing on Fire Dances, Night Time and Brighter than a Thousand Suns. Throughout his extensive career, Raven participated in other collaborations including Prong, Murder, Inc., Pigface and Godflesh.
Most recently, Raven was nominated for a 2006 Grammy for Best Metal Performance for his work with Ministry's Al Jourgensen, with whom he had begun working with in late 2005 on the 13th Planet release Rio Grande Blood. After a 2006 World Tour with Ministry, Raven helped Jourgensen and Prong's Tommy Victor pen the Sept. 18, 2006 Ministry release The Last Sucker, Ministry's final studio release.
Jourgensen said, "I am in total shock. The world of music is a sadder, emptier place. Not only was Raven an extraordinary talent, but one of my closest dearest friends. Our condolences and prayers go to his immediate family. He will be truly missed by artists, musicians and his fans the world over.
Raven's newest project, Mob Research, featuring members of Warrior Soul and The Mission UK, and schedule for release on 13th Planet Records in 2008, was in the final mixing and mastering phases at the time of Raven's death.
Wednesday, October 17, 2007 – "Unholy Alliance Tour: Preaching to the Perverted" from last year with Slayer, Lamb of God, Mastodon, Children of Bodom and Thine Eyes Bleed will be available on DVD Oct. 30 (American Recordings). The DVD will have an approximate running time of 90-minutes.
The DVD/CD, which was shot at Vancouver's General Motors Place on July 13, 2006, was directed by Adam Rothlein (Speedway Films), and has concert footage plus bonus material to include backstage, behind-the-scenes and one-on-one interviews, many of which were conducted by the Unholy Alliance artists themselves.
Slayer's "Eyes of the Insane," which took home a Grammy Award this year, is included on the DVD. Other selections on the DVD include Lamb of God's "Vigil," Mastodon's "Blood & Thunder," "Capillarian Crest," and "Crystal Skull," Children of Bodom's "Angels Don't Kill" and "In Your Face," and Slayer's "Angel of Death," "Dead Skin Mask," "South of Heaven," and "Antichrist."
Tuesday, October 16, 2007 – "Live In New York City" by Eminem will be out Nov. 13 on Eagle Vision. The 2005 Madison Square Garden concert was the culmination of the Detroit rapper’s “Farewell Tour.” The DVD will feature guest appearances from D12, Obie Trice and Stat Quo and 28 songs from Eminem.
Tuesday, October 16, 2007 – Tim Fite will release a free, Halloween-centric 6-track recording via his website (www.timfite.com) on Oct. 31. The songs are available for one day only.
Fite says, “Last year when I was trick or treating, I decided go to the house that nobody ever goes to. There was no light on the porch, no jack-o-lantern on the stair, no bowl of candy with a note warning to "only take one." There was only a faint pulsing glow under the door, and a large wrought iron knocker. I knocked, and a very old man answered the door. He said he didn't have any candy (because it was bad for his diabetes), but that he'd be happy to give me a recording of his six favorite songs. I held out my sack, and with a shaking veiny hand, he dropped in a worn looking cassette tape. I said thank you, and walked quickly back to the road.”
“As soon as I got home, I popped the tape into my boom-box. The music that came out was like none I'd ever heard before – sort of a cross between a horror movie soundtrack and an instrumental funk/disco record played on vintage synthesizers. There were no vocals and no indication on the tape as to where the music came from, only six of the scariest songs I had ever listened to. I wanted to know more about them, but that was going to have to wait until morning.”
“The next day I went back to the house to ask the strange old man about his favorite songs. When I arrived there was a realtor tapping a for sale sign into the grass with a yellow mallet. I asked her if the old man was home; her face dropped and she replied, "Goodness no! He passed on about six months ago. I think it was the diabetes."
“For the year since that fateful Halloween, I have been haunted by the old man's favorite songs. I couldn't help, but wonder if there was some kind of supernatural force at work that wanted me to add lyrics to them.”
Fite currently is touring with My Brightest Diamond.
Tuesday, October 16, 2007 – Red House Records signed Boston-based singer-songwriter Meg Hutchinson. She will release "Come Up Full" in February 2008.
Hutchison has won songwriting awards in the United States, Ireland and the UK, placing first at competitions at Merlefest, Mountain Stage NewSong Folk Festival, Kerrville Folk Festival and Rocky Mountain Folk Festival. She has also been a finalist in the Billboard Songwriting Competition, John Lennon Songwriting Contest and the Starbucks Music Makers Competition.
Hutchison plays lyric-driven folk/pop songs. This fall she is touring throughout the northeast, playing shows with John Gorka, Steve Forbert and Tracy Grammer and will be touring extensively across North America following the release of her new album in February 2008.
Monday, October 15, 2007 – Former Tonic front man Everett Hart and his wife, Nicole, became the parents of a daughter, Lucinne, born Oct. 3 in Nashville, weighing 7 pounds 11 ounces. He released "Cigarettes and Gasoline" on EMI/Manhattan.
Thursday, October 11, 2007 – Bob Mould signed with Anti- Records. Mould’s new studio album, “District Line,” will be out Feb. 5, 2008.
Mould receives help on the guitar rock album from the drumming of Fugazi’s Brendan Canty. The former Husker Du front man went solo with 1989’s “Workbook.” “District Line’s” last song, “Walls of Time,” is an outtake from that very album.
“It was a Workbook song that didn’t make that record,” said Mould. “That was one of those songs waiting a long time for recording. But it seemed like a really appropriate closer for this record, when it popped back into my head.”
"As I get older my life gets simpler,” the Washingon, D.C.-based Mould said of “District Line.” “These are stories of my simple life in a complicated town."
“This record really sums up the past five years of being here,” Mould said. “These are funny stories about me and my friends – things I see or overhear. It’s been a very positive experience and District Line is my way of putting it down in a book.”
The songs are:
1. Stupid Now
2. Who Needs To Dream
3. Again and Again
4. Old Highs New Lows
5. Return To Dust
6. The Silence Between Us
7. Shelter Me
8. Very Temporary
9. Miniature Parade
10. Walls In Time
A DVD, shot live at the 9:30 Club in Washington, D.C., “Circle of Friends,” was released on Oct. 9. Mould is in the midst of a tour to celebrate the release of the DVD: each night he screens the film, performs a short acoustic set, and is interviewed in front of the audience.
Thursday, October 11, 2007 – Sacramento quintet Cake went their own way in releasing their new "b-sides and rarities" album, out last week, via the band's own label Upbeat Records.
After opting out of their contract with Columbia Records, the band decided to start with a collection of re-mixed and re-mastered b-sides and rarities, plus an exclusive live bonus bootleg track of "War Pigs" with Steven Drozd of the Flaming Lips.
The CD comes in a collectible "scratch and sniff" package, embodying four different CD cover color/scent configurations (including red/fresh cut roses, yellow/banana, brown/leather and purple/grape, along with an interior hidden scent).
The band recently wrapped up three months of touring that stretched from London to Istanbul to Anchorage to headlining the Monolith Festival in Colorado. Cake will hit the road in December, with the re-launch of the band's Unlimited Sunshine tour series, a traveling music festival formed by the band in 2002, which over the years has included The Flaming Lips, Modest Mouse, Tegan and Sara, De La Soul, Cheap Trick, Gogol Bordello, The Detroit Cobras, Charlie Louvin and The Hackensaw Boys.
Soon after their return from the road, the band will return to working on their first ever live album project, "Live At The Crystal Palace," set for a "limited edition" release during 2008, as well as their sixth studio full-length, scheduled for release during autumn 2008.
This year's Unlimited Sunshine edition will include The Brazilian Girls, among other performers, targeting cities such as Los Angeles, San Diego, Portland Maine, Boston, Providence, Philadelphia, Washington DC, Rochester and New York City.
Wednesday, October 10, 2007 – Juanes, the 12-time Latin Grammy winning rock superstar, will perform two shows in New York and Chicago during the week his fourth album, “La Vida… es un Ratico” (Life is a Moment), is released. The Colombian superstar also will perform on the Today show on Oct. 22, 1 day before the disc is out.
The concerts will be Oct. 22 at The Fillmore NY at Irving Plaza in New York City and Oct. 25 at the Vic in Chicago.
“La Vida… es un Ratico” tackles themes of world peace, social change and intimate personal thoughts on love and relationships. With the majority of the album recorded in his home studio in the mountains outside of Medellin, Colombia, Juanes merged rock with traditional Colombian rhythms, such as vallenato, cumbia and mapale plus other international styles including flamenco, troba, bolero and tango.
“The songs I write are most often a reflection of deep personal feelings and I love the idea of sharing those thoughts in new, direct ways with listeners,” said Juanes. “Both performing in these intimate venues to unveil my new songs and then being able to share that moment with fans on their mobile phones are new ways for me to get closer to those that appreciate my music.”
The first single “Me Anamora,” is spending its fourth week at the top of the Latin song chart.
Juanes also is slated to launch a U.S. tour later this year.
Sunday, September 23, 2007 – Mana made history this weekend by being the first Latin act to sell-out four consecutive nights at the StaplesCenter in Los Angeles. Sunday was their last record-setting performance at the huge arena, tying them with Neil Diamond who set the record in 2005 with 4 consecutive performances as well.
"Los Angeles is a great city and very important to us," stated Fher, "We have developed a very special bond with our LA fans."
Mana will continue their sold-out tour in Oakland, New York, Chicago and Miami, before heading to Central and South America.
Wednesday, September 12, 2007 – The White Stripes cancelled the final six dates of their U.S. tour Tuesday "due to health issues," they said on their web site.
"Meg White is suffering from acute anxiety and is unable to travel at this time," the web site said. "The White Stripes sincerely apologize to their fans. We hate to let people down and are very sorry."
Dates affected are:
Sept. 13 – Albuquerque, N.M.
Sept. 15-16 – Austin
Sept. 18 – San Diego
Sept. 19 – Inglewood, Cal.
Sept. 21 – Berkeley, Cal.
Tuesday, September 11, 2007 – Hughie Thomasson, a founding member of southern rock band The Outlaws, died at his home in Brooksville, Fla. Sept. 9. Thomasson, 55, died of a heart attack in his sleep.
Thomasson was a teenager when he joined The Outlaws in the late 1960s. The band was signed by Arista Records and released 12 albums including The Outlaws (1975), Bring It Back Alive (1977) and Ghost Riders in the Sky (1980).
When The Outlaws disbanded, Thomasson joined Lynryd Skynyrd. He toured and recorded with the band for 9 years until 2005, when he reformed The Outlaws.
The Outlaws recently toured the United States with The Charlie Daniels Band and The Marshall Tucker Band. They also played a festival in Amsterdam with Aerosmith, Scorpions and Tesla.
The Outlaws have completed a new album, "Once an Outlaw," which has not yet been released.
Tuesday, September 4, 2007 – Kelly Clarkson will attempt to hit the road again this fall to support “My December” A summer tour was scrapped, at least in part due to less than stellar ticket sales. While the first proposed tour was playing arenas, this tour is playing smaller theatres. Starting with three shows in October in New York, the “My December.” Tour is slated to feature 25 performances in 24 cities over 7 weeks.
“I’m really getting pumped to get out there and rock with y’all,” said Clarkson in a statement. “We intend to blow the roofs off these theaters.”
Clarkson has enjoyed hits with “Since U Been Gone,” “Behind These Hazel Eyes,” “Because of You,” “Walk Away,” and “Never Again,” and “Sober,” from Clarkson’s recently released album “My December.” She last toured in June 2006.
Clarkson’s recently released third recording, My Dec. debuted at number 2 on the Billboard Top 200 charts. It racked up nearly 300,000 units in sales in its first week of release, a figure which outpaced its predecessor, “Breakway,” by nearly 50,000 copies.
Tour dates are:
Sunday, Oct. 14-16 New York The Beacon Theater
Thursday, Oct. 18 Philadelphia The Tower Theater
Sunday, Oct. 21 Uncasville, Conn. The Mohegan Sun
Tuesday, Oct. 23 Boston, MA The Orpheum Theatre
Wednesday, Oct. 24 Washington DC DAR Constitution Hall
Friday, Oct. 26 Buffalo Seneca Casino
Sunday, Oct. 28 Detroit The Fillmore
Tuesday, Oct. 30 Toronto, Canada Massey Hall
Thursday, Nov. 1 Chicago Chicago Theater
Friday, Nov. 2 Minneapolis State Theater
Monday, Nov. 5 Denver Paramount Theater
Saturday, Nov. 10 San Jose, CA San Jose Events Ctr.
Monday, Nov. 12 Seattle Paramount Theater
Wednesday, Nov. 14 Sacramento Memorial Auditorium
Friday, Nov. 16 San Diego Civic Auditorium
Sunday, Nov. 18 Los Angeles Gibson Amphitheatre
Tuesday, Nov. 20 Phoenix Gammage Theater
Thursday, Nov. 23 Dallas Nokia Theater
Sunday, Nov. 25h Houston Verizon Wireless Theater
Tuesday, Nov. 27 Atlanta Cobb Energy Center
Thursday, Nov. 29 Miami Mizner Park
Saturday, Dec. 1 Tampa Ruth Eckerd Hall
Monday, Dec. 3 Nashville Ryman Auditorium
Wednesday, August 29, 2007 – Sigur Rós will release two separate but related releases Nov. 6 - a DVD called "Heima" and a double CD set, "Hvarf/Heim" on the XL label.
"Heima," which translates as both "At Home" and "Homeland," chronicles a series of free concerts Sigur Rós played in their native Iceland during the summer of 2006. Combining both the biggest and smallest shows of their career, the entire tour was filmed and provides an insight into the band. The film is currently being edited by Nick Fenton with direction from the Oscar-nominated Dean DeBlois.
The culmination of more than a year spent promoting their "Takk..." album around the world, the Icelandic tour was free and went largely unannounced. They played in deserted fish factories, outsider art follies, far-flung community halls, fields, darkened caves and the huge horseshoe-shaped Asbyrgi canyon.
Material from all four of the band's albums is featured. Songs include the previously unreleased "Guitardjamm," filmed inside a derelict herring oil tank in the far West Fjords; a windblown, one-mic recording of "Vaka," shot at a dam protest camp subsequently drowned by rising water; and first time acoustic versions of such rare live beauties as "Staralfur," "Agaetis Byrjun" and "Von."
The "Hvarf/Heim" CD is made up primarily of two EPs. "Hvarf" translates appropriately as "disappeared," as its five tracks are new recordings of lost songs from various points in Sigur Ros' history.
The first three, "Salka," "Hljomalind" and "I Gaer," were never released either because they were not recorded or because they were recorded and then not included on a finished album. The fourth and fifth, "Von," and perennial live favorite "Hafsol" are changed from the band's first album, the original versions of which were recorded by the band's Jonsi Birgisson and Georg Holm with drummer Agust Gunnarsson prior to Kjartan Sveinsson and Orri Dyrason joining the band.
An alternative translation of "Hvarf" is "haven," which ties into the title of the second portion of this release, "Heim," or "home."
"Heim's" six tracks are live acoustic versions of songs from all four Sigur Ros studio albums recorded in Iceland either during the band's summer 2006 tour or early this spring. The unplugged scenario was imposed on the band because there was no power at some of the locations. Four of the songs here ("Untitled 1," "Unititled 3," "Agaetis Byrjun" (never performed live before this last summer) and 'Heysatan') were played acoustically on the road during the summer tour, with the remaining "Staralfur" and "Von," being first interpreted for a protest concert against a planned road development next to the band's studio in the artistic community of Alafoss, in February.
An exclusive screening of "Heima" is slated for Sept. 14 in Akureyri, Iceland, which will be followed by the film's official premiere on Sept. 27 in Reykjavik on the opening night of the Icelandic International Film Festival.
Wednesday, August 22, 2007 – Babyshambles, the British quartet led by the very troubled Pete Doherty, is slated to release a disc in October on Astralwerks.
The London quartet, led by former Libertines frontman Doherty, will release their sophomore album, "Shotter’s Nation" Oct. 23. "Shotter’s Nation" was recorded at Olympic Studios in Barnes, West London and produced by Stephen Street (Morrissey/The Smiths, Blur).
Babyshambles is Doherty (Vocals, Guitar), Adam Ficek (Drums), Drew McConnell (Bass Guitar), and Mick Whitnall (Guitar).
Doherty has suffered from drug addiction problems, leading to many arrests.
Songs are:
"Carry On Up The Morning"
"Delivery"
"You Talk"
"UnBilo Titled"
"Side Of The Road"
"Crumb Begging"
"UnStookie Titled"
"French Dog Blues"
"There She Goes"
"Baddies Boogie"
"Deft Left Hand"
"The Lost Art of Murder" (featuring Bert Jansch)
Tuesday, August 21, 2007 – Punk veterans Bad Religion will embark on a national tour this fall in support of “New Maps of Hell.” Currently wrapping up their headlining stint at the 2007 Van’s Warped Tour, the band will take their live show on the road this fall with labelmates Gallows and punk act The Briggs in tow. The tour kicks off Sept. 29 in Queen Creek, Arizona and culminate Oct. 20 in Sayreville, N.J.
Tour Dates are:
Sept. 29 – Schnepf Farms – Queen Creek, AZ (Edgefest 2007)
Sept. 30 – Club 101 – El Paso, TX (w/The Briggs)
Oct. 1 – House of Blues – Dallas, TX (w/The Briggs)
Oct. 4 – Clutch Cargo’s – Pontiac, MI (w/The Briggs and Gallows)
Oct. 5 – House of Blues – Chicago, IL (w/Gallows and The Briggs)
Oct. 6 – First Avenue – Minneapolis, MN (w/The Briggs and Gallows)
Oct. 7 – The Eagles Club – Milwaukee, WI (w/Gallows and The Briggs)
Oct. 9 – Newport Music Hall – Columbus, OH (w/The Briggs and Gallows)
Oct. 10 – Madison Theatre – Covington, KY (w/Gallows and The Briggs)
Oct. 11 – Agora Theatre – Cleveland, OH (w/The Briggs and Gallows)
Oct. 12 – Town Ballroom – Buffalo, NY (w/Gallows and The Briggs)
Oct. 14 – 9:30 Club – Washington, DC (w/The Briggs and Gallows)
Oct. 15 – Nokia Theatre Times Square – New York, NY (w/Gallows and The Briggs)
Oct. 16 – Roxy – Boston, MA (w/The Briggs)
Oct. 17 – Electric Factory Ballroom – Philadelphia, PA (w/The Briggs)
Oct. 19 – Crocodile Rock Café – Allentown, PA (w/The Briggs)
Oct. 20 – Starland Ballroom – Sayreville, NJ (w/The Briggs)
Monday, August 20, 2007 – Booker T. Jones joined forces with Texas-born singer/performer and Shortlist nominee Jolie Holland for a rendering of the Louis Armstrong classic, “What A Wonderful World.”
Set for release as a digital single via Anti- on Nov. 6, the collaboration celebrates the song’s 40th anniversary by paying tribute to the Bob Thiele and George David Weiss-penned classic.
“With the world in its present state, I think the track and the recording of the song is timely,” Jones said. “I hoped it would be something of a healing or a balm for the world right now because conditions are so bleak in so many places and areas. I’m hoping it’ll be a timely, refreshing uplift for music listeners. I’m hoping it’s going to be something to pick people up and to reaffirm hope and beauty – to remind them that there is beauty in the world. We hear so much about what’s wrong and no one is really saying that the world is a beautiful place. It still is a beautiful wonderful place.”
Holland said, “I think we were all surprised to learn that we are releasing our version of this song on its 40th anniversary. It was released in the fall of 1967, and here again it comes out in the fall of 2007. Now that we've recorded it, I hear it as it was originally imagined – as a counter-point to the heaviness of the political songs of the civil rights movement. It was meant to remind us, that despite everything, the world is still beautiful. What is more centering than real beauty?”
The updated take – which finds Holland’s angelic voice meshing with Booker T.’s soulful organ and piano – will also boast a second collaboration as a B-side. With its moody vibe, the blues traditional “It’s A Blessing,” was personally chosen by Holland.
Jones founded Booker T. & the MGs in 1962. While still in high school, he wrote the group’s enduring instrumental, “Green Onions.” In addition to his enduring multi-instrumentalist role fronting the MGs, his career included tenure throughout the 1960s as a session musician and songwriter for the Stax Records label. Exiting Stax in the 1970s, Jones performed as a solo artist while developing a sturdy reputation as a producer for the likes of Rita Coolidge, Bill Withers and Willie Nelson. He has also lent his trademark keyboard playing to recordings by everyone from Stephen Stills and Ray Charles to Neil Young and Natalie Merchant. Jones still plays with Booker T. & the MGs and his own Booker T. Jones Band. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992 and was honored with a Grammy Award for Lifetime Achievement earlier this year.
Holland is one of the founding members of The Be Good Tanyas, but has come into her own as a solo performer, releasing three discs (2003’s "Catalpa," 2004’s "Escondida" and 2006's "Springtime Can Kill You."
Friday, August 17, 2007 – Uncle Kracker, who had a hit with Kenny Chesney on "When the Sun Goes Down," was arrested Friday in North Carolina, charged with second degree sexual assault.
Kracker, whose real name is Matthew Shafer, was held on $5 million bond after being arrested at a hotel. Police said Kracker and the woman did not know each other.
The woman told police that he committed a sexual act against her while inside a club in Raleigh, N.C. A warrant was obtained for Kracker, who was arrested later. He performed at the club that night. The exact nature of the alleged crime was not disclosed.
He was slated to appear in court Friday afternoon.
Thursday, August 16, 2007 – John Mellencamp, who spent the better part of the past year writing a slew of new songs, has just started recording his 22nd career album. Sessions began this week at Belmont Mall, Mellencamp’s studio outside Bloomington, Ind. with T Bone Burnett producing.
As has been his custom throughout this 32-year long career, backing musicians on the as yet untitled disc are drawn from Mellencamp’s touring band including Mike Wanchic (guitars), Andy York (guitars), John Gunnell (bass) Dane Clark (drums), Miriam Sturm (violin) and Troye Kinnett (keyboards, accordion).
Burnett has produced album projects for Los Lobos, The Wallflowers, Roy Orbison, Elvis Costello, Gillian Welch and Tony Bennett and k.d. lang. He has been involved in the production of numerous film soundtracks including "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" and "Cold Mountain."
Thursday, August 16, 2007 – PJ Harvey will release her eighth studio album, "White Chalk," Sept. 25 on Island Records.
"White Chalk" is a departure from previous studio albums because it was written on piano and does not feature her trademark electric guitar. Harvey produced along with Flood and John Parish, the three of whom previously worked together on "To Bring You My Love" and "Is This Desire?" and includes musical contributions from Harvey's long time associate Eric Drew Feldman, and Jim White from The Dirty Three.
Harvey debuted four tracks from "White Chalk" at a sold out performance at the Manchester International Festival on July 7th and has confirmed two other UK one-off dates prior to coincide with record's release: Sept. 24 in Bristol and Sept. 29 in London.
The album will be preceded by the single "When Under Ether," which will be released in England Sept. 17 on 7" vinyl and download and will feature the B-side "Wait," one of Harvey's first ever recordings dating back to 1988.
Songs are:
1. The Devil
2. Dear Darkness
3. Grow Grow Grow
4. When Under Ether
5. White Chalk
6. Broken Harp
7. Silence
8. To Talk To You
9. The Piano
10. Before Departure
11. The Mountain
Thursday, August 16, 2007 – System of a Down's Daron Malakian (guitars, vocals, songwriter) and John Dolmayan (drums) have joined forces to form a new band, Scars on Broadway. Malakian will be updating fans on the progress of Scars on myspace.com.
Malakian co-produced (with Rick Rubin) System of a Down's multi-platinum albums "Toxicity" (2001) and the dual-disc "Mezmerize/Hypnotize" (2005), all three of which hit the number 1 spot on Billboard's Top 200 Albums chart.
Tuesday, August 14, 2007 – Current TV, the peer-to-peer news and information network, today announced the launch of “The Daily Fix,” – the first music blog for television, premiering Wednesday, Aug. 15. “The Daily Fix” will bring daily, dedicated music news back to television six times a day with coverage on artists and the music industry from around the world.
“The Daily Fix” will help to break emerging artists from a slew of genres by spotlighting on formerly underground artists worldwide – before they hit the mainstream. Dan Deacon, Dizzee Rascal, Josh Ritter, Saigon and St. Vincent are among the TV music blog’s first picks for feature coverage.
The feature will give viewers 90-second doses of daily music news in a reporting style that utilizes MP3s from music blog aggregators, user-generated video clips and cell phone camera images.
Created by producers Douglas Caballero (host) and Alex Simmons (director), “The Daily Fix” will air six times every day: 9:31 a.m.; 1:31p.m.; 5:31p.m.; 8:31p.m.; 12:31 a.m.; and 04:31 a.m. (all times EST).
Current is available in 50 million households worldwide via the 5 largest distributors, including ComCast, Time Warner Cable, DirecTV, Dish Network, BSkyB and Virgin Media Cable.
Thursday, August 9, 2007 – After touring this summer, Ryan Adams will launch fall dates in the U.S. just after completing a two-week tour of New Zealand and Australia, in support of his “Easy Tiger” CD (Lost Highway).
Tour dates are:
Sept. 13 - Charlottesville VA - Charlottesville Pavilion
Sept. 16 - Northampton MA - Calvin Theater
Sept. 17 - Portland ME - Merrill Auditorium
Sept. 19 - Montreal - St. Denis Theatre
Sept. 21 - Toronto - Massey Hall
Sept. 22 - Ann Arbor MI - Michigan Theater
Sept. 24 - Kalamazoo MI - Kalamazoo State Theatre
Sept. 25 - Milwaukee- Milwaukee Riverside Theater
Sept. 27 - Minneapolis - State Theater
Sept. 28 - Madison WI - Barrymore Theatre
Sept. 29 - Chicago - Chicago Theatre
Oct. 1 - Iowa City IA - Iowa Memorial Union, main lounge
Oct. 2 - Kansas City MO - Uptown Theatre
Oct. 4 - Urbana IL - Foelinger Auditorium
Oct. 5 - St. Louis - The Pageant
Oct. 13 - North Charleston, SC - N. Charleston Performing Arts Center
Oct. 15 - Birmingham AL - Alabama Theatre
Oct. 18 - Houston - Verizon Wireless Theatre
Oct. 19 - Dallas - McFarlin Memorial Auditorium
Oct. 27 - Lakewood OH - Lakewood Civic Auditorium
Oct. 29 - Pittsburgh - Carnegie Music Hall of Oakland
Oct. 30 - Washington DC - D.A.R. Constitution Hall
Oct. 31 - New York- Hammerstein Ballroom
The Cardinals are Neal Casal – guitar, Brad Pemberton – drums, Chris Feinstein – bass, Jon Graboff - pedal steel and Jamie Candiloro – piano.
Friday, August 3, 2007 – "The Pretender," the first single from the Foo Fighters' sixth studio album, "Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace," was released today.
The disc is due out Sept. 25 on Roswell/RCA. Produced by Gil Norton, who last worked with the band on 1997's double-platinum "The Colour and The Shape" (recently reissued in deluxe 10th anniversary form), Dave Grohl, bassist Nate Mendel, drummer Taylor Hawkins and guitarist Chris Shiflett crafted a 12-track release.
"The Pretender" will premiere during Friday's Summer X-Games broadcast on ESPN and will be featured throughout ESPN's coverage of the Games.
"The Pretender" will be commercially available for download this coming Tuesday, Aug. 7.
Wednesday, August 1, 2007 – Juanes ompleted the final mix of his fourth album "La Vida...es un Tatico" (“Life Is A Moment”) with the initial single “Me Enamora” set for a Sept. 4 release.
The follow-up to Juanes’ hit album "Mi Sangre," which reached number 1 in 41 countries and sold more than 4 million copies, "La Vida..." finds Juanes again co-producing with Gustavo Santaolalla. Juanes recorded all guitar-parts, vocals and some keyboards at his home studio in the mountains outside Medellin, Colombia and remaining recording of bass, drums and strings completed at Santaolalla’s studio in Los Angeles.
Juanes partners on tracks with both Argentinean rocker Andrés Calamaro and also Campino - vocalist of famed German punk group “Die Toten Hosen." The disc is due out this fall.
Tuesday, July 31, 2007 – Metal rock act Atreyu will do a headlining tour in support of their upcoming Hollywood Records debut, “Lead Sails Paper Anchor,” out Aug. 28 on Hollywood. The tour starts out Sept. 9 at the Big Easy in Boise, ID, with openers Haste The Day, It Dies Today plus a special guest to be announced.
Atreyu are currently previewing select songs from the new album while on the Family Values Tour, which sees them third on the bill and sharing the stage alongside the likes of Korn and Evanescence.
Among their new tracks is hard-hitting lead single “Becoming The Bull,” currently the number one most added song at active rock radio and featured in EA Sports new Madden ’08 video game. The band recently shot a video for the song with director Kevin Kerslake (Green Day, Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins) and is also confirmed for MTV2’s “The Drop” for the week prior to their album release.
Atreyu recorded the CD this past spring with producer John Feldmann (The Used, Good Charlotte). The album was mixed by Andy Wallace (Nirvana, Slipknot, Linkin Park).
Atreyu – Family Values dates are:
July 31 Norfolk, VA
Aug. 1 Johnson City, NY
Aug. 3 Darien Center, NY
Aug. 4
Burgettstown, PA
Aug. 5 Camden, NJ
Aug. 7 Saratoga Springs, NY
Aug. 8 Homdel, NJ
Aug. 10 Noblesville, IN
Aug. 11 Atlanta
Aug. 12 Orlando
Aug. 14 West Palm Beach, FL
Aug. 15 Tampa, FL
Aug. 17 Dallas
Aug. 18 Spring, TX
Aug. 19 Selma, TX
Aug. 21 Oklahoma City, OK
Aug. 22 Bonner Springs, KS
Aug. 24 Greenwood Village, CO
Aug. 25 Albuquerque, NM
Aug. 26 Phoenix
Aug. 27 Las Vegas
Aug. 29 Bakersfield, CA
Aug. 30 San Diego
Aug. 31 Marsville, CA
Sept. 1 Mountain View, CA
Sept. 2 Irvine, CA
Ateyu – Headlining dates
Sept. 9 Boise, ID
Sept. 10 Spokane, WA
Sept. 12 Fargo, ND
Sept. 14 Milwaukee
Sept. 16 Cleveland
Sept. 18 Cincinnati
Sept. 19 Buffalo, NY
Sept. 21 Reading, PA
Sept. 22 Richmond, VA
Sept. 24 Charlotte, NC
Sept. 25 North Myrtle Beach, SC
Sept. 28 Jacksonville, FL
Sept. 29 Nashville
Sept. 30 New Orleans
Oct. 4 Tucson
Saturday, July 28, 2007 – With Paul Stanley suddenly ill due to heart concerns, KISS performed as a trio for the first time ever Friday.
At the Soboba Casino in San Jacinto, Cal., last stop of the band’s 2007 ‘Hit & Run’ mini Tour, immediately following the band’s sound check, Stanley suddenly fell ill, with what was later determined to be a “cardiac event," according to the band's web site.
Stanley wrote on his web site, "My heart spontaneously jumped to 190 plus beats per minute where it stayed for over an hour necessitating paramedics to start an IV and give me a shot to momentarily stop my heart and get it into a normal pattern. Not knowing if this episode was life threatening made it even more exhausting. After consulting with both the paramedics and a cardiologist at Cedar Sinai, they confirmed my worst fear. They said that I would put myself at risk if I tried to do the show."
The KISS site said, "there was talk that the show would need to be canceled. It was Paul himself, who insisted that the band play the show without him. Paul was concerned that fans had traveled long distances and because of the band's individual schedules the show could not be rescheduled.
KISS Manager Doc McGhee then took the stage to announce to the crowd that Stanley was ill and unable to perform, but that KISS' Gene Simmons wanted to speak with the fans. He asked the audience if they wanted KISS - Tommy Thayer, Eric Singer and Simmons - to perform. With the crowd wanting the band to play on, Simmons announced that the concert was a tribute to “The Greatest Voice in Rock and Roll - Rock God Paul Stanley."
"The set list evolved as the night progressed and KISS blasted their way into the hot night air - valiantly trying to hold it together minus the band’s heart & soul," their web site said. "In an emotionally charged moment, Gene told the crowd that he was an only child, but nevertheless had a brother – Paul Stanley! ‘Christine Sixteen' brought 11 invited fans onto the stage to help perform the song."
Stanley's condition was unknown.
Tuesday, July 17, 2007 – Athlete will release, “Beyond The Neighourhood,” the follow-up to their British number one double platinum album, “Tourist,” Sept. 25 on Astralwerks.
The quartet (Joel Pott, Carey Willetts, Tim Wanstall and Stephen Roberts) started recording “Beyond The Neighourhood” in the summer of 2006 in their new studio in South London after a year and half that included months of worldwide touring for their own U.S. headlining tours, support slots for U2 in the UK and Europe and Snow Patrol in the U.S. and winning the UK’s prestigious Ivor Novello songwriting award for “Best Contemporary Song” for their track “Wires.”
For the first time, Athlete, self-produced the new disc.
Songs are:
1. In Between 2 States
2. Hurricane
3. Tokyo
4. Airport Disco
5. It's Not Your Fault
6. The Outsiders
7. Flying Over Bus- Stops
8. Second Hand Stores
9. In The Library
10. Best Not To Think About
11. This Is What I Sound Like
Monday, July 16, 2007 – Serj Tankian, frontman for System Of A Down, is currently in the studio mixing his debut solo album, "Elect The Dead," which will be released on Serjical Strike/Reprise Records this fall.
Known for his work with hard-rocking SOAD, Tankian said he had no clue he was about to make a rock record when he began to record at his home studio in Los Angeles last summer. "I was writing more traditional type songs on my piano and acoustic guitar, with a classical, almost operatic flavor; and lo and behold, it ended up being a rock record. Funny what happens when you add distorted guitars and drums," he said. "There are political songs, funny songs, love songs, songs about painful experiences, vanity, and the environment. It has a deep melancholy that runs from the personal to the global, with a glimmer of hope in the solidarity of spirit."
Tankian produced "Elect The Dead" himself and played most of the instruments, though the album does feature guest drummers John Dolmayan (SOAD) and Brian "Brain" Mantia (Guns n' Roses, Primus).
"The singularity of vision is strong when you work alone," he said. "I was a bit skeptical about producing it myself, but I knew how I wanted it to sound. And as I kept going, I realized it was coming together really well so I just finished it on my own. But I had to be careful to push myself like an outside producer would until it was great. I had the same energy and enthusiasm making this album as I did making the first System record."
Thursday, July 12, 2007 – "Every Second Counts," the new album from Plain White T’s, was certified gold by the RIAA for sales in excess of 500,000 units. This is Plain White T’s first gold album.
The success of the CD was fueled by the hit single “Hey There Delilah,” which hit number one on the iTunes “Top Songs Chart” selling more than 1 million digital copies. The song currerntly is on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart.
The band is comprised of vocalist Tom Higgenson, guitarists Dave Tirio and Tim Lopez, bassist Mike Retondo and drummer De’Mar Hamilton.
Plain White T’s is currently touring the U.S. through August. The band will continue on for their second tour of England and will return for a fall tour with Fall Out Boy and Gym Class Heroes starting in October.
Tuesday, July 10, 2007 – Jimmy Eat World will do a run of summer tour dates to road test some new material. The Arizona quartet is currently completing work on its follow up to the gold-certified "Futures," which sold more than 600,000 copies in the U.S. since its October 2004 release.
After the U.S. tour, which starts July 18 in New Mexico, the band ventures to South Africa, where they have 3 festival shows scheduled and Europe.
Tour dates are:
July 18 - Albuquerque NM - Sunshine Theatre
July 19 - Denver - Gothic Theatre (16+)
July 20 - Lawrence KS - Granada Theatre
July 21 - Omaha NB - Slowdown
July 23 - Minneapolis - Fineline Music Café
July 24 - Milwaukee WI - Pabst Theatre
July 25 - Chicago - Park West
July 27 - Newport KY - Southgate House (Light Bright Festival, 18+)
July 28 - Knoxville TN - Bijou Theatre
July 30 - Austin - Emo's Alternative
July 31 - Dallas - Granada Theatre
August 3 - Mesa AZ - Mesa Arts Center
August 9 - Northam, South Africa
August 10 - Johannesburg, South Africa
August 11 - Cape Town, South Africa
August 16 - Frequency Festival, Austria
August 17 - Gampel Festival, Switzerland
August 18 - Lowlands Festival, Holland
August 19 - Highfield Festival, Germany
August 21 - Stollwerk - Cologne, Germany
August 24 - Reading Festival, UK
August 25 - Leeds Festival, UK
Tuesday, July 3, 2007 – Saxophone player Boots Randolph, best known for his 1963 hit "Yakety Sax," died this afternoon after suffering a brain hemorrhage in June. He was 80.
Randolph, born Homer Louis Randolph III on June 3, 1927 in Paducah, Ky., performed in many different musical styles, including pop music, rock music, jazz and country. He played on several albums with Elvis Presley and also performed on soundtracks for Presley's movies.
Randolph recorded for Monument Records in Nashville. Among the songs he played on was Roy Orbison's "Oh, Pretty Woman," "Turn On Your Lovelight" by Jerry Lee Lewis and "Rockin' 'Round The Christmas Tree" by Brenda Lee.
Tuesday, July 3, 2007 – Following last night's concert at the Wolf Trap in Vienna, Va., Morrissey was forced to postpone his Baltimore show tonight along with two New Jersey shows later this week.
"Morrissey is still suffering from the viral infection that caused the postponement of several shows last week, and it took it's toll on his voice tonight," his publicist said. "He made it through the show, but by the end it was clear that he was in no position to sing again (Tuesday)."
"The doctor confirmed that Morrissey was still suffering from a viral infection that had caused the postponement of several shows last week and that his throat had not healed. As a result, he has ordered that Morrissey not sing again before the 7th of July at the earliest."
The result is scheduled concerts in Atlantic City at The Borgata on July 5 and Holmdel, N.J. July 6 were postponed.
Morrissey cut his Boston show last week seven songs into it and had to postpone several other subsequent shows. The tour is expected to resume Saturday in Boston as a make-up concert.
Monday, July 2, 2007 – Not only does Reba McEntire have a duet partner in Kelly Clarkson - she is also managing the singer. Clarkson announced Monday thst she had left The Firm to sign on with Starstruck, the Nashville-based company run by McEntire's husband.
The decision comes less than one week after Clarkson released her third disc, "My December," over which she had disagreements with label head Clive Davis over the direction of the music.
Narvel Blackstock, CEO of Starstruck Entertainment, will serve as Clarkson's personal manager. Trisha McClanahan, Starstruck VP of Marketing, will assist with day-to-day operations. "Kelly is an incredible talent with an unlimited future. We are thrilled to be working with her," Blackstock said.
Clarkson sings with McEntire on the country singer's new single "Because of You," which will appear on McEntire's next disc, out this fall.
Clarkson's career was launched in 2002 when she won the first season of American Idol. She has since released 2 very successful albums, with sales of more than 15 million worldwide. Her multiple accolades include two Grammy Awards, 12 Billboard Awards, four ASCAP Pop Music Awards and three MTV Video Music Awards. Her current album, "My December," was released June 26th.
Nashville based Starstruck Entertainment was founded by Blackstock in 1988 as a full service entertainment conglomerate. Additional management clients are Reba McEntire and Blake Shelton.
Monday, July 2, 2007 – Following the postponement due to illness of several shows last week, Morrissey's U.S. tour will resume tonight at the Wolf Trap in Vienna, Va. Morrissey was suffering with a viral infection that brought his show in Boston to a halt after 7 songs last Tuesday, June 26. Fans booed at the announcement that the concert was off.
Following doctor's orders not to sing for five days forced the postponement of shows in Northampton, Mass., Philadelphia and New York's Madison Square Garden.
The Boston show was rescheduled for this Saturday, July 7. All tickets from the original date will be honored.
Morrissey's publicist said she hoped that rescheduled dates for New York, Philadelphia and Northampton will be announced in the next 24 hours.
Wednesday, June 27, 2007 – Morrissey ended his show at Boston's Bank Of America Pavillion last night after 30 minutes due to a throat infection that made it impossible for him to continue, according to his publicist.
The audience of almost 5,000 heard 7 numbers that included "The Queen Is Dead" and "The Last Of The Famous International Playboys." In the intro to "National Front Disco," Morrissey said he was ill and said "unfortunately it will not just be the emotions cracking tonight, but my voice as well."
Three songs later, he was unable to continue, and the show came to a close. Morrissey was seen by a doctor immediately and put under strict orders not to sing for three days.
As a result, the shows in Northampton, Mass tonight and Philadelphia on Friday night have also been postponed. New dates may be announced for each city in the next 48 hours. All tickets will be honored for the new dates. The tour will continue in New York at Madison Square Garden on Saturday night as scheduled.
Monday, June 25, 2007 – Live Earth organizers announced Lenny Kravitz and Pharrell Williams will be amng the artists at the Rio de Janeiro, Brazil leg of the 7-continent, 24-hour Live Earth concerts on July 7 intended to raise awareness of global warming. Brazil is the only country hosting a Live Earth concert that is entirely free and open to the public, and producers expect the concert being staged on the famed Copacabana Beach will draw over a million people.
Live Earth Rio de Janeiro also will feature the following acts live on stage: Macy Gray, Xuxa, O Rappa, Marcelo D2, Jorge Ben Jor, Jota Quest, Vanessa da Matta and MV Bill.
The 24-hour Live Earth concert series will begin in Sydney, Australia and continue across all 7 continents with events in Tokyo; Shanghai, China; Johannesburg, South Africa; Hamburg, Germany; London; and Rio de Janeiro, before concluding at New Jersey’s Giants Stadium
Friday, June 22, 2007 – The Cure unveiled plans for a U.S. headlining tour this fall kicking off September 13th in Tampa, Fla. The band gear up for their trip to the U.S. as they put the final touches to their 13th studio record and first album of new music since 2004’s self titled release. The new album, as yet untitled, has been recorded in the U.K. with Robert Smith producing, and will be released on Suretone/Geffen Records this fall.
Led as always by lead singer/guitarist Robert Smith, the Cure line-up comprises longtime members bass player Simon Gallup, drummer Jason Cooper and, back in the band for a third time, guitarist Porl Thompson.
The Cure first formed in southern England in 1976 as Easy Cure. In 1978, the 'Easy' was dropped, and The Cure was signed to the Fiction label. In May 1979, their debut album “Three Imaginary Boys” was released.
The opening act on the tour will be 65 Days Of Static.
Tour dates are:
Sept. 13 Tampa, FL St. Pete Times Forum
Sept. 15 Atlanta Gwinnett Center
Sept. 17 Charlotte, NC Charlotte Bobcats Arena
Sept. 19 Washington DC Patriot Center
Sept. 21 Philadelphia Wachovia Spectrum
Sept. 23 New York Madison Square Garden
Sept. 25 Boston Agganis Arena
Sept. 26 Montreal, QC Bell Centre
Sept. 27 Toronto, ON Air Canada Centre
Sept. 29 Chicago Allstate Arena
Oct.02 Denver Red Rocks Amphitheatre
Oct.04 Salt Lake City, UT E Center
Oct.06 San Francisco Shoreline Amphitheatre - Download Festival
Oct.08 Seattle Key Arena
Oct.09 Vancouver, BC General Motors Place
Oct.11 Santa Barbara, CA Santa Barbara Bowl
Oct.13 San Diego Cox Arena
Oct.14 Los Angeles Hollywood Bowl
Oct.16 Houston Toyota Center
Oct.17 Dallas American Airlines Center
Tuesday, June 19, 2007 – Hilary Duff announced her U.S. tour dates this morning with an Aug. 6 date in Seattle kicking off the concerts.
Duff will be touring in support of her recent disc, "For Love." Her new single, "Stranger," is climbing the charts.
Pre-sale tickets are available starting today through Duff's fan club at www.hilaryduff.com, and tomorrow through Target. Tickets to the general public go on sale June 23. More dates will be announced shortly. The dates are as follows:
Aug. 6 Everett Events Center Everett, WA
Aug. 7 Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall Portland, OR
Aug. 11 Sleep Train Pavilion at Concord Concord, CA
Aug. 12 Rabobank Theater Fresno, CA
Aug. 14 Bayside Concerts at the Embarcadero San Diego
Aug. 15 Gibson Amphitheater Universal City, CA
Aug. 18 The Pearl Concert Theater Las Vegas
Aug. 19 Dodge Theater Phoenix
Aug. 21 Coors Amphitheater Englewood, CO
Aug. 23 US Bank Theater at Target Center Minneapolis,
Aug. 24 Charter One Pavilion Chicago
Aug. 25 Louisville Palace Theater Louisville
Aug. 27 Radio City Music Hall New York
Aug. 29 New York State Fair Syracuse, NY
Aug. 31 The Great Allentown Fair Allentown,
Sept. 1 Darien Lake Performing Arts Center Darien Lake, NY
Wednesday, June 13, 2007 – In an historic effort to mobilize activism around the human rights atrocities occurring in Darfur, Sudan, more than 50 international recording artists and over 30 record labels united behind "Instant Karma: The Amnesty International Campaign to Save Darfur," which was out June 12 on Warner.
The collection features songs by John Lennon. The two-CD set boasts a line-up of 23 artists from the worlds of rock, pop, hip-hop and country—include longtime activists U2, Green Day, R.E.M., and Jackson Browne; female pop powerhouses Christina Aguilera, Avril Lavigne, and Corinne Bailey Rae; country stars Big & Rich; alternative favorites Snow Patrol, The Flaming Lips, Postal Service and Regina Spektor; best-selling rockers Aerosmith, Lenny Kravitz and Los Lonely Boys; and pensive singer-songwriters Jakob Dylan with Dhani Harrison and Ben Harper.
Tuesday, June 12, 2007 – The Beastie Boys announced a first set of U.S. dates has been announced in addition to their 2007 Sasquatch Festival. The touring coimese on the heels of "The Mix Up," the Beasties new CD, due June 26 on Capitol.
Dates are:
Aug. 1 Philadelphia - Festival Pier
Aug. 6 Boston - Bank of America Pavilion
Aug. 8 New York - Summerstage
Aug. 9 Brooklyn - McCarren Pool
Aug. 16 Denver - Red Rocks
Aug. 23 Santa Barbara, Cal. - County Bowl
Aug. 25 Berkeley, Cal. - Greek Theater
Additional, more intimate dates showcasing the band configuration featured on The Mix-Up will be announced shortly. Pre-sales for the above dates begin Thursday June 14th, with on-sales following Friday June 15th and Saturday June 16th.
Tuesday, May 29, 2007 – Irish rock quartet The Frames were personally invited to open for Bob Dylan this August during his tour of Australia and New Zealand. The Frames – driven by frontman Glen Hansard – continue to support their second Anti- album, "The Cost," which was released this past February.
Hansard is also currently celebrating the success of "Once," the Sundance-championed film in which he stars alongside Marketa Irglova, a young Czech musician he collaborates with. First picked by filmmaker and one-time Frames bassist John Carney to lend his songwriting skills to the project, the director later realized that Hansard would be a better fit than the more polished actors he was considering. The film was released in the U.S. in May.
Friday, May 18, 2007 – Evanescence added two new members Friday, both from the band Dark New Day. Drummer Will Hunt and guitarist Troy McLawhorn joined the band this week. "I am a big fan of Dark New Day and can't wait for the fans to see what the guys bring to our live show," says front woman Amy Lee.
Hunt and McLawhorn replaced Rocky Gray and John LeCompt.
Evanescence will debut its new formation on Saturday, May 19th at Columbus' sold out Rock On the Range Festival, along with ZZ Top, Hinder, Velvet Revolver and Buckcherry. Following this performance, Evanescence will perform at WMMR BQ FESTIVAL (Philadelphia) on Sunday, May 20th at Camden's Tweeter Center, along with Velvet Revolver, Buckcherry and Chevelle.
The group will then embark on a one-month European tour making stops in Belgium, France and Russia at select festivals and headline dates. Beginning July 20th in St. Louis, Missouri, Evanescence will co-headline the U.S. leg of The Family Values Tour with Korn.
Thursday, May 17, 2007 – Inspired by the upcoming July 7th Live Earth series of concerts, Madonna penned a new song, "Hey You," which became available Wednesday as an MP3 format download. The first million downloads of "Hey You" will be free as Microsoft has pledged to donate a quarter per download to the Alliance for Climate Protection for the first million downloads.
Madonna is scheduled to perform "Hey You" live at the Wembley Stadium Live Earth concert in London, it was confirmed by her record label, Warner Bros. Records, who have also announced that they will be releasing a live CD/DVD of the Live Earth Concert Series.
Madonna's song, "Hey You," recorded in London, was produced by Pharrell Williams and Madonna. She is one of 17 headliners that have been announced including Red Hot Chili Peppers, Genesis, Beastie Boys and others who will perform at Wembley as part of the 24-hour, 7-continent Live Earth Concert Series.
Tuesday, May 15, 2007 – Sixteen years after Dinosaur Jr. broke up in 1989, the trio luanched a solo tour, which now will become a DVD.in their first ever DVD release. "Dinosaur Jr.: Live In the Middle East" (Image Entertainment drops May 29, filmed largely at Cambridge, Mass.' Middle East, New York’s legendary Irving Plaza and at other shows along the band’s December 2005 tour.
The DVD features performance footage of 18 Dinosaur Jr. songs originally recorded on their classic first albums: "Dinosaur," "You’re Living All Over Me" and "Bug." The DVD also offers the band’s 2005 interview at the WXPN’s World Café studios, and interview appearances by Kim Gordon, Thurston Moore, Mike Watt, Matt Dillon and others. The DVD was directed by Gold In Berlin, which is run by Mascis' brother in-law, German filmmaker Phillip Virus.
Dinosaur Jr. currently is on the road with the following tour dates:
May 15-16 Slim’s San Francisco
May 17 Crystal Ballroom Portland OR
May 18 The Showbox Seattle
May 19 Capitol Theatre Olympia WA
May 20 The Nightlight Bellingham WA
May 22 Sugar Nightclub Victoria BC
May 23 Commodore Ballroom Victoria BC
May 25 Macewan Ballroom Calgary AB
May 26 Starlite Room Edmonton AB
May 27 Odeon Events Center Saskatoon SK
May 28 Garrick Centre at the Marlborough Winnipeg MB
May 29-30 Triple Rock Minneapolis MN
May 31-June 2 The Abbey Chicago
June 3-04 Blind Pig Ann Arbor MI
June 6-07 Irving Plaza New York
June 8 Phoenix Concert Center Toronto ON
June 9 Club Soda Montreal PQ
June 10 Higher Ground Burlington VT
June 11 Harvard Square Cambridge MA
June 15 Aggie Theater Fort Collins CO
June 16 Westword Music Showcase Denver
June 17 Belly Up Aspen CO
June 26 Scala Lndon, England
June 27 Paradiso Amsterdam Netherlands
June 28 Fri-Son Friborg Switzerland
June 29 Olympic Stadium Munich Germany
June 30 Postbahnhof Berlin Germany
July 1 AOL Arena Hamberg Germany
July 20 Ibecassim Festival Valencia Spain
Aug. 11 Summersonic festival Tokoyo & Osaka Japan
Aug. 25 Reading Festival Reading JK
Aug. 26 Leeds Festival Leeds UK
Wednesday, May 9, 2007 – Duo CocoRosie is cancelling its tour, according to the Touch and Go Records web site. "Due to extraneous circumstances, CocoRosie had to cancel the remaining dates on their North American tour," the web site said. "The band will still perform at Winter Garden in New York on May 19, and their European tour will continue as scheduled."
The band's myspace.com page said, "we are so sorry to announce that we cannot play the rest of the us tour dates. The band got arrested, thats all i can say. We love you all." It was not clear what charges were brought against CocoRosie.
No further information was available. The group recently released "The Adventures of Ghosthorse and Stillborn."
Tuesday, May 8, 2007 – Singers and songwriters, Glen Phillips (formerly of Toad The Wet Sprocket), Grant-Lee Phillips (formerly of Grant Lee Buffalo), The Watkins Family (Sean and Sara Watkins of Nickel Creek) and singer/fiddler Luke Bulla will tour together in June, playing an eclectic batch of songs from their varied album catalogs.
Kicking off June 5, the all-acoustic tour, dubbed “Various & Sundry,” sprang from a collective friendship and rapport rooted in their home base of Southern California. The idea was hatched earlier this year, when Glen Phillips invited his musical friends to join him onstage as special guests in Santa Barbara.
“It's a refreshing experience to get together with a bunch of people who respect each other and just play music for the pure joy of it,” says Phillips. “We all started doing this because we loved hanging out with friends and making noise, and it's a good thing to get back to that purity.” In the past, Glen Phillips and Nickel Creek have recorded and performed together as Mutual Admiration Society.
"I've known each of these guys for a while now,” said Sarah Watkins, "and I'm grateful for this tour because it gives us an opportunity to learn and arrange one another's songs. And its so much fun to sing with all of them!"
“This is a really great group of musicians and Sara and I are so proud to be a part of it,” said Sean Watkins. “There is a lot of musical synergy between all of us and we're really excited to take that on the road.”
Recently settling in Southern California, by way of Nashville, is Bulla, a winner of the Grand Master Fiddler Championship.
Tour dates are as follows:
June 5 - Santa Barbara, CA at Soho
June 6 - Solana Beach, CA a Belly Up Tavern
June 7 - Santa Ana, CA at Galaxy Concert Theater
June 8 - West Hollywood, CA at The Roxy
June 9 - San Francisco at Bimbo's 365 Club
June 10 - Sacramento, CA at Crest Theater
June 12 - Petaluma, CA at Mystic Theatre
June 13 - Tuolumne, CA at Black Oak Casino
June 14 - Portland, Ore, at Aladdin Theater
June 15 - Spokane, WA at The Big Easy Concert
June 16 - Bellingham, WA at The Nightlight
June 17 - Seattle, at Nordstrom Hall
Tuesday, May 8, 2007 – The 50th Annual Grammy Awards will be held at Los Angeles' Staples Center on Sunday, Feb. 10, 2008. Neil Portnow, President of The Recording Academy, was joined by 27-time Grammy winner and 50th Celebration Ambassador Quincy Jones and multi-platinum recording artist and Grammy winner Joss Stone.
Jones, who was one of the founding members of The Recording Academy, which hosts the Grammys, and Stone helped unveil the official artwork and announce a slate of activities for music fans and the music industry including the Grammy Museum, a retrospective illustrated coffee table book and the Grammy Brand fashion line.
"For some it's a milestone — but we're just getting started," said Portnow. "Over the past 50 years, the Grammy Awards has become the world's most famous music telecast and the highest honor bestowed upon music makers. The Grammy Awards continue to push the envelope for never-before-seen live musical performances from new and established artists across all genres while The Recording Academy continues to focus on its mission of recognizing musical excellence, advocating for the well-being of music makers and ensuring music remains an indelible part of our culture."
As part of its 50th Celebration activities, The Recording Academy has named Jones its official ambassador. A member of The Academy for more than 40 years and a member of the Grammy Foundation's Board of Directors since 1992, Jones will participate in various hallmark cultural and educational events spotlighting music and the arts over the next year and a half as The Academy celebrates its 50-year history with an eye toward the future.
"I am so proud to be one of the founding members of this organization that now represents 18,000 music makers," said Jones. "I am honored to be an ambassador as The Recording Academy celebrates its influential 50-year history with a celebration of events and activities for music fans and music makers, all while keeping the importance of music education and preservation at the forefront of its efforts."
A 30,000 square-foot museum will be built, exploring all forms of music, the creative process, the art and technology of the recording process, and the history of the premier recognition of excellence in recorded music. The Museum will be housed in AEG's L.A. Live entertainment complex (across the street from Staples Center) and is scheduled to open in September 2008.
Monday, May 7, 2007 – After eight years, Squeeze is reuniting for a summer tour. The band is known for such hits as “Tempted,” “Hourglas,” and “Goodbye Girl.”
The 11-date Quintessential tour will see Squeeze play a selection of their greatest hits, starting at the Cape Cod Melody Tent in Hyannis, Mass., on July 31. Dates in New York, Los Angeles, Boston, and Atlantic City follow, before the final show at the Mountain Winery in Saratoga, Cal., two weeks later. A tour of their homeland follows later in the year.
Due for release in the U.K. only at present is “Essential Squeeze,” a collection of 16 of the band’s best-loved songs, plus 2 previously unreleased songs, followed by reissues of their entire catalogue. A DVD of the same name has also been released, containing the band’s promotional videos and a full live show from 1982.
Squeeze’s songwriting team of Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook were considered top shelf songwriters upon the release of the group’s classic 1981 album, “East Side Story.” The following year, they headlined Madison Square Garden, but split within months, suffering from exhaustion. After a 3-year break, Squeeze returned, touring relentlessly to rapturous crowds over the next 14 years and releasing 7 studio albums.
Throughout Squeeze’s second incarnation, the band’s lineup was fluid, with Difford and Tilbrook the only two constant members — reflecting their role as the band’s songwriters and front men. In common with many classic writing partnerships, the Difford-Tilbrook duopoly was fraught with tension, and their fractious relationship disintegrated — seemingly forever — in 1999. The pair’s collaboration on Jim Drury’s 2004 biography, Squeeze Song By Song, was their first tentative step towards rekindling their partnership, the book proving a cathartic experience for both men.
Difford and Tilbrook both released solo albums. Both musicians are currently recording new albums for release this year.
Joining Difford and Tilbrook onstage will be John Bentley, Squeeze’s bass player from 1978 until 1982, along with two long-time collaborators of Tilbrook — Stephen ‘Lord’ Large on keyboards and Simon Hanson on drums.
Tour dates are:
July 31 Cape Code Melody Tent Hyannis, MA
Aug. 1 Bank of America Pavilion Boston
Aug. 3 Beacon Theatre New York
Aug. 4 Borgata Music Box Atlantic City, NJ
Aug. 6 Starlight Ballroom Sayreville, NJ
Aug. 7 North Fork Theatre at Westbury Westbury, NY
Aug. 8 Pier Six Concert Pavilion Baltimore
Aug. 9 Wolf Trap Filene Center Vienna, VA
Aug. 11 Concerts in the Park Alpine, CA
Aug. 12 The Grove of Anaheim Anaheim, CA
Aug. 13 Greek Theatre Los Angeles
Aug. 14 The Mountain Winery Saratoga, CA
Monday, May 7, 2007 – Blues harmonica master Carey Bell died Sunday of heart failure in his hometown of Chicago at 70. Bell – the 1998 winner of the Blues Music Award for Traditional Male Artist Of The Year – was a veteran of both Muddy Waters’ and Willie Dixon’s bands as well as an award-winning solo artist and a guest artist on many blues recordings.
Bell learned his craft by studying directly under his teachers Big Walter Horton, Little Walter Jacobs and Sonny Boy Williamson II. It didn't take long for Bell to develop his signature "chopped" harmonica phrasing and deep-blues style.
Carey Bell Harrington was born in Macon, Miss. on Nov. 14, 1936. A fan of Louis Jordan, Bell originally wanted a saxophone, but economic realities forced his grandfather to buy him a harmonica instead. He taught himself to play by the time he was 8, and began playing professionally with his godfather, pianist Lovie Lee, when he was 13. In 1956, Lee convinced Bell that Chicago was the place to be for aspiring bluesmen, and on Sept. 12, 1956, they arrived. Almost immediately, Bell went to see Little Walter perform at the Club Zanzibar. The two became friends and Walter delighted in showing the youngster some of his tricks. Bell went on to meet and learn from Sonny Boy Williamson II, but it was Horton who really inspired him and became his mentor.
By the late 1950s and early 1960s, the gigs were drying up for harp players as the electric guitar began to take over as the predominant instrument of Chicago blues. Bell decided to increase his worth by becoming a bass player (learning the ropes from Hound Dog Taylor). He quickly mastered the instrument and began getting gigs as a bassist with Honeyboy Edwards, Johnny Young, Eddie Taylor, Earl Hooker and Big Walter. While playing bass in Big Walter's band, Bell studied every harp trick in the book first-hand from one of the all-time great harmonica players.
Bell, back on harp full-time, recorded behind Earl Hooker in 1968 for Arhoolie. By 1969, Bell was fronting his own band. His friend, harmonica player Charlie Musselwhite brought him over to Bob Koester at Delmark Records in 1969, who promptly signed Bell and recorded "Carey Bell's Blues Harp."
Bell spent 1971 traveling and recording with Muddy Waters (he can be heard on Muddy's "The London Sessions" and "Unk in Funk" albums on Chess). Willie Dixon chose Bell for the featured role in his Chicago Blues All-Stars, with whom Bell worked regularly throughout the 1970s, both touring and recording.
In 1972, he teamed up with Big Walter and recorded what was to be Alligator Records’ second-ever release, "Big Walter Horton with Carey bell." In 1973, he made a solo album, "Last Night," for ABC Bluesway and was featured in 1978 on Alligator’s Grammy-nominated "Living Chicago Blues" series (both with his own band and playing behind Lovie Lee).
By the 1980s, Bell recorded albums as a leader and as a sideman for a variety of labels both in the U.S. and Europe, and was constantly playing live. In 1990, Bell, along with fellow harpslingers Junior Wells, James Cotton and Billy Branch, got together and recorded the Blues Music Award-winning Alligator album, "Harp Attack!"
In 1995, Bell's very first full-length solo album on Alligator, "Deep Down," secured his reputation as a modern blues player. His follow-ups, 1997’s "Good Lucky Man" (which received a Blues Music Award for Traditional Album of the Year), and 2004’s "Second Nature" (an acoustic album recorded with his guitarist/vocalist son Lurrie Bell), pushed the blues farther out with Bell’s deep grooves and contemporary sounds. Most recently, in 2007, Delmark Records released "Gettin' Up Live," a CD/DVD featuring Bell once again performing with his son Lurrie.
Wednesday, May 2, 2007 – My Chemical Romance and support act Muse cancelled several tour dates due to MCR band and crew members and members of Muse's crew being struck with "serious food poisoning," according to a press release.
The nationwide tour, supporting My Chemical Romance's platinum album "The Black Parade" and Muse's album, "Black Holes and Revelations," was brought to a standstill on Sunday when several unspecified members of MCR's band and crew and Muse's crew became "violently ill" after the show at William and Mary College in Williamsburg, Va., according to a press release from the label.
With multiple people scattered in hospitals between State College, Pa. and Columbus, Ohio, the bands were forced to cancel Sunday night's show at the Bryce Jordan Center in State College and postpone the show in Columbus from last night to tonight, provided everyone has recovered. The show originally scheduled for tomorrow night at the Petersen Events Center in Pittsburgh was cancelled.
"My Chemical Romance and Muse would like their fans to know that they hope to resume the tour as soon as possible," the release said. Tickets for the April 29th Bryce Jordan and May 2nd Pittsburgh shows will be refunded at point of purchase and My Chemical Romance hope to make it back there before the end of the year.
Monday, April 30, 2007 – Paul McCartney will release the first album under his agreement with Starbucks, “Memory Almost Full,” June 5. The music on his 21st solo album was 4 years in the making for the former Beatle.
”I actually started this album…before my last album ‘Chaos And Creation In The Backyard’ (released September 2005),” McCartney said in a statement. The first recording session was in the autumn of 2003 at Abbey Road with his touring band and producer David Kahne.
”I was right in the middle of it when I began talking with Nigel Godrich about a brand new project (which became ‘Chaos And Creation In The Backyard’),” McCartney said.
”When I was just finishing up everything concerned with Chaos and had just got the Grammy nominations (2006), I realised I had this album to go back to and finish off. So I got it out to listen to it again, wondering if I would enjoy it, but actually I really loved it. All I did at first was just listen to a couple of things, and then I began to think, ‘Ok, I like that track – now, what is wrong with it?’ And it might be something like a drum sound, so then I would re-drum and see where we would get to.”
”I took it from there and built it up. I went through, track by track, making changes as I went along. I fixed things I wasn’t too keen on and it just evolved from there. Without me knowing, or really trying, it started to get its own theme, a sort of thread that holds it all together. So I suppose it’s about half new stuff and half old stuff from 2003.”
”In places it’s a very personal record and a lot of it is retrospective, drawing from memory, like memories from being a kid, from Liverpool and from summers gone. The album is evocative, emotional, rocking, but I can’t really sum it up in one sentence.”
McCartney said a five-song melody near the end ofe the CD was “was purposefully retrospective. I thought this might be because I’m at this point in my life, but then I think about the times I was writing with John and a lot of that was also looking back. It’s like me with ‘Penny Lane’ and ‘Eleanor Rigby’ - I’m still up to the same tricks.”
”I know people are going to look at some of the songs and interpret them in different ways, but this has always been the case. The thing is that I love writing songs, so I just write and write. I never really get to a point where I start thinking I’m going to write about specific subjects. Inevitably though, what I am thinking is going to find its way into what I’m doing.”
The opening track is ‘Dance Tonight’. “I recently got myself a mandolin, and I was just playing about with it and came up with the basis of this track.” McCartney did a video several weeks ago directed by Michel Gondry (“Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind”) and starring Natalie Portman and Mackenzie Crook.
”The album title came after I had finished everything. For me, that’s when they normally come, with the exception of maybe Sgt. Peppers, otherwise I don’t think I have ever made an album with The Beatles, Wings or solo where I have thought of a title and a concept. I was thinking about what would sum the whole thing up and ‘Memory Almost Full’ sprung to mind. It’s a phrase that seemed to embrace modern life; in modern life our brains can get a bit overloaded. I realised I had also seen it come up on my phone a few times. When I started bouncing the idea round with some friends they nearly all got different meanings out of it, but they all said they loved it. So the feedback helped solidify the title.”
”I really enjoyed making this album with David Kahne and I’m proud of all the songs. We had a great time. I hope that the fun we had will communicate itself to the people who are going to listen to it.”
There was no word on whether McCartney would tour behind the CD.
Album tracks are:
1. Dance Tonight
2. Ever Present Past
3. See Your Sunshine
4. Only Mama Knows
5. You Tell Me
6. Mister Bellamy
7. Gratitude
8. Vintage Clothes
9. That Was Me
10. Feet In The Clouds
11. House Of Wax
12. End of the End
13. Nod Your Head
McCartney played all instruments except longtime band member Paul 'Wix' Wickens - keyboards; Rusty Anderson - guitar; Brian Ray - bass guitar and Abe Laboriel Jr. - drums; played on Only Mamma Knows, You Tell Me, Vintage Clothes, That Was Me, Feet In The Cloud, and House of Wax.
Tuesday, April 24, 2007 – Corbin Bleu, star of Disney Channel’s "Jump In!" and "High School Musical" is set to release his debut album, "Another Side," on May 1 on Disney’s Hollywood Records. A bonus DVD will be available on the initial shipment featuring the video for “Push It To The Limit,” live performances from the sold out High School Musical: The Concert of “Push It To The Limit” and “Marchin’,” and a personal interview with Bleu.
The album is an “R&B Pop album,” said Bleu, and will “show another side of me, singing in many genres.” Corbin co-wrote five of the songs. “I’ve always dabbled on my piano, but I was never serious about it,” he said. “I am so excited to be doing this – this will be the first time people will hear just my voice."
Bleu's debuted the single “Push It To The Limit” on the soundtrack to "Jump In!" in which he starred. The 18-year-old toured last winter on the sold out “High School Musical: The Concert” tour. He will go to South America to perform in the show in May and tour this summer with Aly & AJ.
Monday, April 23, 2007 – The Click Five has unveiled the identity of their new lead singer set to appear on the group's forthcoming, sophomore release, "Modern Minds and Pastimes" and did not have to look very far. Twenty-year-old singer/guitarist Kyle Patrick joins fellow Berklee College of Music alumni guitarist Joe Guese, bassist Ethan Mentzer, keyboardist Ben Romans and drummer Joey Zehr on the group's new CD, which drops June 26. He replaces Eric Dill.
The disc was produced by Mike Denneen (Fountains of Wayne, Aimee Mann). The album's first single, "Jenny," is available for purchase on iTunes and going to radio now. The band is scheduled to shoot the companion video for "Jenny" in the coming weeks.
The Click Five will return to the road for a fan appreciation tour beginning in mid-May.
The group released their debut, "Greetings from Imrie House," in 2005. The album, which included collaborations with Fountains of Wayne's Adam Schlesinger, Kiss' Paul Stanley and The Cars' Elliot Easton, featured the singles, "Just The Girl" and "Catch Your Wave."
Friday, April 20, 2007 – Tim Armstrong started away his debut solo album, "A Poet's Life," for free on the internet Tuesday. Each Tuesday fans are encouraged to hunt down new songs and videos that will be made available for download on various blogs, sites and social networks. The album will also be available for sale on May 22nd with a bonus DVD containing 10 new videos.
“The idea behind this record was that I wanted people to have it for free as a thank-you to all of those who have supported me and Rancid over the years,” Armstrong said.
Backed by The Aggrolites, a reggae act from Armstrong’s own Hellcat stable, A "Poet’s Life" showcases the punk, reggae and ska that has infused Armstrong’s music from his earliest work with Operation Ivy to his most recent Rancid album. The debut features 10 tracks including the dance single “Into Action” and the upbeat “Hold On.”
Armstrong approached his solo debut in complete DIY fashion by recording and producing entirely by himself. The project began last summer when he decided that it was time to show his fans some love with a free album. The Rancid frontman wrote and released the first two songs “Hold On” and “Wake Up” on the internet for free that fall. Over the course of the next several months Armstrong recorded the remainder of his album all while creating new videos for each song.
The track listing is:
1. "Wake Up"
2. "Hold On"
3. "Into Action"
4. “Translator”
5. "Take This City"
6. "Inner City Violence"
7. "Oh No”
8. "Lady Demeter”
9. "Among The Dead”
10. "Cold Blooded"
Friday, April 13, 2007 – Guns 'N' Roses said Wednesday they had to postpone the start of their world tour, which was due to start in Japan, because bassist Tommy Stinson sprained his wrist after falling.
The Japanese concerts are being rescheduled. Guns N' Roses will be able to make their two scheduled performances headlining the MyCoke festivals in South Africa at the end of the month, according to the band's web site.
"I feel so bad right now," said Stinson. "I accidentally fell down a flight of stairs. I put my hand down to break my fall and heard a loud 'pop.' The next morning my hand looked like a balloon. I went to see my doctor, and while the good news is that it's not broken, the bad is news is it's severely sprained, and I may have done some ligament damage. We had our last rehearsal a few days ago and shipped the gear to Japan, and then this happened. I feel horrible."
"I'd like to apologize to our Japanese fans that were looking forward to seeing us and know that we will we see you all soon. Again, we'd like to sincerely thank our fans worldwide for their patience and support."
Guns 'N' Roses has been working on its "Chinese Democracy" album for many years with many release dates postponed.
Wednesday, April 11, 2007 – Juanes will call his forthcoming CD "La Vida Es Un Ratico" (“Life Is A Moment”), it was disclosed Wednesday. The follow-up to Juanes’ hit album "Mi Sangre," which has sold more than four 4 million units, "La Vida Es Un Ratico" is expected to be released by Universal Music Latino in September or October of this year.
This time recording in the artist’s home studio in the mountains outside his native Medellin, Colombia, Juanes is again co-producing the album with two-time Oscar winning producer Gustavo Santaolalla. Juanes has shared that the album taking shape “sounds very Colombian” – fusing his rock sounds with even more native Colombian rhythms of guasca, cumbia and vallenato plus broader Latin styles such as boleros and tangos. Continuing Juanes’ preference to only sing in Spanish, the album’s theme and title song were inspired by recent advice from the artist’s mother - "No se preocupe, mijo, que la vida es un ratico". Heeding these words of wisdom, the album will be a reminder that life can go by in the blink of an eye, so we should forgo more trivial worries and concentrate on our important personal relationships with family and loved ones and pursue lives of personal freedom and peace, according to his publicist
Friday, April 6, 2007 – Fall Out Boy said on its web site Friday that the "first few weeks" of the Honda Civic Tour were postponed "due to personal issues beyond the band’s control." The exact reason was not disclosed.
One show in Sacramento, Cal. had to be scrapped, while others will be rescheduled to the end of the tour. The tour starts May 11 in Denver.
Fall Out Boy bassist Pete Wentz says, "Just wanted to give everyone a heads up, we are planning on this being the biggest and best Fall Out Boy show that we could possibly have. Unfortunately, because of some personal issues we had to delay the tour a few weeks. We want to put on the best possible show we can and know that this extra couple of weeks will give us the time to put ourselves in the right place to put on the best show we can. The shows from the earlier part of the tour will be rescheduled to the end, but all tickets will be honored for all moved shows. Again we apologize. Our fans really mean the world to us, and I promise the wait will be well worth it."
The only show that could not be rescheduled due to routing conflicts is the Sacramento show. Ticket holders for the Sacramento show can refund their tickets and can also re-buy tickets for the Concord date at point of purchase. Refunds for all rescheduled shows will be given at point of purchase.
Wednesday, April 4, 2007 – Epitaph Records signed Gallows, touted by Kerrang magazine as “the world’s most exciting new band." Epitaph will release the band’s already completed album "Orchestra Of Wolves" with the addition of 3 exclusive bonus tracks for North America, on July 10. “Punk rock is back and its new name is Gallows,” says Epitaph president Brett Gurewitz. “This is the band we’ve all been waiting for.”
Comprised of Frank Carter (vocals), Steph Carter (guitar/vocals), Laurent Barnard (guitars/keys/vocals), Stuart Gili-Ross (bass) and Lee Barratt (drums), Gallows is from Watford, England where they formed in 2005. Gallows was inspired by early '80s hardcore bands like Minor Threat and Black Flag, '90s Swedish hardcore such as Refused, the metal riffs of Mastodon and the discordance of underground bands such as Swing Kids and JR Ewing.
Friday, March 30, 2007 – Bob Weir and RatDog and Keller Williams will tour together this summer, sharing a stage both separately and together. The tour will begin in Atlanta on July 7th and end in Los Angeles on July 28th.
Weir, a founding member of theGrateful Dead, founded RatDog as a duo in 1995, and over the succeeding years he has enlisted Jay Lane (drums), Jeff Chimenti (keyboards), Mark Karan (lead guitar), Kenny Brooks (saxophone), and Robin Sylvester (bass). RatDog plays not only Weir’s solo material and Dead songs.
Williams plays solo acoustic dance music. The two did a duet, “Cadillac,” on Williams’ recently released new album on SciFidelity, “Dream.” Recorded at Weir’s home studio, it also features an appearance from Weir family retriever Jackson.
Tour dates are:
July 7 Chastain Park Amphitheatre, Atlanta
July 9 Summerstage, Central Park, New York City
July 10 Bank of America Pavilion, Boston
July 11 Lincoln Park, Lincoln R.I .
July13 All Good Festival, Marvin’s Mountaintop WV
July 14 Charlottesville Pavilion, Charlottesville Va.
July 16 Tower City Amphitheater, Cleveland
July 17 Promowest Pavilion, Columbus, Ohio
July 19 Aragon Ballroom, Chicago
July 20 10,000 Lakes Festival, Detroit Lakes Minn.
July 21 Stir Cove at Harrah’s Casino, Council Bluffs Ia.A
July 24 Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Morrison Col.
July 25 Paolo Soleri Amphitheatre, Santa Fe, N.M.
July 27 Humphrey’s Concerts by the Bay, San Diego
July 28 Greek Theatre, Los Angeles
Tuesday, March 27, 2007 – Korn and Evanescence will co-headline Family Values Tour this summer. The bands will share the festival’s main stage with Atreyu, Flyleaf, HELLYEAH (featuring members of Pantera and Mudvayne), and Trivium.
The tour launches on July 16 in St. Louis. Concert producer Live Nation will once again be on board to bring fans the multi-city trek through North America and, for the second year in a row, the cheapest lawn ticket of the summer.
Korn, along with management company The Firm created and headlined the first Family Values Tour in 1998. Last year’s tour sold more than 400,000 tickets.
“The fans really made last year’s tour incredible, so we just had to do it again this year” says Korn front man Jonathan Davis. “We could not be more excited about this year’s lineup!”
”We are very psyched to see some of our favorite bands and getting all of our fans together for this amazing festival”, says Evanescence frontwoman Amy Lee.
Through Korn’s partnership with Live Nations 2006’s tour featured $9.99 lawn tickets and value-priced seating at every outdoor amphitheatre stop. This year’s tour will once again feature the cheapest lawn ticket of the summer.
“It’s important to us that we do all we can to have a great line-up and make this tour affordable,” says Davis. "Live music should be something that all of us should be able to share together. The success of last year’s tour proves we can make a difference. I believe it has already had an effect on a lot of other tours, and that's cool.”
The tour will hit the following cities (dates and venues to be announced): St. Louis, MO; Minneapolis; Chicago; Columbus, OH; Camden, NJ; Boston; Washington DC; Hartford, CT; Buffalo, NY; Detroit; Toronto, ON; Pittsburgh; Scranton, PA; East Rutherford, NJ; Indianapolis, IN; Atlanta; Orlando; Miami; Tampa; Dallas, TX; Houston; San Antonio; Oklahoma City, OK; Kansas City, MO; Denver; Albuquerque, NM; Phoenix; Bakersfield, CA; Sacramento, CA; San Francisco, CA; Irvine, CA
Monday, March 26, 2007 – Guerilla Union - presenters of the 2007 Rock the Bells hip-hop experiences this summer with headliners The Wu-Tang Clan and Rage Against The Machine will expand to 15 more cities with Nas a co-headliner. More artists were named to perform.
The shows are scheduled for July 28 at Randall's Island, New York; Aug. 11 at the NOS Events Center in San Bernardino, CA; and August 18 at McCovey Cove Parking Lot (near AT&T Park) in San Francisco. Rage will only appear at these dates.
Artists confirmed for exclusive live performances on three Rock the Bells summer shows include: Nas*, Cypress Hill, The Roots, Mos Def, EPMD, MF Doom*, Pharoahe Monch, FELT *, Sage Francis, Hieroglyphics*, Immortal Technique, Living Legends*, Blackalicious*, The Coup*, Murs*, Jedi Mind Tricks, Brother Ali*, Cage*, Mr. Lif*, Grouch & Eligh*, Hangar 18*, Blueprint* and Lucky I AM*, plus very special guests Public Enemy who celebrate their 20-year anniversary. DJs on all dates are Mike Realm, C-Minus, Icy Ice and Rocky Rock. The Rock the Bells festivals will be hosted by Supernatural, Rahzel and Hi-Tek. (*Performing select cities.)
In addition to the New York and Californian dates, Rock the Bells will expand with 15 additional dates where the Wu-Tang Clan will be joined by Nas as the co-headliner. The tour will begin in New York City and wrap-up on the west coast in late August.
"Rock the Bells represents, respects and recognizes the very best and brightest talent who create social, political and conscious hip-hop music. We are attempting to make a statement as well as history. I have been blessed to be a part of a lot of big shows, but this year's festivals aren't just the biggest or best shows in hip-hop, they are some of the most important musical experiences overall," states Chang Weisberg from Guerilla Union. "It has never been more critical to the success of quality music. The live hip-hop experience is so special because there are just so few happening. I can't remember the last time this many quality emcees and musicians have ever been gathered to showcase their talents. Mass media has a blurred perception of what's popular. Rock the Bells exists to be the ultimate artist support platform for the genre. We will prove that over 150,000 fans can spark a movement and a shift in the music and culture of America. The summer of 2007 will be remembered as the year that quality hip-hop came back."
Monday, March 26, 2007 – Slayer and Marilyn Manson announced Monday they will co-headline a North American major-market summer tour set to kick off July 25 on the east coast. Plans are for the tour to play 25 cities and wrap up early September on the west coast. A full, confirmed schedule will be announced shortly.
Manson and Slayer will each play full sets, and two support bands, yet to be determined, will open all shows.
Just prior to the American trek, both Manson and Slayer will be on tour throughout Europe, sharing the stage at three European festivals - the UK's Download Festival at Donington (June 9), Greenfield Festival in Sweden (June 15), and Stockholm's Metaltown Festival (June 30).
Wednesday, March 21, 2007 – The Chemical Brothers are set to return with the release of their sixth album, "We Are The Night," to be released in the early summer on Astralwerks. Ahead of the release The Chemical Brothers have confirmed that they will be performing one show at the Roundhouse in London on May 31. U.S. tour dates will follow, although no specific dates were announced.
Wednesday, March 21, 2007 – Paul McCartney signed a record deal with Hear Music label of Starbucks and Concord Music Group. The album is slated for release early this summer and will be available at all traditional music retail outlets and Starbucks locations internationally. The announcement was made at the Starbucks annual shareholders meeting in Seattle where McCartney made a surprise appearance via satellite.
“For me the great thing is the commitment and the passion and the love of music, which as an artist is good to see,” said McCartney. “It’s a new world now, and people are thinking of new ways to reach the people, and for me, that’s always been my aim.”
“Having the honor of releasing an album by Paul McCartney as our first project under the Hear Music label is in a word, remarkable,” said Ken Lombard, president of Starbucks Entertainment. “This demonstrates how Hear Music can present even the most successful recording artists of all-time with unique opportunities to reach existing fans, as well as a new audience of listeners.”
“It is such a privilege to be able to present this amazing new album to the world,” said Glen Barros, president and CEO of the Concord Music Group. “I believe that McCartney fans, like myself, will find that this album connects them to everything that they’ve always loved about Paul, yet also delivers a new personal dimension that shows his continued evolution as an artist. It is a truly profound recording.”
Hear Music said it wanted to present emerging and established artists. Starbucks and Concord’s past collaborations include Ray Charles’ “Genius Loves Company" and Sergio Mendes’ “Timeless."
Monday, March 19, 2007 – Flush with sickness on being the first rock act to have a number one country hit, Bon Jovi is going the Nashville root for its next CD, "Lost Highway," out June 19 on Island/Mercury Nashville.
Produced by Dann Huff (Keith Urban, Rascal Flatts) and John Shanks (who co-produced Bon Jovi's "Have A Nice Day" and whose credits include Sheryl Crow, Melissa Etheridge and Chris Isaak), "Lost Highway" drops June 19 on Island Records/Mercury Nashville. "(You Want To) Make A Memory," the first single from the new album, will hit radio Tuesday, March 20.
Bon Jovi had a number one single with Sugarland's Jennifer Nettles, "Who Says You Can't Go Home."
Bon Jovi is scheduled for live performances of "(You Want To) Make A Memory" on the upcoming 6th annual CMT Awards broadcast (April 16th live from Nashville); on Fox's "American Idol" (May 2nd); and on NBC's "Today Show" Outdoor Plaza (June 19th).
The album's title song in the new film, "Wild Hogs." Another album track, "We Got It Going On," a duet with Big & Rich, is the theme song for the new Arena Football League season on ESPN.
Sunday, March 18, 2007 – Bjork will do a short U.S. tour in May following a late April Coachella festival gig.
Björk is set to release “Volta” on May 8 on One Little Indian Records/Atlantic Records. “Volta” is Björk’s sixth studio album and follows the release of “Medulla” in 2004.
Following her April 27 headline appearance at a sold out Coachella festival, she Bjork will hit New York, Chicago, Denver, San Francisco and Vancouvre, Canada. The tour will then break for a month before resuming in Europe in June with a headline appearance at Glastonbury festival.
Björk collaborated on the CD with Antony (Antony And The Johnsons) singing on two tracks, and Timbaland (Jay-Z, Missy Elliot etc) working with Björk on beats that she created for three songs on the album. Additional artists include electronic musician Mark Bell of LFO and two drummers—Chris Corsano (the improvisational drummer who has worked with Sonic Youth) and Brian Chippendale from Lightening Bolt. Björk also brought in two African artists for Volta—Toumani Diabaté, the Malian kora player, and Konono N°1, the experimental band from Congo who won a BBC World Music Award in 2006. She has also assembled her own 10-piece female brass section of Icelandic musicians who contribute to three tracks. Chinese pipa expert Min Xiao-Fen plays on one song.
U.S. dates are:
May 2 - New York- Radio City Music Hall
May 5 - New York - United Palace Theater
May 8 - New York - Apollo Theater
May 12 - ChicagoL- Auditorium Theatre
May 15 - Denver- Red Rocks Amphitheatre
May 19 - San Francisco - Shoreline Amphitheatre
May 23 - Vancouver, BC - Deer Lake Park
Tuesday, March 13, 2007 – The Artic Monkeys hope they will still look on the dance floor when they tour the U.S. in April and May.
The Brits begin by playing the Coachella Valley Music Festival in California on April 27 and end May 20 in Orland.
The group will tour in Europe prior to the U.S. dates.
Tour dates are:
April 27 Indio, CA @ Coachella Valley Music Festival
May 1 San Francisco @ Warfield Theatre
May 2 Portland, OR @ Roseland Theatre
May 3 Seattle @ The Showbox
May 4 Vancouver BC @ Commodore Ballroom
May 7 Minneapolis @ First Avenue
May 8 Chicago @ Riviera Theatre
May 9 Pontiac, MI @ Clutch Cargo's
May 11 Toronto @ Kool Haus
May 12 Montreal @ Theatre Olympia
May 13 Boston @ Avalon
May 15 New York @ Hammerstein Ballroom
May 16 Washington DC @ 9:30 Club
May 17 Philadelphia @ Electric Factory
May 19 Atlanta @ The Tabernacle
May 20 Orlando @ Hard Rock Live
Tuesday, March 13, 2007 – The digital single of Hilary Duff’s “With Love” will be available for sale today. Fans also can pre-order Duff’s new album, "Dignity," due out April 3. In an exclusive offer, those pre-ordering the album on iTunes will receive a free “With Love” music video.
This spring, Duff will also announce her tour plans for the summer for the United States, Canada and Europe.
“With Love” is Duff’s fastest breaking single to date on the radio and on MTV. “With Love” is 34th on the Top 40 Mainstream radio chart after 2 weeks of being number 1 most added at the format. The video has also been first on TRL several times since its debut in early February.
Duff co-wrote each song on the album. She teamed with Grammy-Award winning Kara DioGuardi (Gwen Stefani, Pussy Cat Dolls, Enrique Iglesias, Kelly Clarkson) and producers/songwriters like Chico Bennett & Richard Vission (Madonna, Usher, The Killers), Tim & Bob (Nas, Madonna, Jennifer Lopez), Vada Nobles (Rhianna, Lauryn Hill, Faith Evans, Natasha Bedingfield, Warren G), Fred Wreck (Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Fergie), Will.I.Am and her sister Haylie Duff.
A deluxe edition of Dignity will be released April 3 as well, and will contain exclusive artwork, and a DVD retrospective hosted by Duff from the living room in her own home.
Wednesday, March 7, 2007 –
Tour dates are:
June 6: The Pearl at The Palms Casino, Las Vegas
June 8, 9: Gibson Amphitheatre, Los Angeles
June 13: Cox Arena, San
Diego
June 15: El Paso Coliseum, El Paso
June 17: Sandia Coliseum, Albuquerque
June 19: Verizon Wireless, Houston
June 21: Laredo Entertainment Center, Laredo
June 24: Smirnoff Music Center,
Dallas
June 26: Bob Carr Performing Arts Center, Orlando
June 28: Gwinnett Center, Atlanta
June 30: American Airlines Arena, Miami
July 3: The Filene Center, Washington DC
July 5: Theatre at Madison Square Garden, NYC
July 8: Rosemont Theatre, Chicago
Wednesday, March 7, 2007 – Tony Banks, Phil Collins and Mike Rutherford of Genesis announced September and October dates in North America for their first tour in 15 years. The tour starts in Toronto Sept. 7 and will hit 13 cities, playing arenas and stadiums. "Genesis is absolutely one of the world's most exciting bands of all time," said Michael Cohl, tour promoter. "They have always been an amazing concert experience, and I'm thrilled that fans will be able to see them perform again live for the first time in 15 years." Genesis announced last November that it would take the 'Turn It On Again' Tour across Europe this summer. The band will trek through Finland, Denmark, Switzerland, Austria, Hungary, Poland, Germany, France, Holland, UK, Monte Carlo and Italy before heading to the U.S. and Canada. Tickets will go on sale in Montreal and Philadelphia beginning Saturday, March 10 and in Boston, Chicago, East Rutherford, N.J., Hartford and Toronto on Monday, M Banks, Collins and Rutherford will be joined on stage by long-time Genesis sidemen, Chester Thompson on drums and Daryl Stuermer on guitar.
Absent from the tour will be Peter Gabriel, a longstanding member of Genesis.
With the April 24 release of "Genesis: 1976-1981," Rhino Records debuts the first in a series of three box sets spotlighting 13 studio albums by Genesis. This 6-CD/6-DVD boxed set encompasses five studio albums recorded between 1976 and 1981, plus a bonus disc offered exclusively with this collection that gathers rare tracks scattered among the band's EPs and b-sides.
Tour dates are:
Sept. 7 Toronto, ON BMO Field
Sept. 11 Boston, MA TD Banknorth Garden
Sept. 14 Montreal, QC Olympic Stadium
Sept. 16 Hartford, CT Hartford Civic Center
Sept. 18 Philadelphia, PA Wachovia Center
Sept. 22 Columbus, OH Nationwide Arena
Sept. 23 Washington, DC Verizon Center
Sept. 27 E. Rutherford, NJ Giants Stadium
Sept. 29 Cleveland, OH Quicken Loans Arena
Sept. 30 Detroit, MI Palace of Auburn Hills
Oct. 2 Chicago, IL United Center
Oct. 9 San Jose, CA HP Pavilion
Oct. 12 Los Angeles, CA Hollywood Bowl
Tuesday, March 6, 2007 – Koko Taylor, the so-called Queen of the Blues, will release her first new CD in seven years, "Old School," April 3 on Alligator. Inspired by the sound and spirit of the Chicago blues of the 1950s, Taylor wrote 5 new originals and chose songs from Willie Dixon, Lefty Dizz, Magic Sam and others to create an album of Chicago blues.
“Blues is my life,” said Taylor. “It’s a true feeling that comes from the heart, not just something that comes out of my mouth. Blues is what I love, and singing the blues is what I always do.”
In November 2003, following emergency surgery for gastrointestinal bleeding, Taylor’s condition grew more serious. She was struggling just to breathe. Family and friends feared the worst as she was placed on a ventilator. But her forceful will to live and to sing the blues again, brought her back, according to a label spokesperson. By the following spring she was performing live on stage.
Taylor was supported by a band of veteran musicians and young revivalists. Taylor, guitarist Criss Johnson and Alligator president Bruce Iglauer produced the disc. Recorded in Chicago, the 12 songs all hearken back to Taylor’s early years in Chicago. They range from the humorous truth of "Piece Of Man" to the rocking blues advice of "Better Watch Your Step" to the tough street scene of "Bad Avenue" (done in classic Muddy Waters style) to Taylor's version of Memphis Minnie’s "Black Rat," a song she used to sing as a teenager. “I put my heart and soul into everything that I do,” says Taylor. “I worked long and hard on 'Old School,' and I want my fans to enjoy it as much as I do.”
Wednesday, February 28, 2007 – Chicago-based band The Ike Reilly Assassination is slated to release its next album, “We Belong To The Staggering Evening,” on May 8 on Rock Ridge Music. Recorded in Chicago at IV Lab Studio, the album was produced by Reilly and engineered by Manny Sanchez and Ed Tinley. The disc is the follow-up to the critically acclaimed “Junkie Faithful,” which came out in the fall of 2005.
Reilly will hit the road when the CD is out. The first radio single from the album will be “When Irish Eyes Are Burning.” It will ship to Triple A, Non-Commercial, and Satellite Radio outlets in late March.
The IRA also includes Reilly’s long-time bandmates Dave Cottini, drums; Tommy O'Donnell, bass; Phil Karnats, guitar; and Ed Tinley on piano and guitar.
Wednesday, February 28, 2007 – The prolific Ryan Adams' "Easy Tiger" is due June 5 on Lost Highway. While the final sequence is still being determined, "Easy Tiger" will be comprised of the following tracks: "Goodnight Rose", "Everybody Knows", "The Sun Also Sets", "Halloween Head", "Off Broadway", "Two Hearts", "Tears Of Gold", "These Girls", "Two", "I Taught Myself How To Grow Old", "Oh My God, Whatever, Etc.", "Rip Off" and "Pearls On A String".
This will be Adams' ninth full length collection of new studio recordings, following "Heartbreaker" (2000), "Gold" (2001), 'Demolition" (2002), "Rock N Roll" (2003), "Love Is Hell" (2004), "Cold Roses" (2005), 'Jacksonville City Nights" (2005), and "29" (2006).
Tuesday, February 27, 2007 – Composer, songwriter and producer Gustavo Santaolalla won his second consecutive Oscar Award Sunday for his work on Alejandro Gonzalez Iñarritu’s “Babel.” He won an Oscar last year for “Best Original Score” award for “Brokeback Mountain."
"In our soul rests, I think, our own true identity beyond language, countries, races and religions," he said. "I'm so proud to have worked on 'Babel,' a film that helped us understand better who we are and why, and what we are here for. I also want to thank my friend Alejandro Gonzalez Iñarritu, to Argentina and to all Latinos."
Santaolalla is working on scores for the upcoming films "On the Road," based on the life of Jack Kerouac, and the documentary film and album "Café de los Maestros," about the legendary tango musicians of Argentina. This spring will also see the second album release from Bajofondo Tango Club, the Santaolalla led collective exploring the fusion of modern tango and electronica.
Thursday, February 22, 2007 – Metallica is finishing pre-production before heading into the studio March 12 with Rick Rubin, according to the band's web site.
The group also plans to hit Europe this summer on a tour. "We kinda sorta figured that by the time June rolled around, we would be ready for a break from recording (escape??) and since we had so much fun in Europe last summer, we thought "why not go back for some more fun and games?" We're planning to share the summer love with our friends in some different countries we didn't get to last year.. okay, fuck it, maybe one or two repeats. We haven't quite worked out all the details yet, but we thought that for once we really would be the first site to break a piece of Metallica news," the band's web site said.
Summer dates include Oslo, Norway; Helsinki, Finland; Stockholm, Sweden; Athens and Vienna. The band also will play a festival in Werchter, Belgium for the fourth time.
Metallica's last album was "St. Anger" from 2003.
Thursday, February 22, 2007 – When Rise Against opens its tour with My Chemical Romance Thursday, a new band member will be wielding the axe. Zach Blair of Only Crme replaced Chris Chasse, according to the band's web site.
"Sadly, Chris has stepped aside in the face of what we agree is an overwhelming tour schedule stacked on growing pressures and demands. Yes, the Rise Against curse continues," the web site said.
Chasse said, "Rise Against was the best three years of my life. I've met so many amazing people and been all over the world with the best friends anyone could ask for. I'll never stop writing or playing music. Thank you to everyone over the past few years for all of the love and support. Hope to see you all again soon."
As for Blair, the band said, "We coudn't be more excited about this new addition to the family and look forward to a full year of touring worldwide with Zach at our side."
Thursday, February 22, 2007 – March 6 was supposed to see the release of "Chinese Democracy," the first Guns N' Roses disc in about 14 years. Scratch that date, according to the band's web site.
In a posting Thursday, the band said, "The good news is that all of the recording for the album has been completed. Drummer Frank Ferrer and guitarist Ron 'Bumblefoot' Thal integrated themselves into the recordings seamlessly and will have their presence felt."
"There is no official release date, as the band is currently mixing, but after some delays and scheduling difficulties, things appear to be moving along."
The group's last disc was a covers album, "The Spaghetti Incident." Lead singer Axl Rose is the lone original member.
Wednesday, February 21, 2007 – Singer/songwriter/performer Brandi Carlile will headline a nationwide concert tour, with full band, beginning April 2 in San Francisco. The next dday, her new album, "The Story," will hit stores.
As a prelude to her concert tour, Carlile will perform special acoustic sets at album listening parties in Seattle (March 30) and Portland (March 31) Carlile is also scheduled to appear on the "Tonight Show with Jay Leno" on April 4, "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" on April 27 and the CBS Early Show's "Second Cup Café" on May 5.
"The Story" was produced by Grammy award winner T Bone Burnett and recorded live mainly to tape during a marathon 11-day recording session at The Warehouse Studios in Vancouver, B.C.
The band on the album includes her core trio - Carlile (vocals, guitar) with Phil Hanseroth (bass, background vocals) and Tim Hanseroth (guitar, background vocals), with whom she's worked since her earliest recordings - along with drummer Matt Chamberlain (Tori Amos, Morrissey) and Josh Neumann (cello). "The Story" includes a special appearance by the Indigo Girls, Amy Ray & Emily Saliers, on "Cannonball.”
Tracks are "Late Morning Lullaby," "The Story," "Turpentine," "My Song," "Wasted," "Have You Ever," "Josephine," "Losing Heart," "Cannonball," "Until I Die," "Downpour," "Shadows On The Wall" and "Again Today." "The new songs may surprise people who only know us through the first album," Brandi says. "If you've seen us play, you'll realize this is the direction we've been heading in the whole time."
"When you record to tape, it forces you not to dwell on small imperfections and keep a lot of the things you would usually edit out…like a weird breath or a strangely sharp note," Carlile explains. "When I listen back and hear those things now, I'm glad we didn't take them out because they give this album a real human character."
Carlile found a new wider audience when the ABC hit medical drama "Grey's Anatomy" showcased three of her songs - "Tragedy," "What Can I Say" and "Throw It All Away."
Concerts include:
March 30 Seattle Triple Door
March 31 Portland Mississippi Nights
April 2 San Francisco Great American Music Hall
April 3 Los Angeles Troubadour
April 6 San Diego Casbah
April 7 Tucson Rialto Theatre
April 10 Dallas Bend Studios (acoustic show)
April 11 Austin Parish
April 13 New Orleans Parrish at House of Blues
April 16 Birmingham Workplay
April 17 Nashville Belcourt Theater
April 18 Memphis Newby's
April 19 Atlanta Variety Playhouse
April 24 Washington DC Birchmere
April 25 Philadelphia World Café Live
April 26 New York City Bowery Ballroom
April 28 Northampton, MA Iron Horse
April 30 Towson, MD Recher Theatre
May 2 Burlington, VT Higher Ground
May 4 Portsmouth, NH Music Hall
May 5 Boston Paradise
May 7 Toronto Horseshoe Tavern
May 8 Cleveland Cambridge Room
May 9 Ann Arbor The Ark
May 11 Chicago Schubas
May 12 Chicago Schubas
May 15 Indianapolis Music Mill
May 16 Milwaukee Shank Hall
May 18 Minneapolis Varsity Theater
May 19 Minneapolis Varsity Theater
May 22 Boulder Fox Theatre
May 23 Boise The Big Easy
May 24 Spokane Big Easy Concert House
Tuesday, February 20, 2007 – The Kill Rock Stars label will release a double CD of music by Elliott Smith, “New Moon” May 8. The album contains 24 songs recorded 1994-1997, a prolific time in Smith's career, when he recorded his self-titled album and “Either/Or” (both also released by Kill Rock Stars). The label will also be releasing a double LP of the album.
Smith recorded five solo albums, as well as “From a Basement on the Hill” (2004), a collection of songs completed before his death in 2003.
The final mixing for the double CD was done by Larry Crane, who is the archivist for the estate of Elliott Smith. A significant portion of proceeds from the album sales will go directly to Outside In, a Portland-based social service organization dedicated to providing diverse services for homeless youth and low-income adults.
Songs on the disc are:
”Angel In The Snow,” ””Talking To Mary,” ””High Times,” ”New Monkey,” ”Looking Over My Shoulder,” ”Going Nowhere,” ””Riot Coming,” ”All Cleaned Out,” First Timer,” ”Go By,” ”Miss Misery (early version),” Thirteen,” ”Georgia Georgia,” Whatever (folk song in c) ,” Big Decision,” ”Placeholder,” ”New Disaster,” “Seen How Things Are Hard,” Fear City,” ”Either/Or,” ”Pretty Mary K (other version),” Almost Over,” ”See You Later” and “Half Right.”
Smith died Oct. 21, 2003, in his home in Los Angeles. To date the coroner has been unable to determine the cause of death, and the investigation by the Los Angeles Police Department remains open. Reports said at the time that he committed suicide.
Sunday, February 18, 2007 – Rumors that the two satellite radio companies XM and SIRIUS might merge bore reality Monday when an announcement was mad that they would join in a tax-free, all-stock merger of equals with a combined enterprise value of approximately $13 billion, which includes net debt of approximately $1.6 billion.
XM shareholders will receive a fixed exchange ratio of 4.6 shares of SIRIUS common stock for each share of XM they own. XM and SIRIUS shareholders will each own approximately 50 percent of the combined company.
Mel Karmazin, currently Chief Executive Officer of SIRIUS, will become Chief Executive Officer of the combined company and Gary Parsons, currently Chairman of XM, will become Chairman of the combined company. The new company's board of directors will consist of 12 directors, including Karmazin and Parsons, four independent members designated by each company plus one representative from each of General Motors and American Honda. Hugh Panero, the Chief Executive Officer of XM, will continue in his current role until the anticipated close of the merger. The companies will continue to operate independently until the transaction is completed and will work together to determine the combined company's corporate name and headquarters location prior to closing. The combination creates a nationwide audio entertainment provider with combined 2006 revenues of approximately $1.5 billion based on analysts' consensus estimates. Today the companies have approximately 14 million combined subscribers. A statement said, “ Together, SIRIUS and XM will create a stronger platform for future innovation within the audio entertainment industry and will provide significant benefits to all constituencies.”
"We are excited for the many opportunities that an XM and SIRIUS combination will provide consumers," said Parsons and Panero in a joint statement. "The combined company will be better positioned to compete effectively with the continually expanding array of entertainment alternatives that consumers have embraced since the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) first granted our satellite radio licenses a decade ago."
"This combination is the next logical step in the evolution of audio entertainment," said Karmazin. "Together, our best-in-class management team and programming content will create unprecedented choice for consumers, while creating long-term value for shareholders of both companies. The combined company will be positioned to capitalize on SIRIUS and XM's complementary distribution and licensing agreements to enhance availability of satellite radios, offer expanded content to subscribers, drive increased advertising revenue and reduce expenses. Each of our companies has a strong commitment to providing listeners the broadest range of music, news, sports and entertainment and the best customer service possible. We look forward to sharing the benefits of the exciting new growth opportunities this combination will provide with all of our stakeholders."
The transaction is subject to approval by both companies' shareholders, the satisfaction of customary closing conditions and regulatory review and approvals, including antitrust agencies and the FCC. Pending regulatory approval, the companies expect the transaction to be completed by the end of 2007.
Friday, February 16, 2007 – Dolores O'Riordan, lead singer of The Cranberries, will release her first solo effort, "Are You Listening," May 15 on Sanctuary. Following the break up of The Cranberries, O'Riordan lived the domestic life. She had 3 children and wrote over 30 songs.
A total of 12 made the final cut. The music was co -produced by Youth, Dan Broadbeck and Rich Chycki. The songs are "Ordinary Day," "When We Were Young," "In the Garden," "Human Spirit," "Loser," "Stay With Me," "Apple," "Black Widow," "October," "Accept Things," "Angel Fire" and "Ecstasy."
Thursday, February 15, 2007 – Singer/songwriter Chantal Kreviazuk is set to release "Ghost Stories," her fourth studio album, this May via Nettwerk America/Red Distribution. Kreviazuk has penned songs for Avril Lavigne, Gwen Stefani, Hillary Duff and Kelly Clarkson.
The first single is "All I Can Do," indicative of the album's sond. "I think that was just a reaction to the heart and passion I was putting into the songs," she said. "The album rocks and has a lot of rhythm, which is really exciting for me. A lot of times when people become older and wiser they get more melancholy and reflective, and it shows in the tempo of their music. I didn't want to be harnessed to any particular tempo…"
"Ghost Stories" was co-written and produced by Kreviazuk’s husband Raine Maida. "It really is rewarding to be able to work with your best friend/partner," she said. "It's something you can't recreate with someone that you are just starting a relationship with. We always know that anything we do to/with/for each other comes from a place of positivity and that ultimately helps us make the very best music together."
It has been four years since Kreviazuk released her last album, "What If It All Means Something." She also wrote "Walk Away" for Kelly Clarkson. Her latest writing project is for new Epic Records signing Cheyenne, the star of an MTV reality show.
In her native Canada, Kreviazuk is a Ford Models Talent and recently signed a deal to become the official Canadian spokesperson for Garnier Nutrisse Cream, the campaign of which launched in March 2006.
Thursday, February 15, 2007 – Audioslave lead singer and former Soundegarden front man Chris Cornell said Thursday he was leaving Audioslave and pursuing a solo career. Audioslave, which included three-fourths of Rage Against the Machine, released three albums.
"Due to irresolvable personality conflicts as well as musical differences, I am permanently leaving the band Audioslave. I wish the other three members nothing but the best in all of their future endeavors."
The group included guitarist Tom Morello, bassist Tim Commerford and drummer Brad Wilk. They are reuniting with singer Zack de la Rocha to play the Coachella festival in Indio, Cal. in late April.
Cornell said he would release "Carry On" May 1 on Suretone/Interscope. Steered by Grammy Award-winning British super-producer Steve Lillywhite (U2, Rolling Stones, Morrissey, Dave Matthews Band), the disc differs from the harder edged sounds of Soundgarden, Audioslave and Temple of the Dog, another configuration in which Cornell participated.
The new album's 14 tracks offer the bluesy and soulful "Safe and Sound," psychedelic "Scar On The Sky," country-flavored "Finally Forever" and a slow-grind cover of Michael Jackson's "Billy Jean." "Carry On" will also include the Top 10 European hit "You Know My Name," the main title song for the current James Bond theatrical release, "Casino Royale," appearing for the first time on a full-length release. Cornell wrote and recorded the track with long-time James Bond composer David Arnold for the film.
Cornell said he was inspired by songwriters from Elvis Costello to Tom Waits. Cornell says that his own lyrical approach leans on stream-of-consciousness, "getting out of my own way" to allow themes to naturally arise, whether topical or biographical. "The most exciting thing is to let yourself expose your true, vulnerable feelings, which is what resonates with people most," he said.
Wednesday, February 14, 2007 – Ricky Martin is going on the concert trail in April and May. Dates were announced for California with more to come.
Martin started the Black & White Tour with 4-consecutive sold-out nights at The Jose Miguel Agrelot Coliseum in Puerto Rico before more than 60,000 fans.
The U.S. part of the tour begins on the west coast and traveling east across the country. Select concerts of the tour’s initial west coast dates will see tickets go on sale this Friday, Feb. 16. Initial dates are April 17 in San Jose, Cal., April 20 in Los Angeles and April 22 in San Diego.
Wednesday, February 14, 2007 – Roger Waters, co-founder and principal songwriter of Pink Floyd, will return to the U.S. and Canada this spring to perform "The Dark Side Of The Moon," in its entirety, during a series of return concert engagements starting May 18 in West Palm Beach, Fla. and ending July 14 in Toronto.
"The Dark Side Of The Moon" - The Return Engagement combines a full evening's worth of music - comprised of two sets plus encores - performed by Waters and full band.
The first set will offer early Pink Floyd material; classic compositions from "The Wall"; beloved pieces from "Animals," "Wish You Were Here," and "The Final Cut"; and songs from Waters' solo tour de force: "Amused To Death."
Set Two presents "The Dark Side Of The Moon.” Waters performed “Dark Side” for the first time as a solo artist during his 2006 world tour, which included a run of North American concerts last fall. Prior to Waters' 2006 tour, his last live performances of the work took place with Pink Floyd more than 30 years ago.
The band will include Andy Fairweather-Low (guitar and vocals), Snowy White (guitar), Dave Kilminster (guitar and vocals), Jon Carin (keyboards and vocals), Graham Broad (drums), Harry Waters (Hammond organ), Ian Ritchie (saxophone) and Katie Kissoon, PP Arnold and Carol Kenyon (vocals).
"The Dark Side Of The Moon" was originally released in 1973, selling more than 34 million copies. The album remained in the Billboard Top 200 best-selling albums chart for a record-breaking 15 years and, as recently as 2003, occupied the number 1 spot on the Billboard Pop Catalog chart. In 2004, the album was still selling more than 8,000 copies a week.
Waters co-founded the groundbreaking Pink Floyd with the late Syd Barrett in 1966 and became the group's sonic architect upon Barrett's departure. His first full-length solo album, "The Pros and Cons of Hitchhiking," was released in April 1984. He also released "Radio K.A.O.S." in 1987 and “Amused to Death” in 1992.
Dates are:
Friday 18 - West Palm Beach - Sound Advice
Saturday 19 - Tampa – Ford Amphitheater
Tuesday 22 - Atlanta – Philips
Thursday 24 - New Jersey - Continental
Wednesday 30 - MSG
June
Friday 1 - Philadelphia - Wachovia
Monday 4 - Ottawa - Scotiabank Place
Wednesday 6 - Quebec City – Colisee Arena
Thursday 7 - Montreal - Bell Center
Saturday 9 - Chicago - United Center
Wednesday 13 - Hollywood Bowl
Friday 15 - Irvine – Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
Saturday 16 - Las Vegas – MGM Grand Garden Arena
Tuesday 19 - Oakland - Coliseum
Thursday 21 - Vancouver - GM Place
Saturday 23 - Calgary – Saddle Dome
Sunday 24 - Edmonton - Rexall Place
Wednesday 27 - Winnipeg – MTS Center
Friday 29 - Omaha - Civic Center
Saturday 30 - St. Paul - Excel
July
Monday 2 - Milwaukee – Marcus Amphitheatre Summerfest
Monday 9 - Boston – Fleet Center
Friday 13 - Hartford – The Meadows
Saturday 14 - Toronto - Roger's Center
Tuesday, February 13, 2007 – Bruce Springsteen, Jon Bon Jovi, Bonnie Raitt, Pete Seeger and Natalie Merchant are among the artists who will appear on a compilation album with a twist dealling with the homeless, tentatively slated for summer released on Appleseed.
The disc, "Feels Like Home," will pair well-known artists with homeless or formerly homeless musicians, according to Alan Edwards, publicist for the label.
No titles of songs were released by Edwards. The project has been on-going for more than a year. The Berklee School of Music in Boston was involved in putting the CD together, which is part of a national homeless initiative.
Tuesday, February 13, 2007 – Toni Braxton and Blackground Records announced today they reached a settlement with Toni Braxton in her lawsuit against them. According to Blackground Records attorneys Rickey Ivie and Samuel E. Chilakos, the settlement requires Braxton to return to Blackground Records a $375,000 advance she received on Dec. 27, 2006, and further provides for compensating Blackground Records by paying to it a percentage of the net sales of Braxton’s next album. The percentage was not disclosed.
Blackground Records released the R&B singer from her recording contract on Jan. 10. Braxton immediately retaliated with a lawsuit filed in federal court. Braxton dismissed the federal lawsuit in response to an order of the court advising her of its intention to dismiss the case unless she provided further justification of its basis. Braxton filed another lawsuit in New York State the same day, which attorneys for Blackground Records challenged.
When Braxton's manager, Barry Hankerson, began working with Braxton in 1997, he loaned her a "substantial amount of money" to assist her in dealing with a much publicized bankruptcy, according to a press release.
As her manager, he negotiated a contract on her behalf with Arista Records that paid her an advance of $23 million. However, after only two albums, Arista released her from her contract. At Braxton’s behest, Hankerson signed her to Blackground Records, where she released only one of the three albums she committed to.
Thursday, February 8, 2007 – The Jonas Brothers signed a deal with Hollywood Records with a disc due in August. The Brothers debuted with “It’s About Time” in August 2006. "We are delighted to have The Jonas Brothers at Hollywood. They are talented and focused on making a great album,” said Bob Cavallo, Chairman of Disney’s Buena Vista Music Group. “Their energy is infectious, and potential limitless.”
The Jonas Brothers also inked a comprehensive multi-million dollar deal with Topps Confections, one of the nation’s leading kids’ candy companies. This partnership is the foundation of a diverse ad campaign and endorsement deal centered around the top-selling Baby Bottle Pop candy. The Jonas Brothers will be the face and name of the brand surrounding the promotion of their new album this year.
Most recently, The Brothers have recorded a single, “Kids of the Future” for Walt Disney Pictures’ new animated movie, “Meet The Robinsons,” which will hit theaters on March 30.
"We are fortunate to have this incredible opportunity to deliver noteworthy music to our fans,” said The Jonas Brothers. “To continue building our careers in this industry with Hollywood Records is one step closer in achieving our dreams.”
The Brothers have toured with The Backstreet Boys, Jesse McCartney, Aly & AJ and The Veronicas before headlining their own tour. They also have performed at major festivals like Bamboozle and overseas USO Tour at Ramstein Air Force Base in Germany.
Thursday, February 8, 2007 – When V2 Records' parent company, Sheridan Square, announced the label's restructuring in January, glam-punk outfit the Mooney Suzuki was one of many acts cut loose in the wake of the decision not to put out new music.
Having wrapped recording last May for their fourth LP, "Have Mercy," the New York-based trio - who have released each of their three previous albums on different labels - were prepping a February release when the V2 news hit.
The future of the release is unclear.
Ex-V2 A&R man Scott Graves, who signed the band, believes the album's future likely rests in the hands of lawyers who "will have to come to some sort of agreement," according to a press release.
Graves signed the Mooney Suzuki to V2 after the band left Columbia Records in the summer of 2005 and they began to record "Have Mercy." Now, that record is one that frontman Sammy James Jr. can't wait to but behind him; he's already gathering material for another album. "Emotionally, I can let the record go," James said. "But it's better to get it out in any form than to sit around and wait."
But James remains confident "Have Mercy" will be released. "The world is going to hear the record in one way or another," he said. Although currently in talks with numerous labels about distribution deals, James has already conducted a little circulation of his own by adding "Have Mercy" tracks to the band's MySpace page.
"I could put the whole album up online...what are they going to do, sue me?"
The band is touring in February and March.
Thursday, February 8, 2007 – South by Southwest Music Conference and Festival, the annual music industry gathering in Austin, announced a partial list of some of the 1,000-plus bands slated to perform at the 21st edition of the music festival taking place March 14 – 18.
Groups are coming from around the U.S., Mexico, China, England and Israel. The Hoodoo Gurus from Australia are returning to the U.S. after a long absence. Others playing incude Albert Hammond Jr. of The Strokes, Charlie Louvin and Badly Drawn Boy.
The bands include Aesop Rock (Brooklyn NY), Against Me! (Gainesville Fla.), Akimbo (Seattle), Allison (Mexico D.F. Mexico), An Albatross (Philladelphia), The Apples in Stereo (Denver), Aqualung (South London UK), Architecture in Helsinki (Melbourne, Australia), Austin TV (Mexico City), The Automatic (Cardiff UK), Kevin Ayers (London UK), Badly Drawn Boy (Manchester UK), Balkan Beat Box (Tel Aviv, Israel), Bayside (Long Island NY), Beach House (Baltimore), Beirut (Albuquerque N.M.), The Besnard Lakes (Montreal QC), Andrew Bird (Chicago), The Bird and the Bee (Los Angeles), Martina Topley Bird (London UK), Birdmonster (San Franciscio CA), Black Lips (Atlanta GA), Bloc Party (London UK), Blonde Redhead (New York), The Blood Arm (Los Angeles), Bonde do Role (Sao Paulo BRAZIL), The Bravery (New York), Vashti Bunyan (Edinburgh UK), Tracy Byrd (Nashville), Charalambides (Oakland), Child Abuse (San Francisco CA), Chingo Bling (Houston TX), Chingon (Austin), The Cinematics (Glasgow UK), Citay (San Francisco CA), Jill Cunniff (Brooklyn NY), DATAROCK (Bergen NORWAY), Deerhunter (Atlanta GA), Delorentos (Dublin), Dengue Fever (Los Angeles CA), Errors (Glasgow UK), The Faint (Omaha, Neb.), Ferraby Lionheart (Los Angeles CA), Field Music (Sunderland UK), The Fratellis (Glasgow UK), Fujiya & Miyagi (Brighton UK), Galactic (New Orleans, Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly (Southend UK), Ghostland Observatory (Austin), Girl Talk (Pittsburgh PA), The Good, The Bad & The Queen (London), Emily Haines & The Soft Skeleton (Toronto ON), Albert Hammond, Jr. (New York), Kate Havnevik (Oslo NORWAY), The High Dials (Montreal QC), The Holloways (London UK), Hoodoo Gurus (Sydney AUSTRALIA), The Horrors (London), Hot Club De Paris (Liverpool UK),Benji Hughes (Charlotte NC), iLiKETRAiNS (Leeds UK), IV Thieves (Nottingham UK), Jack O and The Tearjerkers (memphis TN), Jack's Mannequin (Los Angeles), Georgie James (Washington DC), Jamie T (London UK), Jandek (Houston ), Joan as Police Woman (Brooklyn NY), Daniel Johnston and the Nightmares (Waller TX), Junior Senior (Copenhagen DENMARK), KENNA (Virginia Beach , Va.), Keith Killgo Jazz (Washington DC), Kings of Leon (Nashville), Kinski (Seattle), K'NAAN (Toronto ON), Tracy Lawrence (Nashville), Les Claypool/Electric Apricot (Sebastopol CA), Les Savy Fav (Brooklyn NY), Lethal Bizzle (London UK), Lily Allen (Hammersmith UK), Little Barrie (London UK), Little Man Tate (Sheffield UK), The Little Ones (Silverlake CA), LoneLady (Manchester UK), Lonely China Day (Beijing CHINA), The Long Winters (Seattle), Charlie Louvin (Manchester, Tenn.), Barbara Lynn (Beaumont TX), Magik Markers (Brooklyn NY), Malajube (Montreal QC), Mando Diao (Borlänge SWEDEN), Maneja Beto (Austin), Jo Mango (Glasgow UK), Maps & Atlases (Chicago), Willy Mason (Marthas Vineyard MA), Mastodon (Atlanta GA), Matt & Kim (Brookyln NY), Nellie McKay (New York), Meat Puppets (Austin), Metro Riots (London UK), Mexican Institute of Sound (MIS) (Mexico City), Mika (London UK), Mogwai (Glasgow UK), Money Mark (Los Angeles), Money Waters (Dallas TX), Thurston Moore (Northampton, Mass.), James Morrison (London UK), The Mountain Goats (Chapel Hill NC), Muck and the Mires (Boston), Alexi Murdoch (London UK), MuteMath (New Orleans), MV/EE and The Bummer Road (Guilford Vt.), Johnette Napolitano (Joshua Tree CA), The 1900s (Chicago IL), Paolo Nutini (Paisley UK), The Octopus Project (Austin), Okkervil River (Austin), 120 Days (Kristiansund NORWAY), Oppenheimer (Belfast IRELAND), Ozomatli (Los Angeles), The Panda Band (Perth AUSTRALIA), Graham Parker (Boiceville NY), Peaches (Berlin GERMANY), Pelican (Chicago IL), Elvis Perkins (Providence RI), Peter and the Wolf (TX) (Austin), The Pipettes (Brighton UK), The Polyphonic Spree (Dallas), The Ponys (Chicago IL), Grace Potter and the Nocturnals (Waitsfield, Vt.), Priestess (Montreal QC), Prisonshake (St Louis MO), Psychedelic Horseshit (Columbus OH), Quetzal (Los Angeles CA), Qui w/ David Yow (Los Angeles CA), Ra Ra Riot (Syracuse NY), Razorlight (London UK), Jay Reatard (Memphis TN), Reigning Sound (Asheville NC), Gruff Rhys (Cardiff UK), Rickie Lee Jones (Chicago IL), Rodrigo y Gabriela (Terra Acida MEXICO), Sam the Sham (Memphis TN), Satellite Party (Los Angeles CA), Secondhand Serenade (Menlo Park CA), Ron Sexsmith (Toronto ON), Shout Out Out Out Out (Edmonton AB), The Shys (Orange County CA), Sloan (Toronto ON), Alice Smith (Brooklyn NY), Soweto Kinch (Birmingham UK), Spoon (Austin, TX), SSM (Detroit), The Stooges (Detroit MI), The Sunshine Underground (Leeds UK), Jesse Sykes & The Sweet Hearafter (Seattle WA), Tally Hall (Ann Arbor MI), This Moment In Black History (Cleveland), Pam Tillis (Nashville), Times New Viking (Columbus OH), Tiny Masters of Today (Brooklyn NY), Tokyo Police Club (Newmarket ON), The Tragically Hip (Kingston ON), Turbonegro (Oslo NORWAY), TURZI (Paris), Under Byen (Århus DENMARK), Valient Thorr (Chapel Hill NC), Chad VanGaalen (Calgary AB), The View (Dundee UK), Viva Voce (Portland OR), The Walkmen (Washington DC), The Watson Twins (Los Angeles), Mary Weiss (New York), Willowz (Los Angeles CA), Amy Winehouse (London UK), WinterKids (Peaslake UK), The WOMBATS (Liverpool UK), Wooden Shjips (San Francisco CA), The Young Knives (Oxford UK), Young Love (Austin), and Youth Group (Australia).
Tuesday, February 6, 2007 – American Hi-Fi are now working on their fourth album at a Los Angeles studio with their reunited original line-up of Stacy Jones (vocals/guitar), Drew Parsons (Bass), Jamie Arentzen (guitar) and Brian Nolan (drums).
The band will preview songs from the as yet untitled album, which revisits their rock roots, at an April 11 show at the Troubadour in Los Angeles. Two tracks from the disc - “Keep It Like A Secret” and “A Taste For Crime” - can currently be heard at the band’s myspace page.
Jones will produce the disc. He has produced recent offerings from U.K. band the Towers Of London (TVT), Los Angeles-based Low Vs Diamond (Epic), Vans Warped Tour’s Meg & Dia (Doghouse/Warner) and radio-staples Plain White T’s (Hollywood). Jones has also served as a staff producer/A&R Executive for Epic records and is an A&R executive/staff producer for indie start-up, Original Signal Recordings. Prior to American Hi-Fi and his producing duties, Jones drummed for ‘90s rock bands Veruca Salt and Letters to Cleo.
Formed in 2000 in Boston, American Hi-Fi has released three albums: their Bob Rock-produced 2001 self-titled debut, which featured the Top 10 hit single "Flavor of the Weak” as well as “The Art of Losing” (2003) and “Hearts On Parade” (2005).
Tuesday, February 6, 2007 – Beyoncé and Mexican star Alejandro Fernandez recorded “Amor Gitano”, a sensual, flamenco-pop track that debuts Feb. 12 on the premier episode of Telemundo’s El Zorro novella.
The track will also appear on the artists’ respective solo albums. El Zorro is produced by Sony Entertainment Television and airs Monday – Friday at 9 p.m. for 120 episodes.
"Amor Gitano" was written by Grammy winning songwriters/recording artists Reyli Barba and Jaime Flores, co-written by Beyoncé and produced by Grammy winning producer Rudy Perez.
The song opens with un cantando, a flamenco shout-out and proceeds with flamenco rhythms and guitars. “Amor Gitano” goes to radio later this month and will be available for streaming on telemundo.yahoo.com.
“Amor Gitano” will appear on Beyoncé’s upcoming special edition of B’day along with six other Spanish language tracks including a Spanish version of the number one hit “Irreplaceable." A special video version of the album on DVD, with 12 videos including 2 in Spanish, will be available on DVD exclusively at Walmart. Both special releases are scheduled for April.
“Amor Gitano” will also appear on Fernández’s upcoming June album, his first album of all new material in two years.
Tuesday, February 6, 2007 – Bryan Ferry, lead singer of Roxy Music, will go solo once again as he releases his 12th album in the U.S. in April, a tribute to Bob Dylan.
"Dylanized" will drop in the U.S. on Virgin Records April 3. "The Times They Are A Changin'" is included in the disc and was released as a single in Europe. The music will be out in Europe a month earlier. Ferry also is launching a tour of England and Europe in March and April.
Tuesday, February 6, 2007 – The British pop duo of Andy Bell and Vince Clark, who’ve sold more than 20 million albums worldwide—have under their better known name of Erasure, will release their new single “I Could Fall in Love With You” through Mute this spring.
The song is taken from their new album, "Light at the End of the World," out May 22.
Coming after 2006’s "Union Street," an acoustic album of rearranged lesser-known Erasure songs recorded with a full band, the new disc is a return to classic, totally electronic music. "Light At The End Of The World" was written and recorded at a private home in the U.S. in Maine which Clarke and Bell - alongside producer Gareth Jones (Depeche Mode, Nick Cave) - converted into a recording studio. During a one-month period last fall, they wrote and recorded 10 new songs.
Monday, February 5, 2007 – Dinosaur Jr., given up for dead almost two decades ago, will release their fist ever live DVD in late May.
When J Mascis and Lou Barlow split in 1989, it seemed the alt.-rock band would never regroup. The band released three discs ("Dinosaur," "You’re Living All Over Me" and "Bug") before J Mascis re-formed Dinosaur Jr with Murph and a new bassist, and Barlow went on to start Sebadoh & Folk Implosion.
But Dinosaur Jr. regrouped in 2005 and toured.
A new studio disc, "Beyond" is coming May 1 on Fat Possum with "Live at the Middle East" due May 29 on DVD.
The DVD documents the reunion tour and was filmed largely at Boston’s Middle East and New York’s Irving Plaza.
The disc includes one-on-one interviews, behind the scenes goings-on and a full set of performances of Dinosaur Jr favorites, all recorded along the band’s recent reunion tour. The DVD features performance footage of 18 Dinosaur Jr songs originally recorded on their albums.
Included will be the band’s 2005 interview at the WXPN’s World Café studios, and interview appearances by Kim Gordon, Thurston Moore, Mike Watt, Matt Dillon and others.
The set list is: Gargoyle, Kracked, Bulbs of Passion, Little Fury Things, Lose, Forget the Swan, The Post, Budge, The Lung, The Wagon, Raisans, SludgeFeast, Mountain Man, Chunks, Freak Scene, In a Jar, Repulsion, Just Like Heaven.
The DVD was directed by Gold In Berlin, which is run by Mascis' brother in-law, German filmmaker Phillip Virus. Look for Dinosaur Jr on tour in 2007.
Monday, February 5, 2007 – The Rapture formed a new label called Throne of Blood, they announced Monday. Based in New York, the label initially plans to release special vinyl versions of singles and remixes from the band's "Pieces of the People We Love."
The group will bring on board some of key producers in dance music for the remixes. Also scheduled for availability on Throne of Blood will be vinyl LP editions of albums including "Pieces."
The group will hit the road for the second leg of their U.S. tour in February, then off to Europe and Australia with dates confirmed to April.
Sunday, February 4, 2007 – Popular indie band Clap Your Hands Say Yeah will hit the U.S. in April for a tour, following on the heels of their brand new disc, “Some Loud Thunder.”
Tour dates are:
April 10 Lupos Heartbreak, Hotel Providence, RI
April 11 Pearl Street Night Club, Northampton, MA
April 12 Higher Ground, Burlington, VT
April 13 Metropolis, Montreal, QB
April 14 Kool Haus, Toronto, ON
April 15 The Town Ballroom, Buffalo, NY
April 17 Cannery Ballroom, Nashville, TN
April 18 Variety Playhouse, Atlanta, GA
April 19 40 Watt, Athens, GA
April 20 Freebird, Jacksonville, FL
April 21 The Club at Firestone, Orlando, FL
April 22 Revolution, Fort Lauderdale, FL
April 24 Republic, New Orleans, LA
April 26 Warehouse Live, Houston, TX
April 27 Granada Theatre, Dallas, TX
April 28 Stubb's BBQ, Austin
Pre-sale begins Feb 5 for each venue with tickets available at the band’s web site. Pre-sale will last through Feb. 8 with regular tickets on sale the next day. Elvis Perkins will open the shows.
Thursday, February 1, 2007 – Darren Hayes is of Savage Garden fame currently in the studio mixing a collection of 25 pop songs slated for released this summer. Hayes has been co-producing with Justin Shave and Robert Conley and mixing with Ash Howes (Nelly Furtado, Dido, Kylie Minogue)
Hayes' last solo odisc, "The Tension and the Spark" never was released in the U.S.
Monday, January 29, 2007 – Nickelback will donate all proceeds from digital sales of their new single and video “If Everyone Cared” to charity. Donations will be made to Amnesty International and International Children’s Awareness Canada, a charity guitarist Ryan Peake has supported for several years.
Nickelback, Roadrunner Records, WEA Corp. and Warner/Chappell Music will donate all proceeds from sales of the digital single and video beginning Feb. 1.
Nickelback’s video for “If Everyone Cared” was directed by newcomer Dori Oskowitz, filmed at Armoury Studios in Vancouver, British Columbia. Inter-cut between a Nickelback performance and historical images, the video tells the stories of four ordinary people who have done extraordinary things for humanity: Bob Geldolf (Live Aid), Nelson Mandela, Peter Benenson (founder of Amnesty International) and Betty Williams (World Centers of Compassion for Children International).
"Nickelback’s success has thankfully afforded us the opportunity as a band to make a significant contribution to the organization my wife and I have supported for years, International Children’s Awareness Canada,” said Peake. “Now, with the release of ‘If Everyone Cared,’ a song and video that carries a message of positive change, we can globalize our efforts with Amnesty International. The idea is simply to do something that moves you and helps others, no matter how small. "
“If Everyone Cared” is the sixth single to be released from the five times platinum album "All The Right Reasons." Released in October 2005, the album boasts the number one hit singles “Photograph,” “Animals,” “Savin’ Me,” “Rockstar” and “Far Away.”
From Feb. 20 through March 29 Nickelback will headline a North American arena tour with Three Days Grace and Breaking Benjamin as support.
Nickelback is singer/guitarist Chad Kroeger, bassist Mike Kroeger, guitarist Peake and drummer Daniel Adair.
Friday, January 26, 2007 – The Ataris will hit the road this February on a headline tour in support of "Welcome the Night," their first album released on Sanctuary/Isola Records, out Feb. 20.
The Ataris’ last CD "So Long Astoria" sold more than 1 million copies worldwide and spawned two hit singles. The band’s first single, “Not Capable of Love” is out, and the video has recently been added to FUSE.
The tour will kick off in February in Philadelphia and extend for the next few months. Asobi Seksu is the main support on the first half of the tour through March 11th and then will be replaced by Blackpool Lights from March 12th on. Wax On Radio will be the opening act for the entire tour.
The Ataris are Kristopher Roe - Guitar, Vocals, Percussion; John Collura - Guitar, Pianos; Paul Carabello - Guitar, Percussion, Vocals; Sean Hansen - Bass, Vocals; Shane Chikeles - Drums, Percussion.
Tuesday, January 23, 2007 – With Rage Against the Machine and Bjork already key performers at this year's Coachelle Valley Music and Arts Fest, a slew of other acts were announced Tuesday to also play at the three-day event in Indio, Cal.
Other performers include the Arctic Monkeys, The Decemberists and Willie Nelson.
The current line-up for Friday, April 27 is Bjork, Interpol, Jesus and Mary Chain, Arctic Monkeys, Jarvis Cocker, Sonic Youth, Faithless, DJ Shadow, Peeping Tom, Brazilian Girls,Peaches, Felix Da Housecat, Rufus Wainwright, Stephen Marley featuring Jr. Gong, Nickel Creek, We Are Scientists, Digitalism, Tokyo Police Club, Comedians of Comedy, El-P, Julieta Venegas, Gogol Bordello, Circa Survive, Silversun Pickups, Gillian Welch, Tilly and the Wall, Benny Benassi, Amy Winehouse, David Guetta, Noisettes, Evil Nine, Busdriver, Brother Ali
Saturday, April 28: The Red Hot Chili Peppers,the Arcade Fire, Tiïsto, the Decemberists ,the Good, the Bad and the Queen, Travis, Kings of Leon, Gotan Project, the Rapture, LCD Soundsystem, Blonde Redhead, the New Pornographers, the Black Keys, !!!, Regina Spektor, Hot Chip, MSTRKRFT, Ozomatli, Ghostface Killah, Fountains of Wayne, Jack's Mannequin, Peter Bjorn and John, VNV Nation, Sparklehorse, the Nightwatchman, Roky Erickson & the Explosives ,Cornelius, CocoRosie, Andrew Bird, the Frames, the Fratellis, Justice, Pharoahe Monch, Fields, the Cribs, Girl Talk, Mike Relm, DJ Heather, Pop Levi, Yeva
Sunday, April 29: Rage Against the Machine, Manu Chao Radio Bemba Sound System, Air, Happy Mondays, Willie Nelson, Paul Van Dyk, Placebo, Kaiser Chiefs, Damien Rice, the Roots, Crowded House, Explosions in the Sky, Konono No.1, Soulwax, Richie Hawtin, Infected Mushroom, Lily Allen, Amos Lee, Jose Gonzalez, Spank Rock, Rodrigo Y Gabriela, Against Me!, Ratatat, Junior Boys, the Feeling, the Kooks, CSS, Klaxons, Tapes 'n Tapes, Teddybears, Lupe Fiasco, Mando Diao, Grizzly Bear, Mika, the Coup, the Avett Bros., Anathallo, Fair to Midland
Tuesday, January 23, 2007 – Gwen Stefani officially announced The Sweet Escape Tour Tuesday. Stefani’s 40 stop trek kicks off on April 22nd at Coors Amphitheatre in San Diego and concludes on June 23rd at Irvine, Cal.
Akon, who sings on and produced her new hit single “The Sweet Escape,” and British MC Lady Sovereign open for Stefani.
Tickets go on sale nationwide on Saturday, Feb. 10. The Sweet Escape Tour is produced by Live Nation and sponsored by Verizon.
“I'm excited to have this opportunity to tour with Akon and Lady Sovereign, two original artists that I have so much respect for,” Stefani said. "I can’t wait to get out there.”
Tour dates are:
April 22 San Diego Coors Amphitheatre**
April 24 Fresno, Cal. Save Mart Center**
April 25 Bakersfield, Cal. Rabobank Arena**
April 27 Los Angeles Gibson Amphitheatre***
April 28 Phoenix Cricket Pavilion
April 30 Salt Lake City The E Center
May 2 Denver Pepsi Center
May 3 Albuquerque, N.M. Journal Pavilion
May 5 Dallas Smirnoff Music Centre
May 6 Houston Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
May 8 Tampa, Fla. Ford Amphitheatre
May 9 West Palm Beach, FL Sound Advice Amphitheatre
May 11 Atlanta HiFi Buys Amphitheatre
May 12 Charlotte, N.C. Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
May 14 Raleigh, N.C. Alltel Pavilion
May 15 Virginia Beach, Va. Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
May 17 Washington, DC Nissan Pavilion
May 18 Holmdel, N.J. PNC Bank Arts Center
May 20 Wantagh, N.Y. Nikon at Jones Beach Theater
May 21 Uncasville, Conn. Mohegan Sun Arena
May 23 Mansfield, Mass. Tweeter Center
May 24 Philadelphia Tweeter Center at The Waterfront
May 27 Atlantic City, N.J. Borgata Hotel and Casino***
May 29 Montreal Bell Centre
May 30 Toronto Air Canada Centre
June 1 Detroit Palace of Auburn Hills
June 2 Indianapolis, IN Verizon Wireless Music Center
June 4 Omaha, Neb. Qwest Center
June 5 St. Paul, Minn. Xcel Energy Center
June 7 Milwaukee Bradley Center
June 8 Chicago First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre
June 10 Winnipeg, Canada MTS Centre
June 12 Edmonton, Canada Rexall Place
June 13 Calgary, Canada Pengrowth Saddledome
June 15 Vancouver, Canada General Motors Place
June 16 Seattle White River Amphitheatre
June 18 Sacramento, Cal. Sleep Train Amphitheatre
June 19 San Francisco Shoreline Amphitheatre
June 22-23 Irvine, Cal. Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
** Akon only
*** Lady Sovereign only
Tuesday, January 23, 2007 – Snow Patrol drummer Jonny Quinn is on the sidelines thanks to a snowboarding accident in France.
Quinn said on the band's web site, "I thought it was time that someone from Snow Patrol learnt (sic) to snowboard, so I took myself off to chamonix. However on the first day I tumbled down a hill and broke my elbow. Fortunately it is not a bad break and it looks like i will be set for Australia."
Dates down under start Feb. 17.
"The rest of the band did not want to play with another drummer for the upcoming European dates but I didn't want to cancel anymore gigs after last year, so we've asked longtime friend and ex-therapy? drummer, graham hopkins to step in."
Snow Patrol is slated to hit the U.S. this winter as well. The group had to postpone dates in the U.S. last year after polyps were discovered on lead singer Gary Lightbody's vocal cords.
Saturday, January 20, 2007 – Andy Palacio, a leading musician and cultural activist in his native Belize and spokesperson for the Garifuna people of Central America, died Saturday night in Belize after suffering a massive and extensive stroke to the brain, a heart attack and respiratory failure due to the previous two conditions.
Palacio, 47, started feeling poorly last week and eventually visited a doctor with complaints of dizziness and blurred vision. On Wednesday, he began experiencing seizures and was rushed to a hospital in Belmopan, Belize and then on to another hospital in Belize City. At that point, most people were hopeful Palacio would recover.
The next day, Palacio's condition worsened, and he began experiencing more seizures. He was placed on an air ambulance to Chicago for treatemtn. En route to Chicago, the plane stopped in Mobile, Ala. to clear immigration. At that point, Palacio was unconscious, and it was determined that he was too ill to continue on the flight to Chicago. He was rushed to a hospital in Mobile and placed on life support. There, doctors determined that the damage to his brain function was severe, and that his chances of recovery were slim. On Friday, his family requested that he be flown back to Belize so that he might die in his homeland.
Palacio was considered a national hero in Belize for his popular music and advocacy of Garifuna language and culture.
Palacio’s album, “Wátina,” was released at the beginning of 2007 through the small Cumbancha label in the U.S. to much praise.
In 2007, Palacio was named a UNESCO Artist for Peace.
In an interview conducted last July, Palacio was asked how he wanted to be remembered when he died. He replied, "As a proud Garifuna...someone who instills pride in Garifuna and raises their self-esteem. To me, that's the most important thing."
Palacio will be honored with an official state funeral. A tribute concert is planned in Belize City on Friday, Jan. 25.
Thursday, January 18, 2007 – Bad Religion will begin recording the follow up to 2004's "The Empire Strikes First" next month at Grand Master Studios in Los Angeles. Slated for a July 10 release through Epitaph, the yet to be named disc will be produced by Grammy-nominated producer Joe Barresi (Tool, Queens of the Stone Age, Weezer).
Bad Religion will headline the main stage for the entire 2007 Vans Warped Tour this summer. Songwriting principals and co-founders Brett Gurewitz (guitars) and Greg Graffin (vocalist) are currently writing songs together in Los Angeles, taking full advantage of Graffin's return to California to teach a class at UCLA this semester.
Graffin – who holds a master's degree in geology from UCLA and a doctorate in zoology from Cornell University, near his main home in Ithaca, N.Y. – is currently teaching Life Science 1: Evolution and Biodiversity. "When I was an undergrad and a graduate student at UCLA, I used to play and write with Bad Religion at night," he said. "Now, I'm back to that schedule as a professor."
Graffin also recently co-wrote a book with Arkansas history professor Preston Jones, "Is Belief In God Good, Bad or Irrelevant? A Professor and A Punk Rocker Discuss Science, Religion, Naturalism and Christianity" (IVP Books), the tome catalogs the email correspondence between the two. Jones, a seminal punk fan, initially contacted Graffin by email, prompting the conversations that spawned the book.
Graffin also released a roots oriented disc last year.
Bad Religion drummer Brooks Wackerman is currently on tour in Australia with Tenacious D, while founding bassist Jay Bentley and guitarists Greg Hetson and Brian Baker will participate in the 9th Annual Punk Rock Bowling Tournament in Las Vegas this weekend.
Tuesday, January 16, 2007 – British soul singer Joss Stone will release her third album, "Introducing Joss Stone," March 20th on Virgin Records. Stone, whose disc was delayed two weeks, will mine soul, ’70s-style R&B, Motown girl-group harmonies and hip-hop grooves on an album Stone describes as “truly me. That’s why I’m calling it Introducing Joss Stone,” she says. "These are my words, and this is who I am as an artist."
Knowing she wanted to write the album alone, Stone decamped to Barbados in April to come up with lyrics. She stayed for several months before flying to the Bahamas to hook up with her main musical collaborator and producer Raphael Saadiq (known for his work with D'Angelo, The Roots, and Macy Gray).
"Raphael (who plays bass on the album) is the most incredible musician I've ever met in my whole life," Stone says. "Musically, I feel like he reads my mind. I’ll give him a look and he’ll know exactly what I want."
Stone and Saadiq spent two months recording in the Bahamas and then mixed it at Electric Lady Studios in New York City.
Other musical collaborators include rapper/singer/songwriter and producer Novel, the grandson of soul legend Solomon Burke, and Beau Dozier, son of Motown legend Lamont Dozier, whom she wrote with on her last album, 2004’s gold-certified "Mind, Body & Soul."
The new disc also features guest vocal appearances by the rapper Common on “Tell Me What We're Going to Do," and Fugees singer Lauryn Hill, who lends a rap to the languid Fugees-inspired track "Music."
Stone first emerged on the music scene as a 16 year old. In 2003, she released "The Soul Sessions," an album of covers of obscure soul tracks, and hit the road for a year, then recorded "Mind, Body & Soul," her first album of original material. Stone was nominated for 3 Grammy Awards in 2005, including Best New Artist, and performed a tribute to Janis Joplin with Melissa Etheridge at the ceremony. Over the course of her career, Stone has also appeared onstage with James Brown, The Rolling Stones, Gladys Knight, Patti Labelle, Mavis Staples, Donna Summer, Smokey Robinson, Rob Thomas, John Mayer, and John Legend. She has performed for more than 200,000 people at the 2005 Live 8 concert in London and most recently wowed the crowd with her rendition of Dusty Springfield’s “Son of a Preacher Man” at the UK Music Hall of Fame Awards in November. Now 19, Stone has sold over 7.5 million albums worldwide.
Stone is slated to play sold out shows Jan. 31 in Los Angeles and Feb. 8 in New York.
Friday, January 12, 2007 – Perry Farrell will be back on the airwaves with a venture come May, Satellite Party, which also features former Extreme guitarist Nuno Bettencourt.
The group will make its recording debut May 15 with a concept album, "Ultra Payloaded" (Columbia Records).
"The idea behind Satellite Party was born out of Farrell's passionate belief that one step at a time people can change the world, and with this endeavor, he is launching a musical movement to do just that," his publicist said in a press release.
The music of Satellite Party tells a story through a collaborative brain trust of artists, musicians and environmentalists called The Solutionists, who seek to redesign and come up with solutions for the world.
Blending rock, electro, urban beats and symphony, Farrell enlisted Bettencourt with new musicians Kevin Figueiredo on drums, Etty Lau Farrell on background vocals and Carl Restivo on bass. The album, produced by Farrell, co-produded by Nuno Bettencourt and executive produced by Steve Lillywhite, features a host of guests participating in the recording, including The Red Hot Chili Peppers Flea and John Frusciante, UK production duo/beat-makers Hybrid, New Order/ Joy Division bassist Peter Hook, down tempo pioneers Thievery Corporation, Porno for Pyros' guitarist Peter DiStefano, Black Eyed Pea's Fergie, film composer Harry Gregson-Williams (Chronicles of Narnia, Kingdom of Heaven) and a 30-piece orchestra.
The disc will feature an unreleased Jim Morrison vocal track, the first unheard Morrison performance in almost 30 years. Entitled "Woman In The Window," Morrison sings against a backdrop of Farrell's music, "Just try and stop us, we're going to love" before the song culminates with an elegant piano outro. Farrell calls the track the mantra of The Solutionists. Other tracks include the "Wish Upon A Dog Star," which is also the album's first single, "Kinky," and "Celebrate," a Sly Stone-like groove marrying calypso and disco. Farrell also shows his softer side on the tender "Awesome," written about seeing the world from the heavens.
Farrell formerly headed Jane's Addiction and Porno for Pyros and conceived Lollapalooza music fest.
Satellite Party will make its debut live appearance in Aspen, Col. on Jan. 25 as part of the 2007 ESPN Winter X-Games. Additional tour and exclusive live dates to be announced shortly.
Wednesday, January 10, 2007 – "The Story," a new collection of songs from the singer/songwriter/performer Brandi Carlile, hits streets April 3.
"The Story," Carlile's second disc, was produced by Grammy award winner T Bone Burnett and recorded live to 2-inch audio tape during a marathon 11-day recording session at The Warehouse Studios in Vancouver, B.C.
The band on the album includes her core trio Phil Hanseroth (bass, background vocals) and Tim Hanseroth (guitar, background vocals), with whom she's worked since her earliest recordings - along with drummer Matt Chamberlain (Tori Amos, Morrissey) and Josh Neumann (cello). Guest vocals include a special appearance the Indigo Girls, Amy Ray & Emily Sailiers, on "Cannonball."
Tracks are "Late Morning Lullaby," "The Story," "Turpentine," "My Song," "Wasted," "Have You Ever," "Josephine," "Losing Heart," "Cannonball," "Until I Die," "Downpour," "Shadows On The Wall," and "Again Today."
Carlile did a lot of touring to support her debut, which received positive reviews.
Tuesday, January 9, 2007 – Pedal steel guitarist "Sneaky" Pete Kleinow, a founder of the Flying Burrito Brothers, died Jan. 6 died at 72 apparently due to complications from Alzheimer's in Petaluma, Cal.
Kleinow was born in South Bend, Ind. on Aug. 20, 1934. He took up the pedal steel guitar at 17. In 1963, Kleinow relocated to Los Angeles where he became a regular performer on the city's club circuit. He was a pioneer of the country rock genre, and was the co-founder, along with Gram Parsons, Chris Hillman and Chris Ethridge of the seminal group, the Flying Burrito Brothers. With the release of their 1969 album, "The Gilded Palace of Sin," the group's innovative California-styled sound heralded the arrival of country rock and influenced a whole generation of later bands who followed in their wake, including The Eagles, Pure Prairie League and Poco.
During his music career, Kleinow was a well-known session musician as well. He recorded with The Ventures, John Lennon, Joan Baez, The Bee Gees, Joe Cocker, The Rolling Stones, Jackson Browne and Linda Ronstadt.
In 2000, Kleinow co-founded the group, Burrito Deluxe, along with lead singer, Carlton Moody. During his tenure, the band released two albums, 2002's "Georgia Peach," a tribute to Gram Parsons, and 2004's "The Whole Enchilada." Kleinow also performed on their forthcoming CD release, "Disciples Of The Truth."
Kleinow also built a successful career in visual effects, amassing an impressive resume in the film and television business. Beginning in the '60s and continuing into the late '90s, he worked on a wide array of television series, including Gumby, The Outer Limits, and Carl Sagan's The Cosmos, and dozens of feature films, including, The Empire Strikes Back, Terminator, Terminator 2: Judgement Day, Robocop II, and Winds of War, for which he won an Emmy.
Tuesday, January 9, 2007 – Albert Hammond, Jr. of The Strokes will release his debut solo album, "Yours To Keep" domestically March 6 on Scratchie/New Line Records. "Yours To Keep" features a core trio of Hammond (guitar/vocals), Matt Romano (drums) and Josh Lattanzi (bass) along with guest appearances by Jody Porter (Fountains Of Wayne), Sean Lennon and Ben Kweller. The U.S. release will include 2 bonus tracks not previously available as well as a video for the song “101."
Hammond is touring the U.S. as the opening act for Incubus.
Monday, January 8, 2007 – The Arcade Fire will release "Neon Bible," the band's second album, March 6 on Merge.
"Neon Bible" was recorded during 2006 in Quebec, New York, Budapest and London. All songs were written, produced, arranged and performed by The Arcade Fire - Regine Chassagne, Richard Reed Parry, Win Butler, Tim Kingsbury Sarah Neufeld, Will Butler and Jeremy Gara. The album was recorded by Markus Dravs and Scott Colburn, with orchestral arrangements by Owen Pallett and Regine Chassagne.
The songs are:
Black Mirror
Keep The Car Running
Neon Bible
Intervention
Black Wave/ Bad Vibrations
Ocean of Noise
The Well and The Lighthouse
(Antichrist Television Blues)
Windowsill
No Cars Go
My Body Is A Cage
The new disc is a follow-up to 2004's Funeral."
Wednesday, January 3, 2007 – Soundstage, the primetime concert series on PBS, kicks off its fourth season on Jan. 18 with Peter Frampton, for a 2-part episode (second part to air January 25th). Frampton was nominated for a 2007 Grammy in the Best Pop Instrumental Album category, He will perform classic hits such as “Show Me The Way,” and “Baby, I Love Your Way,” plus covers including George Harrison’s “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” and Soundgarden’s “Black Hole Sun.”
The season, which will run through March 1st, also includes the punk rock legends The New York Dolls (Feb. 1), CMA Award winner Lee Ann Womack (Feb. 8) Jewel (Feb. 15), singer/songwriter Rickie Lee Jones (Feb. 22), and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers on March 1 from Gainesville, Fla.
“We are so fortunate to have attracted such a diverse group of artists for the fourth season of Soundstage,” says Joe Thomas, founder of HD Ready. “I think more and more musicians are realizing that coming on our show gives them the rare opportunity to solely perform their best work in an intimate setting, for TV.”
After a run from 1974-1985, Soundstage, the music performance program, whose hour-long format was unique to television, was recently reintroduced by Thomas. HD Ready specializes in combining high-definition television and surround sound.
The majority of the concerts are filmed before small studio audiences, at WTTW’s Grainger Studio in Chicago. However, for the fourth season, Soundstage has veered away from its usual format, by filming outside of the Chicago soundstage for a few episodes, at remote locations such as Red Rocks in Colorado and Gainesville.