Friday, October 31, 2008

Happy Halloween!!!

There won't be any outdoor Halloween decorations at Bruce Springsteen's house this year. According to a post on BruceSpringsteen.net, the Boss and his wife Patti Scialfa won't be decorating their New Jersey home because the crowds have gotten just too big. Springsteen wanted to give his neighbors and friends a heads up with a note on his website, writing, "So as not to inconvenience you this Halloween, due to 'catastrophic success' (read: too many visitors for the neighborhood to handle) and concern for the safety of kids and parents! we won't be having our usual Halloween display this year in Rumson. We wish everyone a safe and Happy Halloween!"
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Peter Frampton
is so furious at having his Obama-Biden signs stolen off his front yard, that he's installed a surveillance camera to trap the thieves entering his property. Frampton, who lives in the predominantly Republican Cincinnati suburb of Indian Hill, told The Cincinnati Enquirer that his signs supporting Sen. Barack Obama are constantly being removed from his property, explaining, "They are frustrating my attempt to use my First Amendment right to speech and political speech is supposedly the most protected. It bugs me that people are breaking the law because it bugs them so much."

Frampton, who became a U.S. citizen in 2004, said that he was so upset by the sign situation that he called the paper offering an interview -- the first time he's ever done so. He explained that the first Obama sign he put on his property lasted about three days and the second lasted a week before again disappearing from his lawn. During the course of his chat with the paper, the Obama signs were stolen again. He explained, "The reason I became a citizen is because I wanted to be able to vote and be part of being an American."

I wonder what Pete's reaction is gonna be when he realizes he's done all this to catch a group of teenagers...
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Neil Young cancelled his concert last night at L.A.'s Inglewood Forum, rather than risk crossing a picket line of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE). Latimes.com reported that the IATSE has a long history of labor disputes against the Forum and had threatened to picket during last night's show.

Young, who along with his wife Pegi are honorary lifetime members of the IATSE issued a statement saying, "I am extremely disappointed to have to choose between satisfying my fans or backing my brothers and sisters of the IATSE. I will miss playing in Los Angeles and apologize to my fans for the inconvenience this has caused."




Thursday, October 30, 2008

Quick Hits Today

The Pretenders are currently promoting their first album in six years, Break Up The Concrete, which was released October 7th. Although only two concerts are currently booked for December, lead singer Chrissie Hynde recently said she hopes to tour as much as possible...
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MTV is expected to announce today that they have partnered with the rights holder of the Beatles' music to integrate the group's songs into the popular Rock Band video game. A press conference is scheduled for 10 a.m. where Apple Corps and MTV will announce "an exclusive agreement to develop a global music product." According to Gamasutra, earlier media reports indicated that Apple Corps and EMI, who represent the Beatles' business interests, were in discussions with both Activision, responsible for the competing Guitar Hero series of games, and MTV...
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A framed poster of the cover artwork for Nirvana's iconic 1991 album Nevermind, signed by all three members of the group, is one of the many items going up for auction at Christie's in New York on November 24th. According to the Associated Press, the auction of mostly punk rock memorabilia will also include relics like a handwritten flier for one of the Clash's first shows, publicity photos signed by the Sex Pistols, a rare 1976 Ramones concert poster and a press kit featuring one of the earliest mentions of singer David Jones' then-new name, David Bowie.

The Nirvana poster is signed by late frontman Kurt Cobain, as well as drummer Dave Grohl and bassist Krist Novoselic.

More than 120 items are going on the block, including mementos from artists like Patti Smith, the Velvet Underground, Blondie and the Cure. The various items are all expected to fetch between $300 and $6,000 each.

Perhaps the most collectible item on the list is a portable organ that John Lennon played during the Beatles' legendary 1965 concert at Shea Stadium. Although the organ was broken at the show, it was obtained and repaired by an Atlanta music shop owner. The now working keyboard could go for $150,000 to $200,000.

And now an awesome video of a cat stealing peanuts...
peanut stealing cat

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

L'ed Zeplyn??? And Billy/Bob Touring

Bob Dylan and his band will perform a special show for readers of BobDylan.com on November 21st at the United Palace Theatre in New York. Tickets will go on sale tomorrow (Friday, October 30th) at 10 a.m. ET. All purchases will require a password and there will be no general public on-sale tickets. More information is available at BobDylan.com . Dylan is currently on tour in Canada. He released the new archival collection, Tell Tale Signs: The Bootleg Series Vol. 8, earlier this month.
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British promoter Harvey Goldsmith, who organized Led Zeppelin's reunion concert in London last December, has called the notion of the group touring without singer Robert Plant "pointless" in a new interview with BBC News. Guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist John Paul Jones and drummer Jason Bonham have been rehearsing with several different singers recently and Jones said earlier this week that they planned to go on the road. But Goldsmith said, "I certainly don't think they should do a big tour because I can't see the point of it," adding that if the threesome do go out with a different frontman, "I doubt it will be called Led Zeppelin."
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Billy Joel revealed that he's going out on tour again with Elton John. According to Newsday, Joel broke the news this week at a special charity concert at the Hard Rock Cafe in New York. The rumor has been circulating for months, but now it looks like a co-headlining tour will happen next year. The pair has teamed on the road in the past on a series of Face to Face tours.

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

I'll have the Led Zepplin please... medium rare, and hold the Plant

John Paul Jones has confirmed that he, Jimmy Page, and Jason Bonham will hit the road with another vocalist replacing Robert Plant. Rolling Stone reported that Jones appeared last weekend in Britain at a Manson's Guitar Show and said that Led Zeppelin's backline is planning an upcoming road trek with a yet-to-be named vocalist stepping in for Plant. He told the press, "As soon as we know who it is, we'll let you know who it is." Jones didn't say when the tour would begin.

Among the vocalists rumored to have been rehearsing with the band are Alter Bridge singer Myles Kennedy and, most recently, Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler. There has been no word as to whether Page, Jones, and Bonham will bill themselves as Led Zeppelin.

Robert Plant has been the lone holdout on signing on for a Zep reunion since their one-off reunion show last December in London. Following the recent wrap-up of his tour with Alison Krauss, Plant said that he would be holding off from any live performances for "a couple of years."

Friday, October 24, 2008

Do You Remember...? and Free Dr. Pepper

It was 44 years ago tomorrow night (October 25th, 1964) that the Rolling Stones made their debut on The Ed Sullivan Show. The Stones' debut was nothing like the Beatles' celebrated first appearance the previous February, when they performed five songs. The Stones, who were on their second U.S. tour of the year, performed two songs in under seven minutes -- their latest hit "Time Is On My Side," and a cover of Chuck Berry's "Around And Around."

The Ed Sullivan Show wasn't the Stones' first U.S. TV performance. They had performed on Dean Martin's Hollywood Palace and The Mike Douglas Show during their first swing through the States the previous June. But it was during the Stones' 1964 Ed Sullivan Show performance that the majority of America got their first glimpse of the unruly Stones -- with Mick Jagger dressing down in a ragged sweatshirt and unwashed hair, and guitarist Brian Jones glaring menacingly toward the cameras.

The Rolling Stones eventually played The Ed Sullivan Show five more times, returning again in 1965, twice in 1966, once in 1967, and once in 1969.
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The manufacturer of the Dr. Pepper soft drink is making good on an offer to provide a free can of soda to every person in the U.S. if the new Guns N' Roses album, Chinese Democracy, were to come out before the end of 2008. With the disc now scheduled to arrive on November 23rd, the soda company has issued details of its offer. According to Billboard.com, fans who visit DrPepper.com on the date of the record's release can register online and receive a coupon good for one 20-ounce Dr. Pepper, good wherever the drink is sold. The coupon will only be available for 24 hours and will expire on February 28th.

The first single off the album also titled, Chinese Democracy was released early this week. To be frank... it stinks on ice! I'm not gonna lie, if the rest of the album is this bad, then my official stands on the new Guns N' Roses will be that their career is "in the toilet..."

Judge for yourself... Check out the new tune here...

Thursday, October 23, 2008

Beatles and Bloomies!!!

Sorry for the late update today, but I had such a great time hosting ladies night at the Publick House last night that I decided to sleep in....

Here's the latest happenings in our music world...

The new official Beatles iPods are now available exclusively at Bloomingdales, according to blog.wired.com. The iPods, which contain no Beatles music, comes in a $795 collectors box which includes the 13 original Beatles CDs, the two catch-all Past Masters CD collections, The Beatles LOVE CD and an engraved guitar pick. Only 2,500 units are available of the 120-GB iPod classic, which features "a laser-etched Beatles logo on the front and a silhouette of the Abbey Road album cover on the back." There has been no word on the rumored "Yellow Submarine" iPod which was believed to the model being sold this holiday season.
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U2's Bono has added a new gig to his already-busy schedule: writing for the New York Times. According to Radar Online, New York Times editorial page editor Andrew Rosenthal said Bono will write between six and 10 pieces for the newspaper next year on various topics ranging from poverty to Frank Sinatra. As for pay, there won't be any. The U2 frontman is doing it for free. The editor also expressed an interest in having Queen guitarist Brian May contribute some columns.
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Roger Daltrey credits Michael J. Fox for the Who's current North American tour. The band had promised to perform at a benefit for the Michael J. Fox Foundation For Parkinson's Research back in 2004, but couldn't coordinate their schedules until now. The Who will perform at the A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To Cure Parkinson's -- a special private benefit for the Foundation on November 5th at New York City's Waldorf Astoria.

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Attention Ryan Adams Fans

Click here to listen to some new tracks off the album, "Cardinology"

Oasis covers, Michael moves...

Oasis plan to rope in a 50-piece choir to cover a song by The Rolling Stones at BBC Electric Proms this weekend.

The Manchester rockers headline the Camden Roundhouse on Sunday (October 26) for the third year of the London-wide celebrations.

Traditionally rock bands have hooked up with classical musicians for the shows. And Noel Gallagher has revealed that the band are planning to cover the Stones' classic 'We Love You' with the Crouch End Festival Chorus.

The guitarist told BBC 6Music that the plans sprang from aborted sessions for new album 'Dig Out Your Soul'.

"Out of all the songs on the album, there's two that didn't make it that have got a 50-piece choir," he said. "The original idea for this album was to record it with this choir in Abbey Road and for whatever reason it didn't happen.

"When we got offered the Proms, we called them up and said, 'I know we let you down last time but do you fancy getting up and doing a few tunes?' I think they're going to sing on a third of the set and we're hoping to do 'We Love You'."

Gallagher did not reveal whether the abandoned album tracks will get an airing at the show.
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And from the "You've got to be kidding me file..."

Michael Jackson has moved into a new house opposite a school in Las Vegas. Apparently several parents of students attending the school have complained. "They say he can see the kids getting on the school bus from his house," one is quoted as saying.

However, locals say the singer keeps a low profile and is continuously surrounded by bodyguards.

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Down Economy Effecting U2??? Not so much...

U2 will get an estimated $19 million worth of Live Nation shares as part of a 12-year contract it signed with Live Nation in March. According to Billboard, the touring company registered 1.56 million shares to U2 in a regulatory filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The deal includes touring, merchandise and U2's website. The band's music will still be released through Universal Music.

U2's 2005-2007 Vertigo tour brought in close to $400 million.

U2 plans to release a new album early next year.

U2's Bono and The Edge are set to honor BB King and Paul Allen of Microsoft at the Thelonius Monk Institute of Jazz in Los Angeles on October 28th.
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Amy Winehouse has dropped plans for a third album, according to British tabloid reports.

The Rehab hitmaker, 25, went to a country cottage earlier this year to shut herself away while she penned new tracks for the album - the follow up to her multi-award winning Back to Black.

But she has now decided to put the plans on hold - as she has failed to write any songs.

A source tells the Sunday People, "Amy doesn't seem to be able to get her head down and do some work." Apparently she's only been able to get her head down and snort some coke... Allegedly!!

"The last album was released 18 months ago and she hasn't done any writing since. The talk is that there might not be another album."

A spokesperson for Winehouse was unavailable for comment.

Monday, October 20, 2008

We could all use some more Grammy Coverage

Grammy Award organisers have announced that they will reveal 2009 nominees during a primetime US television special for the very first time this year.

The 'Grammy Nominations Concert Live!!' will take place on December 3 at the Nokia Theatre LA Live in Los Angeles and feature performances from past Grammy winners as well as nominee announcements.

The event will also celebrate the grand opening of the Grammy Museum at the downtown Los Angeles entertainment complex that houses the Nokia Theatre, Club Nokia and the Staples Center, where the Grammy Awards are held each year.

In addition to watching the Grammy nominations telecast on CBS television, fans can buy tickets to attend the event via Ticketmaster beginning October 27. Performers are expected to be announced in the coming weeks.

The 51st Annual Grammy Awards ceremony is set to take place in Los Angeles on February 8, 2009.

Friday, October 17, 2008

Bruce, Billy, and Barack Last Night....

In a dream-come-true pairing for East Coast fans, Billy Joel and Bruce Springsteen joined forces last night (October 16th) at New York City's Hammerstein Ballroom for the "Change Rocks" fundraiser for Sen. Barack Obama. The show marked the first time that Springsteen and Joel have performed together since March 15th, 1999 when they both were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame.

According to fan reports, John Legend with special guest India.Arie opened the show, with Springsteen and Patti Scialfa joining them for a song. Springsteen then performed "The Promised Land" and "This Hard Land" solo on acoustic guitar. Joel performed "Miami 2017 (See The Lights Go Out On Broadway) and then duetted with daughter Alexa Joel on "Baby Grand." Springsteen and Joel -- along with Joel's band -- then tore through a joint set, featuring the two of them often trading off vocals to each other's classic hits -- even playing a good natured bit of "Hail To The Chief."

Among the songs performed were, "Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out" -- with Springsteen changing the song's key line to "The piano man joined the band," "Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)," "Thunder Road," "A Matter Of Trust," "Spirit In The Night" -- with Springsteen and Joel trading verses," "Allentown," "The Rising," "New York State Of Mind," "Glory Days," "River Of Dreams" featuring a bit of the Beatles' "A Hard Day's Night" squeezed in, "Born To Run," and Stevie Wonder's "Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I'm Yours)."

Last night's show marked Joel's first benefit for Obama. Earlier this month Springsteen played acoustically at rallies for Obama in Philadelphia, Columbus Ohio, and Ypsilanti, Michigan.
Billy Joel and Bruce Springsteen have both been labelmates on Columbia Records since 1973.

Thursday, October 16, 2008

I Said Peace and Love Damnit!!!

Ringo Starr's publicist issued a formal response explaining his gruff video message on ringostarr.com which angrily told fans that he would no longer accept fan mail or autograph memorabilia after October 20th.

The statement explained, in part, that, "This was in direct response to an inordinate amount of items which have recently appeared for sale on e-bay, and to those that repeatedly send cards and items to be signed. (The) message was not aimed at 'real fans' and after over 45 years of signing we know they will understand. Ringo has always signed items and is in fact the only Beatle to have been doing so."

The message went on to say, "Ringo also feels strongly that it is a waste of paper and we all should be mindful of our carbon footprint. At the end of the day Ringo wanted to make a message that was clear and to the point and is confident his real fans understand that.

Starr added a personal message to the press releases saying, "How amazed am I to the reaction to my video update. I hope this statement gets as much. Please read this in a mellow way. Peace and love, Ringo."

Check out the video:




And just to clarify I will continue to sign anything that is sent to me... And if you're not interested in an Anthony autograph, I have no problem signing Ringo's name on any Beatles item.

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Mid-Show update!!


Thanks To Tiffany of East Hampton for this...

Economy so bad we're turning to Mick for help!

Mick Jagger will be putting some of his London School of Economics training to good use when he helps draw up an e-commerce report for the European Commission. The Guardian reported that Jagger will work on the report with Apple CEO Steve Jobs, EMI's Roger Faxon, and representatives from eBay and Fiat. Jagger recently met with other members of the Online Commerce Roundtable in Brussels.

The group's report "will be concerned with the cross-border frustrations of European e-shoppers, such as problems with guarantees, after-sales service and the finer points of online music copyright." Jagger spoke at the meeting about music retailing and "the intricacies of intellectual property law and digital rights management."

European Union's competition commissioner, Neelie Kroes explained the need for the report, which will be published this month: "Consumers often find the products they are looking for are not available to them. I want to know why."

Jagger has been recording with the Eurythmics' Dave Stewart on a new, still-unnamed project.
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Paul McCartney says that the lyrics to his latest experimental album under the Fireman moniker are literally happy accidents. McCartney, who usually writes his own lyrics, chose a more avant garde approach for the third Fireman album, Electric Arguments, which is the first to feature vocals and lyrics.

McCartney explained to The Telegraph how the lyrics came about: "It was sort of a William Burroughs, cut-up approach," he says. "I'd get out poetry books and just kind of scour them and find phrases, then stick them to a phrase from another book, so I wasn't nicking somebody's whole poem. And I'd go on like that until I had enough to sing. I still don't know the lyrics myself."

For the past 15 years, McCartney's Fireman collaborator, DJ/producer Youth, has helped McCartney take his improvised studio pieces and form them into musically diverse and off-beat records. The former Beatle says he welcomes the teamwork in the studio: "I like having a collaborator. Otherwise, I get the feeling of being an absent-minded professor alone in his laboratory all day. I did the first solo McCartney record all on my own. It seemed a bit lonely. There's a track on there that's about 10 minutes long. Try playing maracas for 10 minutes in a row on your own. I was standing in the room thinking, 'That's it -- I've really lost the plot.' So, after that, I thought it was probably nice to have someone in the room with me."
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Rolling Stone magazine will be shrinking the size of its future issues beginning with its October 30th issue, which is due out this week. The Associated Press reported that the new size, which is more in line with other magazines on the market, will reduce production costs -- although Rolling Stone says that any savings will be offset to the magazine being able to print on thicker, glossier paper with additional pages.

The October 30th premiere of the "new" Rolling Stone will feature Senator Barack Obama on the cover. Editor and publisher Jann Wenner wrote in the new issue, "Like the man we are featuring on the cover for the third time in seven months... we embrace the idea of change. Not change for the sake of change, but change as evolution and growth and renewal, change as the kind of cultural renaissance that gave birth to Rolling Stone more than four decades ago."

Publisher Will Schenck told AP: "The size is a nostalgic element but not the iconic part of the magazine. Evolution and change is part of our DNA... We're expecting to get better placement (on the magazine stands). Right now, because of the size, it tends to be placed on the floor."

The original issues of the magazine starting in 1967 were printed as a tabloid-style newspaper, before switching in 1973 to a four-color press. In 1981 the magazine shrank to the now abandoned 10-by-12-inch size.
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A source has squashed rumors that White Stripes and Raconteurs frontman Jack White was approached to tour with Led Zeppelin members Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones and Jason Bonham. White had reportedly been mentioned as a fill-in for Robert Plant, who has no plans to tour with Zeppelin despite the band's massively successful reunion gig last December in London. However, the source told the U.K.'s Daily Star that White was not involved, adding, "I do not believe you can have a band called Led Zeppelin, singing Zeppelin songs, without Plant."

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Back from a long weekend with a few gift ideas...

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers are reissuing a two-DVD version of their Peter Bogdonovich-directed documentary Runnin' Down A Dream: Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers. The new edition, which features the entire four-hour film -- with newly added bonus material, will be sold exclusively though Best Buy stores. Runnin' Down A Dream was originally released on DVD last year as four-disc set.
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U2 has been hard at work on its next studio album, due out in early 2009. The set was expected to be released this year, but was pushed back after U2 members caught the creative bug while in the studio. Now one of the album's producers, Daniel Lanois, tells Canoe Jam! that he's been in New York City recently producing the set. He says "I enjoy the duality of my laboratory work and studio experiments I'm doing with U2 with my own musical career."

Lanois first worked on U2's The Unforgettable Fire and has teamed with Bob Dylan, Peter Gabriel, Robbie Robertson and others.

Friday, October 10, 2008

Dave Grohl's got nothing on me...

Roger Daltrey thinks that troubled British singer Amy Winehouse and Carl Barat -- the former Libertines' bandmate of the equally troubled Brit rocker Pete Doherty -- would make a great addition to a West End musical of the Who's Quadrophenia. Daltrey mentioned the two names when talking about the possible show, telling thisislondon.co.uk: "It would make a great musical. The biggest problem with it is getting a visual narrative that at least gives people some idea of what's going on."
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Neil Young fans who've endured the frequent delays to his upcoming inaugural set of his Archives series are going to have to wait just a bit longer. Bad-news-beat.org, posted that the project's latest hold up was due to production, not financial, issues.

The eight-CD, double-DVD spanning 1963 to 1972, was originally due out last year before being pushed to this fall, and now will -- hopefully -- reach fans by January or February 2009. In the meantime, on November 28th, Young will release a "a 22-track set recorded in November 1968 in Ann Arbor, Michigan." No further details were given.

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Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl is getting a street named after him in his birthplace of Warren, Ohio, according to Radio and Records. A rock radio station in nearby Youngstown, Ohio spearheaded the campaign for the street name along with Warren police sergeant Joe O'Grady. The city council voted unanimously on September 24th to change a downtown street named Market Alley to Dave Grohl Alley. There's no word on when a dedication ceremony will take place or whether Grohl will attend.

Yes this is all nice... but does he have his own Sandwich???

Ah ha... Thats Anthony 1, Dave Grohl 0.95....

Thursday, October 9, 2008

Peter Bono, Dylan's Diet, Remembering John

U2 frontman Bono is involved in what is turning out to be the most expensive production in theatre history. He's scoring the music to the Broadway version of Spider-Man, directed by The Lion King's Julie Taymor. It's currently operating on a budget of $40 million, and the show is expected to have a weekly running cost of $1 million. According to the New York Post, if the budget gets reduced to $35 million as has been reported, the musical would have to run for about 8,000 years to break even. The bulk of the money is going to costume designers. The show is scheduled to open on Broadway next year.
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Uncut features as an extended spread in their November issue of members of Bob Dylan's past recording teams, in commemoration of Dylan's new album, The Bootleg Series Vol. 8: Tell Tale Signs. Oh Mercy and Time Out Of Mind engineer Mark Howard spoke of Dylan's writing technique, recalling, "He would always be working on his lyrics. He'd have a piece of paper with thousands of words on it, all different ways. You couldn't even read it. Words going upside down, sideways, all over the page. I never saw him eat. He drank coffee and smoked cigarettes."
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Today (October 9th) marks what would have been John Lennon's 68th birthday. By nightfall, hundreds of fans will have made the pilgrimage to Central Park's Strawberry Fields in New York City for a day of remembrance, sing-alongs, and celebrations dedicated to the memory of Lennon.

Strawberry Fields, a triangular patch of land dedicated to Lennon by the city of New York and named after the Beatles' 1967 hit, sits directly across the street from the Dakota, Lennon's Manhattan apartment building, where he was gunned down on December 8th, 1980 at the age 40. At the time of Lennon's death, on December 8th, 1980, he and Ono had just released Double Fantasy, his first new music in over five years. Although Ono has made it her mission to keep Lennon's artwork and unreleased music available to fans, she has held off on releasing a box set of Lennon's acoustic home demos and work tapes made over the years. Today is also John and Yoko's son Sean Lennon's 33rd birthday.

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

A Hendrix Tribute with Buddy Guy??? Count me in...

Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready, Aerosmith axeman Brad Whitford and Kid Rock guitar player Kenny Olson have all signed on for guest appearances on the Experience Hendrix Tour, a 19-stop trek paying homage to the music and legacy of Jimi Hendrix. The traveling show, which launches on October 14th in New Hampshire, will also include performances by Jonny Lang, Buddy Guy, Eric Johnson, Jimi Hendrix Experience members Billy Cox and Mitch Mitchell, members of the Doors and many others.

Cox told Rolling Stone, "Nothing can compare to playing with the original master. But this tour is helping to validate the musical genius that I knew, by bringing Jimi Hendrix into the new millennium."

The tour is presented by Experience Hendrix, the Hendrix family-owned company founded by Jimi's father, James A. "Al" Hendrix. Artists will perform both Hendrix songs as well as music either covered by or associated with the legendary guitarist.
  • Experience Hendrix Local Tour dates:
    October 19 - Waterbury, CT - Palace Theater
    October 21 - New York, NY - Hammerstein Ballroom
    October 22 - New York, NY - United Palace Theatre
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Out now is the Pretenders' first album in six years, called Boots Of Concrete. Chrissie Hynde spoke to Rolling Stone and when asked about what she thought the current state of rock was, she said, "It used to be a secret between the audience and the artist. But I think a lot of bands turned it into a sport, like, 'We want to be the biggest band in the world and play in the biggest places!' It just got all flabby and stupid. Musicians started going to gyms, and it was all about choreography. That's not my cup of tea. Think small -- that's my motto."
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Out today is Phillip Norman's 800-page biography on John Lennon, titled John Lennon: The Life. The book is notable for the participation of Yoko Ono and Paul McCartney. Ono original backed the book, but after numerous extensive interviews she pulled all support after she deemed Norman's manuscript "too mean" towards Lennon's memory. Paul McCartney initially refused to help Norman after being slighted in his 1981 book, Shout! The Beatles In Their Generation. Norman recalls that after McCartney's office declined participating in the project, McCartney himself reached out to Norman...

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

The numbers all go to eleven...

Pete Townshend, Ron Wood, Angus Young, and Billy Gibbons were asked by Guitar World magazine to name the "Most Spinal Tap Moment" of their careers.

Townshend recalled a few classic Keith Moon tales, one of which, not surprisingly, involved a car and a hotel: "Keith Moon, God rest his soul, was Spinal Tap incarnate. Most people know the story of how he drove his Rolls-Royce into a swimming pool. But on another occasion, Keith drove his car through the glass doors of a hotel and all the way up to the reception desk, got out and asked for the key to his room, all without blinking an eyelid. One time, on a plane, he poured the contents of a soup can into a paper bag, pretended to be sick in the bag and then to drink his own 'vomit.' All of this in first class. The businessmen didn't know what hit 'em."

Ron Wood recalled an evening in which he and Mick Jagger went to see a Marvin Gaye concert, after which Jagger spent an hour trying to impress to Gaye with his knowledge of R&B music. Wood says that the man who they thought was Gaye told Jagger, 'That's great, but why don't you tell that to Marvin? He'll be here shortly.' Mick had been talking to Marvin's brother, who wore the same kind of knitted wool cap Marvin wore." Wood also recalled the Stones hanging out backstage prior to a gig in the early '80s when their road manager yelled out to them "The police are here!" The band panicked and threw all their drugs down the toilet before Sting, Andy Summers, and Stewart Copeland, walked in to greet the group.

To check out more real "Spinal Tap Moments" go to guitarworld.com.

Monday, October 6, 2008

JT

James Taylor supported his just-released new album, Covers, with a set of his own material last Thursday night in a special solo performance at Borders Books & Music's headquarters store in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Taylor explained to the crowd of 400, who had lined up early in the morning for wristbands, that he could not perform most of the songs from Covers, which he recorded with his 12-member Band of Legends, by himself. He did, however, play a rendition of Leonard Cohen's "Suzanne," which appears on the album, along with "Something In The Way She Moves," "Secret O' Life," "Carolina In My Mind," "Sweet Baby James," "Belfast To Boston (God's Rifle" from 2002's October Road album, and "Mexico."

Taylor was in a jovial mood throughout the half-hour set, talking a bit about Covers and telling stories about the songs he did play. He got a laugh from the crowd after "Something In The Way She Moves," which he said got him his deal with the Beatles' Apple Records label: "I played it for Paul McCartney and he liked it. I played it for George Harrison, and he liked it so much he went home and wrote it" -- referring to Harrison's Beatles' hit "Something."

  • The performance was filmed and will be posted on the Borders.com web site early next week.
  • Taylor has upcoming appearances booked on NBC's The Tonight Show (October 7th) and an October 22nd stop on PBS' Charlie Rose with cellist Yo-Yo Ma, who played on "Suzanne." Taylor is also taping a segment for Sundance's new Spectacle: Elvis Costello With...

Friday, October 3, 2008

Say Hey ( I Love You)

Perfomed live on the Late Late Show with that guy who isn't Conan O'brien...

It's Michael Franti and Spearhead featuring Cherine Anderson

Allmans Honored, Joplin Remembered

The Allman Brothers Band will receive Billboard Legend Of Live award on November 20th at the 2008 Billboard Touring Awards at New York City's Roosevelt Hotel, according to Billboard. Ray Waddell, the magazine's executive director of content and programming, touring and live entertainment said, "They're an American institution and concert icons, and Billboard is thrilled to honor them as this year's Legend Of Live."

The prestigious Legend Of Live award "recognizes a touring professional who has had a significant and lasting impact on the concert industry." Previous Legend Of Live award winners include Elton John, legendary booking agent Frank Barcelona, and Rolling Stones promoter Michael Cohl, among others.

Gregg Allman says that after being sidelined for most of this year by Hepatitis C, he's feeling great being back behind the keyboard leading the band.
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It was 38 years ago tomorrow (October 4th, 1970) that Janis Joplin was found dead. After a long night of partying, Joplin's body was discovered in her room at the Landmark Hotel in Hollywood with fresh needle marks in her arm, and her death was ruled an accidental overdose. Joplin was 27 years old.

At the time of her death, Joplin was working on what became her final album, Pearl. Actress Zooey Deschanel has signed on to portray Joplin in the upcoming biopic titled The Gospel According To Janis. The film is currently in production and expected to be released in 2010.

Thursday, October 2, 2008

McCartney Story, then a story about some Wack-o

Paul McCartney's new experimental project under the moniker the Fireman, called Electric Arguments, will be released in the U.S. by the Dave Matthews-owned label, ATO. Which I think is one of the greatest record label names... ATO Records means Acording To Our Records.

The album, which was co-produced by longtime McCartney collaborator and ambient DJ Youth, will be released by McCartney's production company MPL and manufactured and distributed outside of North America by One Little Indian Records.

Electric Arguments is the third Fireman project that McCartney has released since 1993, and is the first to feature full vocal performances. The album's lead track, called "Nothing Too Much Just Out Of Sight," is musically and vocally reminiscent of the Beatles' "Helter Skelter," and such early solo and Wings tracks as "Oh Woman, Oh Why," "Monkberry Moon Delight," "Mumbo," among others.

McCartney told Mojo that the title of the song "Nothing Too Much Just Out Of Sight" was inspired by his late friend Jimmy Scott, who also inspired the title of the Beatles' "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da."
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An Australian-born artist named Natascha Stellmach claims that she has acquired the ashes of late Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain and has incorporated them into an art installation on suicide, called "Set Me Free." The project, which includes recordings, poetry and text, will conclude with an event in which Stellmach plans to produce a joint containing the ashes and smoke it at a secret location in Berlin. This will, according to the artist, release Cobain "into the ether from the media circus."

According to Art World, when asked how she obtained Cobain's ashes, Stellmach said, "That's confidential and kind of magic. They came to me."

Cobain's widow, singer and actress Courtney Love, reported the ashes stolen from her home last year. She has yet to comment on Stellmach's claim.

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

Bruce, Billy, and Barack

In what may be the hottest ticket of the year, Bruce Springsteen and Billy Joel will play a double bill fundraiser for presidential candidate Senator Barack Obama at New York City's Hammerstein Ballroom on October 14th. The show is titled "Change Rocks" and will benefit the Obama Victory Fund.

Backstreets.com broke the news to subscribers, announcing that Obama will be in attendance, along with Springsteen, Joel, and "friends." The show marks both artists' first benefits for Obama. No additional acts have been announced yet.

Tickets run from $500 to $10,000. For ticket information go to donate.barackobama.com/page/contribute/Oct16Concert