EHM Halloween Party 09 @ Southampton Publick House

Another year, another great party at the Southampton Publick House... Check out some of the pics below... and again, thanks to everyone who came and the staff at the Publick House for a great time!!!

No Where Boy Trailer

The Spit Ball

Lost some respect for Mariano today... I don't like cheaters...

I love it when opposite worlds collide

Great video of Robert Trujillo joining Rodrigo y Gabriela on stage for a version of Metallica's Orion...

Enjoy!!

Oasis... Taking it to the streets

What an interesting Film... Only 18 minutes long, its all about NYC Subway performers covering 4 new Oasis Songs.

Enjoy!!!

Have Yourself a Merry DYLAN Christmas...

From Rolling Stone-

Sincerity – that’s Bob Dylan’s present to you on his first-ever Christmas album. Based on a preview of six tracks from Christmas in the Heart – a set of traditional hymns and popular holiday songs to be released October 13th – held at the Sony Music offices this week, Dylan truly means it when he gets to the famous closing line of “The Christmas Song.” co-written by singer Mel Tormé and first cut in 1946 by Nat King Cole: “Although it’s been said many times many ways, Merry Christmas to you.” Against a restrained country-saloon-band arrangement, Dylan’s dirt-road larynx smooths out into a low warming tenor wishing you the top o’ the season.

Dylan produced the album under his pseudonym Jack Frost (very appropriate this time around) and recorded it with his touring band and some guests, including male and female chorales and Los Lobos accordionist David Hidalgo, who played all over Dylan’s last album, Together Through Life. The accordion is, in fact, the driving instrument on “Must Be Santa,” which Dylan takes at hyper-polka speed, with a spiked-eggnog exuberance in the backing vocals. “The Little Drummer Boy” combines the dusted-roots quality of Together Through Life and the haunted flair of his 1989 album, Oh Mercy, with prominent drum rolls and a wall of singing angels behind him. The Jordanaires-like male harmonies in “Here Comes Santa Claus” add some holiday Elvis to the barn-dance gait. A long Hawaiian steel-guitar flourish starts the palm trees swaying in “Christmas Island,” and Dylan puts extra church in “O Come All Ye Faithful” by singing the first verse in the original Latin (”Adeste fideles . . .”).

Dylan, who opens a fall U.S. tour October 4 in Seattle, recently completed a video for “Must Be Santa” and is hoping Christmas in the Heart will be a gift that keeps on giving. He has pledged all of his American royalties from the record, now and forever, to Feeding America, a program that provides meals for the hungry. Proceeds from overseas sales will go to international charities.

THE BEATLES SELL 2.25 MILLION ALBUMS IN FIVE DAYS

40 years after splitting up, the Beatles have sold an astounding 2.25 million records in only five days. The Associated Press reported that the sales are tallied from the group's three biggest markets; North America, Japan and the U.K. In the States, the Beatles dominated the Billboard Pop Catalog chart, holding down 16 spots in the Top 50, which included 14 re-mastered CD's and the box sets featuring both their stereo and mono catalogues.

With America -- and the world -- once again being invaded by the "Fab Four," Paul McCartney recalled the scene as the Beatles landed in America on February 7th, 1964 at New York's JFK International Airport: "There were millions of kids at the airport, which nobody expected. And we heard about it mid-air, as I recall, you know, 'cause there were journalists on the plane, and the pilot can ring ahead. And he said, 'Oh, you know, tell the boys there's a big crowd waiting for 'em there.' So we went, 'Wow, God, you know, this is just...Wow, we really made it."

World sales data courtesy of the Beatles' label Capitol/EMI:

United States: During the first five days of release, consumers purchased more than one million copies of remastered Beatles titles, and the individual CD and boxed sets debuted strongly across multiple Billboard charts. On Billboard's Comprehensive Albums chart, which lists the most popular album releases in the U.S., including current and catalogue titles, The Beatles set a new record for the most simultaneous titles by a single artist (18), including five of the Top 10 and nine of the Top 20.

United Kingdom: In last week's chart, The Beatles had four titles in the Top 10, seven in the Top 40 and 16 in the Top 75, including both the stereo and mono boxes, as well as 2000's Beatles 1 compilation. This set a new record for the most simultaneous albums in the UK charts according to the UK Official Charts Company. In this week's UK chart, the Beatles have 13 albums in the top 75. A further 84,000 CD's were sold last week, bringing their total sales of the remasters to more than 354,000 in 11 days and their total UK sales this decade to 6,755,000.

Japan: All 14 remastered titles and boxed sets debuted in the Top 25 of the international chart, including seven of the Top 10, led by the stereo boxed set at Number Two, the mono boxed set at number three, Abbey Road at four and Let It Be at six. Across all titles and box sets, more than 840,000 albums were purchased by consumers in Japan in the first three days of sales.

Canada: The Beatles have 15 of the Top 20 catalogue titles including all of the Top 11. The stereo boxed set is a new entry in the current albums chart at Number Four, the highest debut for a boxed set in Canada since Nielsen SoundScan started tracking sales. Cumulative sales across all titles were just under 160,000 over the counter.

France: All 14 of the remastered titles and boxed sets entered the latest album chart, including three in the Top 10, led by Abbey Road at number four -- a new record for the most original studio albums in the French album chart in one week.

Italy: The Beatles have 17 titles in the current chart -- all 14 remastered titles, the two boxed sets, plus the Beatles 1 compilation -- a record for the most simultaneous entries in the album chart.

Belgium: With 17 entries in the current chart -- the 14 remastered titles, two boxed sets and the Beatles 1 compilation - - the Beatles have set a new record for the most simultaneous albums in the Belgian chart as confirmed by chart compiler Ultrapop.

Sweden: The Beatles have 16 titles simultaneously in the Top 60, led by Abbey Road at Number Six. Local industry body IFPI have confirmed that this is a record for the Swedish charts.

Argentina: Seven of the current Top 10 albums are Beatles remasters, led by Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band at Number Two, Abbey Road at number three and The Beatles -- better known as "The White Album" -- at Number Four. All 14 re-mastered titles are in the Top 20 and the boxed sets are at numbers 73 and 74 in the chart.

Spain: Three Beatles albums plus both boxed sets debuted in the latest chart, a record for a single artist. The combined sales of the boxed sets places them at Number Four in the chart.

Poland: All 14 remastered albums and two boxed sets debuted in the current Top 100, led by Abbey Road at Six. This is a record for the highest number of simultaneous entries in the Polish chart.

Switzerland: 14 Beatles titles, including the stereo boxed set, debuted in the most recent album chart, a record for the most simultaneous titles in the album chart.

Denmark: The latest album chart includes 15 remastered Beatles titles, plus the Beatles 1 compilation, including four of the Top 20.

Australia: The Beatles have 14 titles in the current chart, including the Beatles 1 compilation.

Germany: The combined sales of the stereo and mono boxed sets, with one boxed set counted as one unit sale, places them as the Number Three best seller in the latest chart.

Austria: The current Top 75 contains 12 remastered titles plus the stereo boxed set.

Portugal: The remastered titles occupy 11 places in the current Top 30 album chart, including three of the Top 10.

Norway: The combined stereo and mono boxed sets debut at Number Three with a further 12 remastered titles in the Top 100.

Colombia: Half of the current Top 10 albums are Beatles remasters titles.

Korea: During the first sales week, the Beatles occupied 16 of the Top 17 spots in Korea's Hottracks album chart.

Gotta Laugh Mets Fans

Video Recaps | Full Episodes | Webisodes

Top 15 America Songs

Rolling Stone readers poll has placed Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers' "American Girl" at Number One of their Top 15 "American" songs." The only prerequisite was that that the picks had to have the word "American" in them -- and did not have to be performed by Americans, be about the U.S., or politics at all.

The list features a diverse group of acts, including David Bowie, Ray Charles, Green Day, Neil Diamond, James Brown, the Clash, and others

• The Rolling Stone Top 15 "American" Songs:
  1. "American Girl" - Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers
  2. "American Pie" - Don McLean
  3. "American Woman" - the Guess Who
  4. "America" - Simon & Garfunkel
  5. "Born In The U.S.A." - Bruce Springsteen
  6. "Living In America" - James Brown
  7. "We're An American Band" - Grand Funk Railroad
  8. "I'm Afraid of Americans" - David Bowie
  9. "Young Americans" - David Bowie
  10. "American Idiot" - Green Day
  11. "I'm So Bored With The U.S.A." - the Clash
  12. "America" - Neil Diamond
  13. "Ashes Of American Flags" - Wilco
  14. "Little America" - R.E.M.
  15. "America The Beautiful" - Ray Charles

Let me know what YOU think... email anthony@wehm.com

MJ latest rehearsal pics

Click here for pictures of Micheal Jackson during his last rehearsal.

Dave is a weirdo... but he just might be a genious

DMB GPS

This is hilarious! Good Job by Jimmy Fallon!

Live and Local

Hey Guys,

Join me tonight at 7:20pm for a very special EHM Local. We starting a new series every Thursday called "EHM Live and Local. We'll have some of the best local acts on Long Island in the studio to hang with me for a bit and perform for you guys (and gals) live!!

Tonight we start off the series with Mick Hargreaves and special guest Gene Casey and the Lone Sharks.

Click here For more Mick!

I wonder if Mick has ever tasted the Anthony Sangwich... I think we may find out tonight!

Has Queen gone Quazy?

With all the press that American Idol runner-up Adam Lambert is receiving after his four-minute spot singing "We Are The Champions" with Brian May and Roger Taylor, you would almost think he landed the gig as Queen's new frontman. Brian May for one isn't completely ruling it out, telling Rolling Stone, "There wasn't really a quiet moment to talk, but (Roger) and I are definitely hoping to have a meaningful conversation with him at some point. It's not like we, as Queen, would rush into coalescing with another singer just like that. It isn't that easy. But I'd certainly like to work with Adam. That is one amazing instrument he has there."

May, who along with Taylor parted ways with recent Queen frontman Paul Rodgers, added, "I've not always been positive about shows like (American Idol), but there is no doubt that it offers a door to some real genuine talent along the way. . . I'm confident Adam will make great use of this wonderful opportunity. I hope I'm there to see it."

Mayor Anthony

Click here to read the article about me running for mayor

John Lennon: The New York Years

I'm getting a lot of calls and E-mails about my EHM Daily Music Note from yesterday... So I figured I'd post some more information for everyone to check out regarding the new Lenon Exhibit at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Manhattan Annex.

Here's the link for the Annex.

And here's a pretty good article from the New York Times.

I realize I rip them from time to time on the show, but they did a good job with this one.

Bob and Paul

Bob Dylan has been igniting the interest of rock fans everywhere when in his latest Rolling Stone interview he said that he'd be up for collaborating with Paul McCartney, saying, "That'd be exciting to do something with Paul! But, ya know, your paths have to cross for something like that to make sense."

Examiner.com reported that while performing in Liverpool, England, Dylan paid a visit to John Lennon's boyhood home called "Mendips." According to one of the guides in the National Trust house, Dylan visited the residence in the late afternoon and allegedly commented that the unheated bathroom reminded him of his own childhood home in Minnesota.

While performing at the Liverpool Echo Arena on May 1st, Dylan paid tribute to good friend George Harrison by performing late Beatle's signature song "Something."

Are Musicians that much different from Kindergardeners??

Mick Jagger and Joss Stone are teaming up once again for a duet for an upcoming charity album. Thesun.co.uk reported that the duo are working with Bob Marley's sons Damian and Stephen Marley, along with Slumdog Millionaire soundtrack composer A.R. Rahman and rapper Nas. Bono is also involved in the project which is being released on September 21st in honor of the United Nation's International Day Of Peace.

According to an insider's report, there was tension between Jagger and Damian Marley over their recording schedule, with Jagger preferring to record during the day: "It's incredibly challenging to get so many figures in the studio at a time that's agreeable to everyone. Damian's a night owl whereas Mick likes to hit the studio in the morning. They eventually reached a compromise where by they will record from 5 p.m. to midnight every day."

The Smithereens covering The Who

CLICK HERE TO HEAR

Really? Again???

Coldplay is being accused of plagiarism yet again. The latest accusation comes from 1970s rocker Yusef Islam, formerly known as Cat Stevens. He's claiming the British rockers ripped off his song, "Foreigner Suite" in their hit "Viva La Vida." Islam tells Britain's Sun tabloid that the song's melody resembles his own 1973 tune. The band also already faced legal action from guitarist Joe Satriani who had a similar complaint about "Viva La Vida." Now Islam says, "There's been this argument about Coldplay stealing this melody from Joe Satriani, but, if you listen to it, it's mine! It's the 'Foreigner Suite.'"

More on this @ 5:15 today During the EHM Daily Music Notes...

Happy Birthday Pete!!!

Some pictures from last nights show

Celebrating 90 years...

The Boss

Dave Matthews

Bruce Springsteen, Joan Baez, Tao Rodriquez, and Pete Seeger

Tonight on the Island

Bruce Springsteen's shows have once again evolved into fan request extravaganzas -- except now it's turning into a case of "stump the band." In addition to the dozens of fan signs requesting their favorite Springsteen classics and deep cuts, some enterprising fans are now requesting other bands songs as well. At recent shows the E Street Band has launched into such cover fan requests as the Dovells' "You Can't Sit Down," Question Mark and the Mysterians' "96 Tears," the Troggs' "Wild Thing," the Clash's "London Calling," the Ramones' "I Wanna Be Sedated," ZZ Top's "I'm Bad, I'm Nationwide," and Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Proud Mary."

Among the recent fan requests from within the Springsteen catalogue are: "I'm On Fire," "I'm A Rocker," "Sherry Darling," "The Fever" "I'm Goin' Down," "The E Street Shuffle," and "Fire."

Bruce Springsteen and the boys perform tonight in Uniondale, at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum.

The New Dylan Album... The coolest of '09 so far

Bob Dylan is confident that his new-found collaboration with Grateful Dead lyricist Robert Hunter will carry on past their recent work together. Hunter, who was Jerry Garcia's lyricist for nearly 30 years, cowrote the majority of lyrics on Dylan's newly-released album Together Through Life.

Dylan told Rolling Stone that the pair definitely share a unique chemistry, saying, "We could probably write a hundred songs together if we thought it was important or the right reasons were there. He's got a way with words and I do too. We both write a different type of song than what passes today for songwriting."

Need to mellow at work?

Hey all,

I'm just hanging at the station before the show starts. Checking out different things on the net. Since we've been talking a lot about Warren Haynes, I found this great video of him just tearing it up with DMB on Neil Young's, Cortez the Killer....

Enjoy!

Rosie... Will You Marry Me?

Bruce Springsteen is legendary for having guest stars pop up on stage during various stops on the road, usually they're performing -- not popping the question! At Springsteen's Wednesday night (April 21st) gig in Boston, local musician Tim Brennan of the Dropkick Murphy's took the stage to propose to his now-fiancee. In celebration, the E Street Band then launched into the late-1974 Born To Run outtake "So Young And In Love." Brennan was joined by a couple of his bandmates afterwards for a rendition of Springsteen's traditional closer, "American Land."

Although Springsteen's shows are featuring more cool fan requests such as the Ramones' "I Wanna Be Sedated," it seems to be coming at the expense of tunes from his latest album Working On A Dream. Wednesday's Boston show only featured a measly three tracks from the new album -- including only the title track, "Outlaw Pete," and "Kingdom Of Days."

Some Quick Hits...

Rod Stewart reunited with former bandleader Jeff Beck for a couple of songs on Tuesday night (April 22nd) during Beck's show at L.A.'s El Rey Theatre. The pair reprised their 1985 cover of the Impressions' "People Get Ready," before launching into a particularly hot rendition of Willie Dixon's "I Ain't Superstitious" -- which they had originally recorded in 1968 on the Jeff Beck Group's 1968 debut album, Truth.

Bruce Springsteen announced during Tuesday night's show in Boston that Patti Scialfa will be missing a few E Street Band dates after she "took a spill" while horseback riding over the weekend. Backstreets.com, posted that Springsteen described the injuries to the crowd, and joked, "She wasn't riding with Madonna, it wasn't a Madonna-like spill." "The Boss" went on to joke that his wife suffered "multiple contusions, bruised ribs . . . and whiplash, from me driving her to the hospital."

Scialfa should be back on the road after missing only a few shows.

New Tore Books

The Dead are offering fans a one-of-a kind opportunity to create their own scrapbooks to all 17 stops on their spring tour. Mediabistro.com reported that 72 hours after each Dead gig, fans can buy the specialty made books featuring shots from the evening show.

The publishers of the new book published a statement on blog.blurb.com saying, "Not only can you buy the concert book from your Dead show, but you can add your own personal photo to the front cover. Whether it's a shot of you and your friends dancing on the lawn, or Phil Lesh signing your shirt, you can bring the cover to life with your photography to commemorate your Dead show in a personal way."

To check out the process blurb.com/thedead.

Think you're Peter Parker???

The upcoming Broadway musical based on the comic book character Spider-Man, with songs by U2 frontman Bono and guitarist The Edge, will hold open casting calls in major cities around the U.S. starting next week. According to Sci-Fi Wire, the show, officially called Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark, is looking for performers with "dynamic rock/pop voices, including those with experience in bands and as solo performers," although no prior experience is necessary.

The show is looking for performers who can either play or understudy for the lead roles of Peter Parker/Spider-Man and Mary Jane Watson, in addition to a "lead female villain" who is not named but described as "Sinead O'Connor with a Middle Eastern/Bulgarian/Greek twist."

Auditions will be held in Orlando, New York, Los Angeles, Seattle, Chicago and Austin. The show is scheduled to open on February 18th, 2010, with previews beginning on January 16th.

More info can be found at http://spidermanonbroadway.marvel.com.

Warren Haynes on Double Duty

The Dead surprised some lucky fans on Monday (March 30th) night by playing not one but three New York City venues. Rolling Stone reported that later in the day after Bob Weir, Phil Lesh, and Warren Haynes appeared on ABC's The View, the band set up for their gig at New York's Angel Orensanz Theatre, where Weir joked, "It's just like playing a three-hour show, but it's broken up by cab rides." The band had originally wanted to play a larger open air free show in the city but got bogged down with red tape.

The pared-down trio kicked off the first gig of the night at Angel Orensanz -- a former synagogue on the Lower East Side -- and focused mainly on acoustic-based material from Workingman's Dead, American Beauty and other earlier sets, including such Dead favorites as "Dire Wolf," "Cumberland Blues," "Casey Jones," and an extended 20-minute version of the Jerry Garcia classic "Bird Song."

The 8 p.m. show at the Gramercy Theatre featured the Dead's drummers Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann, as well as keyboardist Jeff Chimenti for an hour-long electric set which included such Dead classics as "Good Lovin,'" "The Wheel," and "Franklin's Tower," along with several extended jams. As with past Dead shows, Haynes has taken most of the leads associated with the previously sung Garcia material.

The third and final gig of the night kicked off at 11 p.m. at the 3,000 capacity club Roseland. The band tackled tracks from throughout their career, including "Althea," the Weir classic "Cassidy," "Eyes Of The World," "St. Stephen," and "Sugar Magnolia," among others.
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The Allman Brothers Band have announced 26 tour dates kicking off on May 19th at L.A.'s Greek Theatre and running through mid-October. Along the way, the Allmans will be sharing the bill at select shows with the Doobie Brothers, the Dead, and Widespread Panic. The Allmans often play new songs in concert, and singer-guitarist Warren Haynes says that the band has always been careful to never let new material take precedent over fan favorites: "We don't wanna give them too many new songs in a night, or the show may suffer a little bit, from an energy perspective. So if you do a new song, and then follow it up with 'Midnight Rider,' or something like that, you know, then you're doing OK. Then three songs later, do another new song, and follow that up with another classic, and try and pepper 'em in there to the extent that the show doesn't suffer."

August 27 - Wantagh, NY - Nikon At Jones Beach Theater

Last month the band wrapped up their "March Madness" residency at New York City's Beacon Theatre where they welcomed such guests as Eric Clapton, the Dead's Phil Lesh and Bob Weir, Levon Helm, Billy Gibbons, Trey Anastasio and Page McConnell of Phish, Sheryl Crow, and Kid Rock.

Dead View

The Dead's Bob Weir and Phil Lesh were joined by touring bandmember Warren Haynes yesterday (March 30th) for their appearance on ABC's The View.

Weir explained that rather than let the 1995 death of bandleader Jerry Garcia sink in, he took solace in hitting the road and making music: "Well, that was a body-blow for sure. I, I know that I personally just went on the road and stayed on the road. That was my grieving process. Y'know, 'cause he was a dear, dear, friend a brother, all that kind of stuff. A loss like is tough to. . . So like I said I went on the road and stayed on the road. (Joy Behar): You just kept moving. (Bob Weir): Yeah."

The scaled down Dead performed one of Garcia's best-loved songs from the group's 1971 American Beauty album -- "Friend Of The Devil."

E-Who-Dead

Bruce Springsteen fans heaved a sigh of relief last week when Max Weinberg's temporary replacement took the stage with the band in Asbury Park for a handful of songs during their rehearsal shows. It eased things slightly that Weinberg's 18-year-old son Jay had already rocked Giants Stadium last summer during the "The Boss's" New Jersey run. By all accounts Jay had the chops to hold his own with the mighty E Street Band.

Max, who'll be missing some of the band's European dates due to scheduling conflicts with the new Conan O'Brien Tonight Show kickoff, recalled to Rolling Stone how Jay ended up with one of the most coveted gigs in all of rock: "(Bruce called) he wanted to talk to Jay. He said to him, 'Jay, this is Bruce. You may have heard I have a band. In that band I have the world's greatest drummer, who has a scheduling conflict. He gave me your name and number and suggested that I call you to see if you'd be interested in playing with me and the E Street Band.'"

Max added that, "The torch has been passed to a new generation, so to speak. Temporarily, I might add. Because I'm not giving up my job yet."
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Pete Townshend isn't making any promises, but when he wraps up his current writing cycle, there might be some new material perfectly suited for the Who.

Townshend, who's currently on tour with the band Down Under, told Australia's The Daily Telegraph that he doesn't try to pigeon hole his work into specific projects, explaining, "I don't write for something we call 'The Who,' with all its cumbersome history and theatrical stage songs. I just write music, or poems, or lyrics, or songs. If they work for Roger (Daltrey), or for me, we will record them. I may never manage to write such a song again, but as Endless Wire featured some of the most recent and least anthemic songs I've ever written. . . there's a good chance we'll find something when I'm done doing whatever I do in the summer of 2009."

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Bob Weir says that the Dead is hard at work getting the band in shape for their upcoming tour, and digging deep into its back catalogue for the band's first extended trek in five years.

Weir explained that they have been working on material(approximately 150 songs) that hasn't been performed live by the band since around the time of their Wake Of The Flood album...

Are you a Bob Dylan fan about to get married???

Well if you are consider this...

Bob Dylan's luxurious mansion and estate in the Highlands of Scotland is available for parties and weddings for as low as $3,000, according to twentyfourbit.com. The Edwardian mansion sits on 25 acres, and features "views of the Cairngorms mountain range" (with) 10 bedrooms, and two separate cottages -- which are also available to rent for about $600.

Dylan and his younger brother David Zimmerman purchased the property together back in 2006, and Dylan has reportedly spent very little time on the grounds.

Check out the mansion at theaultmorehouse.com.

Dylan will release his 33rd studio set Together Through Life on April 28th.

(U) 2 (Grateful) Big tours!

U2 has confirmed the opening acts and dates for the fall North American leg of the band's world stadium tour, according to Ticketnews.com. Muse, Snow Patrol, and Black Eyed Peas will support the Irish quartet on various stops along the tour route, which begins on September 12th in Chicago and now encompasses 16 cities. Tickets for the shows in Chicago, Toronto, Boston, and New York go on sale this coming Monday (March 30th) with the rest to be made available shortly.
Tickets for the European leg of the trek are selling in record time, with the 11 gigs put up for sale so far already sold out. Most sold out in under an hour, with second nights in Paris and London already scheduled.

The tour, which features an enormous solid steel stage set called "the Claw" and features the band playing in the round, kicks off on June 30th in Barcelona, Spain.

According to U2's manager, 85 percent of tickets for the tour cost under $95, with general admission floor tickets priced at $55 and at least 10,000 at each date set aside at $30 each.

U2 hits our area on September 24 at Giants Stadium!
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In an effort to curb outlandish scalpers' prices, the Dead are putting some of the better seats to their opening night gig of their upcoming tour up for auction to benefit charity. The Associated Press reported that tickets for third row, center-stage-right for the tour's opening show on April 12 in Greensboro, North Carolina are up for grabs with the online bidding starting at $250 at charityfolks.com.

The band hopes to raise $250,000 for such Dead-supported charities as the Rex Foundation for the arts; the Further Foundation, which works for environmental and social causes; the Unbroken Chain Foundation, which supports community service projects; and the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, which is dedicated to protecting oceans and marine life.

Bob Weir explained why the charitable element is so important to the band: "Needless to say, like any charity these days, their revenues are down right now. They're hurting. We want to do what we can to keep these folks up and running and in business."

I couldn't come up with a clever tittle today

Crosby, Stills, & Nash have announced the first leg of their upcoming North American tour, which kicks off on June 3rd in St. Louis and wraps on June 14th in Boston. A second leg, running August through September, will be announced in the coming weeks.

Coinciding with the tour will be the release of Crosby, Stills, & Nash: Demos on June 2nd. The single-disc release features 1968 and 1969 demos of such group and solo classics as "Marrakesh Express," "My Love Is A Gentle Thing," "Almost Cut My Hair," "Chicago," "Long Time Gone," "Guinevere" and "Wooden Ships," among others.

• Crosby, Stills, & Nash tour dates (subject to change):
  June 3 - St. Louis, MO - Chaifetz Arena
  June 4 - Chicago, IL - Charter One Pavillion at Northerly Island
  June 6 - Rochester, MI - Meadow Brook Music Festival
  June 7 - Toledo, OH - Toledo Zoo Amphitheatre
  June 12 - Cooperstown, NY - Doubleday Field
  June 13 - Mashantucket, CT - Foxwoods Resort Casino
  June 14 -Boston, MA - Bank Of America Pavilion

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Following the recent success of John Mellencamp and Robert Plant & Alison Krauss, Elvis Costello has teamed up with producer T-Bone Burnett for the upcoming acoustic Americana album The Secret, The Profane, And Sugar Cane, according to Billboard. The album, which marks Costello's first collaboration with Burnett since 1989's Spike, will be his debut release for the Hear Music label.

Ten of the album's tracks are new Costello compositions, including two written with Burnett. One song, "I Felt The Chill," was co-written by Costello with Loretta Lynn, with two of the album's tracks -- "Hidden Same" and "Boom Chicka Boom" -- were originally written by Costello for Johnny Cash.

Boss rehearsals, Little Stevie sheds some light on rock and roll

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band kicked off the first of their two rehearsal shows at New Jersey's Asbury Park Convention Hall last night (March 23rd). According to fan reports, the band was augmented with two backup singers, Curtis King and Cindy Mizelle, who both toured with Springsteen in 2006 as part of the Seeger Sessions Band. Springsteen played a total of 24 songs, premiering six tracks from his new Working On A Dream album. Last night's gig also featured the E Street Band's debut performance of Wilson Pickett's "Mustang Sally."

Last night's Asbury Park setlist: "Outlaw Pete," "My Lucky Day,"
"Night," "Out In The Street," "Working On A Dream," "Johnny 99," "I Ain't Got No Home" (Woody Guthrie song); "Good Eye," "Radio Nowhere," "Candy's Room," "Because The Night," "Mary's Place," "The Wrestler," "This Life," "Long Walk Home," "Surprise, Surprise," "Badlands," and "No Surrender."

ENCORES: "Hard Times Come Again No More Again" (Stephen Foster song), "Mustang Sally" (Wilson Pickett song); "Thunder Road," "Born To Run," "American Land," and "Seven Nights To Rock" (Moon Mullican song)

Springsteen performs again tonight (March 24th) at the Convention Hall for the second E Street Band rehearsal show.

Backstreets.com reported that Springsteen hopped onstage Saturday night (March 21st) in Long Branch, New Jersey at the Ocean Palace Resort at a fundraiser for the Ranney School -- where his youngest children Jessica and Sam both attend.

Playing an off-white Fender Telecaster, "The Boss" joined house band the Panther Club and tore through a three-song set consisting of Wilson Pickett's "634-5789," and "Mustang Sally" before wrapping things up with the Isley Brothers' "Twist And Shout."

Steven Van Zandt was a guest speaker on Friday (March 20th) at South By Southwest in Austin, Texas and delivered a powerful lecture on the state of rock and roll.

Van Zandt spelled out the key problems regarding the continued growth of rock, saying in part: "Rock n' roll is the working class art form. Real rock n' roll . . . is equal opportunity, regardless of race, education or how much money you got, since the working class don't think too much about what is art and what is not. Mostly because they're too busy working. They spend their time on their craft, the practical useful stuff. So let's get back to basics for a moment, what is our craft?"

Van Zandt went on to say: "Rock n' roll had always been a two-part craft, performance and record-making, and that turned into a three-part craft for bands, when songwriting was added after the Beatles changed the world."

He went on to say, "The crisis in performance is, I believe, based on one simple fact. When it started, rock n' roll was dance music. One day we stopped dancing to it and started listening to it and it's been downhill ever since. We had a purpose . . . we made people dance or we did not work, we didn't not get paid, we were fired, we were homeless. That requires a very different energy. To compel people to get out of their chairs and dance, it's a working-class energy, not an artistic, intellectual, waiting-around-for-inspiration energy. It's a get-up, go-to-work-and-kill energy. Rip it up, or die trying."

To read Van Zandt's chat in full, log on to: blogs.mercurynews.com/aei/2009/03/22/sxsw-day-three-little-steven-and-rocks-crisis-in-craft/

Quick hits to get your week started

CNN reports that Simon & Garfunkel may be kicking off their first tour in five years in June in Kiwiland, New Zealand. According to sources, the duo will begin rehearsals in May in New York City. It's believed that following the New Zealand shows, the pair will carry on with dates in Australia and Japan. None of the overseas dates have been officially announced, nor have any North American shows been mentioned.

Last month Simon & Garfunkel reunited for a three-song set in New York City during Paul Simon's concert marking the reopening of the Beacon Theatre.
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Bruce Springsteen issued a statement on his official website (brucespringsteen.net) shedding light on Max Weinberg's son Jay stepping in for his dad for a handful of E Street Band shows. Max is busy helping Conan O'Brien kick off his new stint as host of NBC's The Tonight Show.

The statement read in full: "In response to the many questions concerning the upcoming tour, the drummer on the small number of shows that Max Weinberg won't be able to appear at will be a brilliant young drummer from New Jersey named Jay Weinberg. Commenting on the situation, Bruce said: 'Once again, I want to express my appreciation to Conan O'Brian, and everyone on his team, for making it possible for Max to continue to do double duty for both us and for him. We promise to return him in one piece.'"

Boss adds two, Behind The Music returns!!!

Bruce Springsteen has announced two pre-tour rehearsal shows for Monday and Tuesday night (March 23rd and 24th) at the Asbury Park Convention Hall. Backstreets.com reported that tickets go on sale today (Friday, March 20th) at 12 noon ET through Ticketmaster charge-by-phone only. Tickets are $100 with a two-ticket limit.

Last night (March 19th) Springsteen appeared on Comedy Central's The Daily Show With Jon Stewart and performed an acoustic version of the title track to his new album Working On A Dream.

Seemingly confirming rumors that Max Weinberg would be missing portions of the E Street Band's European tour due to commitments to Conan O'Brien and The Tonight Show -- Weinberg's son, Jay Weinberg, was sitting in with the band on Monday and Tuesday's rehearsals at the Convention Hall, with his dad on hand. There has been no official word naming Jay Weinberg as his father's temporary replacement.
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Stone Temple Pilots frontman Scott Weiland will star in a new episode of Behind The Music, the popular VH1 series that is being revived by the network three years after it stopped producing new installments. According to The Hollywood Reporter, 10 new episodes have been ordered by the channel, with Weiland and rapper Lil Wayne the only subjects confirmed so far. VH1 executive VP of original programming Jeff Olde said about the show's return, "It felt like the time is right. There's all sorts of new artists on the scene who have emerged and have these great stories. And there's other artists that we always wanted to do the first time around."
Behind The Music aired regularly between 1997 and 2002, with only a few new episodes produced until 2006.

Music News Update for Thursday...

New details are emerging about the May 3rd Pete Seeger 90th birthday celebration at New York's Madison Square Garden. Backstreets.com reported that despite earlier reports, Bob Dylan will not be participating. As previously reported, the lineup includes Bruce Springsteen, John Mellencamp, Eddie Vedder, Dave Matthews, and Emmylou Harris -- along with new additions Ani DiFranco, Arlo Guthrie, Billy Bragg, Bruce Cockburn, Michael Franti, Tom Chapin, and many more.
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An ambitious plan to license the music of Nirvana and its late singer/songwriter, Kurt Cobain, appears to have backfired, according to Portfolio.com. A company called Primary Wave Music Publishing bought a 50 percent stake in Cobain's catalog for a reported $50 million from his widow, Courtney Love, who was nearly out of money at the time. However, Primary Wave has had little success with placing Nirvana songs in TV commercials, video games and ad campaigns, with the company earning just slightly more than $2.3 million on its investment so far.

Love claimed to have had just $4,000 in her bank account three years ago when she made the deal with Primary Wave. Fans criticized Love for allowing Cobain's music to be used in the kind of commercial enterprises that he blasted up until his 1994 suicide.

Nirvana's rebellious stance and image could be one reason why the music has not been licensed more. Sony/ATV Music Publishing chairman and CEO Martin Bandier explained, "Nirvana was so revolutionary that it's very difficult to match different projects, and there are tons of iconic groups that allow their music to be utilized."

A source told Portfolio that one deal to license a number of Nirvana songs for a special episode of CSI: Miami, that would be written around the music, collapsed when Love, the publisher and former members of Nirvana asked for "twice the industry standard" in licensing fees, leading CBS-TV to back off.

Allman Bros. w/ Sheryl Crow on Can't Find My Way Home

Pretty awesome!!!

Check out this amazing guitar playing by John Butler

I just talked about this on the show... John Butler is one of the most amazing guitar players ever. Check out this clip... at the 2 minute mark, he really kicks it in to over drive.

Only bad thing is the music isn't exactly matched up with the video... that's cause Youtube sucks!

Enjoy!

Dylan's new album, McCartney's new record!

Bob Dylan will release his new studio album Together Through Life on April 28th. Dylan posted a new interview on his official website bobdylan.com, and explained that the legendary Chess and Sun Records 1950s singles shaped the sound of the new collection, saying, "I like the mood of those records -- the intensity. The sound is uncluttered. There's power and suspense. The whole vibration feels like it could be coming from inside your mind. It's alive. It's right there. 'Kind of sticks in your head like a toothache.'"

Although the album's final setlist has yet to be announced, last month Dylan previewed seven tracks to Columbia label heads in New York and London. Billboard reported that the tracks previewed were "Beyond Here Lies Nothin'," "Life Is Hard," "My Wife's Hometown," "Forgetful Heart," "Shake Shake Mama," "I Feel A Change Coming On," and "It's All Good."

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Paul McCartney has set a new world record for his upcoming gig at Las Vegas' Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. The former Beatle sold out all 4,000 seats for the show in only seven seconds. The Macca Report posted that tickets for the April 19th show at the new 4,000-set New Joint venue sold at a rate of about 600 seats per second.

The Hollywood Reporter posted that the new John Lennon biopic Nowhere Boy will be distributed by The Weinstein Co., who has acquired the U.S., Latin American, and German distribution rights to the film.

Nowhere Boy focuses on Lennon's pre-teen family life, with Kristin Scott Thomas portraying Lennon's maternal aunt and guardian Mimi Smith. Nowhere Boy is due out next year.

Daltrey Makes a lot of sense, Re-working old U2, Remembering Alan Livingston

Roger Daltrey has taken a swipe against animal rights activists saying that cancer research should take precedence when it comes to charity. Daltrey, whose is a patron of Britain's Teenage Cancer Trust charity, told ITN.co.uk, "It is a blot on our society when, if these teenagers had four legs and fur or feathers we would raise the money in one year. It's tragic and it makes me want to fight even harder."

He explained that the British government is "no help whatsoever" for the teenage cancer patients, adding, "this charity is all they've got and we're fighting for every unit we get . . . Teenagers are the hardest age group to talk to and they tend to withdraw within themselves. . . . Cancer is the number one killer of teenagers and they get the most aggressive and the rarest forms, and because they're growing so fast and they're doing sports and things, late diagnosis is quite common."

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U2 singer Bono told a crowd in Somerville, Massachusetts that the band would like to re-record some of its early work, according to Reuters. Playing a private set of five songs for 950 fans and taking questions afterward, Bono said about the band's 1980 debut Boy, "I would love to sing that album again and finish that," adding that back in those days, they "couldn't afford another hour" in the studio. Bono also said about the band's first few records, "There's some beautiful songs that feel a little bit unfinished to us."

The vocalist did not indicate whether the Irish supergroup had any plans to actually undertake such a project.

Guitarist The Edge added to possible speculation about re-recordings when asked if there are any U2 songs he never wanted to play again, saying, "There are so many U2 songs that I am quite happy not to play. But the thing is we still want to rewrite some of them, and who knows, we may at some point re-release a few of our early albums with a few changes."
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Former Capitol Records president Alan Livingston, the man who signed the Beatles to their American label, died at 91 of age-related causes on Friday (March 13th) at his home in Beverly Hills, The Associated Press reports.

In 1963, despite heavy pressure from Capitol's parent company, the British owned EMI Records, Livingston originally passed on signing the Fab Four deeming their music unsuitable for the American market. Later that year, after rejecting the Beatles' first album Please Please Me -- along with their first four singles "Love Me Do," "Please Please Me," "From Me To You," and "She Loves You" -- Livingston finally signed the group for U.S. distribution and released their groundbreaking single "I Want To Hold Your Hand" and their American album debut Meet The Beatles.

Meet The Beatles, which topped the album charts for 11 weeks, collected tracks from their second UK album With The Beatles along with assorted single tracks.

Beatles fans have long criticized Capitol for altering the group's British albums for their American release. Renowned Beatles author Bruce Spizer, who wrote the liner notes for the group's The Capitol Albums box sets, told us that the label has gotten a bad rap over the years when it comes to the Beatles' early '60s albums: "The old party line of 'Capitol butchered the Beatles' is really not true. Capitol marketed the Beatles, they had a feel of what would sell well in America and they knew that you needed hit singles on the albums to sell the albums. So, they would deliberately pull a song off to save it as a single such as 'Eight Days A Week,' or 'Nowhere Man.' And this was their strategy and it worked really well."

Alan Livingston began his career at Capitol in the creative department, writing and producing children's albums for the label, including creating the legendary "Bozo the Clown" character for the 1946 album Bozo At The Circus. During his tenure as head of Capitol, he signed such legendary acts as Frank Sinatra, the Beach Boys, the Steve Miller Band, Nat "King" Cole, Al Martino, among many others. Livingston is survived by his wife, a son, a daughter and a stepdaughter.

REM Trib, Police Wine, and Bruce in 3D

R.E.M. took the stage at their own tribute show Wednesday night (March 11th) at New York City's Carnegie Hall. According to Billboard.com, the band made a surprise performance at the concert, which featured 20 different artists doing songs from R.E.M.'s catalog. To close out the show, R.E.M. played "E-Bow The Letter" off 1996's New Adventures In Hi-Fi. Patti Smith joined Michael Stipe on vocals, while R.E.M's Peter Buck and Mike Mills played in the background.

Other performers included Marshall Crenshaw, Guster, Calexico, Bob Mould and others. The tribute show is part of a series that helps raise money for various organizations.
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Sting has plans to sell wine from his very own country estate in Tuscany, Italy. According to the Associated Press, the Police frontman plans to produce 30,000 bottles of wine which will go on sale in the United States and Britain. Although the name of the wine hasn't been revealed, it's expected to be a 2007 vintage based on the Sangiovese grape with hints of Cabernet and Merlot.

Sting bought the 16th-century villa in 1997 and has since turned about 860 acres of its acres into an organic farm that also produces honey, olive oil, fruit, vegetables and Tuscan salami. The 57-year-old singer says he initially just wanted to feed his family, explaining, "I also wanted to use agriculture with practices that would nourish the land and not deplete the land, and so we went to traditional methods with farming, we got rid of pesticides, we shunned mono culture, and it works. The farm is also a garden."

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Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band started tour rehearsals this week at the Paramount Theater in Asbury Park, New Jersey. According to LiveDaily.com, Springsteen went over a batch of songs from the new Working On A Dream album, including the title track, "Outlaw Pete," "My Lucky Day," "What Love Can Do" and "This Life." Springsteen's tour launches April 1st in San Jose, California.

Meanwhile, director Bruce Hendricks, who produced 3D feature films for pop acts the Jonas Brothers and Miley Cyrus, is setting his sights on the Boss. He tells MTV.com he'd love to produce a 3D concert film starring Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band, explaining, "I saw Springsteen at the Super Bowl. I'd love to do him....[I'd love to do it] in 3D. He'd be great." Hendricks hasn't approached Springsteen yet about his idea, adding, "But I think concert films in 3D are going to catch on, so we are going to see a lot of artists do them."

Nirvana's Novoselic

Former Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic told DailyWorld.com in a new interview that fans should not expect to hear any music from the band emerging from the vaults. But while previously unreleased music may be scarce, Novoselic added, "What there is, is video. There's a lot of video. There's not going to be any new Nirvana records." Novoselic was interviewed when he participated in an oral history for the Washington State Legacy Project, which is dedicated to profiling influential residents of the state who have helped shape its history.

• Novoselic did not indicate what kind of video footage is in the band's archives, nor did he say whether it will ever see the light of day.
• The last Nirvana studio song released was "You Know You're Right," issued in 2002 as part of a boxed set. The track's release was held up for years by a legal battle that pitted Novoselic and Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl against Courtney Love, widow of late Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain. The tune was recorded in January of 1994, three months before Cobain committed suicide.
• Asked if he was now on good terms with Love, Novoselic said, "It's not bad terms."
• Nirvana was crucial in bringing mainstream attention to both the Seattle music scene and alternative music in general.
• The bassist told DailyWorld.com that he wished he had done more to stop Cobain from killing himself, saying, "There's regrets. I was angry. It's just a waste . . . Kurt called me the first time he did heroin and he told me he did it. And I told him, 'Don't do it man. You're playing with dynamite.'"
• Novoselic has continued a low-key music career since Nirvana's demise, playing in Eyes Adrift, Sweet 75 and punk act Flipper. He is also active in local Washington politics and has his own show on a community radio station.

Bruce Exhibit, Allmans kick of bacon... uh I mean Beacon

A special Bruce Springsteen exhibit will open at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame museum in Cleveland, Ohio on April 1st. The display, called "From Asbury Park to the Promised Land: The Life and Music of Bruce Springsteen," will include various memorabilia from the Boss, including the Fender Esquire guitar that appears on the cover of Born To Run, the outfit he wore on the cover of Born In The U.S.A., as well as handwritten lyric manuscripts, posters, handbills and various awards. The exhibit will be open through spring 2010. Springsteen's manager Jon Landau tells Billboard.com, "Once (Bruce) knew this was real, that it would really happen, he wanted it to have as much depth as it could possibly have. He is fully behind this exhibition and the effort the museum has made to really get things right." Landau says Springsteen will likely visit the exhibit after the official opening.
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The Allman Brothers Band kick off their "March Madness" run at New York City's Beacon Theater tonight (Monday, March 9th). This year, the band has extended the residency to 15 shows, wrapping on March 28th. The Allmans plan to bring on special guests, as well as perform some new material. Each three-hour concert will pay tribute to late lead singer Duane Allman, who died in 1971.

They were forced to cancel the annual concerts last year while Gregg Allman underwent difficult treatment for Hepatitis C. He tells us about coping with the side effects of the medication he had to take: "I've never done that. Had it not been a total emergency I wouldn't have done it this time, but I just flat couldn't make it. When you take this stuff, you might as well plan on staying home."

For the first time, the Allmans will be streaming the shows online at Moogis.com. There's a $125 fee to view the shows. Allman says he has recovered fully from Hepatitis C.

This year marks the band's 40th anniversary.

U2 Should Top, Beatles Are Officially a Rock Band

U2 is likely to land the seventh Number One album of its career when its newly released, 12th studio effort, No Line On The Horizon, debuts on the Billboard 200 chart next week. Early sales figures and industry tracking suggest that the disc could sell more than 400,000 copies in its first week on shelves. That's a far cry from the 840,000 copies moved by the band's last CD, 2004's How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb, but still healthy enough in the current industry climate.

Billboard's sales tracking estimates were based on reports from seven retailers responsible for about 60 percent of all U.S. record sales, including Best Buy, iTunes, Starbucks, Borders, and Target.
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The Beatles will have their own Rock Band video game. Due out September 9th, The Beatles: Rock Band will be available for the Nintendo Wii, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. There's expected to be three releases this fall -- software featuring the Beatles' music; standalone guitars; and a limited edition package that will likely include the game and special instruments. According to a statement, the game will feature "an unprecedented, experiential progression through and celebration of the music and artistry of the Beatles." It will also included a limited number of "new peripherals" modeled after instruments used by the Beatles throughout their career. The game only will retail for $59.99, while a standalone guitar bundle will be priced at $99.99, and the limited edition premium bundle will sell for $249.99.

According to RollingStone.com, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Yoko Ono and Olivia Harrison are in support of the game.

This will mark the first Rock Band game specifically branded to a specific music group.

Music News Updates!

U2 has revealed more details about its proposed follow-up to its just-released new album, No Line On The Horizon, in a new interview with Rolling Stone. Lead singer Bono told the magazine that the record, tentatively titled Songs Of Ascent, would be comprised of material that didn't fit onto the current release, calling it, "a sister release to No Line On The Horizon, a Zooropa to its Achtung Baby." He described the companion record as "a kind of heartbreaker, a meditative, reflective piece of work, but not indulgent."

Bono added that a track called "Every Breaking Wave," which was left off No Line On The Horizon, should be the first single from Songs Of Ascent. The album could be released in 2010.
Rolling Stone also got a preview of tunes from Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark, the upcoming stage musical based on the comic book character for which Bono and U2 guitarist The Edge have written the songs. Bono said that if the music was released as an official U2 album, "It'll be a monster, 'cause it's the most accessible music we've probably ever written. It could be our Tommy. We could do it with guest stars and everything."

U2 will perform for the fourth straight night on Thursday's (March 5th) edition of CBS-TV's Late Show With David Letterman, where the band has taken up a weeklong residence.

In honor of the group's stay in New York this week, Mayor Michael Bloomberg temporarily renamed a portion of West 53rd Street "U2 Way."
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Surviving Beatles Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr will headline a benefit show on April 4th at New York City's Radio City Music Hall. The show, dubbed Charity Begins Within, will benefit the David Lynch Foundation for Consciousness-Based Education and World Peace. Also on the bill will be Sheryl Crow, Donovan, Eddie Vedder, Moby, My Morning Jacket's Jim James and Ben Harper. The upcoming gig marks the first time McCartney and Starr will perform together since a tribute show to the late George Harrison in 2002.The David Lynch Foundation teaches children how to meditate so they can better overcome stress and violence and promote peace and success in their lives. McCartney is a big supporter of the cause, saying, "In moments of madness, it has helped me find moments of serenity. I would like to think that it would help provide them a quiet haven in a not-so-quiet world." According to RollingStone.com, Starr added, "It gives me great pleasure to be part of this evening. I feel the aims of this charity are wonderful."

Tickets for the show go on sale March 9th via Ticketmaster.

My 2nd Christmas

March 4th is a pretty significant day in the life of your ol' pal Anthony... And believe it or not it has nothing to do with music... or food. I know, its shocking. But it actually comes from my third love. Hockey!

Today is the trading deadline in the National Hockey League and nothing is more exciting for me. Now you may be asking yourself why...

Well I'm a die hard Islanders fan. So there isn't much else for me to be excited about. And the new U2 record came out yesterday, so that excitement is over with. With nothing going on in the music world, my complete focus is on the NHL today.

I couldn't even explain to you why I love trades, but there is just something so exciting about seeing a player fight for one team, get moved and have to fight for another team. And it brings me and my friends together, texting and calling all day long to try and be the first person that hears of a deal and passes it on to everyone else.

So while you guys are working today, I'll be in front of a TV and the computer, scanning millions of websites to see not only what my favorite team is doing to improve itself but also to see the superstars of this wonderful game move their entire life to a new location.

Obviously if you're one of the many that visits this blog everyday you might think this is a weird post. Or that I'm the only one that goes this crazy over an insignificant event. Well check out Islanders Point Blank. Its a blog run by my former employer, Chris Botta, who was the GOD of the Public Relations department for the New York Islanders for a long time. There you'll find a rich community of Long Islanders, and people across the country that just thirst for information about their favorite team. And Chris, does an incredible job and delivering that information.

We will definitely return to music news tomorrow, and if anything breaks here today I'll be sure to post it as soon as it happens, but for today, while I've gotten you to read this far let me mention this as a closing argument.

I believe that we are in jeopardy of losing our only professional franchise here on Long Island. The Islanders need the Lighthouse Project to be approved desperately in order to keep them here. Even if you're not a fan of the Islanders or hockey, this still should appeal to you if you're a Long Islander. I'm a proud Long Islander and I don't want to see my only pro franchise leave because our local government was too stupid to let them go.

Please visit the Lighthouse Project website and pledge your support. It only takes two minutes.

Thanks guys and gals! As always, us passionate music fanatical Long Islanders must stick together!

And in closing, because I hate to lose ANY listeners.... Connecticut rules!

U2 dishes 12th Studio Album

U2 releases its 12th studio album on Today in the U.S., titled No Line On The Horizon. The disc is the band's first since 2004's How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb and has already gathered a considerable amount of critical acclaim, with some reviews calling it the Irish group's best effort since 1991's Achtung Baby. Some rock critics, however, have said that lead singer Bono's work as a political and social activist interferes with the band's music. Washington Post critic J. Freedom du Lac wrote that the album was "at times magnificent," but added, "It's becoming increasingly difficult to hear U2's music without filtering it through your feelings about the other Bono, that strident, sanctimonious swirl of idealism, agenda and ego."

Bono has worked tirelessly to reduce poverty, hunger, and AIDS in Africa and other parts of the globe, and was even nominated for a Nobel Prize in 2005 for his efforts. U2 guitarist The Edge told us at the time that the band has never worried about Bono's activist efforts alienating its audience: "There are, I'm sure, people who'd rather that there were less direct references to politics in the show, or that Bono wouldn't end up on TV talking about his work for Africa, but we're fine with that, you know. We think that it's really important, and the small downside that comes with it is far outweighed in every respect by the positives."

Despite the critical concerns, No Line On The Horizon is likely to be one of the biggest albums of 2009. The disc was awarded five stars by Rolling Stone, four stars by Mojo magazine, and five stars by Q magazine, which argued that it could even be better than the landmark Achtung Baby.

No Line On The Horizon was produced by the band with Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno, the same team responsible for 1984's The Unforgettable Fire and 1987's classic The Joshua Tree.

The quartet was scheduled to begin a week-long residency on CBS-TV's Late Show With David Letterman on Monday night (March 2nd), and also planned to play a special concert at New York's Fordham University on Friday (March 6th) for ABC's Good Morning America, with attendance limited to students at the school.

An intimate club show is also in the works for Boston on March 11th. The venue has not yet been revealed, but tickets for the gig will be given away by several radio stations in the area.

Full plans for a summer stadium tour are expected to be announced next week.

Bono also told Rolling Stone that U2 will release another album before the end of 2009 that will act as a "companion" to No Line On The Horizon. The disc, which the singer described as "more meditative and processional," could arrive in November.

Kind of sad, but is it true?

Pete Townshend says that the Who stopped being an active working band in 1982, and that for the past quarter century has been paying tribute to its glory days rather than topping them. Townshend spoke in depth about his thoughts on the current touring version of the Who during an interview with The New Zealand Listener, saying, "I used to be in a band called the Who. It does not exist today except in your dreams. I am a songwriter and guitarist who -- if I create the right setting -- can walk on to a stage with my old buddy Roger Daltrey and evoke the old magic of the Who in the dreams of the audience."

He added that the Who's core fan base understand that the deaths of cofounders Keith Moon and John Entwistle in 1978 and 2002, respectively, have in essence turned the band into its own tribute group: "I think the audience can appreciate that the old Who will never function again as they once did. Roger and I know how to do what we have always done, but we are much more conscious of the process now, the device of letting our audience live out their own wish while we play the old songs."

Looks like Bono's not so Bono

Two organizations concerned with reducing national debt and poverty accused U2 of moving its money into tax shelters in other countries in order to avoid paying higher taxes in its home country of Ireland, according to Yahoo News U.K.. The band's official company, U2 Ltd., moved to a finance house in Holland in 2006 after the Irish government scrapped an income tax exemption plan for artists. Nessa Ni Chasaide of the Debt and Development Coalition of Ireland said, "We wanted to raise our concern that while (U2 singer) Bono has championed the cause of fighting poverty and injustice in the impoverished world, the fact is that his band has moved part of its business to a tax shelter in the Netherlands."

Chasaide added, "Tax avoidance and tax evasion costs the impoverished world at least $160 million every year. This is money urgently required to bring people out of poverty." Spokesperson Andy Storey from the justice group Afri also spoke out, saying, "There are trillions of dollars stashed in tax havens. If that money was taxed in the countries where it was earned, governments would have their own resources to improve the lives of their people."

U2 manager Paul McGuinness responded in the Belfast Telegraph, saying, "At least 95 percent of U2's business -- including record and ticket sales -- takes place outside of Ireland and as a result the band pays many different kinds of taxes all over the world." He added, "They continue to remain Ireland-based and are personal investors and employers in the country."

The accusations of financial hypocrisy come just days before the March 3rd release of the quartet's twelfth studio album, No Line On The Horizon.

Tonight Show messing with the Boss

Steve Van Zandt has hinted that Max Weinberg may be sitting out some of the upcoming Bruce Springsteen shows. Weinberg has yet to announce whether he'll be on hand during Springsteen's European shows which kick off two nights before Conan O'Brien starts his new stint as the host of The Tonight Show in L.A. Van Zandt told Rolling Stone, "We're still figuring that out. We'll see. I think Max will be there for most of it. I just got home from Europe, so I haven't even talked to Max to see what the latest news is. I know he was very much trying to figure it out."

He went on to explain, "Max will be fine until the beginning of the show on June 2nd. After that, we'll see. I'm sure Max will be there for most, if not all of the tour. He's as dedicated as it gets. I used to have to fly home every day off and film The Sopranos. He may have to do something like that. Conan, it must be said, has been tremendous. Once that second banana (former sidekick Andy Richter) split, I started to get concerned. I was like 'Uh-oh. Now Max is not only the music director, he's also the second banana.' That's a huge role to play."

When pressed as to whether Springsteen and Weinberg have considered who would fill in for Weinberg should he sit out various shows -- or even legs of the tour -- Van Zandt said, "No names have come up yet. I don't know if it's quite at that stage."
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One of the most eagerly awaited tracks of unreleased Beatles music has leaked online. The nearly 11-minute outtake of 1968's "Revolution 1" as featured on the band's "White Album" -- which served as the bridge between the "slow" album version of the song and John Lennon and Yoko Ono's experimental aural sound collage "Revolution 9" -- has been leaked online and on YouTube.

The song, subtitled "Remix 1 of Take 20" was recorded on June 4th, 1968, and begins with Lennon saying, "Take your knickers off and let's go."

Although most of the YouTube links have been ordered to be taken down featuring the full 11-minute version, you can find a two-part version of the song posted by user KatMak21 or by searching under the words "Beatles Revolution 20."

Why didn't I just post it up here? Because Anthony's in enough trouble and I don't want to be sued. Happy Hunting...

We're in trouble folks

Ticketmaster Entertainment has reached a national settlement with the New Jersey Attorney General over its ticketing practices following the outcry over a controversial Bruce Springsteen ticket sale earlier this month, according to Billboard.biz. The ticketing giant has agreed to change some of the ways in which it does business, most notably by saying it will stop directing customers to its ticket resale site, TicketsNow, for at least one year, with any linking following that to be approved by the office of Attorney General Anne Milgram.

In addition, all tickets that Ticketmaster receives for general sales to the public will not be sold or offered on TicketsNow before the official sale begins. The company will also refrain from using Internet advertising that directs customers doing a search for Ticketmaster to TicketsNow.

Springsteen and his manager Jon Landau issued a withering statement on February 4th expressing outrage over Ticketmaster's problem-plagued sale of tickets to his upcoming tour two days earlier (February 2nd). Many fans were instantly shut out of buying tickets and redirected to TicketsNow, where prices are often jacked up by hundreds of dollars.
Ticketmaster CEO Irving Azoff issued an open letter of apology to Springsteen, but the incident prompted an investigation in New Jersey.

Milgram also announced that Ticketmaster will make 2,000 tickets for Springsteen's upcoming May concerts in New Jersey available for face value through a lottery, with all the usual Ticketmaster fees and service charges to be waived.

Ticketmaster has also agreed to refund customers who were redirected to buy tickets through TicketsNow at a higher price in the first five hours of the Springsteen sale, and will complete transactions for those customers whose credit cards were charged but never received their tickets due to technical problems at the Ticketmaster website.
Milgram said in a statement, "Everyone deserves an equal chance to buy tickets on a primary ticket selling website and shouldn't be steered to a re-selling website where the prices can be substantially higher."

Meanwhile, Ticketmaster's proposed merger with Live Nation, which would create a virtual monopoly over ticket sales, merchandising, corporate sponsorships and recorded music, will face scrutiny on Tuesday (February 24th) from the Senate Judiciary Committee's "Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy and Consumer Rights." The hearing is scheduled to begin at 2:30 p.m. ET and is expected to address antitrust concerns regarding the proposed consolidation of the two behemoths.

Fleetwood Mac, 3/13 at Nassau Coliseum

Stevie Nicks says that Fleetwood Mac is a fully-functioning ensemble minus longtime member Christie McVie, who quit the band long before their last album and tour.

Nicks was asked how she feels fronting what she's often called a "boys club" without McVie sharing the stage with her: "Being the only girl in Fleetwood Mac? You have to understand, I've been the only girl in Fleetwood Mac now since 1998 and it's 2009. I'm used to it now. I miss Christine every day because she was my best buddy. She was my best friend. And I probably spent more time on the road with Fleetwood Mac than anywhere. I've spent more time with these people than I have with my own family. So the loss of Christine as one of my best girlfriends was horrific for me. But she's been gone a long, long, time now. There's not a day that I don't wish that she'd call up and say 'I'm back!' -- but she's not going to. So we've all kind've accepted that now."

Nicks says that on their upcoming tour the band will be incorporating more of McVie's Mac classics into the setlist. On Fleetwood Mac's 2003-2004 Say You Will tour they only performed "Don't Stop," ignoring such McVie standards as "You Make Loving Fun," "Hold Me," "Say You Love Me," "Everywhere," among others.

Fleetwood Mac kicks off its 40-date Unleashed tour on March 1st in Pittsburgh.

In conjunction with the tour, the band's 1977 album Rumours will be re-released as part of a special CD/DVD boxed set including previously unreleased tracks recorded during the making of the album, along with a DVD component with never-before-seen footage of the band. There's been no release date announced for the Rumours box set.

Simon & Garfunkel and Vodka??

Art Garfunkel says that he and Paul Simon are planning their first tour in five years -- but isn't revealing too much else about it. Garfunkel cryptically told BBC News, "Our plan to work together, is coming together but it doesn't go through England this time." Garfunkel, who joined Simon onstage last week for a three-song set of Simon & Garfunkel classics during Simon's reopening of New York City's Beacon Theatre, called the ecstatic crowd response "extraordinary." He went on to say, "I said to the audience, 'You don't have a right to expect -- and we didn't expect -- that the interest in us would last and you would still care right to today and I'm touched.'"

Simon's manager Jeff Kramer shed light on the duo's plans, telling, Rolling Stone, "Yes there have been conversations taking place, but nothing has been confirmed."

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Experience Hendrix, the company that controls the estate of the late Jimi Hendrix, was awarded $3.2 million after a federal judge deemed that the company promoting "Hendrix Electric" vodka infringed on the legend's name and likeness. The company producing the liquor is headed up by Seattle businessman Craig Dieffenbach whose partner is Jimi's younger half-brother Leon Hendrix, who was written out of the $80 million estate by his late father Al Hendrix.

The Associated Press reported that both parties decided to settle out of court before the case headed to trial. U.S. District Judge Thomas Zilly entered a judgment for that amount last week and ordered Dieffenbach, his business partners and his companies "to stop selling and marketing the vodka or any other products branded with the Hendrix name."

Little Steven needs Little Rehearsal

Steve Van Zandt says that Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band need less than a week's worth of rehearsals to gear up for their North American tour, which kicks off on April 1st in San Jose. Van Zandt explained to Billboard, "This will take, I'm going to guess, five or six rehearsals, only because we have a new album. We need to relearn or rearrange the new songs for the live versions. We'll fool around with that stuff for maybe a week, and out we go."

He went on to joke, "I have fun learning on the road. Every tour you spend the first month or two relearning the songs as you play them. I'm still learning the chords for 'Born To Run!'"

He shed light on Springsteen's recent Super Bowl appearance by saying, "(We rehearsed) more than the last two tours combined. The technical stuff was absolutely fascinating, to see how they did that staging. It was just amazing to me. They had the thing up in four minutes!"

Van Zandt remained noncommittal on whether Springsteen and the band would start tackling full albums in the concert setlists the way they did last May. At a Red Bank, New Jersey benefit, the group performed both the Born To Run and Darkness On The Edge Of Town albums in their entirety. Van Zandt said: "That was so much fun. It might be a fun way to do something different. Maybe we'll be able to fit that in somewhere, but we have a whole new album to do as well."

At a pre-Super Bowl press conference earlier this month, Van Zandt said that the members of the E Street Band continue to perform for the exact same reasons as they did when they were teenagers: "I think one of the things we're kind of proud of is that I think there is a certain inspirational quality to what we do. And that's because when we grew up, we had very high standards in the '60s, y'know? We're trying to attain that kind of greatness that we grew up with lookin' at the Beatles and the Rolling Stones -- people like that, Bob Dylan. So, we'll always be 16 as Bruce said, and we're always trying to attain that greatness that we grew up with, which also gives us that extra motivation. We get on stage and I think that helps communicate a little bit of inspiration."

The long-delayed 30th anniversary box set celebrating the 1978 Darkness On The Edge Of Town album is nearing completion. No release date has been announced yet.

Townshend answers questions

Pete Townshend took time out to answer fans' questions and post his responses on thewho.com. Townshend, as usual, was honest and blunt when talking about his work and career, yet didn't hold back in telling fans when he thought they had crossed the line into his personal life.

He was asked about his "perspective on the current economic meltdown" to which he said, "The people I am most concerned about are the blue-collar guys and families who depend on the house market being buoyant. Many of these hard-working decent people are our fans, and I hate to see them struggling. I have no idea how it happened."

Townshend was called to task about saying back in the mid-'80s that "hope and optimism" were two "filthy and disgusting words." He was asked if he's changed his opinion now that President Barack Obama has inspired millions with those same words. Townshend responded: "I was probably being ironic. Hope and optimism had been thrashed out of we British by (former Prime Minister) Margaret Thatcher. The words had been devalued I suppose. As for (President) Obama, I'm in music not politics and I think he's a pretty good dancer."

When asked about his musical relationship with Track Records labelmate Jimi Hendrix -- as well as Hendrix's spiritual beliefs, Townshend explained, "I knew Jimi only slightly. I helped him with his amplifiers when he first came to London. I jammed with him backstage a few times. Back then I wasn't keen on jamming and I'm not mad about it today. I have no idea what he believed in. I think reincarnation is a possibility, but it isn't useful to worry about it because it can't be proved."

A fan asked him if maybe composing someplace away from home might spur him on to recording and releasing more music, Townshend snapped: "I am doing fine. I don't need advice or help, but thanks. I have a feeling that retreating to a warm island would not help me compose another 'WON'T GET FOOLED AGAIN.'"

He shed light on the meaning behind the title to the Who By Numbers classic "Blue Red & Grey," explaining, "This song is about the difference between me and most other musicians of my era. They tended to stay up all night. I had children pretty early in my life, and I wanted to be their father not an absent rock 'n' roll ghost, and didn't live that way. The colors mentioned are those of the sunset, sunrise and grey gloom of the early hours in this country."

When asked about his "kind decision" to perform the Who's 1975 classic "Slip Kid" during their Christmas London shows ending a 32-year moratorium on the tune, Townshend joked, "I don't know about fans, but Roger (Daltrey) has asked to play 'Slip Kid' in every rehearsal for the last thirty years. I just gave in, but you're right, I made a very kind decision."

A pair of reunions and Dylans new record expected...

The David Lynch Foundation website has listed Ringo Starr as one of the stars who will join Paul McCartney onstage on April 4th at New York City's Radio City Music Hall. The performance is a fundraiser for the Foundation's initiative for Transcendental Meditation -- or TM -- education. Other acts already on the bill are Donovan, Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder, Sheryl Crow, Ben Harper, Moby, and renowned jazz flutist Paul Horn.

Longtime TM practitioner Beach Boy Mike Love is heavily rumored to appear. Love, along with the Beatles, Donovan and Paul Horn, all studied TM under the late Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in Rishikesh, India in 1968.

The usually reliable Beatles news site Examiner.com reported the first concrete and exclusive ticket information for the event, saying, "The premium ticket packages will be offered first, then the general admission. The highest premium package will be $100,000 and include 14 seats, plus soundcheck, rehearsal and backstage access, though there's no confirmation those paying this money will have access to either Ringo or Paul."

Neither Ringo nor McCartney have announced the Radio City date on their official websites.
Although Ringo has performed numerous times at Radio City with his All Starr Band, the April gig marks McCartney's first appearance at the venue.

The Radio City show will be the first time Ringo and McCartney have shared a stage since the George Harrison tribute show The Concert For George on November 29th, 2002 at London's Royal Albert Hall.
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Simon And Garfunkel reunited for a brief three-song set on Friday night (February 13th) in New York City, according to Billboard. Art Garfunkel took the stage toward the end of Paul Simon's concert that reopened the Beacon Theatre after a seven-month break for renovations.

The duo, who have only played together three times since their 2004 reunion tour, performed acoustic versions of their classics "The Sound of Silence," "The Boxer" and "Old Friends" during the encore portion of the show. Among the heavyweights in the audience were Paul McCartney, Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Jon Bon Jovi and Jimmy Fallon.

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Bob Dylan's followup to 2006's Grammy Award-winning album Modern Times may be released as soon as April, according to the usually reliable Dylan fan magazine Isis. The majority of the upcoming set was recorded in California last October with Dylan squaring off the album's post production and sequencing last month. The still-unnamed album will have ten new tracks and may feature both his touring band as well as additional musicians .