Mixed Bag...

Paul McCartney has teamed up with Yusuf Islam, the artist formerly known as Cat Stevens, on a new track of Islam's called Boots & Sand. An update on yusufislam.com reported that the song deals with the 2004 controversy of Islam being refused entry to the U.S. when his name was confused with a man on the "no fly" list.

The song also features Dolly Parton, Alison Krauss, and former Hollies guitarist Terry Sylvester. No release date has been announced.

On May 25th, 2005, McCartney and Islam performed together in Dusseldorf, Germany for the Adopt-A-Minefield benefit.
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A 60-year-old UK man who fell into a 10-week coma after contracting severe anemia regained consciousness -- after his wife blasted the Rolling Stones' "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" on his headphones, according to telegraph.co.uk.

While unconscious, retired baker Sam Carter from Stoke in Staffordshire had spent three days listening to the local Stoke station Signal 2, before his wife began playing his favorite songs -- including the Stones classic, which was the first single Carter ever bought.

Carter, who had only been given a 30 percent chance of survival, recalled, "I can't remember much from being in a coma, but I do remember that when that song came on it took me right back to when I was a youngster. I could remember how excited I was to get it down at the record shop. I suddenly had a burst of energy and knew I had a lot more life left in me and that's when I woke up -- to the sound of the first song I ever bought."

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Record labels may soon try to seek more money from music-based video games such as Guitar Hero and Rock Band. According to the New York Post, Warner Music Group wants to start asking game companies for additional money for song licenses.

The company's chief executive, Edgar Bronfman, compared the situation to the launch of MTV and the iPod, saying, "The amount being paid to the music industry, even though their games are entirely dependent on the content we own and control, is far too small." He added, "The industry as a whole needs to take a very different look at this business and participate more fully and in a much more partnership way. If that does not become the case, as far as Warner Music Group is concerned, we will not license to those games."

Rock Band 2 is expected out in October. Sales of Guitar Hero III have reached more than eight million, while Rock Band has sold more than 2.5 million. Rock Band has also sold more than 18 million additional song downloads at $1.99 each. Aerosmith recently released its own branded edition of Guitar Hero.

Great DVD's Comming...

Coming next summer will be an expanded and restored DVD and Blu-ray Disc of the original Woodstock concert film titled Woodstock: 3 Days of Peace & Music. The 40th anniversary set will be released on July 28th, 2009 and will feature the original concert film, plus previously unreleased full performances by the Who, Joe Cocker, Canned Heat, Joan Baez, Country Joe and the Fish, and others still to be announced.

The film will feature new and exclusive interviews from various Woodstock performers.
David Crosby told homemediamagazine.com, "Woodstock was more than just a concert; it was an event. It was a time for our generation to speak up and let everyone know we had a voice. Whether you were there or are discovering the film for the first time, it still holds up 40 years later and now will speak to a whole new generation."

Coming to DVD on October 14th is Bruce Springsteen: Videobiography. The unauthorized look at Springsteen life and career features rare and footage including clips of Springsteen performing such classics as "Hungry Heart", "Growin' Up," "Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)," "Born to Run." and "Born In The USA."

Also, I haven't seen it yet, but I'm hearing pretty good reviews on the DVD which is out now called Down The Tracks - The Music That Influenced Bob Dylan. The disc features rarely seen vintage clips of Woody Guthrie, Leadbelly, Blind Lemon Jefferson, and Pete Seeger, among others.

Winston Irie up on stage doing his thingThis dude on the left just hopped up on stage and starting playing harmonica with Winston

Winston and Me with some Sheryl Crow ticket winners... He's actually in the middle of singing a song during this picture.

This is a pretty tough looking crew... odds are there's a shipment of goods missing somewhere...

Anthony with a "Anthony Sangwich" VIP

More VIP's just checking out the greatness of the Sangwich

Frank(Co-Creator of the Anthony Sangwich) and the great staff at Regulars

Yes we're thinking the same thing... the sandwich is better then the person it was named after

You can still taste the "Anthony Sangwich" at Regulars Music Cafe!

Daaa Byrds!

David Crosby says that Roger McGuinn is still the lone holdout for a Byrds reunion.

Crosby says that, despite his efforts to team up with surviving cofounders Chris Hillman and McGuinn, McGuinn has done nothing but rebuff him, telling Rolling Stone, "The Byrds is such a thing for me. I'm very proud of it. I really think that band broke some ground. But it's a very sore subject with me because I would like to do it some more and Roger doesn't like me."

Crosby, whose relationship with McGuinn was always strained, even when the band was together, added, "It's a real problem for me because Chris and I could still do really good music and we should. We could go out and do a tour and we don't have to be the best of buddies, we have to make great music, so it's very frustrating to me."

The three surviving members of the Byrds -- Roger McGuinn, Chris Hillman and David Crosby -- have reunited several times for performances since 1991. The last time all three shared a stage was in 2000.

Giggling All The Way To The Bank...

A reel-to-reel tape of John Lennon and Paul McCartney giggling during a Beatles BBC recording session for British radio sold for $23,446, according to The Associated Press. The tape which features the group running through such songs as "I'll Follow The Sun," "I Feel Fine," and "I'm A Loser" was sold through the UK auction house Cameo Auctioneers to an Internet bidder.

A new Paul McCartney song called "My Soul" allegedly written about his former wife Heather Mills has been leaked online. The song will be released as part of avant garde producer Nitin Sawhney's album London Underground, which is due in October.

Sawhney, who has worked with McCartney on his experimental albums under the name The Fireman, told Britain's Daily Mail, "Paul has done a track about how he feels about Heather and what was going on with the paparazzi because no one has heard his side of it at all -- so this will be the first time anyone hears a song relating to that subject. It's very emotional and a very powerful song."

I got 2, I got 2!!!

U2 has issued a statement warning fans not to buy any tickets that are being advertised for future shows by the group, according to NME.com. The post at the band's official web site is reportedly a response to a wave of false reports about tickets going on sale for upcoming U2 shows. The statement said, "Just a note to correct reports that tickets are becoming available for planned U2 shows. The reports are mistaken. There are no tour dates for the band at the moment -- so please don't buy tickets for U2 shows you see advertised."

My cuzzin Vinny however, can get you any tickets you need to any show... : )

U2 has been in the studio for the past several months working on its next album, which is tentatively slated for release later in the year. There has been no word yet on a title, exact arrival date or tour plans for the disc, which will follow up 2004's How to Dismantle An Atomic Bomb.

In other rather hysterical news, a dude named Aaron With has launched an Internet campaign to get U2 singer Bono to retire. According to Spinner.com, With has organized an online petition to have Bono stand down in order to "stop (his) leading misguided counter-productive philanthropy efforts." With is asking for donations to keep his cause going, which he says he will donate to charity if and when Bono takes his advice.

Reunion, No Mas...

The Police will end their reunion tour with an appearance on an episode of the TV show Spectacle: Elvis Costello with...!, to be filmed at an undisclosed site on Wednesday (August 6th). A contest is open to fan club members, ages 18 and over, to win the 150 tickets available to attend the filming, in which bandmembers Sting, Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland will perform and discuss with host Costello both their individual and communal approaches to music.

The show will air later this year on the Sundance Channel.

The band will play tomorrow at the Nikon at Jones Beach Theater and their final show of the reunion tour is set for Thursday at MSG, with special guests the B-52's, as a fundraiser for New York public TV stations Thirteen/WNET and WLIW-21.

The Beatles, Let it NOT Be...

So here's the deal, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr have reportedly stopped the long-awaited re-issue of the 1970 Beatles documentary Let it Be, because it features footage showing the internal strife among the Fab Four. According to Britain's Daily Express newspaper, an inside source says they don't like how the band comes across while they were recording what eventually became their 1970 album Let it Be.

The source said: "There has been talk of Let It Be finally being released but now there has been a change of heart. The Beatles are still a massive global brand and it's felt it won't be helped if the public sees the darker side of the story. Neither Paul nor Ringo would feel comfortable publicising a film showing the Beatles getting on each other's nerves."

The insider added, "People like to imagine the Beatles were a happy ship but the reality towards the end was very different as this film shows. There's all sorts of extra footage showing more squabbles but it's unlikely it will ever see the light of day in Paul and Ringo's lifetime."

CCR Coming Back?

Not exactly, but classic Creedence Clearwater Revival albums will soon be reissued with bonus tracks and new liner notes. According to Reuters, the band's first six sets will arrive digitally remastered and with additional material on September 30th. The albums, which all came out between 1968 and 1970, include the group's debut self-titled release, along with Bayou Country, Green River, Willy & the Poor Boys, Cosmo's Factory and Pendulum. Among the extra tracks are unreleased studio versions of "Down on the Corner" and "Born on the Bayou," which were recorded with Booker T & the MGs.

Creedence lead dude John Fogerty is out on tour this summer backing his latest solo album, Revival. He released the set on Concord's Fantasy Records, the same label Creedence recorded for in the late '60s and early '70s. Click here to check it out!

GanoRyan Interview

So I was supposed to interview Gordan Gano of the Violent Femmes and something got messed up because instead of calling the studio around 5pm, he called my cell phone at 10am. He caught me off guard while I was home organizing some things (a.k.a. sleeping) and so instead we had Billy and Brendan Ryan who are co-founders of the new venture "GanoRyan" and formerly of the Bogmen. We tackled important issues as always... music, world peace, and snack food.