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Noteworthy Now Archives for 2011-03

Fan Dies After Pittsburgh Concert Plunge

A fan attending the Furthur concert Wednesday (3/30) at the Petersen Events Center near Pittsburgh crashed through a window and fell four stories to the ground outside the arena, landing either on a sidewalk or hillside adjacent to it.  One man reportedly told police that the victim got into a football stance and yelled 'Hike!' before charging toward the window.  Police on the scene attempted to find more witnesses and determine whether the man landed on the pavement or the hillside his body ended up on.  He was admitted to an area hospital where he died during treatment for critical head injuries.  
Post-Gazette.com

Young Back In Buffalo

Tour dates are few and limited to a couple of states, but audiences in at least a few places will have the chance to see the Buffalo Springfield this June.  The first tour in four decades of one of the seminal groups of the late 60's came together after a reunion at Neil Young's Bridge School benefit last fall produced two stellar concert sets (story). Young band regular Rick Rosa will play bass in place of the late Bruce Palmer and Joe Vitale will take Dewey Martin's role as drummer in a lineup that will include Young, Stephen Stills, Richie FurayPoco veteran Furay loves the idea of getting back together, saying, 'Over the years, music never stopped flowing from each of us, and it's come 'full circle' if you will.'  The fact just a handful of dates June was announced could be all they have in mind, or just a test to see how well things go before committing to any additional ones.
Undercover.fm

June 1&2: Fox Theater, Oakland
June 4&5: Wiltern Theater, Los Angeles
June 7&8: Sanat Barbara Bowl
June 11: Bonnaroo, Manchester, TN

Car Featured In Springsteen Song Sells

When is a 1957 Chevy worth close to a half million dollars?  When Bruce Springsteen once owned it and immortalized it in song.  The Bel Air convertible Bruce cruised the streets of Jersey in for a period in the mid 70's and later wrote about in the song Racing In The Streets was purchased Monday (3/28) for $468,000 by an unidentified collector.  That's a mere $466k more than Bruce bought it for in 1975. The car was the showcase item of a music memorabilia auction that featured a number of other Springsteen artifacts, including instruments, clothing, autographed clothing and albums, an posters from gigs by his pre-E Street Band Days. A signed copy of Born To Run brought a high bid of $2,048 and a couple of concert played harmonicas sold for more than $1,000, but a few rare items with steep minimum bids had no takers - including an autographed Fender The Boss used in concert (60k minimum) and a sheet of hand written lyrics and studio notes for the song Thunder Road (10k minimum).
GottaHaveRockAndRoll.com

MORE BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN INSIGHTS

Ian Anderson Flute Played In Space

Mission control has frequently entertained astronauts by waking them up with their favorite songs.  Astronaut Cady Coleman turned the tables on Houston by performing a duet with her all-NASA acoustic band from the International Space Station.  The flute she played during the performance that followed a tour she gave of the out of this world venue was one given to her by Jethro Tull's Ian Anderson. 
HoustonPress.com

MORE JETHRO TULL INSIGHTS

Sale Of EC Home Helps Tsunami Relief

Scenes of massive devastation along the northern coast of Japan in the aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami must have made people with residences along low coastal areas consider the possibility of a similar catastrophic event striking closer to them.  Whether that played a part in the decision by a Japanese businessman to sell a beach front home that formerly belonged to Eric Clapton isn't clear.  But what is certain is that a couple of million dollars from the sale will be donated to help the relief effort in areas hardest hit by the quake and surge in Japan.  An intriguing aspect of the sale is the report that the buyer will also obtain an unreleased recording Clapton left behind when he sold the property in 2003 after having owned it for around five years.
ContactMusic.com

MORE ERIC CLAPTON INSIGHTS

Young Grabs Canadian Honors

Neil Young, fresh off inducting Tom Waits into the Rock Hall Of Fame in New York, was the recipient of a couple of honors himself over the weekend when he accepted Juno awards in his native Canada honoring him for his humanitarian efforts and for Le Noise, his 2010 release.  Young, who spend decades of making a point of avoiding awards events, accepted the honors in person, saying, 'The older I get the more appreciative I am.'  It was the first time Young had attended the North of The Border equivalent of the Grammys in almost 30 years.  On receiving the Adult Album honor for Le Noise Young noted, 'I'm an adult, there's no alternative', and said, 'Other people put all sorts of handles on albums, but it's all music to me.'
CalgaryHerald

MORE NEIL YOUNG INSIGHTS

Bob Seger Opens 2011 Tour

Sporting a Toledo Mudhens baseball jersey, Bob Seger gave the capacity crowd in the Huntington Center a night to remember Saturday (3/26).  Despite being a little bit older, the 65 year-old Seger was only a little less bolder than he used to be during a 2+ hour set that started with Roll Me Away and included plenty of the biggest tracks of his career, but also mixed in some nuggets like Nutbush City Limits.  A few songs tested the range and power of his voice, but overall Seger seemed to meet or beat expectations.  The show had a few opening night glitches, including a few lost lyrics during Hollywood Nights when Bob apparently hit the mute switch on the cordless mic by mistake.  The Silver Bullet Band was in fine form, joined by Grand Funk veteran Don Brewer on drums and returning Seger backing vocalist a Little Feat alum Shaun Murphy throughout a set that ended with Night Moves and the obligatory Rock & Roll Never Forgets. Another sold out Toledo show is in the offing this week, and a third date for the Palace in Auburn Hills, Michigan has been announced for May 21.
MLive.com

MORE BOB SEGER INSIGHTS

The Boss Battles Prince

Bruce Springsteen has reportedly signed-on to try and prevent a son of Saudi King Abdullah from building an 85,000 sq. ft. compound on a slightly more than 5 acre piece of property in Benedict Canyon, an exclusive enclave in the Hollywood Hills Bruce and many Tinsel Town luminaries have homes in.  The property formerly was owned by producer Jon Peters (The Color Purple, Rain Man, Flashdance).  A 42,000 sq. ft. double winged mansion is reportedly being planned for the property, along with 4400 sq. ft. guest house and 5300 sq. ft. structure to house the staff. The proposed structures are under review by the LA Planning Commission, which is expected to issue some judgment on the project during an April 14 session.  Opponents contend that the Commission should require an environmental impact study be conducted before any permits are issued. The divorced prince has three children, and three other homes, including one in Paris.
BHCourier

MORE BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN INSIGHTS

Rock's Most Famous Love Triangle

Shared loves between famous musicians are hardly rare, but when the musicians involved with the same woman rank as two of the best known of a generation and the woman inspires both to write songs that help define their careers, it warrants extra attention.  Patti Boyd, the alluring  beauty that married George Harrison, was under 20 wen she inspired him to write the song Something.  She was still Harrison's wife when Eric Clapton, himself smitten with her, penned the epic love song Layla with her in mind. Harrison and Clapton got over whatever anger and hurt feelings the episode produced to become good friends and to record and perform together before Harrison's death.  Boyd recently told the Sunday Times that she had found a note Harrison wrote her in 1976, a couple of years after her affair with Clapton contributed to the end of their 8 year relationship. The note read simply, 'E&P God Bless Us All, Love from G'.  She told the paper that the note, sent while Harrison was on tour, was '...like a note of forgiveness. It was as if the hurt had finally been accepted and healed.'
DailyMail.co.uk

MORE GEORGE HARRISON INSIGHTS  MORE ERIC CLAPTON INSIGHTS 

Rodgers Almost In Doors

Surviving members of The Doors wanted Paul Rodgers to take over lead vocals after the death of Jim Morrison but could not find him, according to an account the Free and Bad Company vocalist recently gave Uncut magazine.  Rodgers says he only recently learned that the southern California band wanted to recruit him but gave up after nobody was able to locate him. The soon to be lead vocalist for Bad Company had moved to a remote spot in the English countryside.  Rodgers says his 'jaw dropped' when he learned that Robby Krieger, Ray Manzarek and John Densmore had tried to find him to fill the role.  Would he have taken them up on it?  Rodgers says, 'It's hard to say, looking back. But I think not. I tend to form bands.'
ContactMusic.com

MORE DOORS INSIGHTS   MORE PAUL RODGERS INSIGHTS

Townshend Joins Daltrey at Royal Albert

Pete Townshend's recent claim that he wishes he'd been a solo act instead of a member of the Who made the faint prospect he would appear with Roger Daltrey at the Childrens Cancer Trust benefit in Royal Albert Hall Thursday (3/24) even dimmer. But appear he did, if briefly.  Townshend joined Daltrey on Acid Queen and Baba O'Riley during a set that included the entire Rock Opera TommyDaltrey took a moment during the set to pay tribute to John Entwistle, saying that the late bass player was a better singer than most people realized. Entwistle, the lead singer said, '...always had the loudest voice.  He had the voice of an angel' before dedicating a song to him and the troops serving in Afghanistan.
Spinner.com

MORE WHO INSIGHTS

Seger Promises Surprises

Bob Seger calls his next album project one that will feature songs unlike anything he has done before.  That's a bold statement for someone that has built up legions of fans during a long career.  The Detroit Rocker did not go into in much detail on what to expect during a recent interview with Billboard, other than to say it involves '...different feels, different speeds, different approaches to the stuff I do.'  If the one song we have heard so far is any indication, it could mean a mellower, more refined SegerDowntown Train, a Tom Waits song Seger recorded several years ago but decided not to release when Rod Stewart beat him to it (story), has been streaming on the Seger web site.  It's the kind of song a lot of his fans would head to the concession stand or bathroom during at a concert, so we hope the project isn't stuck in first or second gear.  Even if it is, Bob knows he'll have to include plenty of the reved-up crowd pleasers fans paying a hefty price expect to hear during his tour.  But he does promise to work in songs that will surprise fans - the kind of tunes he says will get people saying, 'oh, wow, I forgot he did that'.
Billboard.com

MORE BOB SEGER INSIGHTS

Demolition Ordered For Ringo's Home

A six year battle to preserve the brick home in Liverpool that Ringo Starr (Richard Starkey) was born in appears to have been lost.  Late last year, it looked like preservationists might be able to prevent the structure from being leveled to make way for a developer's project (story).  But Joe Anderson, head of the Liverpool City Council, now says residents have waited too long for the benefits redevelopment of the Madryn Street area would bring to the city. Critics are not giving-in, even though a demolition order has apparently been issued.
411Mania.com

MORE RINGO STARR INSIGHTS

Elton John Booked To Host SNL

The hosts and musical guests we'd bother tuning in for or a setting the DVR to catch on Saturday Night Live are few and far between. April 2 will be an exception. The late-night weekend fixture has booked Elton John to host and be the musical guest.  And we would probably not have bothered to make a point of watching Elton either if he hadn't recently begun to reassess his musical legacy.  His Union album with Leon Russell and recent comments that he is done writing pop hits at least raise the possibility that he intends to get back to writing and performing songs like the ones he wrote and performed before Captain Fantastic took him on a decades long tangent of increasingly banal albums.  There are no guarantees he won't revert to more of the SOS, but the fact Leon Russell will perform with him April 2 probably makes it an appearance worth checking out.

MORE ELTON JOHN INSIGHTS

Bonamassa Project Sets Release Date

The band featuring guitar great Joe Bonamassa, Glenn Hughes of Deep Purple, Jason Bonham and Dream Theater veteran Derek Sherinian will release its second album on June 14.  The 12 track studio effort produced by Kevin Shirley is titled 2.  The release will be followed by a series of dates in England, including a High Voltage festival appearance in London July 24.  Jason Bonham, son of the late, great Zeppelin drummer, has also announced a new round of dates for his Led Zeppelin Experience project.

Solo Springsteen Album Coming?

Steve Van Zandt recently told a Philadelphia radio station that a Bruce Springsteen solo album could materialize before the E Street Band is summoned back into the studio or out on tour.  FMQB, a music industry source, reports the E Street guitarist as saying, 'I don't know this for a fact, but I expect him to possibly put something out that's more of a solo nature before we get back together.'  A new solo release would be the first from Bruce since his 2006 Seeger Sessions album.
Artist Direcrt.com   WMGK

MORE BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN INSIGHTS

Crosby & Nash Start New Label

Graham Nash and David Crosby have been making albums for decades. The two veterans of the Hollies, Byrds, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young and CSN enter the business side of the record industry with the introduction of Blue Castle Records, a new label distributed by ADA.  The label made its debut Tuesday (3/22) with the re-release of digital and vinyl versions of Another Stoney Evening, a 1971 recording of one of their first performances as a duo that was first issued as a CD in 1998.  The LA concert at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion included versions of Deja Vu, Wooden Ships, Teach Your Children, and others songs from solo projects and collaborations involving the pair.  Crosby & Nash open a two month tour backed by a full band Friday (3/25) in Long Beach California.
PR Newswire

Rush & Stones Movies Get Apps

Rush and Stones fans with iPads willing to drop $6 - $8 on apps can get ones based on films documenting 2112 and Moving Pictures by Rush and Ladies and Gentlemen... The Rolling Stones.  The apps offer extensive footage, artist and producer interview segments and audio taken from original multi-track recordings to tell the inside stories behind the making of classic albums from the bands.  The increased real estate and capacity of the iPad allows for the addition of more material, added interactive features and the ability to view the content when off line.  Networking features also allow users to share audio comments with other users of the apps.
Eagle Rock Entertainment   AntiMusic.com

MORE RUSH INSIGHTS   MORE ROLLING sTONES INSIGHTS

Gregg Joins Elton & Leon At MSG

For ther second time in a week, Gregg Allman put in an unscheduled appearance at Madison Square Garden.  Sunday night (3/20), a off night in the Allman Brothers Band's annual residency at the Beacon Theatre, Gregg headed to MSG to join Elton John and Leon Russell on Gone To Shiloh, the same song from the Union album he did during the pair's performance at the venue when the T-Bone Burnett Speaking Clock Revue played the Garden last fall.
JamBands.com

MORE GREGG ALLMAN INSIGHTS   MORE ELTON JOHN INSIGHTS

Drummer Keeps Floyd Reunion Hopes Up

Nick Mason is keeping an upbeat outlook on the prospects for at least one future Pink Floyd concert.  Calling a tour 'unlikely', the drummer thinks the possibility that he and David Gilmour and Roger Waters will share a stage remains strong, provided the reunion is for the '...right reasons'.  It has been six years since the the core lineup of the group shared the stage during the London Live 8 concert in Hyde Park. Keyboard player Rick Wright died of cancer in September, 2008 (story)Roger Waters and David Gilmour did perform together in last summer at a charity event (story)Mason put the positive spin on prospects for a reunion during an interview on BBC 6.
Spinner.com

MORE PINK FLOYD INSIGHTS  

Billy Gibbons Spices-Up SXSW

Fans at the annual SouthXSouthwest festival in Austin, TX that dropped in on a set by the New York band The Cringe were all grins when Billy Gibbons joined the group on stage.  The ZZ Top guitarist made his entrance cranking out his signature low-down, dirty riffs on a version of Dust My Broom, immediately drawing the attention of those otherwise occupied during a free showcase event at the fabled Stubbs BBQ Saturday (3/19).  The long-bearded guitarist put in a non-musical appearance the night before when he joined TV cooking host Rachel Ray at Feedback, a free food sampling session, where Gibbons passed out bottle of  BFG 44, a hot sauce bearing his endorsement and includes the instruction 'Have Mercy. Shake Well'.
WashingtonPost.com

MORE BILLY GIBBONS INSIGHTS

Boss Drops In On Boston Club

The buzz in Beantown Friday (3/18) was that Bruce Springsteen would join the Dropkick Murphys at the House Of Blues.  Lead singer Ken Casey couldn't resist having some fun with the crowd. Toward the end of the band's roof raising set, he told the packed house he wanted to bring out a special guest, and then introduced his grandmother, Peg, to join the band on the song Peg O' My HeartCasey followed that up by saying, 'I thought that was pretty cool, but not cool enough. So I had to call this guy from Jersey.'  With that, Bruce emerged and the band broke into Going Out In Style, the rave-up tune he recorded with them on the group's recent album.  That led to Badlands, a Springsteen cover the Murphys have worked into their sets, followed by I'm Shipping Up To Boston, a song that has joined Sweet Caroline and Dirty Water as songs always in the line-up across Landsdowne street when the Red Sox are playing at Fenway Park.
BostonHerald.com

MORE BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN INSIGHTS   ALL CURRENT STORIES

Bowie Live Album Out Of Nowhere

Given the less than zero profile he prefers to maintain, news that David Bowie was releasing a new live album had the ring of a National Enquirer headline until we noticed the date of the concert the material comes from.  The disc, due April 26, was culled from performances during the January, 1997 tribute to Bowie in Madison Square Garden. Included on the disc will be the Foo Fighters (Hallo Spaceboy), a version of Seven Years In Tibet featuring Dave Grohl and Billy Corgan on All The Young Dudes, the song Bowie wrote for Mott The Hoople, and Jean Genie.
ArtistDirect

MORE DAVID BOWIE INSIGHTS

 

 

Odd Mix Of Artists Enter Rock Hall

Rock Hall of Fame organizers must second guess themselves a lot - or should if they don't.  The fact that so many deserving musicians have been shut out while plenty of questionable ones got in has undermined the museum's credibility.  Like Rolling Stone magazine, the RHOF has a lot less to do with Rock than it used to, causing increasing numbers of fans to substitute 'Lame' or 'Shame' for 'Fame' when referencing it. Nominating or actually inducting artists like Madonna, ABBA, LL Cool J ahead of Rush, Heart, Deep Purple, Jethro Tull, The Cars, Joe Cocker, The Doobie Brothers, Todd Rundgren, the J. Geils Band and Yes just ain't right.  Part of the problem is that the rush to induct too many too fast depleted the A List contenders too fast.  Another is that the Hall evidently thought that bringing in pop and rap artists would broaden the appeal and boost attendance.  Both ideas seem to to have back fired.
That said, this year's class was pretty interesting.  Monday (3/14) saw the addition of a group of musicians that had all been eligible for induction for more than a decade. Neil Diamond might have gotten off the best line of the night at the Waldorf Astoria Monday (3/14) when he told Bruce Springsteen, 'You keep practicing, you'll go places.'  Alice Cooper, long overdue for induction, shared the moment with all of the members of his 1970's band, minus the late Glen Buxton who passed away four years ago.  The belted out Eighteen, Under My Wheels and School's Out, with a chorus of school kids singing along on their closing number. Dr. John treated the crowd to Right Place, Wrong Time and Such A Night before Neil Young entered to induct Tom Waits, calling the notoriously low key Waits a 'magician, spirit guide and changeling', terms that could easily be applied to Young, too.  So could most of what Waits had to say on accepting the honor: 'They say I  have no hits and I'm difficult to work with, and they say that like it's a bad thing.'  Bruce Springsteen joined Darlene Love on guitar for versions of He's A Rebel and two other songs.  Leon Russell, the first recipient of the Musical Excellence Award, did Delta Lady and A Song For You. A condensed version of the marathon ceremony will air on FUSE TV Sunday.  The induction returns to Cleveland next year.

Springsteen's First Car Available

The 1957 Chevy Bruce Springsteen bought in the spring of 1975 for $2k is up for auction with a minimum bid close to $400,000.  The yellow convertible with flames on the hood is said to be the the one Bruce wrote about in Racing In The Street.  It comes with the original registration and a temporary insurance card naming Bruce as the policy holder.  Gone is the dual, four barrel carb engine with 396 Fuelie heads. The power plant was replaced with a single barrel custom built 350 during a $35,000 mechanical upgrade.  The rest of the car remains as it was when Bruce owned it.  Later that year, Bruce bought himself a 1960 Corvette with money earned from the breakout success of the Born To Run album.  It is believed to be the first vehicle owned by Springsteen to go up for bids.
GottaHaveRockAndRoll.com

MORE BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN INSIGHTS

Springsteen Doc Gets Cheaper

The Promise, the documentary about the making of Darkness On The Edge Of Town that was packaged with the deluxe edition of the re-release of the landmark album, is headed for a stand-alone release.  The award winning doc comes out on DVD and Blu-Ray May 2.  The 90 minute film that was shot during rehearsal and recording sessions for the 1978 album will be supplemented by five songs that Bruce and the E Street Band played late last year during an exclusive invitation only gig in Asbury Park, NJ (story) and a Q&A session Springsteen did with fans while making appearances to talk-up the film and deluxe edition re-release of Darkness.
Backstreets.com  UnderCoverMusic.com

MORE BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN INSIGHTS

Instrumental Figure in Dead Circles Killed

The Grateful Dead has been described as an organism involving many individuals besides the band members.  One that contributed more to the aura of the Dead than just about any other met his end in a car crash in Australia Sunday (3/13).  Owsley 'Bear' Stanley filled a lot of roles during his many decades as a member of the inner circle of people that Grateful Dead members had absolute trust in, from helping to craft the band's signature logo to developing one of the most ambitious tour sound systems ever devised. His nick name was chosen by the band as the  brand approved name applied to the Bear's Choice series of live releases.  Owsley's actual name also became synonymous with the high-grade quality LSD dispensed at a lot of Grateful Dead concerts. Guitarist Bob Weir credits Owsley for being, '...open and engaging - always critical and questioning, but not negatively so much as playfully.'  Countless tributes will pour in.  Many of the most difficult to believe ones will be true.
JamBands.com

MORE GRATEFUL DEAD INSIGHTS

Mick Taylor Pens Stones Chronicle

The fact the Rolling Stones managed to carry-on after losing Mick Taylor is no great surprise. Ron Wood and Keith Richards are hardly slouches.  But a lot of people still believe the Stones were never better than they were with Taylor.  Five of the group's most monumental albums - Let It Bleed, Sticky Fingers, Exile On Main Street, Goat's Head Soup and It's Only Rock 'n Roll, became iconic releases in good part because of the role Taylor played in them.  Jagger/Richards deserved and got song writing credit, but Taylor's contribution to the group's sound on those albums cannot be overstated.  His decision to walk away from it all is central to the book he plans to write.  He told BANG Showbiz that the band began to buy into its own PR as it became more and more successful . The resulting dynamic was something he was not prepared to deal with day in and day out.  As to whether he will divulge inner secrets about the group, Taylor says Keith Richards has pretty much covered all of that in his recent autobiography, Life.
RTT
MORE ROLLING STONES INSIGHTS

Spider Man Loses Director

The director of the problem wracked musical Spider Man, which has had its official opening postponed for the sixth time, has reportedly left the Broadway show.  Julie Taymor's departure is just the latest casualty for the production (story), which is being called the most expensive musical in history.  A new creative group has been brought in to try and salvage the play that was supposed to debut a year ago.  Bono and The Edge of U2, who wrote the score for the production, recently stepped-up their hands-on involvement in the production as well.  Taymor will reportedly stay on in a limited capacity.  She says the latest delay would have caused scheduling conflicts for other projects she had obligations to.
MonstersAndCritics.com

MORE U2 INSIGHTS

Stones Roll-Out Box Set

The Rolling Stones Singles 1971-2006 box set includes 45 forty-fives representing every top charting track the band released during that remarkable stretch of time.  More importantly to Stones collectors is the fact the box set also features previously unreleased versions of songs by the band.  Several alternate takes of songs that appeared on Rolling Stones releases the late 1980's and 90's are included. The April release will also include a 32 page book and rare photographs and writings from band members and experts.
AllNewswire.com

MORE ROLLING STONES INSIGHTS   ALL CURRENT STORIES

Crossroads Auction Draws Big Bids

The benefit auction of guitars and amps from the personal collection of Eric Clapton (story) shattered estimates by bringing in close to $2 million in bids. Earlier estimates had put the likely total at much less than half of the amount bidders put up for the honor of owning an instrument or amp belonging to the guitar great.  A 1948 Gibson Les Paul that experts had predicted would top off at around $30,000 went for nearly $83k.All told, the event raised close to $2.25 million for the Crossroads Centre, the drug and alcohol facility Clapton helped bankroll in Antigua a couple of decades ago.  Clapton did not attend the auction in New York City.  He was in LA for a concert Tuesday night (3/9).
GulfDailyNews.com

MORE ERIC CLAPTON INSIGHTS

Petty Daughter Directing Horror Flick

Adria Petty has directed commercials, music videos and a documentary. Now, the daughter of Rocker Tom Petty is taking on a full length feature film.  Suffocate is based on a team of city workers sent to deal with a hoarder's condemned apartment.  The suspense-horror flick follows their battle of wits for survival against the traps engineered by the occupant of the brownstone, a man the director describes as an 'unrelenting killer'.  David Bowie's son, Duncan Jones, is also gaining traction in the industry as a director (story).
TheFilmStage.com

MORE TOM PETTY INSIGHTS

Massive Dead Set Sells Out

Al 7,200 copies of the complete sets from the Grateful Dead Europe '72 tour have been sold in advance of the actual release.  The 22 concert compilation featuring a whopping 70 hours of music can still be had in the slightly less deluxe version for the same price of $450.  Each show was remixed from the original 16 track recordings by Jeffrey Norman.  The tour opened April 7 in the UK and ended there May 26 after stops that included Copenhagen, Frankfurt, Paris, Amsterdam and Luxembourg.
Starpulse.com

MORE GRATEFUL DEAD INSIGHTS

Aerosmith Close Ranks

The soap opera  Aerosmith turned into 18 months ago could be on its way to becoming a sitcom again.  Signs that the rift between Steven Tyler and guitarist Joe Perry will soon give way to riffs emerged in a post on Tyler's Twitter account when the lead singer wrote 'AeroFreaks rejoice... Joe and I sent smoke signals, shot the s%&it and chewed the fat for the last year, but just smoked the peace pipe for an hour today.  On our way to rockin' your fkin' worlds this summer by locking ourselves away somewhere w/guitars and drums...'.  Trouble in the group began with Tyler's relapse and fall off the stage during the band's set at the Sturgis Rally (story) and friction over his decision to become a judge on American Idol instead of working with the band after his recovery (story).
Blabbermouth.net

MORE AEROSMITH INSIGHTS

Clapton Sale Creates A Buzz

Several weeks ago we did a story about the plan to auction off 75 guitars and more than 50 amps from the personal collection of Eric Clapton to raise money for the Crossroads Centre, the alcohol and drug treatment facility the guitar great established in Antigua many years ago.  What sets the sale this week apart from the previous ones EC has donated instruments to for his cause is the sheer number of instruments being auctioned and the relative affordability of many compared to the astronomical sums his most prized instruments have sold for.  Now, $10,000 is hardly chump change, but it's a bargain when measured against the nearly $1 million paid for Clapton guitars in past fund raising auctions for the facility.  1999 and 2004 auctions brought in a combined $12 million, while this sale is expected to top off well under a million.  A guitarist of Clapton's caliber undoubtedly gets sent free axes and amps by manufacturers all the time, so some of items being offered-up this time around may not have been used much if at all by Clapton. Still, being able to pick-up an amp or guitar that is certified as being from his personal collection for as little as a few hundred dollars is sure to appeal to genuine fans instead of just high roller collectors.
Bonhams.com

MORE ERIC CLAPTON INSIGHTS   ALL CURRENT STORIES

Will Beck Join Stewart For London Fest?

Rod Stewart has signed on to headline a day of the Hard Rock Calling festival in London's Hyde Park in June.  While the announcement did not make mention of Jeff Beck, Stewart may have alluded to the guitar great making an appearance with his one-time Jeff Beck Group vocalist when he said his June 25 set would include '...a whole lot of music and more than a few surprises'.  The idea of ripping into songs from Truth and Beck-Ola is infinitely more interesting than the prospect of Stewart plodding through songs like Do Ya Think I'm Sexy or his American Songbook that could get him booed or laughed off the stage at an event like HRC. Beck and Stewart have been making plans for a Blues-Rock album and discussing the possibility of live dates (story).  What would make the occasion even better would be that too long deferred Faces reunion (story).
BBC.co.uk

MORE ROD STEWART INSIGHTS   ALL CURRENT STORIES

Clapton On New Robbie Robertson Disc

How To Become Clairvoyant, the latest solo project by the Band's Robbie Robertson will include seven tracks featuring Eric Clapton.  The album, Robertson's fifth solo release, is scheduled to drop March 29 north of the border and a week later in the states.  EC co-wrote two of the songs he plays on and penned a third, Madam X, on his own.  The release also includes contributions from frequent Clapton collaborator Steve Winwood as well as Tom Morello, Trent Reznor and Robert Randolph.  The title song will also be a featured track in the HBO series True Blood.
WheresEric.com

MORE ROBBIE ROBERTSON INSIGHTS   MORE ERIC CLAPTON INSIGHTS  

Waters Goes Up Against The Wall

Roger Waters has again voiced support of non-violent opposition to the Israeli security wall along the West Bank border.  Calling the isolation of Palestinians 'appalling', the musician says he supports the right of people to oppose the wall and the policy behind it through '...whatever peaceful means are at their disposal.'  For his part, that includes advocating that other artists join him in refusing to perform in Israel.  Waters defends his position and the boycott proposal as neither anti-semitic or anti Israeli, but a statement against '...racist and colonial policies' used by Israeli leadership against Palestinians.
JPost.com

MORE ROGER WATERS INSIGHTS

Allmans Go Into OT In NYC

The annual engagement the Allman Brothers Band stages in New York City each March will feature after-concert club appearances by several ABB affiliated performers, including Devon Allman's group Honeytribe, Pharaoh Gummitt with Duane Trucks, the Yonrico Scott Band, a group that includes Allman Bros. bassist Oteil Burbridge, and Jaimoe's Jasssz Band with ABB drummer Jaimoe.  As with the Allman Bothers dates at the Beacon Theatre, plenty of special guests are being promised at the after-concert shows, which will be staged at The Iridium.  A high point of the six nights of club concerts between March 11 and 26 will be the chance to see and hear the 1957 Les Paul Gold Top guitar Duane Allman played on early Allman Brothers Band albums and used in sessions with Derek & The Dominos, including the one that featured him on Layla.  Fans that donate $20 to the Allman Brothers Band Museum in Macon, GA and the Les Paul Foundation can be photographed with the guitar on stage.
BroadwayWorld.com

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Keith Richards Daughter Busted

People get busted for drugs all the time after doing stupid things like driving a car with no license plates. Like they say, there's a reason they call it dope.  Still, you'd figure that her father's run-ins with authorities for illegal substances over the years would have made Theodaora Richards smart enough not to do something as bone-headed as what police claim she did Tuesday night (3/1).  The daughter of the Rolling Stones guitarist was popped by New York City cops after they say she was observed painting graffiti on a building.  The 25 year-old model was charged with painting T (Heart) A on a SoHo building.  Police say she told them the letters were for her and her sister, Alexandara.  Her minor predicament got a little more complicated when police say they found marijuana on her when they confiscated the paint marker.
Mirror.co.uk

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Jagger Working On Solo Material

Chris Jagger, the brother of Rolling Stones front man, told a journalist in Portugal that Mick Jagger is in LA working on some new material with Dave Stewart.  Whether a full album is in the works or Mick is just banging out a couple of songs for some other project was not clear.  His younger brother simply told the Tele Journal reporter, 'He called me last night telling me what he was doing.'  If the sessions with Stewart do result in a Jagger solo album it will be his first since 2001.  Stewart recently finished up work on the new album by Stevie Nicks.
DigitalSpy.com

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Red Rocker Up For Van Halen

Sammy Hagar maintains that the odds he will work with Eddie Van Halen again are close to 90%. Speaking with Rolling Stone, the Red Rocker says he would 'love' to be a part of another Van Halen album.  Keep in mind that Sammy, who has always had a knack for saying things that generate publicity, made the remark while doing a promo tour to push his book Red: My Uncensored Life In Rock, which gets released March 15.  As far as we know Eddie, Alex and Wolfgang Van Halen remain committed to working with David Lee Roth, another publicist's dream/nightmare rolled into one.
AntiMusic.com

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Original Rock Artwork Up For Bids

A New York City auction house puts a treasure trove of original artwork up for bids March 10. Cover art and other pieces relating to a number of iconic albums and tours by the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Bruce Springsteen, The Police, David Bowie, the Grateful Dead, Pink Floyd, Aerosmith, Ozzy Osbourne and others will go under the gavel. Designs and sketches by album and poster masters like Rick Griffin, Stanley Mouse and Anton Kelly are featured, including Kelly's original album cover art for the 1980 Journey album Departure, which is expected to sell for around $30k.  The manager of the Entertainment Memorabilia division at Bonham's describes the collection as containing works from many considered '...major contributors to the look and feel of popular culture in the twentieth century.'
Gibson.com  Bonhams.com

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Loverboy Plots Possible Return

Bob Rock, the man at the controls when Canadian Rockers Loverboy recorded one of the big debut albums of 1980, recently phoned Paul Dean and Mike Reno of the band to tell them he had a song he thought was right for them.  Dean said he and Reno '...just flipped out' when they got the chance to hear it.  The band has logged some studio time working-up two tracks with RockDean said the band had tried getting back together a few times in the past, but he says working with Rock again on songs he describes as comparable to the best material the band has ever done makes all the difference in the world.  Whether, when and in what form the songs will get released Dean and Reno did not say.
ClassicRockMagazine.com

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U2 Assistant Faces Charges

A 47 year-old former personal assistant to U2 bass player Adam Clayton faced the music Monday (2/28)Carol Hawkins was in a Dublin court room to face charges that she helped herself to millions of dollars from her employer's personal accounts.  The 184 count case against Hawkins claims she pilfered funds from Clayton's accounts over a three year period starting in 2005 (story)Clayton earlier won a judgment preventing the woman from pocketing additional money from the sale of New York City apartment the woman may have purchased using his money. The hearing clears the way for the case to go to trial.
TheJournal.ie   Daily Mail

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Jeff Beck, Rod Stewart Reunion

The Jeff Beck Group was where Rod Stewart learned to turn loose the tremendous vocal talent within him.  News that Stewart and Beck planned to play and record together again for the first time in eons has been met with great expectations.  Beck told GigWise.com that a recent studio session he held with is drummer shifted into a bluesy direction that seemed perfectly suited to Stewart.  They decided to capture what they had captured by recording some of the takes, ending up with 11 tracks Beck thinks Stewart can get behind - and in front of.
LickLibrary.com

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Springsteen Revisits His Past

Bruce Springsteen joined visitors at the Rock Hall Of Fame in Cleveland during an unannounced visit on Sunday (2/27), the last day of the museum's From Asbury Park to the Promised Land special exhibit.  Accompanied by RHOF curator Jim Henke as he made the rounds of the exhibit, The Boss offered his personal recollections about times and places represented in the artifacts collected for the nearly two year long exhibit.  They included everything from a surf board Bruce once owned to the battered Corvette he splurged on after Born To Run took off to the white T-shirt he appeared in on the cover of Born In The U.S.A and rare early video footage of Bruce and the E Street Band.
WTAM.com

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