The Thursday (10/29) Rock Hall of Fame 25th anniversary concert at Madison Square Garden had a number of of tender moments (story).   Some came up last night (10/30) too, but mostly, the night was the kind of high decibel blowout you would expect from a lineup that included Metallica, Ozzy Osbourne, U2, Lou Reed and Jeff Beck.  Mick Jagger was the night's big unannounced guest, arriving on stage near the end as U2 shifted into Gimme Shelter.  In two nights with a lot of memorable moments (HBO will present highlights Nov. 29), a single Stones' presence served as a reminder that so many of the Hall's still active biggest names were not represented either night - presumably not for lack of invitations.
Rollingstone.com

MORE ROCK HALL OF FAME INSIGHTS

The illness that already claimed a series of Elton John dates in the UK (story) has now forced at least two stateside dates for his Face 2 Face tour with Billy Joel as victim.  In an indication of how sick Elton has been, dates for November 4 & 7 at KeyArena in Seattle are got postponed nearly a week in advance.  According to The Olympian, management for Elton advised the arena and promoter Live Nation that the singer has been suffering from a severe case of influenza that aslo involves an e-coli bacterial infection.  The dates are expected to be rescheduled.
Theolympian.com

MORE ELTON JOHN INSIGHTS

A job as a Personal Assistant in the music biz involved a lot of after hours assignments, according to Chris O'Dell.  Her years working with and around Rock stars in the 60's & 70's was "...like being given the keys to Disneyland."  Much of the gossip dished out in Miss O'Dell: My Hard Day's and Long Nights with the Beatles, the Stones, Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, and the Women They Loved concerns things she overheard about musicians other than the ones she purports to have had affairs with.  The short list she does claim to have spent time between the sheets with includes Ringo Starr, Dylan and Mick Jagger - saying that a job description for women working with the Stones then might as well have included, "sleep with Mick whenever he asks." 
Topnews.in

The high cost of touring has boosted the appeal of booking extended stays in big cities or vacation destinations for eveything from large-scale theatrical productions to stand-up comics.  The multi date deal that Carlos Santana struck with The Joint, the Hard Rock Casino venue in Las Vegas, has turned out great for the guitarist and the Hard Rock.  Santana will take the stage at the state-of-the-art facility (story) again for concerts from Nov. 11-22, and return for 11 more appearances Feb. 3 - 21.
Santana.com

MORE SANTANA INSIGHTS

Looking to rekindle interest in a languishing album (ranked 117 on Amazon), U2 will do a free concert at Brandenburg Gate in Berlin on Nov. 5.  The concert, which falls  a few days shy of the 20th anniversary of the fall of wall dividing East and West Berlin, coincides with the European MTV Awards.  The U2 set will be beamed to London's O2 Arena.  Several concerts have been staged at the site since the collapse of the Communist state, most famously the performance of The Wall by Roger Waters of Pink Floyd.  10,000 tickets for the short set were gone in 3 hours.  Sunday's (11/25) U2 YouTube web cast from the Rose Bowl (story) has eclipsed the 10 million stream count.
BBC.com   Variety.com

MORE U2 INSIGHTS

Roger Daltrey thinks the idea of a Who edition of  Rock Band is 'fabulous', and tells Masslive.com that one is in the works for release in 2010.  So is a new Who album, which Pete Townshend has described as a project in the vein of Tommy and Quadrophenia.   Titled Floss, the theme was inspired partly what Daltrey calls the band's reaction against the tendency even veteran bands have to be "...eternally writing for teenagers." It tells the story of a former club musician who is compelled to return to performing after one of his songs gets used in an ad campaign, bringing him the fame and fortune that eluded him when he was younger.
Daltrey is currently on a solo tour with his band that includes Pete's brother, Simon Townshend.
Masslive.com

MORE WHO INSIGHTS

Hits were scarce Thursday night (10/29) at Yankee Stadium, where AJ Burnett edged out Pedro Martinez and the Phillys in game 2 of the World Series.  Not so in midtown, where an all star lineup delivered a barrage of them at the first of two  Rock Hall Of Fame 25th anniversary shows at Madison Square Garden. Bonnie Raitt & James Taylor joined Crosby Stills & Nash on Teach Your Children. Simon & Garfunkel sounded great (especially for two guys who hate to miss a Yankee post season game). Stevie Wonder and Sting traded vocals on Roxanne. Jeff Beck, pinch hitting for Eric Clapton (story), was awesome. It was around midnight when Springsteen tore things up with Sam Moore on Soul Man and Hold On. I'm Coming before being also joined by John Fogerty and then, unannounced guest, Billy Joel.  And don't forget, it's a double header!

Robert Green entered a not guilty plea on charges there was not enough green in his bank account to cover a $90k check he cut to cover a Steve Miller Band concert he staged in Casper, Wyoming last fall.  The Scottsdale, Arizona man was tracked down last spring by officials from Wyoming in response to a claim by a representative of the band that a check he issued as payment on a balance due for the concert had not cleared.  Green contends the group's agent had assured him the check would be held long enough for him to make a deposit.  A trial date of Jan. 25 was set. If convicted of felony check fraud, Green could face a 10 year sentence.
Trib.com

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Multi-purpose arenas are far from the best places to hear music, but a few have hosted enough amazing concerts over the decades to become band and fan favorites.  The Spectrum, the  18,000 seat former home of Philadelphia Flyers hockey and 76'ers hoops, was the site of many concerts fans of a few groups in particular count as among the best those artists ever performed.  Members of the Grateful Dead did more than more than 50 sold-out shows there, the last in May when Bob Weir sang 'I wouldn't tear this old building down' during Samson & Delilah. Bruce Springsteen gave the venue he considers one of the best a fond farewell recently. Pearl Jam gets the honor of doing the last concert at the Spectrum, ending a 4 night stand there on Halloween.

No band has been the subject of more on-again, off-again reunion rumors than the Faces during the last year. A good portion of the group did come together for concerts in and around London, including a charity concert at Royal Albert Hall (story), but without Rod Stewart, who was making promo appearances on behalf of his new album, Soulbook, several time zones away.  During a session with CNN in Beverly Hills, the singer suggested he may yet get back on stage with the others at least once. Suggesting that a concert for a good cause would be the best case scenario, Stewart said, "It's on (sic) the cards. I'll do it eventually."
CNN.com

MORE FACES INSIGHTS

A report Robert Plant spoke with an organizer of the Glastonbury Festival about a possible appearance was all it took to ignite rumors that it could involve a Led Zeppelin reunion.  Plant reportedly told the BBC that Michael Eavis let him know the festival would love to have him in the 2010 lineup.  Plant was said to indicate that he has interest but has "...no idea who with", which opened the door to Zep reunion speculation.  It is more likely that any appearance would involve Plant and Alison Krauss.  Tickets for the event next summer went on sale weeks ago and sold out almost instantly despite the lineup being unknown (story).
Gigwise.com

MORE ROBERT PLANT INSIGHTS

The debut album from Them Crooked Vultures, the band featuring John Paul Jones of Led Zeppelin, Nirvana and Foo Fighters veteran Dave Grohl and Josh Homme from Queens of the Stone Age, is still a few weeks away (11/17), but fans eager for a first listen now have a final mix to check out.  New Fang brings together elements of all of the member's past bands on a tune that could would not have sounded out of place on any Zeppelin album - and one that Grohl launches with the kind of driving drums Jon Bonham woulda loved. Hear it here.

The first Peter Gabriel album in several years finds the former Genesis member involved in what one participant calls a song swap.  Scratch My Back, expected out in the spring, will include collaborations with several 'legendary artists' covering songs of other musicians involved in the project, according to composer John Metcalfe, who said he is not at liberty to divulge who else will perform on the album, other than to say there are some '...very, very famous singers and bands involved'.  According to a Metcalfe post on the Gabriel web site, the album will be acoustic. Adding to the intrigue, Bob Ezrin, who did 3 Pink Floyd albums (including The Wall) and KISS and Alice Cooper albums, has signed on as producer.  
BBC.co.uk   Petergabriel.com

MORE PETER GABRIEL INSIGHTS

The J. Geils Band has reconvened a few times during the past year, most notably to play a jam packed House Of Blues grand opening party in their hometown.  The legendary Boston party band will do it again, this time venturing southwest of Beantown to do a New Year's Eve blowout at the Mohegan Sun in eastern Connecticut.  Peter Wolf and the band are scheduled to ring in 2010 with a party starting at 9pm in the resort's arena.
Mohegansun.com

MORE J. GEILS BAND INSIGHTS

The futility of trying to deliver even a semblance of the biggest musical spectacle ever staged to a home computer is daunting. U2 gets credit for trying - and for delivering it free via YouTube.  U2 hit the stage at 12:03 Eastern (12/26) from the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. To the credit of the band and the Google owned site, the technical aspects of it defied expectations, at least for those with a good size monitor and good speakers.  But crowd reaction to a set opening string of recent songs made it obvious that U2 still hasn't re-found what fans are really looking for from the band, and response to even the biggest songs made it apparent the band itself would not meet the expectations the staging and the hype about it had created.

MORE U2 INSIGHTS

Paul McCartney has added European dates to his tour schedule for December, and Jon Bon Jovi has announced a world tour that opens at the new Meadowlands Stadium, the new home of the Giants & Jets, in April (story) and will keep his band on the road for much of 2010 and 2011.  U2 will extend its 360o Tour into a second year with an opening date at a stadium not far from the one it closed the 2009 portion of its tour in Sunday night (10/25), the Rose Bowl, with a world wide web cast streamed live on YouTube  (story).  The group will play Angels Stadium June 6 to begin a trek across North America that includes a date at Meadowlands Stadium on July 16.
Paulmccartney.com   Bonjovi.com   U2.com    

Dream On, a multi-media presentation showcasing New Hampshire native son Steven Tyler, will be presented as part of Concerts For The Cause, a fund raising series that helps Child and Family Services of Concord, NH serve the community.  The video and slide montage will feature on-stage and candid shots of Tyler, and include footage of him discussing his personal struggles with substance abuse.  Afterwards, Tyler will do a question & answer session with the audience. The future of Aerosmith may be clearer by the time the event takes place.  It is scheduled for Jan. 23, 2010 at the Capitol Center for the Arts in Concord. If not, other band members could show up with tough questions.
Seacoastonline.com

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A Liverpool concert slated for Wednesday remained a 'go' Monday (10/26), but an appearance at Wembley Arena scheduled for the night before was cancelled, making it the third consecutive gig Sir Elton had to pull out of since coming down with the flu.  A spokesperson for Elton relayed the singer's disappointment and his hope that the previously canceled shows, in Sheffield and Newcastle, could be rescheduled for dates in December along with the one at Wembley Arena.
BBC.co.uk

MORE ELTON JOHN INSIGHTS

The E Street Band concert Monday (10/26) at the Sprint Center in Kansas City was canceled late this afternoon following the death of Springsteen's cousin and long-time assistant road manager, Lenny Sullivan.  Sullivan apparently died at the Intercontinental Hotel, where his body was discovered shortly after 4pm in his room. A statement later posted on Brucespringsteen.net said Sullivan, 36, was "A warm and sensitive person, he was beloved by Bruce, the Band, the crew, and the entire Thrill Hill family."  The Band is next scheduled to appear at the Thursday night (10/29) Rock Hall Of Fame anniversary concert in Madison Square Garden.
Backstreets.com  NJ.com  Fox4kc.com

MORE BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN INSIGHTS

The campaign to close the detention center at Guantanamo Naval base in Cuba that holds suspects in the war on terror has included the voices of a number of musicians that object to the use of music to break prisoners.  Pearl Jam, AC/DC, Jackson Browne, REM and others have criticized the use of high volume, non-stop music to deprive detainees of rest. Pearl Jam and others are now calling for declassification of secret documents that describe the use of music as an interrogation device and call for the facility to be shut down.  A statement on the Pearl Jam web site says band members join Americans who "...were alarmed and ashamed to learn what happened at Guantanamo in our names."
Pearljam.com

MORE PEARL JAM INSIGHTS

Organizers of West Fest, a concert that will put 42 bands on 3 stages in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park Sunday (10/25), also hope as many as 3,000 guitarists will show up to jam during a closing set tribute to Jimi Hendrix so the event can lay claim to a Guinness Record.  The free Woodstock anniversary festival features Jefferson Starship, Leslie West of Mountain, Country Joe McDonald, Ray Manzarek of The Doors, Ronnie Montrose, and dozens of current and former members of other Bay Area bands and groups that played the 1969 event. The record for the most guitarists was set last August in Texas, where 1,859 played (story).  The concert organizers included Woodstock veteran Artie Kornfeld.
2b1records.com

Eric Clapton has been forced to pull out of his scheduled appearance at one of the two concerts  marking the 25th Anniversary Rock Hall Of Fame at Madison Square Garden.  The guitarist suffered a bout of gall stones that resulted in a minor medical procedure that requires him to remain in the UK to recuperate.  Clapton, one of the main attractions for the second concert (10/30), had planned to perform together with Buddy Guy.  John Fogerty will join Bruce Springsteen on the 29th, and Kinks front man Ray Davies has been added to the lineup on the 30th.
Whereseric.com

MORE ERIC CLAPTON INSIGHTS           MORE ROCK HALL OF FAME INSIGHTS

Them Crooked Vultures, the new group that combines John Paul Jones from Led Zeppelin with Nirvana and Foo Fighters veteran Dave Grohl and Josh Homme of Queens Of The Stone Age, is getting more attention than a keg at a frat party.  Acclaim for the band's raw, live energy has been electric.  Nov. 17 we get the chance to find out what the combined talent produced in the studio when the band unleashes its self titled debut album.  With titles like Mind Eraser, No Chaser, No One Loves Me & Neither Do I, Scumbag Blues, Caligulove and Interlude With Qualudes, it's bound to be good. The release of the 13 song disc will be followed by more live dates. 
Themcrookedvultures.com

Kinks classics get a choral makeover on an upcoming US tour put together by Ray Davies.  Only 8 of the novel shows using choirs have been scheduled, the first taking place Nov. 12 in San Francisco.  The trek will end in New Jersey a couple of weeks later, with Davies remaining in the States long enough to make an appearance at a Rock Hall Of Fame 25th Anniversary concert in Madison Square Garden (story).  The Kinks Choral Collection album was released in the UK during the summer.  It gets its US release Nov. 10.
Livedaily.com

MORE KINKS INSIGHTS

37 years after Creedence Clearwater Revival brought Swamp Rock to London, John Fogerty finally made his return to the Royal Albert Hall stage.  Although the April, 1970 CCR concerts were recorded by the BBC, they never had an official release.  Fortunately, plenty of the songs done during those shows were included the night of Fogerty's long overdue return.  Comin' Down The Road, a 26 track DVD featuring the Rock Hall Of Fame member and his band, will drop on November 3.  Among the Creedence classics on it: Proud Mary, Born On The Bayou, Up Around The Bend and Fortunate Son.  Two Fogerty sons accompanied their father on guitar during the historic concert. Get a preview of it here.
MORE JOHN FOGERTY INSIGHTS

A great box set has to include more than music. The AC/DC Backtracks collection due Nov. 11 sets a new standard.  The Deluxe Collector's Edition is a comprehensive collection of remastered rarities on 3 CDs, 1 LP, and 2 DVDs that includes an entire 2003 concert, a 164 page hard-bound book, an assortment of band merch, artwork reproductions and, to top it all off, an ACDC badged guitar amplifier battered enough to look like it survived a world tour!  The Standard Edition includes 2 CDs and the Family Jewels DVD.  Get all the details on this seriously LOUD collection here.
ACDCBacktracks.com
 
MORE ACDC INSIGHTS

On October 9th, the E Street Band played the last concert in Giants Stadium before its date with the wrecking ball at the end of the NFL season (story).  With the group expected to disband, at least temporarily, after the last date on the current tour, Bruce Springsteen was probably out of contention to open the stadium that replaces it.  That honor will go to another Jersey Rocker.  As Rock Insights previously reported, Jon Bon Jovi and his band have been tapped to open the the new stadium. The dates, announced today (10/22), are April 26 & 27. The $1.6 billion home for the Giants and the Jets, dubbed Meadowlands Stadium unless or until naming rights can be sold, is expected to be ready ahead of schedule in the spring.
Philly.com

Roger Daltrey added a side gig to his current solo tour of the US, using an off-night between concert stops in Denver and Thackerville, Oklahoma to make a guest appearance at the University of Central Oklahoma.  The Who front man surprised students in an Academy of Contemporary Music Master Class Wednesday night (10/21), and spent 90 minutes doing a Q&A session with the professor and his students.  Daltrey confessed that he wasn't much of a student himself, telling the class that seeing Elvis Presley do Heartbreak Hotel on TV sealed his fate.  He fielded questions about the Who, contrasting his band with the Beatles and Stones, talked about the music industry - and cautioned the students about protecting their hearing while on stage.
Newsok.com

MORE ROGER DALTREY INSIGHTS

John Mellencamp will attend a tribute to Myles Brand, the president of the NCAA who died of pancreatic cancer last month (9/16). The ceremony takes place at Conseco Field House in Indianapolis Wednesday (10/28).  CBS sportscaster Jim Nance will host the event, which will be televised at 6pm on the College Sports Network.  Mellencamp was awarded an honorary Doctor of Music degree by Indiana University during Brand's time as president and was a regular guest at his home, one year surprising student trick-or-treaters by answering the doorbell alongside Brand on Halloween.
Indystar.com

MORE JOHN MELLENCAMP INSIGHTS

Ozzy Osbourne has been added to the the second of two Madison Square Garden concerts marking the 25th anniversary of the Rock Hall Of Fame. Ozzy will appear with Metallica Oct. 30, in a concert also scheduled to include appearances by Eric Clapton, U2, Aretha Franklin, Buddy Guy (with Clapton), Jeff Beck, and Jerry Lee Lewis. Van Morrison is no longer in the lineup.  The Oct. 29 concert has Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band, CSN ("and friends"), Simon & Garfunkel, BB King and Stevie Wonder (together), Sting, Jackson Browne, Bonnie Raitt, James Taylor, Little Richard, Smokey Robinson and Sam Moore (of Sam & Dave).
Rock Hall Of Fame

MORE ROCK HALL OF FAME INSIGHTS

The rift between Jon Anderson and Yes opened when the group recruited a cover band vocalist to replace Anderson on tour last year (story).  Anderson recently leveled more criticism against the group for announcing it plans another tour with Benoit David as its vocalist.  Anderson now has an ally.  Former Yes keyboard player Rick Wakeman has sided with Anderson. In an interview with Classic Rock Revisited, Wakeman is quoted as saying "You can't have Yes without Jon", and calling the band touring as Yes a tribute band he doesn't "have any respect for".  Ironically, Wakeman's son, Oliver, fills his father's former role in the group.
Classicrockrevisited.com

MORE YES INSIGHTS

Holiday shopping for your favorite ParrotHead just got easier.  A new Jimmy Buffett album titled Buffet Hotel comes out December 8.  Buffett's first studio album for the Margaritaville masses in just over 3 years gets its title from a building he spotted during a trip to a festival in Mali that he said looked something like a "train station / whorehouse" and was called the Buffet (with 1 t) Hotel.  never one to delay a party, Buffett has been giving ParrotHeads advance listens to some of the songs on the album, including Summerzcool, during his tour that bore that name this summer and fall.
Examiner.com
 
 MORE JIMMY BUFFETT INSIGHTS

Starting in January 2010, Brits will be able to post letters with stamps depicting the cover art for the Rolling Stones Let It Bleed album, Led Zeppelin IV, London Calling by The Clash, David Bowies's The Rise & Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars, The Division Bell by Pink Floyd and five other albums.  Selections were made through customer surveys, with the postal service making the final determination of which ten to go with. Let It Bleed is a curious choice for a Stones stamp, although both the title and the cover art would have made Sticky Fingers pretty much out of the question!
Undercover.co.au

MORE ROLLING STONE INSIGHTS  MORE PINK FLOYD INSIGHTS  MORE DAVID BOWIE INSIGHTS

Music Theory may be necessary part of the music curriculum but nothing beats playing, especially when you get the chance to do it with a guy who has done it for millions of people.  That chance came for students at a Miami area high school yesterday (10/19) when Allman Brothers Band bassist Oteil Burbridge spent an off day on the band's tour at Columbus High School in West Miami-Dade.  The day came together because ABB tour manager Kirk West and music teacher John Lynskey, a class of '78 Columbus grad, became friends through Hittin' The Note, a quarterly music magazine that covers the Allmans Lynskey puts out.  How special was it?  Senior Jaun Carlos Fleites called it "A life-changing experience."
Miamiherald.com              MORE ALLMAN BROTHERS INSIGHTS

YouTube will take the sold-out U2 concert online Sunday (10/25) from the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California.  The full concert will go live for free, according to the band web site.  Close to 100,000 tickets have been sold for the closing show on this US leg of the world tour that has played to record breaking crowds at a number of venues, thanks to somewhat lower ticket prices and the draw of the 'Claw', the enormous stage the band plays both in and on.  How well the spectacle comes across on the small screen will be interesting to see.  Viewership is sure to put unprecedented demand on YouTube, raising the question of whether their servers can serve up enough capacity to handle it.
U2.com

MORE U2 INSIGHTS

The Fillmore East, Madison Square Garden, Radio City Music Hall... The Grateful Dead has been represented on marquees throughout Manhattan for decades.  This week, the band gets honored on the biggest marquee of all, the Empire State Building.  The landmark will be illuminated in tie-dye colors to note the Wednesday (10/21) appearance of Bob Weir and Phil Lesh at a reception hosted by the New York Historical Society.  A Grateful Dead special exhibit opens in the society's building in March, 2010 (story)
Glidemagazine.com

MORE GRATEFUL DEAD INSIGHTS

Each member of the E Street Band shares the spotlight with The Boss during a Springsteen concert.  But when Bruce sings "The change was made uptown when the Big Man joined the band" during Tenth Avenue Freeze Out and Clarence Clemons starts a soaring sax solo, the crowd reaction tells you how special he is.  Big Man, the book that Clemons wrote with Don Leo, chronicles both legendary and little known stories about his years with Bruce.  Springsteen himself pens the forward to the nearly 400 page volume that gets published this week (10/21).
 
 MORE CLARENCE CLEMONS INSIGHTS

Saturday (10/17) was an off night for most of the E Street Band but not Springsteen and his wife, Patti Scialfa, who took the stage at one of Bruce's favorite old haunts, The Stone Pony in Asbury Park. The couple joined Jersey shore mainstay Southside Johnny for an appearance that included romps through Springsteen and Southside Johnny standards and plenty of surprises, like set opener 634-5789, the Wilson Pickett hit also recorded by Otis Redding, Time Is On My Side by the Stones, the Exciter's Tell Him, Further On Up The Road, and even the 1969 novelty hit Sugar Sugar, credited to the fictitious band The Archies! 
Backstreets.com

MORE BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN INSIGHTS

It is not what users of iTunes and other licensed digital distribution sites have been waiting for, but it is a signal, if a mixed one, that the Beatles catalogue could eventually be available in digital form.  The initial release of Abbey Road shows up via Harmonix, the video game arm of MTV Networks that is behind The Beatles: Rock Band.  Players of of the game can download the songs from the 1969 classic that were not included in the Sept. 9 launch on Oct. 20 (XBox) and Oct. 22 (PlayStation 3).  Sgt. Pepper follows in November, with Rubber Soul slated for a December release.
Planetxbox360.com

MORE BEATLES INSIGHTS

The New Rhythm & Blues Quartet never attracted a huge following, but the NRBQ fan base includes many of the the biggest names in Rock.  Formed in 1967, the group embraced a wide range of styles, with rockabilly, blues and country leading the way.  Though guitarist Steve Ferguson was only with the group for a few years (the name went from Quintet to Quartet with his departure), his influence remains evident with the group to this day.  Ferguson, who reunited with the NRBQ briefly in 2004 and joined it for an anniversary concert in 2004, passed away from cancer at his Louisville, Kentucky home October 7.
NYTimes.com

A high-tech infused upgrade to the theater in the Cleveland museum gets put to the test when it reopens Oct. 27 with screenings of U2 3D.  The improvements will allow the Foster Theater to offer live streaming content to and from the Rock Hall Of Fame and will also greatly improve the quality of in-house recording of events.  The state of the art 3D projection equipment paired with Dolby 7.1 surround sound pumped through a great sound system and speaker array will feed into a space designed by Jeff Cooper, an engineer and sound architect that has earned 17 Academy Award nominations for Best Achievement In Sound.
Rockhall.com

MORE ROCK HALL OF FAME INSIGHTS

You would be hard pressed to come up with another contender that still has a pulse that is more deserving an honor titled Rock Immortal than Keith Richards.  The fact the Rolling Stones guitarist is still at it after everything he has put his body, the band and its fans through over the decades defies not just the odds, but logic, gravity and several other principles.  Richards will receive the award Saturday (10/17) at the Greek Theater in LA during an SCREAM 2009, an event that will air on Spike TV Oct. 27.  A Spike TV exec. said Richards is being honored because he is "...part Rock god, part superhero and nobody has rocked as hard and lived to tell about it."
Spike TV  PR Newswire

MORE ROLLING STONES INSIGHTS

Things started 'going down' for Aerosmith well before Steven Tyler fell off the stage during Love In An Elevator at the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, according to Joe Perry (story).  The band was together on stage for the first time since then to do a corporate gig for Oracle earlier this week.  It will face a bigger test Sunday (10/18) and Tuesday (10/20) when it performs for fans in Hawaii that have had to wait a couple of years for make good dates resulting from settlement of a class action suit over cancelled Island dates (story).  Anything less than killer sets for these fans will make a bad situation worse for a band that appears to be facing a 4th and long situation with the game on the line.
Starbulletin.com

MORE AEROSMITH INSIGHTS

On the same night a guitar the former Styx member autographed is being auctioned to help raise funds for Michigan hospital's scholarship program for young people fighting cancer (story), Dennis DeYoung will be performing live at another event to help another hospital raise money to battle the Big C. DeYoung will do a live set during the Kids Fight Cancer benefit that helps fund the Oncology Activity Center at Children's Memorial Hospital in Chicago.  The event takes place Saturday (10/24) at the Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, IL.
Nwitimes.com

MORE DENNIS DeYOUNG INSIGHTS

The Second Street Music Hall in Gadsden, Alabama is the site of a two day tribute to Duane Allman 10/23&24. The Skydog Jam features Honeytribe, a band that includes Gregg Allman's son Devon, and the Bonobos, a group that Vaylor Trucks, the son of ABB drummer Butch Trucks plays in.  This marks the 33rd year that musicians have gathered to play tribute to Duane 'Skydog' Allman near the anniversary of the date he was killed when his motorcycle collided with a truck in  Macon, Georgia (10/29/71).  The tradition began in the Pensacola, Florida area, and regularly draws members of the Allmans, as well as musical veterans of ABB road crews and other great southern rockers.  Gadsdentimes.com

MORE ALLMAN BROTHERS INSIGHTS

News that Def Leppard has pulled out of its remaining tour dates came only days after the group had announced  more dates were being added to the final leg of the multi-month trek with Cheap Trick.  The cause for the sudden about face, posted on the group's web site today (10/16), was left at "unforeseen personal matters".  All that is known at this point is that all remaining dates are off (schedule here) and fans are being advised to get refunds at point of purchase.
Defleppard.com

MORE DEF LEPPARD INSIGHTS

The job makes world travelers out of most tour managers.  Sam Cutler got started long before he signed on with the Rolling Stones.  At 15, Cutler left home to travel on his own, first to India and Turkey.  Itchy feet kept him a globe trotter, giving him the opportunity to live in several countries.  His home in Spain was 400 years old powered by only a car battery. Cutler recently discovered his new favorite place on the planet - Bali.  His temporary residence is a bus near Bryon Bay.  His goal?  A simple house he can power with solar in a spot he can grow his own vegetables and write.  A quiet repose for a man who whipped audiences into a frenzy night after night, proclaiming "Ladies & gentlemen, the greatest Rock & Roll band in the world, The Rolling Stones!"
Thejakartapost.com

Out Standing In Their Field is the 12th release for the Steve Morse Band, the group fronted by one of Rock's most versatile and gifted guitarists.  Morse broke onto the scene with the Dixie Dregs while attending the University of Miami. Signed to the Allman Brothers Band's label, Capricorn Records, the Dregs made their debut with Free Fall in 1977.  Morse hooked up with Deep Purple in 1994. The all instrumental release, due Nov. 17, features 11 songs and covers a range of material representing the diverse influences that have earned Morse the admiration of Rock, Fusion, Jazz, Country and even Classical music fans.  The Steve Morse Band opens a tour in support of the new project Oct. 15 in Annapolis, MD.
Eagle Rock Entertainment

Brian May has confirmed plans to attend the unveiling of a memorial to his former Queen band mate in Feltham, the town southwest of London where Freddie Mercury once lived and attended college.  May will join Mercury's mother and sister at the ceremony to honor the singer on November 24, the anniversary of his death of AIDS in 1991.  The memorial is reportedly a star similar to ones along the Hollywood Walk Of Fame.
Hounslowchronicle.co.uk

MORE QUEEN INSIGHTS

REO Speedwagon will perform at one of the most impressive charity auction events ever pulled together - the Stars Guitars gala, Saturday, Oct. 24 at the Ford Community and Performing Arts Center in Dearborn, Michigan.  The event will feature more than 40 autographed guitars, including axes donated by Alice Cooper, Bad Company, Bob Seger, Carlos Santana, Cheap Trick, CSN, Dennis DeYoung, The Doobie Brothers, Heart, Journey, Ozzy Osbourne, Robin Trower, Steely Dan and ZZ Top.  Proceeds from the event will benefit a scholorship fund established by the Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, Michigan to encourage young patients in their battle against cancer.  Get info and check out the hardware here.
Starsguitars.org

MORE REO SPEEDWAGON INSIGHTS

The second official soundtrack album from the hit crime series on CBS will feature previously unreleased songs by Bob Dylan and John Mellencamp. The Dylan track, titled California, dates back to the Bringing It All Back Home sessions in 1965.  Collectors have had their hands on rough studio outtakes of the song for years, but November 3 marks its first official release.  That same night the song gets featured in an NCIS episode. John Mellencamp contributes the song Somedays The Rain Will Fall, also previously unreleased, to the album.  Dylan's album of holiday songs, Christmas In The Heart, released yesterday (10/13), includes an option package that contains seasonal greeting cards.
Music-mix.ew.com   Entertainment Weekly  Rollingstone.com

MORE BOB DYLAN INSIGHTS   MORE JOHN MELLENCAMP INSIGHTS
 

Rick Wakeman recently contacted the BBC Radio outlet in his part of the UK to help him raise money for the Salvation Army.  The keyboard wizard, who does not drink, smoke or overindulge in chocolate, blames the 'motorway sandwiches' he often grabs late at night on his way home, a habit he admits is the caloric equivalent of "filling your car with petrol and then putting it in the garage!"  Listeners to the BBC Norfolk can make pledges to the charity for each pound, make that stone, he sheds.  A stone = 14 pounds.  He wants to drop 2 stones before Christmas.  Wakeman recently released a CD and DVD of a live performance of The Six Wives Of Henry VIII, his 1973 debut solo album.
BBC.co.uk
 
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Who songs have been well represented in all of the stops on the current solo tour by Roger Daltrey, but fans in Seattle Monday night (10/12) got treated to  versions of a couple that are not likely to be repeated.  Eddie Vedder climbed onto the stage, grabbing an acoustic guitar, as Daltrey eased into the opening lines of Pearl Jam's Better Man.  Roger then got him to stay for a ripping version of The Real Me, the Who classic from Quadophenia that Pearl Jam has been including in some concerts on their current tour.  Vedder was back later with Daltrey and his band, also featuring Pete Townshend's brother, Simon, for Bargain, on a night that proved to be just that!
Settleweekly.com
 
 MORE ROGER DALTREY INSIGHTS    MORE EDDIE VEDDER INSIGHTS

Angila Ruskin University (ARU) will honor one of its best known alums with a Doctor Of Arts degree in Cambridge November 11.  David Gilmour actually attended Cambridgeshire College of Arts and Technology (CCAT), an institution that was later folded into ARU.  The award is being made in recognition of the one time Pink Floyd guitarist's "outstanding contribution to music as a writer, performer and innovator" - and, we note, in spite of Another Brick In The Wall's scathing dismissal of formal education.  Syd Barrett also attended CCAT.
Cambridge-news-co.uk

MORE DAVID GILMOUR INSIGHTS

Debate over who deserves to be in the Rock Hall Of Fame gets loud between the time nominees are named and the inductees are announced.  Fits and miss-fits are no exception this year. (story).  Thankfully, decisions on what  to include in a 25th Anniversary DVD are mostly solid ones. Highlights like John Fogerty, Robbie Robertson and Bruce Springsteen doing Green River, Eddie Vedder in Jim Morrison's spot with members of The Doors and some of the more outstanding jams, including ones that pre-date the televised inductions, like the 1992 session with Jimmy Page, The Edge, Carlos Santana, Keith Richards, John Fogerty, Robbie Robertson, Neil Young and Johnny Cash doing All Along The Watchtower pack the 9 DVD set out Oct 20.
Timelife.com    Macon.com
 MORE ROCK HALL OF FAME INSIGHTS

Blue Cheer was in the vanguard of 60's groups that just about every hard rock band cite as influential.  Having sat in the 3d row for an April, 1968 triple bill at the Fillmore East with Blue Cheer in the middle, I can attest that few bands could match the high decibel onslaught of a Blue Cheer set. Iron Butterfly opened - and even they did not come close.  By the time Traffic, the headliner, came on anyone in the first 20 rows was effectively deaf.   Blue Cheer wasn't just loud - it was an awesome band.  Dickie Peterson was a big part of what made them great.  The bass player and vocalist was found dead in Germany yesterday (10/12).  He had reportedly been suffering from liver cancer.
Houstonpress.com  Bluecheer.us

Authorities were so slow to notify Van Morrison his BMW had been clocked going too fast that it cost them the case.  The court agreed with Morrison's attorney, who said the fact that more than six months lapsed between the alleged violation last December 14 and the date his client was made aware of it constituted an unfair burden on his client's ability to defend himself against  the charge. The case was dismissed and the lawyer, an attorney so expert at exploiting legal missteps  that he is known as 'Mr. Loophole', indicated he will seek to have the court cover the cost of his services to Morrison.
Telegraph.co.uk

MORE VAN MORRISON INSIGHTS

Joe Perry weighed in on the state of Aerosmith during an interview with the music trade publication Billboard, attributing recent problems to one member, saying "...at this point the four band members are willing not to play for a while until the fifth member gets it together and decides to come and join us again." Without mentioning Steven Tyler by name, the guitarist left little doubt about who he was talking about.  He said things began going in the wrong direction well before the ill-fated tour of this year, and laid some of the blame on the tendency to take fans for granted, saying bands owe fans "a lot, and when you start taking them for granted it's just wrong."  Amen to that.
Billboard.com
 
MORE AEROSMITH INSIGHTS

Speculation about the state of Aerosmith has been rampant since illness and injury brought down their tour. Assurances from insiders that things are solid have gotten less traction than the few off-hand comments suggesting they are not.  The lastest thing fan-natics have latched on to are Twitter posts by the wife of guitarist Joe Perry confessing that she does not listen to Aerosmith albums.  To anyone thinking that amounts to something that confirms or widens any rift in the band: Dream On.  Probably 90% of the women partnered with members of harder rocking bands don't listen to the albums they make. And Billie is also honest enough to post that she doesn't listen to Joe Perry Project albums either. 

More Than This: The Story Of Roxy Music gives an inside look at a band that was a sum of very divergent parts.  Bryan Ferry, the son of a coal miner, was a huge fan of American R&B and Soul Music.  Brian Eno had a fascination with electronic sound sculpting.  Along the way, the band collected players from similarly different backgrounds, including John Wetton of King Crimson, sax player Andy Mackay, an oboe player with the London Symphony Orchestra, and guitarist Phil Manzanera.  Not surprisingly, the music that resulted was unique.  This DVD is culled from a BBC Special that aired in 2008.  It adds more than 30 minutes of additional footage - including 3 unreleased live songs recorded in 2006.
Eagle Rock Entertainment

Timothy B. Schmit has set up a short series of dates to showcase material from Expando, the first solo project from the Eagles bass player in nearly a decade.  The album, due Oct. 20,  includes contributions from Benmont Tench of Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Band veteran Garth Hudson, Graham Nash and guitarist Kenny Wayne Shepherd.  Schmit will do dates at clubs in LA (Largo 10/14), Nashville (The Basement 10/16), Chicago (Schubas 10/18), and New York (The Bitter End 10/21).
Timothybschmit.com

MORE TIMOTHY B SCHMIT INSIGHTS

The city council of Liverpool is considering establishing a self-guided trail that links a number of historic sites related to the four former residents most responsible for making the city known throughout the world.  The Beatles Trail, which will possibly be named The Long And Winding Road after the Let It Be song, would include stops at a record store band members frequented, a club where manager Brian Epstein first saw the group as well as other significant locations.  The hope is that the route is finalized with markers and marketing in place in time for the anniversary of the release of Let It Be next May.
Liverpooldailypost.com

MORE BEATLES INSIGHTS

News that the pre-school child that inspired John Lennon to write Lucy In The Sky for the Beatles Sgt. Pepper album had died came a few weeks ago (story).   Lucy was a classmate of Julian Lennon when he came home from a nursery school and showed his father the picture he'd drawn of his friend.  Julian will honor Lucy Vodden again, this time in song.  Lennon was recording with James Scott Cook in New York when news of Lucy's death from Lupus reached him. Ironically, they were working on a song titled Lucy.  The pair decided to make the song a tribute to Vodden and to release it as a charity single to raise money for Lupus research in her honor.
PRNewswire.com

Fans entered Giants Stadium last night to a messge on the huge video screen above the stage reading, "Tonight is the last concert at Giants Stadium. October 9, 2009. Thank you New Jersey!"
With that, the E Street Band launched its 24th and final show at the stadium built the year after Born To Run came out.  The song Wrecking Ball, a tribute to the complex in the swamps of Jersey and fans that have been with him from the days of gigs at the Stone Pony in Asbury Park, opened the night that included the Stones classic The Last Time as an audience request (see it here). Raucous last rites will be given when Bruce plays the Spectrum in Philadelphia, another site of many great shows over the decades that is due to face the wrecking ball soon.
NJ.com

MORE BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN INSIGHTS

It's no surprise that Rumours, the 1977 Fleetwood Mac album that became one of the biggest releases in recording history is still selling well.  What is surprising is how many buyers of the album more than 30 years after its debut are the same ages as the fans that bought it when it first came out.  The angst and anger driven music most younger bands spew has driven many young people seeking music that speaks to their less aggressive side back in time.  John Sklute, who runs Good Records in New York City, says young customers seeking Classic Rock albums are regulars.  So many, that Rumours is a constant presence in his top 10 sales figures.  Sklute calls the record "emblematic of a certain type of record that is selling a lot to younger kids."
Villagevoice.com

MORE FLEETWOOD MAC INSIGHTS

In addition to a new band, Chickenfoot, former Van Halen member Sammy Hagar has another restaurant to help run.  The owner of Cabo Wabo Cantina in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico and Sammy's Beach Bar & Grill in St. Louis expanded his holdings by partnering with author-chef Tyler Florence to buy El Paseo, a dining fixture in the Marin County town of Mill Valley for more than 50 years. The restaurant, which keeps its name, will be rustic but upscale, offering small portions that top out around $30 and a substantial wine list.  Hagar is also celebrating the Chickenfoot self-titled debut release getting certified as a Gold.
Marinj.com  Marin County Journal

MORE SAMMY HAGAR INSIGHTS

Few are gifted and creative enough to redefine their instrument.  Hendrix leads the pack of players that profoundly changed what could be done with an electric guitar.  Talent and innovation both played important roles in the degree to which Jimi shattered limits.  Michael Heatley examines the equipment and technical aspects of what Hendrix was able to do in Jimi Hendrix Gear: The Guitars, Amps & Effects That Revolutionized Rock n' Roll. It provides an in-depth enough analysis that players can duplicate at least some of the technical effects behind a number of the most amazing sounds to ever come through an amp. No book can adequately cover the talent side of the equation.
Voyageurpress.com

MORE JIMI HENDRIX INSIGHTS

Bruce Springsteen, Stephen Colbert and Brian Williams of NBC News will join forces to honor returning veterans wounded in action in Iraq and Afghanistan.  Stand Up For Our Heros will take place Nov. 4 at Town Hall in New York City.  Proceeds from the event will go to the Bob Woodruff Foundation.  The Foundation has raised around $6 milllion dollars over the past few years to provide assistance for wounded service men and women.  Springsteen has not always backed US military actions, but has always been on the front lines when it comes to support for our troops.
Wonderwall.msn.com

MORE BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN INSIGHTS

A West Coast musical institution gets honored by an East Coast institution when the New York Historical Society opens a big exhibit dedicated to the Grateful Dead in March, 2010,  The Grateful Dead: Now Playing.  The Dead always had a special connection with the city - the home of notoriously demanding audiences and, consequently, the scene of many of the group's most legendary concerts.  Both Bob Weir and Phil Lesh plan to attend an Oct. 21 reception at the Historical Society.  Weir will be in the city for shows with Ratdog, and Lesh is a part-time New York resident.  Most of the items in the exhibit will come from the collection archived at the University of California-Santa Cruz (story).
Relix.com

MORE GRATEFUL DEAD INSIGHTS

Richie Hayward could not be at the Canyon Club in LA Sunday night (10/4), but the Little Feat drummer was on the minds and in the hearts of all those who were.  Jackson Browne headlined a benefit to raise money to help Hayward cover treatment costs while he waits for a liver transplant (story).  A packed house was on hand for sets from Browne, former Feat vocalist Shaun Murphy, members of Chicago & Tower Of Power, blues blaster Coco Montoya, Toto veteran Steve Lukather and others.  A silent auction that included a guitar signed by Browne and a Dobro belonging to Little Feat's Paul Barrere contributed $16,000 to an evening that raised over $25,000 for the cause.

A North London studio was the scene of a reunion of one of the most acclaimed Progressive Rock bands last night (10/6).  The occasion brought seven former members of King Crimson to a showcase of material from three KC albums recently reissued in 5:1 surround sound, including the groundbreaking In The Court Of The Crimson King.  Robert Fripp, Bill Bruford, John Wetton, Pete Sinfield, Mel Collins, Michael Giles and David Cross were there to mingle and hear excerpts from In The Court..., Lizard and Red.  The event is bound to spark hope the boys talked amongst themselves about a return to a studio or stage - with instruments next time.
Classicrockmagazine.com

Bowie: A Biography arrives on the scene at a time when book's subject has been absent from it for the better part of a decade.  Rumors about Bowie continue to circulate even though he doesn't.  A bogus Twitter post triggered reports he was in Berlin working on a new album (story). More recently, it was rumored he would headline a festival next year (also discredited).  Much wilder rumors, many of them true, swirled around Bowie during his most productive years, giving Marc Spitz plenty to take on in the comprehensive bio that comes out Oct 27. Expect a good read.  Even in his self-imposed exile, Bowie continues to fascinate fans and influence mutiple generations of musicians.
Davidbowiebook.com

MORE DAVID BOWIE INSIGHTS
 

Two indie labels have apparently joined forces to take legal action based on the contention that Guns N' Roses used portions of two from songs by a German artist named Ulrich Schnauus in Riad n' The Bedouins, a song on the GNR album Chinese Democracy.  A Reuters report says the two record labels filed a $1 million claim that names Axl Rose, other GNR members, the album's producers and Universal Music labels.  If resolving the suit takes even half as long as GNR took to put the album out the legal fees will dwarf the settlement.
Pollstar.com

A collection of 45 paintings of The Who by the late artist John Davies is on display at the Idea Generation Gallery in London this week.  The exhibit comes down Oct. 9 and will be auctioned Oct. 14  by the Fame Bureau.  The paintings, many of which appear in the book A Decade Of The Who, are expected to sell in a single lot and bring upwards of $260,000.  Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend commissioned Davies to produce the series after meeting the artist at an exhibit of his work inspired by the lyrics to Tommy, the band's 1969 Rock Opera.  Davies lost his life in a car crash three years ago. Preview the Fame Bureau auction here.
Artdaily.org

MORE WHO INSIGHTS

Say No to Factory Farming and Yes to Family Farming was the message again during the annual Farm Aid concert that was staged yesterday (10/4) outside of St. Louis.  The sold out day long concert at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater in Maryland heights, MO was anchored by event mainstays Neil Young, Willie Nelson John Mellencamp and Dave Matthews.  Matthews, performing acoustic with Tim Reynolds, was joined by Nelson on Gravedigger.  Mellencamp had his son Speck on guitar during his set.  Neil Young appeared in a Stop Factory Farming T-Shirt, which he tore off to reveal a Go Family Farming Shirt before Willie Nelson joined him to sing Homegrown.
Stltoday.com  St. Louis Post Dispatch

MORE NEIL YOUNG INSIGHTS     MORE JOHN MELLENCAMP INSIGHTS

Cooper's BBQ in Raleigh, NC got a call for a take-out order Saturday night (10/3) just before closing that was worth staying late to fill.  The order for barbecue, hush puppies, fried chicken, pork rinds, ribs and cole slaw for 25 came from a U2 tour jet about to touch down before the band's concert at Carter-Finley Stadium.  The band wanted the food delivered to the jet before a scheduled 10:50 departure.  The only hitch was Cooper's doesn't take plastic.  Not a problem. $300 was collected to pay co-owner Debbie Holt and her 14 year-old daughter to deliver what the band had heard was the too good to miss out on fixins.
Newobserver.com  Raleigh News & Observer

MORE U2 INSIGHTS

A Mott The Hoople reunion might not generate the frenzy the Cream reunion did or the increasingly unlikely get together of surviving members of Led Zeppelin or Pink Floyd would - unless you measured it by the reaction of the crowd at the Hammersmith Apollo in London.  The band featuring Ian Hunter and Bad Company alum Mick Ralphs played to sold out crowds that have stayed on their feet from first note to last during sets that include the Velvet Underground & Lou Reed's Sweet Jane, The Golden Age Of Rock 'n Roll, Jumping Jack Flash, Like A Rolling Stone and, of course, All The Young Dudes.
Independent.co.uk

Congressman Dan Lipinsky, Democrat from Illinois, used some lines from the Styx song Rockin' The Paradise to mark the anniversary of the $700 billion financial bailout vote, one he cast a Nay vote on.  Lipinsky said Dennis DeYoung brought the lyrics from Paradise Theater, a #1 album Styx recorded in a studio in the district Lipinsky represents, to his attention.  The Congressman quoted several lines from the song on the House floor (9/29), starting with “Don’t need no fast buck, lame duck profits for fun, quick trick plans, take the money and run..."  Lipinsky concluded by telling collegues "It's long past time that we 'challenge the schemers who cheat all the rules'".
SWNewsherald.com  South West News-Herald

MORE STYX INSIGHTS

With the positive buzz still strong for the 2009 Glastonbury Festival organizers had every reason to expect advance sales for the 2010 event to be decent.  But the fact that nearly 180,000 tickets disappeared in less than 1 day (10/4) - half of them in the first 2 hours - when no act has been confirmed for the 2010 event is more than remarkable.  Glastonbury 2009 was packed with highlights, including a marathon set from the E Street Band (story) and a great Neil Young performance.  Around 15,000 tickets for the June 23-27 event will be held back for sale in April.
Independent.co.uk

MORE SPRINGSTEEN INSIGHTS    MORE NEIL YOUNG INSIGHTS  MORE FESTIVAL INSIGHTS

The crowd is always into Bruce - and Springsteen has been known to go into the crowd, but last night (10/3) the interaction got taken to a new level.  His jaunt down the runway into the general admission section during Hungry Heart did not end with him returning to the stage under his own power.  Instead, he left it to fans to transport him back.  Falling into the crowd, he said, "Can you get me back to the stage?"  They did, passing him over their heads, hand to hand, the thirty or so yards back to the band. See it here.  The show, which fell just 6 minutes short of 3 hours, included a complete run through Born In The U.S.A.
NJ.com

MORE BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN INSIGHTS

The Grateful Dead must be the most comprehensively chronicled band in history. Virtually every set list the group and its offshoots ever performed can be found in Deadbase.  Board and audience tapes of hundreds of shows are in circulation. Enough books have been written about the band that it's safe to say no sneeze by a band member escaped the attention of at least one archivist.  One of the best collections of Dead material is housed at the University of California - Santa Cruz.  The Grateful Dead Archive in McHenry Library at UCSC has been awarded a $615,175 grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Sciences to help move the collection online.
Omaha.com

MORE GRATEFUL DEAD INSIGHTS

Turns out YouTube is not just a great place to see stupid human tricks.  Billie Perry, the wife of Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry, tells Spinner.com that she found the vocalist Joe used on his new album Have Guitar Will Travel while surfing the site.  The German singer known just as Hagen had worked in cover bands for years.  Perry arranged to fly him to the states for an audition and was impressed enough by what he heard to sign him on for the record.  Hagen handles the vocals on four of the ten songs on the release that the Joe Perry Project puts out Tuesday (10/6).
Spinner.com

MORE JOE PERRY INSIGHTS

Friends and fans in and around the Vancouver town Little Feat drummer Richie Hayward lives in have been with him on the front lines since news of his battle against liver cancer broke (story). Fund raisers have been held in Courtenay, BC to help Hayward, who has not lived on Vancouver Island long enough to benefit from Canada's nationalized health care.  Stateside musicians and friends are doing what they can too.  Jackson Browne will do a benefit for Hayward in Hollywood tomorrow (10/4).  Others have opened their hearts and wallets to help, including George Thorogood. Info on helping out is online here.
Timescolonist.com

A San Diego company has won the right to sell a 1967 Jimi Hendrix guitar after reaching a settlement with his estate that ended a dispute over ownership and authenticity of the modified Fender Stratocaster.  Experience Hendrix LLC, the entity that manages Hendrix music and marketing rights had challenged Rock Star Guitars right to sell the instrument.  It was reported that Experience Hendrix claimed both that the guitar had been stolen in 1970 and that it had never belonged to Hendrix.  Blocked from attempting to auction the instrument in 2001, the sellers filed a suit that was later settled in their favor for $131,000.  They can now sell it. Whether anyone is ready to drop $500k for it is another matter.
Signonsandiego.com

MORE JIMI HENDRIX INSIGHTS

Def Leppard has added dates to one of the summer's longest tours.  The final leg of the extensive North America trek will include opening set by Man Raze, a Phil Collen side project with  Sex Pistol's Paul Cook on drums.  Leppard hits the stage again Oct. 22 in Reno, Nevada and will pack 23 US and Canadian dates into about the next month, wrapping things up in Beaumont, Texas Nov. 28.  (Dates here). The band recently released Deluxe Editions of Pyromania and Adrenalize, each packed with bonus material (details).
Defleppard.com
 
 MORE DEF LEPPARD INSIGHTS

Ray Manzarek gets a chance to showcase his classical music training on Thursday (10/8) when he and guitarist Robbie Krieger join the Phoenix Symphony for an evening of Doors music.  Dozens of acts, including bands as diverse as Metallica and the Moody Blues, have performed with orchestras since Procol Harum recorded with the Edmonton Symphony in 1972, but this marks the first time Doors members have taken the stage with an orchestra.  Manzarek likes the prospect, though he says how well things go is hardly a sure thing since the only meeting before the performance will come during an afternoon soundcheck the day of the concert.
Arizona Republic

MORE DOORS INSIGHTS

Tickets for the Feb. 13, 2010 concert pairing the two legendary guitarists at the O2 Arena in London (story) disappeared in short order, prompting the addition of a second show the following night.  Tickets for the Feb. 14 show go on sale tomorrow (10/2), and are expected to also be gone within hours.  The O2 seats around 23,000 for concerts.  EC and Beck have given no sign that additional dates are possible in the UK or elsewhere.
Uncut.co.uk

MORE ERIC CLAPTON INSIGHTS
MORE JEFF BECK INSIGHTS

Aeroforce One has scheduled an online chat session with Tom Hamilton for Wednesday (10/7).  All Access members of the Aeroforceone.com web site will get clearance to a page where questions can be posed to the Aerosmtih bass player starting @ 7pm Eastern.  Hamilton recently revealed that the non-invasive surgery that added him to the roster of Aerosmith members on the DL during the recent tour was related to his previously disclosed throat cancer.
He reported undergoing treatment to counter the after effects of the radiation that was used to KO the cancer.
Aeroforceone.com   Rockradio.co.uk

MORE AEROSMITH INSIGHTS

The front man has sent a message to the ACDC web site explaining the medical issue that forced the band to delay the start of the next leg of the Black Ice world tour (story).  Johnson says his vocal pipes are are good to go, but the plumbing in his abdomen is causing him "...lots of trouble, ulcers and such."  His post indicates that doctors have ruled out anything that would prevent him from resuming the tour, but advised him to take some additional down time before getting started.  The tour, which had been scheduled to start this week, will instead get back in gear October 16 in Washington, DC. 
ACDC.com

MORE ACDC INSIGHTS

Bruce Springsteen promised the E Street Band would return to the site of many great concerts before the wrecking ball had its way with the place.  They opened the first show in a five concert series at the soon to be demolished venue last night with a new song written in tribute to the stadium that opened in the swamps of Jersey the year after Born To Run broke things wide open for him and the band.  Wrecking Ball (see it here) may never make it to an album, but it got a thunderous reception from Giants/Jets and Bruce fans, as did everything else during the 3+ hour show, which included a full run through Born To Run.
NJ.com

MORE BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN INSIGHTS