Music News Net

BAD COMPANY Back for Brief Ten Show Tour

      MUSIC NEWS -  From the Feel Like Making [Music] file - After a successful one-night-only reunion concert last year, the members of ’70s supergroup BAD COMPANY have decided to give it a go, for a summer 2009 tour.  The press release says that the band’s founders; singer Paul Rodgers, guitarist Mick Ralphs and drummer Simon Kirke (bassist Boz Burrell died back in 2006), have all agreed to participate in the ten show tour that start on June 17th in Hollywood, FL and wraps up on July 4th in Atlantic City, NJ. The perennial summer tourers, The Doobie Brothers will be on the bill as well. (full itinerary is below, more dates may be added )

To coincide, or to promote it,  a dvd of their August '08 "one night reunion" in Florida will be released on August 8, 2009, called Bad Company – Hard Rock Live..  (in the meantime, order other Bad Co dvds here) “It’s great to be back with Paul and Simon,” Ralphs said in a statement. “We made great music together and had the time of our lives doing it. I’m really looking forward to getting back out there this summer.”

US Distributor, BAKER & TAYLOR, Put on Bankruptcy Watch List

      MUSIC NEWS - Charlotte, NC based video, cd and book distributor, Baker &Taylor recently was placed on the "Bottom Rung” list of companies that are considered to be the greatest risk of default or bankruptcy.  B&T, controlled by private-equity fund Castle Harlan Inc.  is one of the few remaining dvd/cd distributors in the USA, and like their competitors, has seen a steady drop in business, particularly on the retail distribution side as a result of consumers embracing new media entertainment download delivery (see Alliance post) and decline of many retailers. B&T's debt, combined with a weakening ratio of revenue to its interest payments, prompted Moody’s to lower its default rating last month to B3, with a negative outlook.  That’s just low enough to qualify for Moody’s brand new Bottom Rung report. Moody’s has recently started a new quarterly review to warn investors about companies that are at the greatest risk of default.

BILLY CORGAN Searches for A New SMASHING PUMPKINS Drummer

     MUSIC NEWS - Just a week after long-term Smashing Pumpkin drummer, Jimmy Chamberlin, left the group, remaining original member, Billy Corgan has vowed to head back "into the studio this spring" no matter what.  And, recognizing he needs a drummer, he's asked YOU to audition. So, to whoever feels that might qualify…

"Billy Corgan is currently searching for talented musicians to join him. If you have an exceptional drumming ability and a desire to be part of a massive creative and progressive musical project with a rich 20-year history, then continue reading below."

"When Jimmy originally auditioned for The Smashing Pumpkins, he was playing in a locally touring jazz band that was playing weddings and street fairs. It just goes to show that you never know where the next big talent will come from."Corgan is open to submissions from recording and touring drummers. Contenders should send a resume (including a list of bands, shows, awards and education), a photograph (preferably a headshot – no arty Facebook-style eyeball closeups) and links to audio and videos "showcasing your talents."  says Corgan on the band's website.

Send him the requested material to pumpkinsdrummer@gmail.comand make sure you're available for auditions on Friday, April 10 in LA.

METRIC Announces FANTASIES Tour !

     MUSIC NEWS -Today, NYC/LA/Canadian electro/pop/rockers,  METRIC announced their first round of tour dates (itinerary below break) to support the release of their 4th full-length studio album FANTASIES, their follow-up to 2007's must own, LIVE IT OUT.   This new trek starts June 4 in Seattle at the Showbox.  Additionally, the band announced that starting tomorrow, March 31, fans can buy the new album via iTunes before the April 14 street date!  A full preview of the new album is also at the band's website ilovemetric !

Fantasies is already attracting a lot of attention due to the first single, "Help I'm Alive".  It debuted at #1 on the radio industry e-newsletter, FMQB Top 25 Singles Chart for the US Specialty beating out the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and the Decemberists, which arrived the same week.  Beyond "Help I'm Alive", Fantasies is full of compelling pop songs, of course, with Metric's unique slant.  Grey's Anatomy (buy Grey's Anatomy dvds here) recently featured the song "Front Row" on an episode earlier this month, and the song "Sick Muse" was heard on KCRW's highly influential "Morning Becomes Eclectic."

The next single, "Gimme Sympathy" will have a ground breaking video with director Frank Borin.  The entire 3:48 video was shot in one long take and can be viewed below on MNN.  Fantasies was produced by Gavin Brown and Jimmy Shaw and mixed by Grammy nominated, long time friend and collaborator John O'Mahony (Coldplay, The Strokes).

SIMPLE MINDS, THE SCRIPT, JUDY COLLINS & Others Added to Isle of Wight Fest

     MUSIC NEWS - Just Announced !    Simple Minds, The Pigeon Detectives, The Script, Goldie Lookin Chain, Judy Collins and Arno Carstens join the tremedous main stage line up for Sunday, June 14th at the Isle of Wight Festival 2009. This year's line up is sure to kick off the summer festival season in sensational style - also featuring Neil Young, Stereophonics, Razorlight, The Prodigy and Basement Jaxx , among others.

The Isle of Wight Festival will take place June 12th - 14th at Seaclose Park, Newport, Isle of Wight.  Tickets are on sale now, for tickets and more information check out - www.isleofwightfestival.com.

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U2's THE EDGE Has Opposition For His Malibu Houses

     MUSIC NEWS  - Some Malibu, CA neighbors of U2 guitarist, the Edge (David Howell Evans), in the Coral and Latigo canyon areas of the Malibu hills are claiming his real estate developement deal in the community threatens the environment.   Jefferson Wagner, who starts as mayor in the town beginning in September, has said he will oppose the Edge's plans to build a house called "Leaves in the Wind" and fund his home construction by building four other mansions in the Malibu area, The Sunday Times of London recently reported.  "This is not what Malibu is about. These kind of places are ego run riot," said Wagner.  

Local building project manager, Jim Smith said the rocker's plan to build his "dream home" that would overlook the area's coastline will "deface the mountainside."  "The Edge was very friendly;  said he wanted to be a good neighbor. His kids love it up here. But the plans for these houses, which could sell for $40 million each, will deface the mountainside," Smith said, talking about his discussions with The Edge.  A June  environmental commission meeting is scheduled in order for The Edge to try to get the necessary approvals needed to build on the site he purchased for $9.2 million.  This will give The Edge time to prepare, before his start on U2's 360 World Tour promoting their No Line on the Horizon  cd. 

New BOB DYLAN Tune MP3 Download !

     MUSIC NEWS - Bob Dylan has offered up a free MP3 of Beyond Here Lies Nothin', from his forthcoming Jack Frost produced album, Together Through Life.(out via Columbia Records  [of course] ) on April 28th (order your copy here).   Give Beyond... a listen thru March 31 at BobDylan.com.

Film Composer, MAURICE JARRE, Dead at 84

     MUSIC NEWS -  French music composer Maurice Jarre,  known to millions for his music in classic Hollywood movies,  died on Sunday at his home in Los Angeles at the age of 84.   Mr Jarre, who was ill with cancer, became famous relatively late in his life.   His big break was in 1962 when he wrote the score for Lawrence of Arabia, and was awarded an Oscar. He was presented two add'l Oscars for Doctor Zhivago and A Passage to India, and composed music for more than 150 films.  Besides theatrical films, he wrote music for theatre, ballet and television, including the 1970s mini-series Jesus of Nazareth.  Jarre, moved to the USA in the 1960s, and was married four times.  He's the father of Jean-Michel Jarre, a well regarded pioneer of electronic music, Hollywood screenwriter Kevin Jarre, and Stephanie Jarre.  One of Mr Jarre's final public appearances was at the recent Berlin International Film Festival in February, where he was presented a lifetime achievement award. 

"Film composers often are in the shadows of great directors and acting stars."  "It's different with Maurice Jarre - the music of Doctor Zhivago, like much of his work, is world-famous and remains unforgettable in cinema history." said festival director,   Dieter Kosslick

ALL POINTS WEST Festival Back for 2009 !

     MUSIC NEWS - NJ's ALL POINTS WEST festival, held last year at Liberty State Park in Jersey City, NJ (right accross the Hudson River from Manhattan) will be back this summer for a second year, on July 31 thru August 2 !  The  big announcement came out as announced today, Monday, March 29, 2009 and revealed the 09 lineup (see below) !!!  Featured/headliners this year include-  Beastie Boys, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Vampire Weekend (Fri); Tool, My Bloody Valentine, Gogol Bordello (Sat) and Coldplay, Echo & The Bunnymen, MGMT on Sunday.   All Points West had some problems at their inaugural event last year (ferry transport, food/beverage among others), and the organizers at Goldenvoice / AEG have promised improvements for 2009 !  

Tickets will be on sale this Friday, April 3rd (12:00 pm EDT) thru Ticketmaster. Single day tix ($89 each, three days are $199 and up), as well as layaways will be offered.  This year, a portion of the event’s proceeds will benefit “Friends of Liberty State Park”.  Learn more at Liberty State Park .   We'll have more APW festival info as announced, for now, here's the line up-

ALL POINTS WEST 2009 Festival Line Up -

Friday, July 31: Beastie Boys, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Vampire Weekend, The National, Fleet Foxes, MSTRKRFT, Q-Tip, The Pharcyde, Organized Konfusion, The Knux, Ra Ra Riot, Seasick Steve, Telepathe, Shearwater, Heartless Bastards, Flying Lotus, College Humor Live, Arj Barker, Eugene Mirman and Bo Burnham.

Saturday, August 1: Tool, My Bloody Valentine, Gogol Bordello, Arctic Monkeys, Neko Case, The Ting Tings, Yelle, Crystal Castles, St. Vincent, Tokyo Police Club, The Cool Kids, Kool Keith, Cage the Elephant, Chairlift, White Rabbits, Electric Touch, The Postelles, Black Gold, College Humor Live, Tim & Eric, Judah Friedlander and Jim Jeffries.

Sunday, August 2: Coldplay, Echo & The Bunnymen, MGMT, The Black Keys, Elbow, Silversun Pickups, Mogwai, We Are Scientists, Ghostland Observatory, The Gaslight Anthem, Etienne De Crecy, Lykke Li, Akron/Family, Steel Train, Kitty, Daisy & Lewis, College Humor Live, Janeane Garofalo, Michael Showalter and Todd Barry.

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BLOC PARTY Forced to Cancel Ultra Fest Appearance

     MUSIC NEWS - Due to lead vocalist/guitarist, Kele's case of viral pharyngitis  BLOC PARTY has been forced to cancel their Ultra Music Festival appearance for today in Miami, FL. The post on their website sends heartfelt apologies to fans and the Ultra Music Festival organizers, with hopes of returning to Miami, FL, at their earliest opportunity.

On the good news side, they've recently announced a May 11release of ‘Intimacy Remixed’ on limited edition CD or triple 12”, and available digitally. You can buy the original October 2008 released version, here.  The new album will include remixes by Gold Panda, Mogwai and Filthy Dukes and will lead off with a remix of ‘Signs’ by Armand Van Helden, which will be released on the April 27, 2009.  See Tracklist below-

UPDATE 3/30/09 - With regrets, the band has had to cancel their shows in Minneapolis, MN (3/30 at First Ave), and St. Louis, MO (3/31 at the Pageant) as well !

THE DEER TRACKS, Live on Brit's Manchester TV

     MUSIC NEWS - Swedish melodic electro pop artist,  The Deer Tracks is David Lehnberg & Elin Lindfors, both from the Swedish town of Gävle. Even with their earlier success with respective projects (Leiah, Ariel Kill Him & Twiggy Frostbite), they were led to this electromagnetic mist of melodies.  At the end of 2006 and into 2077, they met to embark on the beautiful lectro landscapes of The Deer Tracks.  Their recent release, AURORA is just now available in the UK (on Despotz Records), waiting on word of a USA release.  In the meantime... check them out via the link to see their recent appearance on Britain's Manchester TV (Channel M).  A very interesting 30 minute segment, enjoy !

And, Visit their MySpace page!

Merge Records is 20 Yrs Old ! Celebrate with Their SCORE ! Covers CD

     MUSIC NEWS-

We're getting close, so it's a good time to remind you.  SCORE! 20 Years of Merge Records: THE COVERS! will be in stores/on line on April 7. The collection is the first of only two commercially available pieces from the box set. Limited to 7,500 copies.  All proceeds benefit charities picked by the SCORE! curators. Order your copy here !

SCORE! 20 Years of Merge Records: THE COVERS! Tracklist:

01 Quasi: "Beautiful Things" (3Ds cover)
02 Les Savy Fav: "Precision Auto" (Superchunk cover)
03 The Shins: "Plenty Is Never Enough" (Tenement Halls cover)
04 St. Vincent and the National: "Sleep All Summer" (Crooked Fingers cover)
05 Broken Social Scene: "Complications" (The Clean cover)
06 Ryan Adams: "Like a Fool" (Superchunk cover)
07 Bright Eyes: "Papa Was a Rodeo" (The Magnetic Fields cover)
08 Lavender Diamond: "New Ways of Living" (Destroyer cover)
09 The Apples in stereo: "King of Carrot Flowers Pt. 3" (Neutral Milk Hotel cover)
10 Laura Cantrell: "Cowboy on the Moon" (Lambchop cover)
11 Bill Callahan: "Santa Maria" (Versus cover)
12 Barbara Manning: "Through With People" (Portastatic cover)
13 The Mountain Goats: "Drug Life" (East River Pipe cover)
14 The New Pornographers: "Don't Destroy This Night" (The Rock*A*Teens cover)
15 Tracey Thorn and Jens Lekman: "Yeah! Oh, Yeah!" (The Magnetic Fields cover)
16 The Hive Dwellers: "My Noise" (Superchunk cover)
17 Ted Leo & the Pharmacists: "The Numbered Head" (Robert Pollard cover)
18 Okkervil River: "All You Little Suckers" (East River Pipe cover)
19 Death Cab for Cutie: "Kicked In" (Superchunk cover)
20 Times New Viking: "Neighborhood #1" (Arcade Fire cover)

Island Records 50th Anniv "COACHELLA Fest" Ticket Contest

       MUSIC NEWS- As you know, Island Records is proudly celebrating their 50th anniversary this year. In the UK, the celebration includes a series of special concert events with Island Recording artists May 26-31 with Amy Winehouse, The Fratellis, Yusuf (former Cat Stevens), Paul Weller and others.  In the USA, Island 50 is sponsoring a cool contest with One lucky Grand Prize winner winning a pair of passes to see all 3 amazing days of the 2009 Coachella Festival(April 17-19, Indio CA) including headlining mega-star artists such as The Killers , Paul McCartney and The Cure.

The Grand Prize winner as well as one runner up will keep the tunes going long after the Coachella fest is over and receive the entire The Killers’ catalog, as well as the complete album catalogs of main-stage rockers Ida Maria and Airborne Toxic Event. Check out contest details and enter here by April 14, 2009. 

 

SPANDAU BALLET Makes Their Reunion Official

     MUSIC NEWS - Last month their manager, Steve Dagger, tipped the press, and this week, the British band Spandau Ballet made it official - they announced that they are reuniting.  The group responsible for the hit ballad "True" (and others) revealed this week that they would warm up the guitars, keyboards and drum kits to launch a comeback.  Band members, Tony Hadley, Gary Kemp, Martin Kemp, Steve Norman and John Keeble are putting past differences aside.  And, the band said they haven't ruled out the possibility of recording new music.  Spandau Ballet broke up in 1989, later fought over royalties in a 1999 court battle.   Singer Tony Hadley noted at the press conference that "time is the great healer...."  "As you can see, we're back together again and we're very happy boys," lead singer Hadley told the press.  "We're embarking on a British tour in October and then on to the rest of the world and we're all very excited. We've had a rehearsal which sounded a million dollars." 

The band, which  has sold 25 million records, made the announcement on board the HMS Belfast, a British naval ship now a museum on the River Thames in London.   The Belfast was were the band held a gig back in 1980, when hundreds of fans tried to climb aboard.

Hadley said the eight-date tour would kick off in Dublin on October 13 and end in Manchester on October 28. Expect more dates to be announced !

Friday MusicNewsNet Bits, 3/27/09

FRIDAY MUSIC BITS -

    *  Eric Clapton joined the Allman Brothers Band on stage at one of their recent Beacon Theatre, NYC 40th anniv gigs!  Read the report from Relix.

    *  The band, 16 Frames celebrates the release of their new, WHERE IT ENDS, album with an iPod Nano contest, enter here. 

    *  Matt Cameron, Pearl Jam drummer, has signed on to a Game With Fame session on Xbox LIVE, Tonite, 7P EDT.  Up for a challenge?  Check out; Rock Band 2 .

    * Candy loves rock n roll- The day after BUTTERFINGERS announced their sponsorship of the Bonnaroo Comedy Tent, WONKA announced that they signed to be the presenting sponsor of The Bamboozle festival and tour.

    *  A must watch; 100 Greatest One Hit Wonders of the '80s," on VH1 beginning with the first two hours on Tuesday, March 31 - Friday, April 3 at 10PM* each night.