Music News Net

Tim Curry Suffered a Stroke in His L.A. Home

MUSIC NEWS- Actor Tim Curry, best known for his work in Rocky Horror Picture Show continues to  recover after suffering a major stroke last July. He's been on the mend at his home in the Hollywood Hills in Los Angeles, CA.  The British performer, 67, is said to be 'doing great' following the collapse last year.  Curry rose to fame as Dr. Frank-N-Furter in the cult musical and went on to a successful stage and film career. 

Few details were available about the stroke when it occured, and sources close to the actor refused to comment on the suggestion that the stroke has made it difficult for Mr Curry to speak.

RAY MANZAREK, Founding Member of The Doors Dead at 74

MUSIC NEWS - Ray Manzarek, a founding member and keyboardist of the legendary 1960s rock group The Doors, died on Monday at the RoMed Clinic in Rosenheim, Germany, surrounded by his family at age 74, said the group's manager Tom Vitorino.  Manzarek died following a battle with bile duct cancer, the band said in a statement.

Singer Jim Morrison and Mr Manzarek formed The Doors in 1965 after the two met at UCLA film school and later a chance meeting at Los Angeles' Venice Beach.  Manzarek's keyboard work would go on to be a touchstone of hits like "Break On Through to the Other Side" and "Light My Fire."   "I was deeply saddened to hear about the passing of my friend and bandmate  Ray Manzarek today," The Doors guitarist Robby Krieger said in a statement. "I'm just glad to have been able to have played Doors songs with him for the last decade. Ray was a huge part of my life and I will always miss him."

Paul McCartney Opens North American Tour Run

MUSIC NEWS - The legendary Paul McCartney kicked off the North American leg of his "Out There" tour in Orlando, FL with a huge production.  The tour, which requires 31 trucks' worth of staging, production equipment and gear includes lasers, pyrotechnics, and state of the art video displays, according to the website of the former Beatle.

Earlier this month, Sir Paul performed the show to a sold-out crowd of 55,000 people in Brazil earlier this month and pleased the crowd with "Band on the Run", "Hey Jude", "Yesterday" and "Let It Be" among other tunes.

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN Endorses "The Office" Finale Use of His Tune!

MUSIC NEWS- As NBC’s popular comedy series The Office came to an end on Thursday night after nine seasons with a one-hour special that focused onthe wedding of characters Dwight and Angela.  During the reception, the party-goers were shown dancing to a mix of popular tunes that included Bruce Springsteen‘s “Rosalita.”  Apparently the Boss was paying attention because he  Tweeted, “Rosalita! Good choice for Dwight & Angela’s wedding reception.”

Angela Kinsey, the actress who plays Angela, was obviously excited that Springteen had taken notice, and tweeting in response, “Holy crap! Thx for watching!”  Other songs played during the wedding reception scenes included Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers‘ “Here Comes My Girl,” The Cars‘ “You Might Think,” Motley Crue‘s “Angela” and Hall & Oates‘ “Sara Smile.”  If you missed The Office‘s finale, you can still view it online at NBC.com.

Tour Announced for John Mellencamp & T Bone Burnett's GHOST BROTHERS of DARKLAND COUNTY

MUSIC NEWS - The southern gothic, supernatural musical Ghost Brothers of Darkland County, written by Stephen King, with music by John Mellencamp and T Bone Burnett, has confirmed a tour of 20 American cities this fall throughout the Midwest and Southeast beginning October 10 in Bloomington, IN, and ending November 6 in Grand Rapids, MI. Tickets go on sale Friday, May 17 at 10am at aeglive.com.

This collaboration, 13 years in the making, is a haunting tale of fraternal love, lust, jealousy and revenge, which will be performed by an ensemble cast of 15 actors and a four-piece live band. The album of the musical will be released on June 4 via Hear Music and the Concord Music
Group. Complete tour itinerary is listed below.

JAMES TAYLOR, BOSTON, J GEILS BAND, AEROSMITH and Others to Perform at Boston Marathon Bombing Concert

MUSIC NEWS - Locals James Taylor, Aerosmith and Boston lead a lineup of prominent Boston area musicians and other acts that are teaming up for a May 30 benefit concert for the victims of the Boston Marathon terrorist bombings.

The benefit concert, "Boston Strong: An Evening Of Support And Celebration," will take place on May 30th at the TD Garden in Boston, MA.  The lineup will also feature Jason Aldean, Jimmy Buffett, Dane Cook, Extreme, Godsmack, The J. Geils Band, Carole King, New Kids on the Block.  James Taylor said that the event "is destined to be a true Boston landmark. From the promoters to the sound & lights, to the performers and the Garden staff; everyone involved has responded from the heart in a spontaneous and simultaneous desire to be there and to do what we can for the city we love. I am honored to be a part of it, and...I can't wait".

 

FURTHER Cancels BottleRock Fest Appearance

MUSIC NEWS- Rockers, Furthur have canceled their appearance at the BottleRock Napa Valley music festival after guitarist Bob Weir fell onstage at a NY area concert last week. Weir said on his website Tuesday that the Grateful Dead offshoot band is "unable to perform for the next several weeks ... due to unforeseen circumstances."

Weir was quickly helped off the floor after collapsing onstage at a concert last week at the Capitol Theater in Port Chester, NY.  Further were scheduled to play May 9 at the Napa, CA event. The statement went on that the 65-year-old Weir plans to return to the road in late June for solo shows. Weir formed Furthur with fellow Grateful Dead member Phil Lesh. Furthur's summer 2013 tour kicks off July 11 in Brooklyn, NY.

THE MONKEES Announce 2013 USA Summer Tour

MUSIC NEWS - The surviving members of the pop music faves,  The Monkees have announced a concert tour for this summer.  The 24 show run will have the group cover a wide range of cities, from a first stop in Port Chester, New York, on July 15, to their last gig in Portland, OR, on August 18.

Michael Nesmith, Micky Dolenz and Peter Tork, who lost their bandmate Davy Jones back in February 2012, played a reunion tour at the end of that year and the response was "euphoric," Dolenz told Rolling Stone magazine. "It was pretty apparent there was a demand for another one."

Glen Campbell's New SEE YOU THERE Album to Release August 6

MUSIC NEWS- Announced today, Glen Campbell will release a new album, See You There, on August 6.  Campbell, who celebrates his 77^th birthday today, offers new takes on his career-defining hits, including "Gentle On My Mind," "By The Time I Get To Phoenix," "Hey Little One," "Wichita Lineman," "Galveston," "True Grit" and "Rhinestone Cowboy."

The new collection, which will be released by Surfdog Records, was produced by Dave Darling (Brian Setzer) and Surfdog founder Dave Kaplan. It also includes "There's No Me...Without You," which Campbell wrote with Julian Raymond for 2011's acclaimed Ghost On The Canvas, "What I Wouldn't Give" and "I Wish You Were Here," which were bonus tracks from Ghost On The Canvas, and the previously unreleased "Waiting on the Comin' of my Lord," a track that was recorded during the Ghost On The Canvas sessions but never completed until now. 

Robert Plant Announces "Sensational Space Shifters" Tour Dates

MUSIC NEWS- Robert Plant Presents the Sensational Space Shifters has announced its first North American tour dates. This dynamic and powerful new incarnation of Plant's musical vision has been touring the world, most recently in Australia and New Zealand.  The Brisbane Times reports "What's going on is further proof that Plant is far more imaginative, playful and adventurous than any cliche, a man who's absorbed all the music he's loved and played and sought out the musicians to explore that," while Adelaide Now hailed, "The Sensational Space Shifters are everything their name suggests."

The USA dates begin on June 20 at the Dallas, TX, Palladium and end July 27 in Brooklyn, NY's Prospect Park. The band will be playing five festival dates, including Britt in Jacksonville, OR, High Sierra in Quincy, CA, Jambase in George, WA, Portland Blues in Portland, OR, and Forecastle in Louisville, KY.

PAUL McCARTNEY Keeps Adding USA Tour Dates

MUSIC NEWS - Paul McCartney keeps adding USA concert dates to his 2013 tour schedule as the run now includes several more shows with new gigs in Milwaukee and Indianapolis and second nights in Austin, Orlando and Tulsa. The additional nights in Texas, Florida and Oklahoma were added “due to massive popular demand.”   According to the music legend's website, the first show in Orlando since 1993 sold out “immediately” and his first ever show in Austin sold out “instantly.”

The onsale for Sir Paul’s first 2013 gig at Tulsa’s BOK Center “is officially the fastest sell-out in the arena’s history.” He last took the stage at the venue in 2009.

Levon Helm Doc, "Ain't In It for My Health" Set to Release on April 19

MUSIC NEWS - Kino Lorber announced recently their acquisition of North American distribution rights to the music documentary AIN’T IN IT FOR MY HEALTH: A FILM ABOUT LEVON HELM, an in-depth and intimate look at music legend Levon Helm, who died of cancer in April 2012.  On April 19th, the first anniversary Levon Helm’s death,  the documentary “Ain’t in It for My Health: A Film About Levon Helm”  will make its USA theatrical debut in NYC.

Levon Helm was in the middle of an intensively creative period in the years just before his death. In addition to establishing the Midnight Ramble concert series as a must-see music experience, Helm’s Dirt Farmer (Vanguard/Dirt Farmer Music) earned the Grammy Award for Best Traditional Folk Album in February of 2008, and in November of that same year, Rolling Stone magazine ranked him among The 100 Greatest Singers of All Time. In 2010, his follow up album Electric Dirt, also won a Grammy Award in the inaugural category of ‘Best Americana Album.’ In 2011, his live album Ramble at the Ryman was nominated for the Grammy in the same category – and won.

Legendary Music Producer, Phil Ramone, Dead at 72

MUSIC NEWS - Phil Ramone, noted music producer whose music mixing mastery for Frank Sinatra, Barbra Streisand, Bob Dylan, Ray Charles, Paul Simon and Billy Joel and many others, who helped fashion some of the most lucious and top-selling albums of his era, has died in NYC at age 72.

A 14-time Grammy winner and thirty three time nominee who picked up the nickname,  “The Pope of Pop” was hospitalized in NYC on March 1 with an aortic aneurysm died March 30 at New York Presbyterian Hospital, according to his son, Matt.

A South African native who at 10 years old performed as a violinist for Queen Elizabeth II, Ramone worked years as a songwriter, music engineer and acoustics expert in New York City.  Among the albums he directed were Barbra Streisand’s 1967 live A Happening in Central Park; Sir Paul & Linda McCartney’s Ram (1971),  Bob Dylan’s  1975 Blood on the Tracks; Paul Simon’s pop classic Still Crazy After All These Years (1975); Billy Joel’s commercial breakthrough The Stranger (1977); Frank Sinatra’s Duets (1993), and Ray Charles’ final album, the best-selling 2004's  Genius Loves Company.  Recently active, he had completed Glee's Matthew Morrison's upcoming Where It All Began album.

Texas Psych Rock's MOVING SIDEWALKS Re-unite for Special Gigs

MUSIC NEWS - The upcoming "regathering" of the Moving Sidewalks for the iconic Texas band's first live performances in 44 years has inspired the brilliant automotive minds at SO-CAL Speed Shop to reach into the past as they project into the future. Under the guidance of SO-CAL's Peter Chapouris and with input from band's Billy F Gibbons, SO CAL designers have envisioned "the fastest band van in the world." 

Modeled on the original Ford Econoline van (w/ Texas plate "FUNKY") that the band used for club and concert appearances in the late 1960s on bills shared with Jimi Hendrix, the Doors, Beau Brummels, Electric Prunes, Mitch Ryder & The Detroit Wheels, Music Machine, the Jeff Beck Group (with Rod Stewart), Steppenwolf, John Mayall, Ten Years After and Stevie Wonder, the new creation, according to Chapouris is a "sleeper version of a 'Pro Touring' style vehicle that could be used as a gig van."  He went on to describe the new version as "pretty much a stock beater on the outside but wicked on the underside."  He's suggesting it be equipped with a full road race suspension and supercharged 600+ horsepower Ford Coyote 5.0 motor.  Chapouris continued, "When it pulls up to venues it will be, quite literally, 'Moving Sidewalks.'"

Band photo: Sandrine Lee

LOU REED Cancels California Shows, Including Coachella Gigs

MUSIC NEWS- Lou Reed has  announce he's pulled out of several upcoming California concert dates, including two at Coachella. According to Reed's site, he's out of the Indio festival as well as three additional performances surrounding the two-weekend April event.  Now off are his Orpheum Theatre show in Los Angeles, the Warfield gig in San Francisco and the Golden State Theatre performance in Monterey.

"This show has been cancelled due to unavoidable complications," the Orpheum event's web page notes. Refunds for the latter two shows are "available at point of purchase," per show promoter Goldenvoice.  Currently, Mr Reed has no other concert dates listed.