Tuesday Roundup

Because we can (and because there's news worth noting):

• David Gilmour Live In Gdańsk is a double live album plus concert DVD to be released on September 16th on Columbia Records. The first solo live album from the Pink Floyd guitarist/vocalist captures the final performance of his critically acclaimed 2006 On An Island tour, held in front of 50,000 in the Gdansk shipyards. The double live album, produced by Gilmour and Phil Manzanera, features Gilmour's six-piece touring band accompanied for the one performance only by the 40-strong string section of the Polish Baltic Philharmonic, conducted by Zbigniew Preisner, orchestral arranger on the On An Island album. It is the first ever live recording with an orchestra of Pink Floyd’s "High Hopes" and "A Great Day For Freedom," the latter performed here as a one-off for this special Solidarity anniversary. The DVD features 113 minutes of concert footage plus a 36-minute documentary which includes Gilmour’s private meeting with former President Lech Walesa, chats with the band and crew, concert rehearsals and other extras.
  
  
• The Subways -- whose dynamic debut Young For Eternity was reviewed on the Vault two years ago -- are back with a new album. Their second disc for Sire Records is called All Of Nothing -- a fair representation of the trio's all-out approach -- and is scheduled for release on September 9. The 12-song album was recorded in Los Angeles with producer Butch Vig (Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins, Sonic Youth) and promises a fresh blast of youthful energy.
  
  
• R&b icons Labelle -- Patti Labelle, Nona Hendryx, and Sarah Dash -- will perform at the Essence Music Festival in New Orleans on Saturday, July 5th at the Louisiana Superdome, leading up to the release of their first full-length studio album in more than 33 years on September 23. The Essence Music Festival show will be the first public concert by Labelle since January 1977 and will showcase a short set including the immortal "Lady Marmalade." The upcoming album will include tracks produced by Lenny Kravitz and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame production team Gamble & Huff. Kitchy-kitchy-kitchy-ya-ya!

Thursday Roundup

Thursday roundup? Why not! Certainly no shortage of items...

• May 20 will see the release of Live From Chicago, the first-ever DVD from multi-Platinum selling recording artist the Steve Miller Band. The three-disc set will be comprised of two DVDs and a 12-song CD. The DVD, shot at Chicago’s Ravinia Festival in July 2007, captures the SMB’s sold-out, two-night stand with 5.1 Surround Sound and 17 high-def cameras. Disc one of Live From Chicago features performances of 20 classic hits, including “Fly Like An Eagle,” “Living in the USA,” “Jet Airliner,” “Abracadabra,” “Rockin’ Me,” “The Joker,” “Take the Money and Run,” “Swingtown” and “Jungle Love.” The second disc contains a revealing documentary of the band’s traditionally reclusive namesake.
  
  
• Virgin Group Founder and Chairman Sir Richard Branson recently announced the headline acts for the third Virgin Mobile Festival, the largest music and arts festival on the East Coast, being held August 9-10 at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. The festival headliners are Foo Fighters, Jack Johnson, Kanye West, Nine Inch Nails and Stone Temple Pilots. Niiiice.
  
  
• On April 7, Columbia Records announced that Bob Dylan was awarded an honorary Pulitzer Prize. Dylan -- the first rock and roll artist ever to be honored by the Pulitzer Committee -- was recognized for his "profound impact on popular music and American culture, marked by lyrical compositions of extraordinary poetic power." In other Bob Dylan news, Todd Haynes' unconventional Dylan biopic I'm Not There will be released on DVD on May 6th. The soundtrack was released on Columbia Records; the two-disc, 34 song collection includes newly-recorded cover versions of Bob Dylan songs from the film by artists including Eddie Vedder, Sonic Youth, Stephen Malkmus, Cat Power, Sufjan Stevens, John Doe, Karen O, Jeff Tweedy, Willie Nelson, Antony, Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova and more.
  
  
• The festival the New York Times is calling "a breakout hit" -- the first annual Mile High Music Festival on July 19-20 -- rolled out a lineup that reads like a who's who of modern rock. Try John Mayer, The Black Crowes, Mike Gordon (of Phish), O.A.R., Michael Franti & Spearhead, Rodrigo y Gabriela, Steve Winwood, Spoon, Jason Mraz, Flogging Molly, Colbie Caillat, OneRepublic, The Roots, Lupe Fiasco, Hill Country Review, Stephen Kellogg and The Sixers, Ferras, The Whigs, and Eric Hutchinson. Plus local favorites Flobots, Rose Hill Drive, Meese, Born In The Flood, Railbenders and The Photo Atlas. Oh yeah, and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers will headline on Saturday, July 19th, with Dave Matthews Band topping the bill on Sunday, July 20th. You're best advised to be in the vicinity of the Outer Fields at Dick's Sporting Goods Park at the appointed time....
  

Saturday roundup redux

Drop everything because here comes another Saturday roundup...

• New benefit CD Cinnamon Girl -- Women Artists Cover Neil Young For Charity officially drops Tuesday, February 12th worldwide and on iTunes. The double-CD from American Laundromat Records focuses on Neil's early work (1969-1979) and features 21 new cover versions of his most popular songs by Tanya Donelly, Britta Phillips, Lori McKenna, Jill Sobule with John Doe, Josie Cotton, Kristin Hersh, The Watson Twins, Darcie Miner, Elk City and many more. All proceeds from the project are donated to Casting For Recovery, a national non-profit support and educational program for women who have or have had breast cancer.

• Haale (as in halle-lujah, or jale-peno ), is a downtown New Yorker of Iranian descent. Her full-length debut No Ceiling melds the Persian influence of her bloodline — including the work of the mystical poet Rumi and the Sufi trance tradition -- with her fondness for Hendrix, Dylan, Radiohead, and psychedelia. No Ceiling sounds as different and intriguing as they come today, and will be released March 18, 2008 on Channel A Music.

• The Mimi Fishman Foundation has launched another on-line charity auction. The latest auction, which concludes February 21, 2008, includes rare and signed memorabilia donated by Phish, Oysterhead, moe., Michael Kang (The String Cheese Incident), and artist Scramble Campbell. Items include: signed Oysterhead poster (Trey Anastasio, Stewart Copeland of the Police, and Les Claypool); signed Trey Anastasio Band poster; hand written lyrics from Michael Kang of the The String Cheese Incident; signed poster and more from moe.; signed Page McConnell (Phish) poster; rare Phish shirts (Coventry, 20th Anniversary show). To view and/or bid on the auction, as well as read about the charities the auction supports, visit the Mimi Fishman Foundation Auction Page.
  

Saturday roundup?

Hey, why not... it's not the day, it's the content. And we've got a full load for you today, all on the theme of innovation -- or was it inspiration? You decide.

• This Mardi Gras (February 5), Bonerama and OK Go will release You’re Not Alone, a five-song digital EP. Bonerama and OK Go spent the second anniversary of Hurricane Katrina recording at Piety Street Studios deep in the city’s Upper 9th Ward. One hundred percent of the proceeds from the EP – available exclusively at iTunes – will benefit members of New Orleans’ music community who are still struggling to rebuild their homes and their lives in the aftermath of the flood. Note also, on Monday, February 11, Bonerama and OK Go lead singer Damien Kulash will perform “A Million Ways” on CBS’ Late Show with David Letterman.
  
  

• "Blood On The Tracks is a murder-mystery set against the world of rock n' roll. But not just any rock star is knocking on heaven's door. The murdered rock legend is none other than Bob Dorian. Suspects? Tons of them. The only problem is they're all characters in Bob's songs." So goes the jacket copy for producer/writer Tom Grasty's cleverly conceived murder mystery cenetered on the death of an ever-so-slightly fictionalized rock icon -- a figure of, shall we say, Dylanesque proportions. Good luck, Tom!
  

• Guru, one half of the critically acclaimed hip-hop duo, Gang Starr, began releasing his own collaborative solo albums in 1993 under the creative collective name of Jazzmatazz. The ongoing series showcases Guru’s collaborations with top hip-hop, R&B, and jazz artists, merging hip-hop with jazz in a style that has, in turn, influenced both genres. On February 12, Virgin/EMI will release The Best Of Guru’s Jazzmatazz, an 18-track CD and digital collection presenting together, for the first time, the best cuts from the groundbreaking series, including the hits “Lift Your Fist” with The Roots, “Trust Me” with N’Dea Davenport, “Watch What You Say” with Chaka Khan and Branford Marsalis, and “Keep Your Worries” with Angie Stone. The collection also features collaborations with Donald Byrd, Kelis, Ramsey Lewis, Erykah Badu, Lonnie Liston Smith, Jamiroquai and others, plus three rare bonus tracks.

Gimme more

Time for the Thursday roundup, this week appearing on... Thursday.

• Ringo Starr, fresh from his dust-up with Regis and Kelly (couldn't have happened to a more egregious pair of talk-show shills), plays a show with co-producer Dave Stewart and a seven-piece band at LA's House of Blues this Friday, January 25. Amoeba Music in Hollywood and KLOS 95.5 are giving away passes all week -- no guarantee you'll get in day-of-show, but if you're still anxious to catch the gig, it will also be streamed online at Ringo's site at 1:00 pm Pacific on Friday.
• In another Hollywood/Billboard crossover, lead singer Candice Night of Blackmore’s Night will appear in the supernatural thriller House Of Eternity, a film set for release in the fourth quarter of 2008 from Fires At Midnight Films. Queensryche vocalist Geoff Tate will also appear in the film.
• Roxy Music, one of the music world's premier visual as well as musical artists, is set to release a two-DVD set of the band's best filmed material. The Thrill Of It All: A Visual History (1972-1982) is out February 5 on Virgin/EMI and includes 38 music videos, concert clips and television performances, many of which have never before been released, and beginning with the band’s first filmed performance in June 1972 at the Royal College of Art.

Tuesday roundup

Just to prove we can do the roundup any day we please, here's another collection of the latest and greatest items to cross the DV blotter:

• Iowa roots rockers The Nadas, reviewed by the Vault, made national headlines last month when frontman Jason Walsmith recorded and released the timely cut "Get Outta Our Town (Caucus Lament)." The band subsequently fielded calls from the political desks of the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Washington Post, and appeared on NPR. The clever DIY video is here.
• One of the secrets of the surprise hit film of the Christmas season, snarky teen pregnancy comedy Juno, is that it features a 20-song soundtrack that mixes classic tunes with fresh new material, including eight songs from Kimya Dawson, who is featured as a solo artist as well as member of the groups The Moldy Peaches and Antsy Pants. Classic acts rounding out the soundtrack include Mott The Hoople ("All The Young Dudes"), The Kinks ("A Well Respected Man"), Buddy Holly ("Dearest"), and Sonic Youth ("Superstar").
  
• Sheryl Crow's new disc Detours is due out February 5 and you can now catch the video from first single "Love Is Free" on YouTube.
• The Black Crowes return March 4 with the new album Warpaint and will do a special series of shows March 2 through 20 in which they will play the entire new album live. This swing will include a headlining show at SXSW in Austin March 15. Then they're off to play Australia and a couple of exclusive European dates in London and Amsterdam before returning to the States in May for a full-fledged summer tour.
  

Thursday roundup

Lots of items for the roundup this week:

• Ringo Starr's new album Liverpool 8 comes out January 15 in multiple formats, and the promotional campaign is building steam with previews, interviews, etc. already in play with Amazon.con, Quicktime.com and Time magazine. And hey, it's Ringo -- what's not to like?
• February 12 will see the release of what sounds like it will be a mind-blowing DVD featuring the a capella septet Naturally 7 playing a set at Montreux. If you're expecting chorused vocals, though, prepare to have your preconceptions smashed, because the members of Naturally 7 mimic specific instruments, creating a full band of lead vocals, guitar, bass, keyboards drums, horns and more using only their own voices. Keep an eye on the Eagle Vision site and check it out.
• What some are already calling the jazz event of 2008 is now confirmed: Return to Forever, one of the most influential groups of the 1970s, will reunite and tour in '08 with the classic lineup of keyboardist Chick Corea, bassist Stanley Clarke, guitarist Al Di Meola and drummer Lenny White all on board. The developing US and European tour will be the group's first performances together in more than 25 years; stream interviews with the principals here.
• Sheryl Crow has a new album called Detours due out February 5, and you can already catch her on YouTube talking about it, and download a free clip of first single "Love Is Free" here.
  
• Aussie rockers Silverchair have a new EP out on iTunes titled The Greatest View, with significant contributions from Julian Hamilton of the Presets. Stream the track ""Straight Lines [The Presets Remix]" here.

Thursday roundup

Another Thursday, another batch of items presented for your viewing (and linking) pleasure:

• Whether it's a publicity stunt or a sincere statement of artistic frustration doesn't really matter; the point is that Lewis Taylor is still officially retired from the music biz a year after issuing two of the mostly lovingly praised -- and commercially overlooked -- albums of the recent past, full of sunny pop melodies stretched and twisted into a sort of progressive Beach Boys daydream. Sweet, sweet stuff.


• Yoko and Paul agree on something; that's always news. This time it's the merits of Starbucks as a distribution vehicle, as Capitol/EMI and iTunes just released a new John Lennon Video Album at SB stores nationwide, featuring 21 of Lennon’s music videos for $24.95. Buy the special gift card stamped with a silver-toned photo of Lennon, take it home and you can redeem it on the iTunes Store for a collection of music videos that includes “Imagine,” “Happy Xmas,” “(Just Like) Starting Over,” “Nobody Told Me,” “Mind Games,” “Working Class Hero” and others, many of which are available digitally for the first time.


• This week's date movie P.S. I Love You features James Blunt's new single "Same Mistake," and you can stream the video here.


• EndeverafteR, a Sacramento-based quartet who've opened for KISS, Poison and Cinderella (supplying their own eyeliner, no doubt) are giving away a brand new Washburn Guitar -- sign up for the contest here.


• Sonic Past Music recently re-released the entire solo catalog of Randy Meisner, bassist, vocalist and songwriter for The Eagles all the way up through Hotel California. You can find this Rock and Roll Hall of Famer's solo work here.

Thursday roundup

Items, items, getcher hot'n'fresh items right here:

• Celebrating double digits, yesterday Godsmack released a greatest hits album: Good Times Bad Times….Ten Years of Godsmack.
• The Dept. of Twisted Christmas checks in with this press release trumpeting Wreck The Halls, an album featuring sleigh-bell mall-Santa versions of classic Metallica, AC/DC and Green Day tracks. All we can say is yikes!
• All-female rock trio Girl In A Coma recently scored quite the coup, landing the opening slot for Morrissey's upcoming UK tour.
• In the Dubious Distinction category, it seems Mariah Carey has a double-disc DVD coming out soon, and we've got the link to the trailer. Caveat emptor.