Scorpions: World Wide Live redux

Those seemingly immortal melodic metallers the Scorpions -- Klaus Meine (vocals), Rudolf Schenker (rhythm guitars), Matthias Jabs (lead guitars), James Kottak (drums) and Pawel Maciwoda (bass) -- bring their "Humanity Tour" back to the U.S. for one more swing next month. The tour, supporting their 21st studio album, Humanity - Hour 1, also promises a bevy of familiar hits from the archetypal power ballad "Wind Of Change" to the headbanging fun of "Rock You Like A Hurricane." The brief second U.S. leg launches in Northern California on Friday, August 1 and runs through August 10 in Chicago, with Sammy Hagar sharing the bill at the first three dates in California. After that the Scorps are off to hit Brazil, Mexico, Trinidad (!) and another swing through Europe that starts in the UK on October 12.

Kid Rock does Dr. Seuss

Does anybody else carry around fond memories of the old Dr. Seuss book Fox In Socks, featuring the famous "tweetle beetle battle"? Maybe it's just me, but my mind goes straight there the minute I see a headline about Kid Rock getting in a "waffle scuffle." But even without going there, in a story with Kid, cops, a 5 a.m. munchie stop and a fight in a parking lot, what's not to like?

Opening acts: opportunity or thankless task?

USA Today offers a typically decent but rather superficial writeup today on the subject of opening acts, focusing on Brett Dennen, Liars and Sharon Little. One of the hardest jobs in the business has to be trying to warm up a crowd that for the most part, can't wait for you to be off the stage. And yet, as the saying goes, there's no such thing as bad publicity...

Lou Pearlman: the bigger they are, the harder they fall

This just in: former boy-band mastermind Lou Pearlman (Backstreet Boys, *NSYNC, O-Town), already serving a 25-year jail sentence for fraud, has been ordered to repay $300 million in investor funds which he so far seems to be, um, having trouble locating. Anybody check the hot tub?

For sale: one Jimi Hendrix guitar, slightly crispy

When Jimi Hendrix lit his guitar on fire at the end of his legendary live set at the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival, he changed the meaning of the term "incendiary performance" forever. What fans not steeped in rock history may not realize is that Monterey was actually the second time Hendrix "lit up" on stage. The first time he tried it, at a gig in London earlier the same year, he ended up being rushed to the hospital with burns on his hands.

The guitar Hendrix used in that first nearly disastrous on-stage fire show will be auctioned later this year after recently being rediscovered in the garage of Hendrix' former press spokesman Tony Garland. Considering that the Strat Hendrix used at Woodstock was sold for $1.8 million, it will take some serious coin to pick up this slightly crispy piece of rock history.

Where The Hell Is Matt?

You've probably either seen or heard about this video already, but if not, by all means, give it a click below, or watch the original in higher-def here. It's amazing, as only the simplest and therefore most powerful ideas can be.



Finally, you can learn more about the project this video originated from here.

Rush to appear on The Colbert Report

This just in, courtesy of the Associated Press:

Rush will be appearing on "The Colbert Report," and it's not Limbaugh.

The Canadian band Rush, which hasn't performed on U.S. television in more than three decades, will play their classic "Tom Sawyer" on the Comedy Central show Wednesday (11:30 p.m. EST).

The Geddy Lee-led trio, which is currently on tour, hasn't played on U.S. television since 1975.

Rush is only the latest act to perform on "The Report," which has steadily edged closer to "Ed Sullivan Show" territory. With increasingly frequent musical performances, "The Report" has grown a variety-show impulse, evident in other upcoming bookings.

The rapper Nas will perform on July 23, Toby Keith will return for a second performance on July 28 and Crosby, Stills and Nash will play on July 30.

The Stephen Colbert-hosted comedy show was originally launched as a parody of conservative political punditry — and shows like "The O'Reilly Factor" do not make a habit of hosting music performances.

But "The Report" circus has expanded into musical realms, often with its sonorous host joining in. John Legend, Neil Young, R.E.M., Tony Bennett, Peter Frampton, Willie Nelson, Barry Manilow, John Mellencamp, the Roots and Carole King have all performed on the show.

The Who tour dates announced

Old guys rock. At least, that's this old guy's take on the newly announced tour dates by the remaining 50 percent of The Who.

Old guys, it must also be said, charge ridiculous ticket prices. Still, one can never hear "Won't Get Fooled Again" too many times. Never.

Return of attack of hair bands

Just had to share this item from this morning's USA Today: a then-and-now photo gallery of 80s hair bands. It seems that black is the new hair. Well, you've got to have some kind of strategy when your trademark begins to desert you...

Richard Thompson covers Britney Spears

No, seriously. And it sounds, well, pretty damned good.

The music business: the death of retail

Anyone who persists in believing the fiction that downloading music for free only hurts big corporations and is therefore morally justifiable should really read this piece from last week's Newsweek. There's a Sal -- an independent music retailer / small businessperson -- in every town. I don't want mine to go away. What about you?

Live Nation signs Nickelback (and Madonna and Jay-Z and Shakira...)

Those familiar with the cartoon classic Pinky & The Brain will also recall its trademark catch-phrase, wherein dumb-as-toast Pinky asks Brain what they're going to do tonight and he responds, in full megalomaniacal flower, "The same thing we do every night, Pinky -- try and take over the world! Bwa-ha-ha!"

This naturally comes to mind when reading about the latest move by Live Nation, the already-pseudo-monopoly national concert promoters who have now signed so-called "360" deals -- albums, concert tours, merchandising, the works -- with four majors acts, as well as a less comprehensive deal with U2.

Joining Madonna, Jay-Z and Shakira in the Live Nation ranks is Nickelback, the band that updated 80s corporate rock for the 00s -- like anyone was begging for that to happen. In any case, you couldn't find a more emblematic band for a company that seems to be bent on world domination.

New music from Bruce Springsteen

Bruce Springsteen has done charity benefit work throughout his career, but this time it's personal.

On July 15 Columbia will release a new digital EP of highlights from the still-underway world tour of Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. Magic Tour Highlights will be released via all digital download stores and will consist of four audio tracks with four accompanying videos, all recorded live in concert during the current Magic tour.

As fans all over the world know, the E Street Band lost one of its founding members earlier this year when organ and accordion player Danny Federici succumbed to melanoma (skin cancer).

The artists, songwriters, and music publishers are donating all of their royalties, and Columbia Records is donating all of its net profits, from sales of Magic Tour Highlights to the Danny Federici Melanoma Fund. The iTunes Store is donating their first year's net profits as well.

Magic Tour Highlights Track Listing:

1. "Always A Friend" (performed with Alejandro Escovedo)
Recording Date: 04/14/2008 (Houston, Texas)

2. "The Ghost of Tom Joad" (performed with Tom Morello)
Recording Date: 04/07/2008 (Anaheim, California)

3. "Turn Turn Turn" (performed with Roger McGuinn)
Recording Date: 04/23/2008 (Orlando, Florida)

4. "4th Of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)" (Danny Federici's final performance with the E Street Band)
Recording Date: 03/20/2008 (Indianapolis, Indiana)

Visit www.brucespringsteen.net on July 15 for download information. And again, R.I.P. Danny.

George Michael Live at the Forum

Lest we forget, pop-aholic readers may wish to check out Assistant Editor Melanie Love's report from George Michael recent concert stop in LA for his first show there in 25 years. Did the crowd forgive this decidedly un"Faith"ful behavior? Find you for yourself.

Prince vs. Springsteen vs. Neil Young: Who's got the best backing band?

Nice job by Marc Hirsh of MSNBC today rating the best backing bands in the business. The J.B.'s (James Brown), The Attractions (Elvis Costello), the E Street Band (Bruce Springsteen), Crazy Horse (Neil Young) and The Revolution (Prince) are all worthy of consideration for the title. What's truly bizarre is how Hirsh managed to exclude two others who definitely belong in this category. No Heartbreakers (Tom Petty)? And sacrilege of sacrileges, he left out the only backing unit ever to have the nerve to call themselves simply The Band (Bob Dylan, and they lived up to the name)? Can't give this column more than a B with those two glaring exclusions...

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!

The Soundtrack for Change: Obama's iPod

CNN Reports today the contents of Barack Obama’s iPod. Apparently Obama digs Dylan, The Stones, Stevie Wonder, and various jazz artists including Charlie Parker, Miles Davis and John Coltrane.

"I have pretty eclectic tastes," the Democratic presidential contender said in an interview to be published in Friday's issue of Rolling Stone.

Growing up in the '70s, Obama said, he listened to the Rolling Stones, Elton John and Earth, Wind & Fire. Stevie Wonder is his musical hero from the era. The Stones' "Gimme Shelter" tops his favorites from the band.

Asked about Rap, he confesses that despite his respect for the strides made my many artists in that genre, he has concerns for some of the content. "I am troubled sometimes by the misogyny and materialism of a lot of rap lyrics," he said, "but I think the genius of the art form has shifted the culture and helped to desegregate music."

No word yet on what John McCain is listening to.

CNN

Rolling Stone

Chris Cubeta covers Neil Young

Wowza. I'm not much of a download surfer, and I generally leave the MP3 blogging to the very best on the Web, Heather Browne, but looky looky what I found. One of the most exciting indie acts in the land, Chris Cubeta and the Liars Club, recently posted their cover of Neil Young's post-Kent State classic "Ohio" on their blog and it is absolutely SMOKING. It's a song that demands total commitment and CC & the LC bring it with authority. Not to be missed!

Metallica: Some Kind of Idiocy

As reported on CNet, Metallica recently invited selected music bloggers to sit with them in the studio for a preview of their upcoming album, playing six tracks.

Said bloggers then blogged what they heard, as bloggers will. Most of the comments were positive based on readers who had a chance to actually read the comments prior to…

… Metallica’s camp ordering all the blogs removed under threat of legal action. Some claims about the music being “rough mixes” were given as an excuse.

The "DUH" factor just went through the roof. If they aren't ready, don't invite anyone to listen.

Shortly thereafter, the band “sort of apologized,” fingering the band's PR firm as the culprit.

First the Napster debacle, then they become the last-band-standing to be drug kicking and screaming into iTunes. Is this a by-product of the band's well-established dislike for the Internet, digital media and anything that doesn’t provide a bricks-and-mortar originated royalty check? Can someone explain the benefit of prohibiting positive reviews?

The blogs were eventually restored, you can read them here: Kerrang, Metal Hammer, The Quietus.

Jeff's Quick Picks -- Elton John

Elton John
Tumbleweed Connection [Deluxe Edition]

I decided to cheat this week with my Quick Picks; instead of a song I’d like to highlight an album. A Deluxe Edition, to be exact. Last week, there were two reissues of two classic Elton John albums released, his self titled work and it’s sequel, Tumbleweed Connection. My choices were limited to one or the other, and in the end Jeff left Best Buy with a tumbleweed in hand.

Tumbleweed Connection ranks quite high on the list of the great Elton John albums; in my book it alternates in the top spot with Captain Fantastic. Thus, I was quite curious to listen to alternate takes/new material from a truly classic album. The results were pleasing enough, although not hugely enlightening.

“There Goes A Well-Known Gun” is presented in a completely different fashion; foreshadow of Captain Fantastic with it’s country rock vibe. I love the original, but this version has it’s moments. “Sisters Of The Cross” is the only 100% new song contained on the album, but it’s intriguing enough to make one ponder what could have been. John demonstrates his amazing command of performance on just a piano once more; in that he is at the top of the heap.

The Deluxe Edition concludes with 4 songs lifted from an unreleased series of BBC Sessions, and are well worth the time to listen to. These are songs that would not be performed live for decades in some cases, and here John and his band infuse them a raw energy of an act trying to make it big (“Ballad Of A Well-Known Gun” and “Burn Down The Mission” in particular).

This is one of Elton’s best albums, and in this format it has received a fresh update with enough bonus material to provide some perspective. For a Deluxe Edition, that is all one can ask for.

PR: The Mother of Invention

British rockers The Get Out Clause, needing a video to promote themselves but lacking funds, ingeniously performed in front of some of the 1000s of government controlled closed circuit surveillance cameras all over Manchester, and then requested copies of the videos under a public information disclosure statute.

"We wanted to produce something that looked good and that wasn't too expensive to do," guitarist Tony Churnside said. "We hit upon the idea of going into Manchester and setting up in front of cameras we knew would be filming”.

Cleverly splicing clips from many locations, they managed to create a pretty decent video, and purely by accident, an interesting look at the state of Big Brotherism and who’s watching who, and where.

The music "industry": race to the bottom

A musician friend recently passed on a pitch he’d received from an industry contact. It went like this:

BANDS AND ARTISTS FROM ALL GENRES (but primarily Alt Rock bands or Hip Hop groups) are sought after by a Film/TV Production company currently casting for a new Reality TV show airing on a popular cable network… They're looking for a band/group that has talent and potential, but is struggling with one or more members in terms of moving forward with their career. It could be that a member has an addiction problem, or a less serious (but annoying) responsibility problem, a gambling issue, or an inability to cooperate with the rest of the band in one way or another. The scenarios could be vast, but they really want a band with personality who's not afraid to "show their dirt" to the TV audience. They will be open to using the band's songs on the show, granted that the quality is there. There will be on camera/live performance opportunities, in addition to full promotion of the band and their music.

My friend and I commiserated briefly about what it meant about the state of both our culture and the music industry that artists were being bribed with free promotion to turn their most painful and/or embarrassing moments of personal failure into entertainment for the masses. The word “disturbing” came up frequently in our conversation.

Then I received a pitch from someone obviously affiliated with the same show:

I am a producer for a new reality show featuring promising bands on the **** Network.

This show is a great opportunity for some up and coming bands to get some excellent exposure! Most bands have internal conflicts of some sort that they would like to rectify. This show will help the band work on a problem it has been facing once and for all.

We are currently trying to spread the word about this opportunity and are accepting applicants from all music genres. It would be great if we could post a banner that mentions our casting call your subscribers… I’d love to be able to reach all the artists on your site as this is a great opportunity for them to showcase their music and get attention, on television.

My response:

Sorry ***** – nothing personal – but the premise of your show is offensive to me both as a music lover and as a human being. I don’t care how much “exposure” a band gets out of it, exploiting people’s pain for ratings is just plain wrong.

Discuss.

Alton Kelley 1940 - 2008

Legendary artist Alton Kelley created a graphic style that rocked the world beginning in the psychedelic Sixties. His concert posters, logo designs, LP album covers, and fine art have forevermore defined that time. Kelley, born June 17, 1940, passed away peacefully at home June 1st of complications from a long illness.

He is survived by the true love of his life, Marguerite Trousdale Kelley. He also leaves his mother Annie, sister Kathy, and beloved children Patty, Yossarian, and China, and beautiful grandchildren Life and Lacoda.

Through his mind-expanding creativity and over several decades, Kelley gave rock music new colors, shapes, and themes expressing the optimism and enthusiasm of young people around the globe. His graphics defined youth culture as much as the music itself-in effect his art was a break-through collaboration with musicians and bands such as the Grateful Dead, Jerry Garcia, Janis Joplin, and Jimi Hendrix. As Joel Selvin, rock critic for the San Francisco Chronicle, put it, "Kelley and Mouse drew the first face on rock music."

Kelley and his life-long collaborator Stanley Mouse are best known for their posters for "San Francisco style" dance-concerts at the Fillmore Auditorium, Winterland arena, the Fillmore West, the Avalon Ballroom, and a host of other Bay Area theaters and amphitheaters. They also created world-renowned posters and album covers for the Grateful Dead, Journey, Steve Miller, Jimi Hendrix, The Beatles, and others.

The two artists historically worked as a team, in their words "riffing off each other's giggle." They joyfully appropriated from historic sources, in one instance re-working an obscure nineteenth-century etching to create their iconic Grateful Dead "skeleton and roses" design. They combined vibrant Sixties color with French poster-making joi de vivre enthusiasm, and their own adapted technique, to generate compelling pieces often issued on a weekly basis, ultimately dazzling millions worldwide. Thus, they changed advertising art forever, as their posters were key examples of what became one of the most important art movements of the latter part of the twentieth century.

When Kelley (a native of Maine) met Mouse (a native of Detroit, MI) in San Francisco's Haight-Ashbury district in late 1965 (the "Haight" was the epicenter of the hippie movement, culminating in the "Summer of Love" in 1967), they instantly recognized they were kindred spirits in what Mouse describes as "one of the juiciest scenes of all time." Their concert posters, commissioned by Fillmore promoter Bill Graham and Graham's rival, the Avalon's Family Dog collective, were eagerly snapped up by bands and fans alike.

In the decades since, Mouse and Kelley's classics have established even greater popularity, rivaling the interest long shown by collectors of French turn-of-the-century Belle Epoque art made famous by Toulouse-Lautrec and others.

"There is one word for Alton Kelley's lifelong contribution, and that is 'iconic.'" said Dell Furano, CEO of Signatures Network. "Kelley's artwork, designs, posters, album covers, tour logos set a standard of inspired creativity that has remained as influential as the great San Francisco Rock Scene of the 60's, 70's and 80's."

[Thanks to Jennifer Gross of Evolutionary Media Group for sending in this press release. And R.I.P. Alton.]

Radiohead v. Prince

The Purple One is at it again, and this time the absurd lengths to which the man continues to go to punish his own fans has sparked a dispute with none other than Radiohead. It seems that The Artist Formerly Known As Rational performed a Radiohead song ("Creep") at the recent Coachella Music Festival. Video of which performance someone promptly YouTubed (duh), which video was promptly taken down after Symbol-dude sicced his unholy army of attorneys on them. Ironically, this also blocked Radiohead themselves from seeing the clip, prompting frontman Thom Yorke to reply "Well, tell him to unblock it. It's our ... song."

The return of Journey

I still can't completely explain why I'm so jazzed about the return of a band I was never a huge fan of in the first place. But certainly the fact that they found their new singer on YouTube -- and he's both from the other side of the world and phenomenally good -- has something to do with it. Check out the footage from today's performance on the Ellen Degeneres Show below. At the end she says "Unbelievable!" and it's hard to argue.

The good, the bad, the independent

The music world is like the Wild West nowadays. The old rules about making it in the business -- write singles, get the big label's attention, sign and sell lots of albums -- is out the window. The new model is still taking shape, and the only thing we know for sure is it's wide open.

The upside is that a lot of terrific artists who might have labored in obscurity making af few bucks a night playing bars are now laboring in semi-obscurity making a few more bucks a night by selling downloads and merch online in between playing bars.

The downside is, the market is flooded. Here at the Vault, we get a ton of independent discs in the mail every week, and while we love to discover new artists and feature independent music whenever we can, honestly, about 75% of what comes in is seriously flawed in one way or another. It's an act that doesn't have a voice or style of its own or anything original to say or an exciting or engaging way of saying it, or even a reasonably professional recording. It's self-indulgent, it's amateurish, and sometimes it's just plain bad.

That said, my last three published reviews have all been of terrific, lovingly crafted work by artists who are either self-releasing or on a small indie label. So please, ignore the glut of marginal material and enjoy these three indie gems:

• Fractures by Last Charge Of The Light Horse. Like a ten-years-after sequel to Springsteen's Tunnel Of Love; a superbly crafted song cycle about troubled relationships and the daily search for hope and redemption.
  
  
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• Time Travel Made Easy by Spiraling. Fountains Of Wayne meet H.G. Wells in this brilliantly executed concept album full of clever riffs, retro synths and singalong choruses.
  
  
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• Today by Mike Zito. Simply the best electric blues album I've heard in a long time, full of Stevie Ray Vaughan grit mixed with John Mayer melodicism and John Hiatt self-awareness.
  
  
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  Enjoy!
  

Jeff's Quick Picks -- Rooney

"I Should've Been After You"
Rooney
Calling The World

Retro-rock has been one of the driving forces behind popular music for a few years now; I might argue it began with the garage rock revival of the early 00's, but that's just a personal opinion. Point is, a great deal of bands these days seek to emulate the sound/style of their elders. Some do this better than others.

I couldn't tell you much about Rooney as a band, apparently they have a decent reputation and I believe one of the members is the brother of a member of the band Phantom Planet. Their pop/rock sensibilities are impeccable however, and that shines through on "I Should've Been After You."

This track contains elements of Queen, Genesis, with a dash of Boston to boot. It is quite the summer song, oozing charisma and energy from every pore. This track really hearkens back to the days when bands used to actually release singles, and that in turn meant something to the consumer. This is a song meant to be spinning on a turntable somewhere during 1976. Perfect example of a song to download for a dollar; more than worth it.

Jeff's Quick Picks -- Paul Simon

"Pigs, Sheep and Wolves"
Paul Simon
You're The One

This quirky number comes to the masses from Simon's 2000 disc You're The One. After a decade that saw no traditional release from Rhymin' Simon, he saw fit to return to his roots...in a matter of speaking.

One can definitely hear the influences of the South African/World music that Simon has utilized throughout his career; but it has lost some of it's charm and uniqueness. Still, the production/musicianship is ten times better than anything you would hear on Top 20 radio.

No, this song loses points on performance of Simon himself. Lyrically, the allegory between Pigs, Sheep, and Wolves and mankind has been made before (In fact I think there's been an album dedicated to it....). Simon's odd vocals don't help matters much; to be frank it sounds as if he decided to lazily toss these off at 9 at night when he was bored and tired. He does this now and then, the worst example being his vocals on "Bridge Over Troubled Waters" from the Simon & Garfunkel live record Old Friends.

Paul Simon has a decidedly hit or miss solo career; this particular song qualifies as a miss.

Chris Cubeta and The Liars Club Prep for June Residency at Manhattan’s The Living Room

Daily Vault faves Chris Cubeta and The Liars Club, who too-modestly call themselves "an Americana rock band from Brooklyn," will begin a prestigious, month-long residency at New York City's The Living Room on June 2. The Liars Club will appear every Monday in June at 10 PM. All five Monday night shows are -- get this -- FREE with a one-drink minimum per set. That's an unbeatable bargain for an artist who's earned straight "A"s from the Vault and delivered this reviewer's favorite indie releases of both 2006 *and* 2007.

The Liars Club has been making noise in and out of New York over the last year. Last summer, they embarked on a seven-city East Coast tour that included stops in Philadelphia, Washington D.C., Baltimore, Richmond, Raleigh, Wilmington and Nashville. The band has opened for singer-songwriter Gary Jules (“Mad World,” Donnie Darko soundtrack) and Cubeta has performed solo on two occasions in support of former Pushstars lead singer Chris Trapper. In December, Cubeta released the spectacular Change EP to a packed crowd at The Living Room. The band has also drawn big crowds at some of the city’s most lively rooms including Rockwood Music Hall, Pianos, Crash Mansion, The Bitter End and Trash.

This is the first-ever residency for The Liars Club at The Living Room. Sets will include special guests and promotions. The Living Room is at 154 Ludlow between Stanton and Rivington in the heart of Manhattan’s Lower East Side (take the J or F to Delancey -- phone number is 212-533-7235). For more information, contact band manager Danny Lanzetta at 914-475-8070 or at dlanzetta[at]galuminumfoil.com.

Most of all -- if you can possibly help it, don't miss these shows. If I lived within a thousand miles of NYC, you can bet I wouldn't.

"Jeff's Quick Picks"

“San Francisco Mabel Joy”
Kenny Rogers
The Gambler

And the inaugural song to break in “Jeff’s Quick Picks” is……Kenny Rogers? What were the odds in Vegas on that one? Well, I promised to be indiscriminate, and indiscriminate I shall be!

The Gambler is one of Roger’s most famous albums, if not his most famous. It provided him with a platform to launch a few crossover tunes from the country charts to the pop charts, and “San Francisco Mabel Joy” is a good example. While the refrain and vocal twangs scream country, the orchestral overdubs and reggae-tinged guitar sound much more contemporary.

While there are other songs on The Gambler that have reached the status of classics and were much bigger hits, “San Francisco Mabel Joy” has the feeling of being that 3rd or 4th single to mop things up from one record to the next. Definitely a keeper from a great album.

The Daily Shuffle...

It can be quite a challenge picking music to listen to when your music library is as vast as mine. I’m not trying to gloat or show off, but it’s the truth. Tell me that you have not walked into a video rental store, or the grocery store, and been presented with so many options that you can’t even begin to pick where to start.

When such a time arrives, I tend to crawl up in the fetal position and suck my thumb for a few hours. However, with my music collection, I have the option of one of the most glorious aspects of the CD/MP3 age: SHUFFLE!!

Instead of spending my time debating the merits of listening to Close To The Edge over Kill’em All, I can let my iPod choose for me. One click, and I’m reveling in the entire breadth and scope of my library. What song is my iPod going to deliver? I have no idea, and that’s the beauty of the whole process.

Over time, I’ve come to realize that when I shuffle things up, I am often introduced/reintroduced to songs I had no memory of owning, or even listening to. Therein lies the thrill of listening to music, in a method that was once the sole domination of radio, but now accessible to any consumer.

Our focus here at the Vault are albums, and rightfully so. However, God bless this blog of ours, for it allows a certain degree of latitude and freedom in covering content. We don’t often get the chance to highlight a new song that we heard on the radio, or saw in a commercial, or had a friend tell us about.

So, with an incredibly small amount of fanfare, I introduce “Jeff’s Quick Picks,” whereupon I’ll hit on a few tunes I come across while shuffling. Whether it’s an album cut from a record I know very well to a track that I will swear up and down to never having listened to, rest assured that not even I know what is coming up next.

Now serving: free lunch

Apparently, Trent Reznor has never heard of the famous economics maxim which states "There is no such thing as a free lunch." Today, Reznor announced that the latest NIN album was available to the fans 100% free,

This announcement comes two months after Reznor released Ghosts I-IV, a 36 track instrumental album in every format known to man. In the span of a week, Reznor sold roughly a million dollars' worth of digital downloads, lighting the internet on fire with his bold new delivery model.

As many have surmised, with the actions of NIN, Radiohead, and Coldplay, there is a paradigm shift occurring within the music industry. The old way of walking down to the local record store to pick up the latest released from Bread is going the way of the dinosaur. How much one laments the loss of such a process is growing more and more dependent on the age of individual.

Of course, it's going to be some time before this is preferred delivery model of music; the bands that are utilizing this system have huge, established fanbases. They have made it big, and can afford to take losses when announcing and delivering released of this nature. Your fledgling, indie band trying to make it big simply cannot afford to the same. At least, at the present time...

Oh Piggy, where art thou?

The iconical and infamous inflatable pig that was originally inflated to support Pink Floyd’s Animals tour back in 1977, was sent aloft this past weekend during the Coachella music festival out in the California desert. Waters has retained ownership of the pig and deployed it periodically for the past 30 years.

For reasons unknown, the pig broke loose of its moorings and drifted off into the sky, to be found the next morning in tatters in suburban La Quinta about 10 miles away. Festival organizers offered a $10,000 reward for its return, which was gratefully split between the two families whose yards were festooned with the shredded remains.

The reasons for the pig's attempted escape are unclear. However, he had been plastered with pro-Obama slogans for the festival, and some speculate it was headed for nearby Arizona, home of Senator John McCain.

Turning forty

I turned forty this year. I think the most notable thing about being forty so far is the sheer number of people dying who make me at least momentarily sad.

So this news was kind of depressing.

Paul Davis was not a great singer. I do not own any of his CDs, nor do I plan to. But there is a place in Musical Valhalla for someone who turned out a few listenable tunes. "I Go Crazy" is still a wonderful love song, "Cool Night" is an axiomatically seventies soft rock song, and "'65 Love Affair" was just fun, putting cheerleaders in a song before Toni Basil ever thought of it.

Was Paul Davis a legend, a groundbreaker, an unsung genius? Well, put it this way; we're not likely to do a Paul Davis retrospective any time soon. Davis was just a Mississippi boy who liked doing country-rock and had a few successes doing it. But I still remember that smooth voice on the radio...

"Cool night, brings back memories of a good life, when this love was not so old..."

I wasn't this old, either.

RIP, Paul.

*Duke

Chinese Democracy: any day now, really, we mean it

Making fun of the industry joke that is the "band" Guns N'Roses is so easy at this point that it's become the moral equivalent of cruelty to small animals. So we'll give you the very latest with as straight a face as we can muster: Axl says the band is "in negotiations" for the release of the long-rumored album Chinese Democracy, and the band professes to have no idea why guitarist Robin Finck up and left to return to touring with his old band Nine Inch Nails.

Not that Axl's former bandmates have had much better luck with their latter-day frontman. What can you say but bad karma all around.

R.I.P. Danny Federici

His Boss called E Street Band organ, glockenspiel and accordion player Danny Federici "one of the pillars of our sound." Late yesterday word came that Federici had died at the age of 58, after a three-year battle with melanoma. Ten years ago, Danny Federici was my first professional interview, after DV Founder Christopher Thelen was kind enough to assist me in lining it up.

The interview, which took place concurrent with the release of Federici's first solo album, 1998's Flemington, is here. Chris's review of the album is here. You can read more about Federici's colorful life and tremendous musical accomplishments here, and see video of his last live performance with the band on March 20th here. I recommend having the Kleenex handy for the latter. Judging by their expressions, I think they must all have known.

Danny Federici was a remarkable musician and a true gentleman. Our condolences to his family, friends, and bandmates.

R.I.P. Danny.

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....
  

Noel Gallagher: Wankerboy

This just in from DV Staff Writer Bruce Rusk (who's going to get his own account any moment now so I don't have to keep posting these for him):

*************************************************************************************

Professional foot-in-mouth-head-up-ass practitioner and sometime Oasis frontman Noel Gallagher has launched his semi-annual "Hey! No one's paying attention to me so I'm going to dis an artist who is still relevant" press brief.

It seems Noel is very upset that Jay-Z was selected as the Saturday headliner for the annual Glastonbury Music Festival.

The alleged musician said it was "wrong" to have hip-hop at the event which is traditionally the domain of indie rock bands.

"Glastonbury has a tradition of guitar music." Uh huh. Indie bands... playing guitars... hmmm. So in other words, white guys. Sure Noel, instead of the most successful and popular hip-hop artist of the day, let's prop up a dozen interchangeable, cookie-cutter four-piece white guy emo-rock Beatle poseurs with their mod hair-dos and acoustic guitars playing the same damn indie-rock rehash for 12 hours.

But Noel, didn't you hear the Neil Diamond is headlining on Sunday? Where's the hue and cry against the inclusion of aging white crooners?

Coincidentally, Noel is also performing at Glastonbury. But unlike Jay-Z, he wasn't invited. He had NME.com contact the festival organizer and ask them if he could perform.

So, to recap, Jay-Z was invited, wankerboy begged to be included.

At least he didn't call Jay-Z a nappy headed ho.

Saturday Roundup

Last time we were all about the 70s; this time we're all about the 90s. Guess next time we'll be clairvoyant...

• The BoDeans ("Closer To Free" et al) are back and finding the D.I.Y route to their liking. The new disc from Sammy Lllanas and Kurt Neumann is Still, which debuted in the Billboard Top 200, and came in at #30 on the Top Independent Albums chart. The record’s first single, “Everyday,” has also landed in the top 10 on the Americana charts, and is one of the top 3 most-added songs at Triple A radio. Nice work from a couple of sharp-eyed singer-songwriters who've joined the crowd in leaving their label days behind.
  
  
• The Dave Matthews Band will co-headline the inaugural Mile High Festival on July 19-20 along with Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers and John Mayer; other performers include The Black Crowes, O.A.R., Michael Franti & Spearhead, Rodrigo y Gabriela, Steve Winwood, Spoon, Flogging Molly, Colbie Caillat, OneRepublic, The Roots and many others yet to be announced. Tickets go on sale March 29.
  
  
• P.O.D. will release their first album with Columbia Records, When Angels and Serpents Dance, on April 8. The boys are also heading oout on a Hard Rock Cafe tour in a few days that will run through April; check here for dates.
  

Monday Monday

It's a Monday roundup this week, so get over it, already. P.S. The theme this week is the 70s... and follow-ups to previous items...

• Journey -- complete with new singer Arnel Pineda, who does a better Steve Perry than Perry has in years -- has a new album coming out. Revelation drops June 3, ahead of a U.S. concert tour set to begin in July. A three-disc CD and DVD package, Revelation's first disc consists of 11 re-recorded classics, while the second is filled with 11 new songs, and the third is a live DVD. While it's a bit of a bummer that Revelation will be sold exclusively at Wal-Mart stores in North America, it nonetheless registers as a musical event of arena rock-sized proportions...

• Return to Forever's classic lineup of keyboardist Chick Corea, bassist Stanley Clarke, guitarist Al Di Meola and drummer Lenny White recently announced a tour that will represent their first extensive engagements together in 30 years. The foursome will play more than 50 dates across North America and Europe, featuring primarily classic music from their chart-topping albums. Beginning in Austin, Texas, on May 29th, the legendary supergroup will swing across the U.S. and Canada in June, cross the Atlantic for July dates in Europe from Lithuania to London, then return to the States for an East Coast run of major venues. Visit www.return2forever.com for the latest information.
  
  
• Oh yeah -- did we mention Sheryl Crow is joining Fleetwood Mac? The longer those initially strange words hang in the air, the more they make perfect sense.
  

Sunday Roundup

You just never know when a batch of new items is going to pop up around here...

• Blind Melon's early 90s run was notable both for the immediate buzz it generated on MTV and elsewhere, and for the rock tragedy cliche it turned into when talented frontman Shannon Hoon overdosed on tour just as the band was hitting its stride. Fastforward to 2006 and you find guitarist Christopher Thorn and bassist Brad Smith producing singer-songwriter -- and diehard Blind Melon fan -- Travis Warren. It didn't take long for the idea to be hatched, the remaining members to be contacted, and Blind Melon to be reborn. On February 28th the reconstituted Blind Melon are set to embark on a five month U.S. tour in support of their forthcoming CD For My Friends, set for release on April 22, 2008. Welcome back, guys.
• The latest Aussie import to these American shores is Down Under superstars The Cat Empire, who will release their latest album, 'So Many Nights,' on April 22 via Velour Music Group. Lead-off title track "So Many Nights" sets the mood for this genre-defying album, which is already certified platinum down under. Listen here.
• Steve Winwood has released the first single, “Dirty City” (featuring Eric Clapton), from his upcoming album Nine Lives, due in stores on April 29. Check out Winwood’s official site starting Monday, February 25th, for an exclusive “Dirty City” video clip and a chance to pre-order Nine Lives. Winwood will also be appearing with his former Blind Faith band-mate Clapton on-stage at New York City’s Madison Square Garden for three sold-out performances on February 25th, 26th and 28th.

Just for the record

We don't do this. EVER.

Asia Redux (Redux) (Redux)

As far as I'm concerned, this blog is about disagreeing sometimes with my fellow DVers. So...it's time to do that again. :)

To My Fellow Reviewers (You Know Who You Are):

I acknowledge, first off, that I am often in the minority among my DV friends. I don't get the Grateful Dead, I dislike Bob Dylan, I kinda like Barry Manilow -- I am, needless to say, the very soul of uncool sometimes. After many years of struggling with this, I have learned to deal with it.

But I'm about to take it another step. I kind of like Asia, at least their first and second CDs, Asia and Alpha. I cheerily admit everything after that is crap, except for "Days Like These" off their Then And Now CD. Slick as the Exxon Valdez spill? Check. Corporate, soulless, mechanical? Yep, all that's somewhat true. Live albums recorded in more locations than "CSI" spinoffs in a shallow attempt to cash in on the same songs over and over again? I agree. But damn it, there are occasional moments when "Heat Of The Moment" or "Don't Cry" just hits the spot. I don't own the CDs, I don't need to own the CDs, but they're...acceptably mediocre with a chance of partly fair.

My fellow writers seem to believe they're the musical equivalent of Times Beach, Missouri. And now they've decided to give the new CD a bad rep even before it's been released by being a bit...er...what's the term I'm looking for here...ah, yes, snarky *grin*... about who's actually in the band.

There's a serious point to this; in my judgment, critics perpetuate their opinions of artists without paying attention to what they might be doing at the time. Yes, Asia's new CD, Phoenix, will probably mostly suck. But if it doesn't...are we going to be sufficiently open-minded to admit it doesn't mostly suck?

Washed-Up Band Strikes Back Against "The Man"

This just in from Daily Vault Staff Writer Bruce Rusk:

Eighties has-beens and one-and-a-half hit wonders The Romantics took time off from their gala tour of Holiday Inns and mall openings to file legal action against Activision Games and their partners Redoctane, publishers of the wildly successful Guitar Hero series of games.

For those of you who have lives (or don't have teenagers), Guitar Hero is a video game wherein the player manipulates a plastic guitar thingy and plays along with famous rock songs. Most of the songs are covers (used by permission) and some are the original recordings. Yes , royalties and all that do apply. Some major acts including Metallica, Aerosmith and Pearl Jam have blessed the games with their original recordings. The rest apparently gave permission and cashed the check, thank-you-very-much-nice-doing-business-with-you.

In one of the many versions of the game; Guitar Hero Encore: Rock the 80s, a cover version of The Romantics' ubiquitous "What I Like About You" is included. Apparently the band took offense to the fact that according to them, the song "sounds too much like us."

Okay you window-lickers, when the sound of your careers fading further off into the sunset subsides, listen closely...

IT'S A COVER! IT'S SUPPOSED TO SOUND LIKE YOU!

According to a statement from the band's lawyer, The Romantics felt the cover "infringed" on their "trademark sound" and wanted to "share in any "good commerce" generated by the game.

OK, I see, you want some money. That I understand.

The irony of this is that the same song is now the advertising jingle for Hampton Inns. In fact, it's been flogged all over the airwaves in several advertising campaigns for things like cleaning products and frozen desserts over the past two decades. However, when it's being used to shill window cleaner, it's really the Romantics performing, thereby leaving their integrity intact and their wallets a little fatter. That'll come in handy as they travel out to the brightly lit stages of their stellar career, like their upcoming shows at the St. Angela Merici School's 21st Annual SummerFest 2008 and the National Cherry Festival.

As I was marveling over this incident, I discovered that a judge threw the case out stating that Activision had acted within that law, and without ill will towards the band. I suspect an appeal is coming, as soon as they can whore that song out to Tampax or Quaker Oats and raise enough to pay their lawyer.

Asia redux (redux)

Just for the record, this post is all Michael Ehret's fault, except for the parts that are all Bruce Rusk's fault.

See, Michael, having read Bruce's and my reviews of the original self-titled Asia disc from 1982, clapped his hands together with glee when he heard the recent news about the four original members of Asia reuniting not just for a tour, but for a new album, titled Phoenix and due out in April.

This naturally led to a conversation on the Vault writers' e-mail discussion list that went something like this:

Funny you should mention the "not-original" Asia... yes, [keyboardist Geoff] Downes kept the name alive for 15 years with no other original members. The main other guy was a bassist-guitarist-vocalist named John Payne, with rotating touring guitarists and drummers. Every so often one of the other original four would play a few shows with Downes and Payne for old times' sake -- I think [guitarist Steve] Howe once played most of a tour in the early 90s while the [guitarist Trevor] Rabin edition of Yes was busy recording Talk.

About two or three years ago, [original Asia bassist-vocalist John] Wetton and Downes got together and made an album -- I think it was called Icon -- and then Yes went on hiatus, so Howe became available, and [drummer Carl] Palmer jumped in too. Apparently you hit it right on the head as far as the "other" Asia -- Downes left them by the side of the road... But that's not the end of the story! John Payne and the other two guys who were current in Asia at the time have now formed a band named -- I kid you not -- "Asia Featuring John Payne." As opposed to the Downes-Howe-Wetton-Palmer edition of Asia, which is technically known as "The Four Original Members of Asia."

See, it isn't just progressive rock MUSIC that's complicated...!

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.
  

International recognition

The International Songwriting Competition annually considers over 15,000 entries from over 100 countries. And wouldn't you know it, one of the finalists this year is taken from one of the Vault's favorite independent albums of 2007...

Hearty congratulations to Diego Sandrin for his nomination in the Folk/Singer-Songwriter category!

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.