Plane crash rattles the rock world -- and beyond

Every music fan within reach of a computer in the last 72 hours no doubt has heard about the horrific plane crash that seriously injured Travis Barker (Blink-182, +44) and Adam Goldstein (DJAM). What feels like it's been missing from too much of the coverage, though, is the reality that four other people -- none of them famous, all of them with families and friends and loved ones of their own -- were killed in the same crash. One of them, it turns out, was from my neck of the woods. And so, while sending best wishes to Barker and Goldstein for a speedy recovery, let's also make sure to honor the memory of pilots Sarah Lemmon, 31, and James Bland, 52, as well as bodyguard Charles Still, 25 and Roseville, California native and personal assistant Chris Baker, 29. Losing first Richard Wright and then Norman Whitfield and now these good folks has made for a very rough week in the music world.

R.I.P. Norman Whitfield

"I Heard It Through The Grapevine"... "Papa Was A Rolling Stone"... "Just My Imagination"... "War"... and, yes, "Car Wash" -- they all came from the pen of the same man, one of the key architects of the Motown sound, Norman Whitfield, who died yesterday at 67. Whitfield, both within and outside of his longtime songwriting partnership with Barrett Strong, produced some of the most memorable and meaningful hits of the 60s and 70s, blending a superb ear for melody with a commitment to make music that mattered. Yes, you could sing along to all those hits, but the songs had a depth and soulfulness to them that made them much more than pop music. In his prime he worked with artists from James Brown to Gladys Knight & the Pips and was the producer and a featured songwriter on many of The Temptations' most successful albums. Norman Whitfield was a giant in his field and will be sorely missed.

Mudvayne tries a new game

In the continuing quest to figure out how bands can make a living in an economic model where music is free, metal quartet Mudvayne has offered a clever new approach. Fans who pre-order the band's new album The New Game through Best Buy get a one-year membership to the group's fan club, an exclusive free track for download and access to presale concert tickets at a one album equals one ticket ratio. The name of the program? The Album Is The Ticket, of course.

This new strategy -- buying an album equals buying into an entire fan experience including insider fan club content and presale ticket access -- feels like it has the potential to be a breakthrough for those mid-level artists who don't sell out arenas but do have an established fan base. Another day, another twist on the ever-evolving post-file sharing music industry business model...

Pandora under pressure

Many of us on the DV writing staff have used and enjoyed Pandora -- a pioneer in what is just lately being described by the technological congniscenti (and pretentious feature writers everywhere) as "music discovery" services. Pandora was in fact the functional precursor to Apple's new "Genius" system, which I'm already having fun with at home. That said, the latest news on the Pandora front is not good. It seems the music industry is continuing to lurch from extreme to extreme trying to uncover a formula that encourages the dissemination of new music without forfeiting all economic benefits of the artists' end product. Not there yet, folks. Not there yet.

Pink Floyd co-founder Richard Wright dies

Pink Floyd keyboardist Richard Wright died today after a short battle with cancer, according to the BBC News. Wright was a founding member of the seminal progressive rock group and his work was featured on classic albums including Dark Side Of The Moon, Wish You Were Here and The Wall, as well as latter-day albums such as A Momentary Lapse Of Reason and The Division Bell. Wright participated along with David Gilmour, Roger Waters and Nick Mason in the 2005 Pink Floyd reunion gig at the Live 8 concert in London. He was 65. R.I.P. Richard.

Fall music preview: AC/DC, Metallica, Guns N' Roses, Taylor Swift, Jessica Simpson, T-Pain, Keane

This morning USA Today offers a fall music preview that's both informative and amusing. The informative part begins with items on Metallica, Taylor Swift, Ne-Yo, Jessica Simpson, Ciara, David Cook, T-Pain, Keane and T.I, and is highlighted by another fairly glowing preview of the new AC/DC disc Black Ice, including a fun little video snippet from the making of the "Rock'N'Roll Train" video. Yes, the boys are getting on in years, but they can still snarl with the best of 'em...

The amusing part would be this item on the list of forthcoming albums: "Guns N' Roses / Chinese Democracy (Nov. 25, tentatively)." Anybody want to put money on that release date? Didn't think so.

Yes we have no Yes tour (except maybe sorta...)

That heavy sigh heard across the land in early June -- mistaken by many for a sigh of resignation from Hillary Clinton supporters -- in fact came from crestfallen prog-rock fans learning that Yes had canceled their planned summer tour. Perfectly understandable, what with lead singer Jon Anderson having had a major asthma episode that put him in the hospital for days and resulted in strict doctor's orders for the 63-year-old to dial it back a notch for the rest of the year.

Given the history of this band -- whose family tree has more branches than your average giant Sequoia -- it perhaps shouldn't come as a complete surprise to learn that the remaining core trio of Steve Howe (guitar), Chris Squire (bass/vocals) and Alan White (drums) have decided to tour this fall as Yes despite the absence of both lead voice Anderson and off-and-on keyboardist Rick Wakeman, whose son Oliver had earlier been tapped for the summer tour when Pops opted out.

Howe, Squire and White, who had by most accounts grown restless with the band's inactivity in recent years, will now launch the appropriately named "In The Present" tour with the younger Wakeman behind the keyboard stacks and Benoit David out front. Benoit who, you ask? Well, it seems the boys paid attention to the strategy employed by classic rock trend-setters from Judas Priest to Journey and plucked David from Canadian Yes tribute band Close To The Edge after watching him sing on YouTube.

Neither David nor Oliver Wakeman has been asked to commit to the band beyond the planned fall tour, leaving the door wide open for the future return of Anderson and/or Wakeman the elder. Meanwhile, it's get your Yes music where you can...

Metallica's Death Magentic: reviews galore

Metallica's first album of new studio material since 2003's controversial St. Anger was released today, and the virtual halls of the Daily Vault were buzzing with anticipation all week. As result, we've got not one or even two, but three day-of-release reviews of the newest from the godfathers of thrash. Prepare to be bludgeoned!

Grateful Dead's Egypt box set now available for pre-order

Good things come to those who wait! Thirty years after the Grateful Dead's near-legendary expedition into Egypt to play in the shadow of the pyramids, and weeks after the release was announced, Dead.net is finally ready to accept pre-orders for this ultra-cool CD/DVD set from the Dead’s legendary September 1978 run at the Sound & Light Theater outside Cairo.

Rocking the Cradle: Egypt 1978 includes two exceptional music CDs plus a DVD with over 95 minutes of concert footage from the Egypt shows, plus an impressionistic “Vacation Tapes” mini-documentary that shows the band and Dead family at play. What’s more, all preorders placed through dead.net by the official release date, September 30, will receive an exclusive bonus CD of still more great material from the Egypt gigs. Rocking the Cradle will be available everywhere on September 30, but the bonus disc will be exclusively available with preorders. Place your order here.

Those so inclined might also want to check out online listening parties for the album, available in three formats: QT, Real, or WMA. Stream on!

Wednesday roundup: no Pink Floyd reunion, The Who honors, Oasis gets bashed

A fresh batch of tasty items coming at you this a.m.:

• No, no, a hundred times no -- there will be no Pink Floyd reunion, says David Gilmour, who would clearly much rather talk about his flourishing solo career.
  
  
• The Kennedy Center Honors will include some big names from the music world this year: Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend of The Who, George Jones, and Barbra Streisand.
  
  
• I'm not sure which makes a better teaser for this ironic Oasis item: "hooligan is as hooligan does" or "bashing the basher." You decide.
  

Manic Monday: Tom Petty, Keith Moon, U2

Items galore this Monday a.m.:

• First of all, just wanted to make sure everyone reading this is tracking on the Daily Vault's September retrospective featuring Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers. There are some big TP fans around these parts, so the forecast is for heavy coverage all month long...
  
  
• On the 30th anniversary of Keith Moon's death, the Arizona Republic kindly offered a summary of "13 Essential Keith Moon Moments" from the life and career of The Who's explosive drummer. Essential reading indeed...
  
  
• You won't hear the rest of that rumored (and partially leaked) new U2 album until 2009, reports the LA Times -- at least, if Bono can remember to keep the stereo turned down.
  

MySpace reunites Ben Folds Five (up next: reversing climate change)

Those of you cutting edge musical Webophiles who've long since dismissed MySpace as so five minutes ago might want to pay attention to their latest gimmick. MySpace earlier today announced the launch of a new music program called Front to Back, with the mission of "celebrating iconic albums that have helped shape the MySpace Generation." (Yeah whatever.)

Ah, but once you get past the marketing propaganda-speak, look what wonders await: "MySpace kicks off this program by reuniting beloved alt-pop band Ben Folds Five with an exclusive one-time live performance of their final studio album together, The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner, in its entirety." GAAAHHH! "The concert will be the band's first performance together in nearly ten years and will take place in the band’s former hometown of Chapel Hill, North Carolina on September 18, 2008 at the UNC Memorial Hall." Double GAAAHHH!! "The show will be rebroadcast on the Front to Back official MySpace profile in October http://myspace.com/fronttoback."

Can I get an amen? (And a ticket to Chapel Hill?)

Stevie Wonder awarded the Gershwin Prize by the Library of Congress

Quoting from the news release:

"The Gershwin Prize was created to honor an artist whose creative output transcends distinctions between musical styles and idioms, bringing diverse listeners together, and fostering mutual understanding and appreciation," said Librarian of Congress James H. Billington. "Stevie Wonder's music epitomizes this ideal."

The prize commemorates George and Ira Gershwin, the legendary American songwriting team whose extensive manuscript collections reside in the Library of Congress. The prize is given annually to a musician whose lifetime contribution in the field of popular song exemplifies the standard of excellence associated with the Gershwins.

The first Gershwin Prize was awarded in May 2007 to Paul Simon."

Now that's some "Higher Ground"... and well deserved. Congrats, Stevie.

Music blogger arrested, charged with leaking songs from unreleased Guns N' Roses album

In a case likely to send shivers down the spines of music bloggers everywhere, blogger Kevin Cogill of antiquiet.com was arrested by FBI agents yesterday and charged in court with streaming songs from the infamously still-hasn't-been-released Guns N' Roses album Chinese Democracy. The charges accused Cogill of posting streams of nine tracks from the album, whose ten-year gestation period and repeated missed release dates have bestowed it with an almost mythic status.

What this means for the ongoing debate over creator's rights, the RIAA's heavy handed enforcement tactics, and/or the continually evolving music industry business model will no doubt be the subject of continuing speculation.

Of more immediate concern to GNR fans -- who, amazingly enough, still exist -- is the loss of access to the only new music the band has produced in the past 15 years. As one fan pointed out ruefully online, "For all we know, that could be the closest we ever get to an actual release."

Tuesday item-fest: Little Feat and friends, Obama-Springsteen, Radiohead live

Items galore this Tuesday:

• Little Feat's new album features a slew of guest stars taking over the frontman slot once held by Lowell George and reinterpreting classics from the band's rich catalogue. Any album with Vince Gill -- who tackles the immortal "Dixie Chicken" -- Dave Matthews, Bob Seger, Brooks & Dunn, Brad Paisley, Jimmy Buffett and Emmylou Harris all singing on it has got to be worth a listen...
  
  
• Speaking of presidential candidates' relations with the music world, the Rocky Mountain News reports that Barack Obama's acceptance speech at Invesco Field in Denver will be bracketed by performances from Jon Bon Jovi and Bruce Springsteen. Now that's some Jersey love right there...
  
  
• There have been hundreds of reviews of Radiohead concerts published in the past decade. We've even published one or two ourselves. This one from the LA Times was good enough to make me -- who doesn't even like the band -- curious about seeing them live. Nice job.
  

Oh Madonna...

...will you ever tire of being an attention whore?

I mean, first you call your latest album Hard Candy, then you call the accompanying tour "Sticky & Sweet"... And you just turned 50? A extremely fit 50, and after all it is the new 40 and everything, but really... you have kids. They have friends. And you're still prancing around like a pole dancer and making shock-value-only videos?

I mean, it's almost as cringe-worthy as a bunch of sixty-somethings prancing around under a giant lips-and-tongue-logo...

Oh, wait.

Never mind.

"The Day That Never Comes" just arrived for Metallica

Metallica fans all around the world finally got a taste of the band's latest studio album Death Magnetic with the release of the single "The Day That Never Comes." While the group had debuted another new song entitled "Cyanide" at Ozzfest, this is the first official release of material from their upcoming LP.

The song is a complete reversal of the sound Metallica was reaching for on the much maligned St. Anger, channeling their classic period with a hint of the 90s era. Don't be surprised if the opening few minutes of the song remind you of "Fade To Black," or "The Unforgiven," because the vibe is very much similar to those stellar tracks. The dueling guitar harmonies are back, as are the mind numbingly fast solos, delivered by one Kirk Hammett. Sure the lyrics are a bit cheesy in areas, but Metallica really never delivered incredibly profound wordplay.

Friday Roundup: TV is the new radio, Fleetwood Mac attack, Bono's boo-boo

• This morning's USA Today profiles the new generation of mellow, sunny singer-songwriters (Colbie Caillat, Marie Digby, Meiko, Brett Dennen, Sara Bareilles, Yael Naim, Greg Laswell), but what struck me about the article is how many of these folks experienced a very much 21st-century phenomenon: TV is the new radio. Never mind pitching to radio station music directors; it's the music producers for One Tree Hill and Grey's Anatomy you want to get your stuff to when you're shooting for the big career bump.

• Don't invite Lindsey Buckingham and Sheryl Crow to the same beach party anytime soon. From the sound of the Fleetwood Mac guitarist's latest comments, he's still pretty cheesed off at Crow's previous and apparently quite premature announcement that she was going to be joining the Mac for a new album and tour.
  
  
• Surely by now you've heard the one about Bono accidentally leaking tracks from the new U2 album by cranking his stereo a bit too loud. The new media paradigm -- all access, all the time -- is pretty unforgiving...

LeRoi Moore of Dave Matthews Band dead at 46

Word came last night that one of the great pure players of the last quarter century of popular music died, and far too young. LeRoi Moore, founding saxophonist for the Dave Matthews Band, died yesterday at just 46 years old. As the message on the band’s site states, Moore passed away from “sudden complications stemming from his June ATV accident on his farm near Charlottesville, Virginia. LeRoi had recently returned to his Los Angeles home to begin an intensive physical rehabilitation program.”

Moore was one of the finest horn players of his generation. I had the privilege of seeing him play with the DMB twice, and he was exceptional on both occasions, at ease and in the flow whether stringing together sweet phrases on his alto sax or honking out rhythmic accents on his bari. His swinging lines anchored DMB classics like “Ants Marching” and his flute work on tracks like “Say Goodbye” was nothing short of transcendent. His versatility and deeply soulful playing helped define the DMB’s unique sound, and while they may find someone else to play his parts, he can never truly be replaced. Moore was no less essential to the DMB than Keith Moon was to The Who, and will be missed equally.

Heartfelt condolences to his family and bandmates on this tremendous loss.

Metallica's James Hetfield: "Enter Fenceman"?

It seems Metallica frontman James Hetfield is a big believer in the old axiom "Good fences make good neighbors. " After buying a 500-acre piece of property in San Rafael, just north of San Francisco, the singer let it sit for nine years. Until recently, that is, when workers erected a metal and barbed-wire fence, cutting off a fire trail that locals say has been "used for at least a half-century to access treasured hiking trails along scenic ridgelines." Apparently Hetfield's even better-known neighbor has been able to work out a public access arrangement for hikers to traverse his property, so maybe Hetfield will follow the example set by George Lucas...

New AC/DC album Black Ice drops October 20

The rumors are true... the release date is confirmed... and they're baaa-aaack. Columbia Records announced today the October 20th release of hard rock heroes AC/DC's Black Ice, the band's first studio album in eight years.

The new album features 15 new tracks from brothers Angus and Malcolm Young, Brian Johnson, Cliff Williams, and Phil Rudd, the very same lineup that made 1980's immortal Back In Black. The album was produced by Brendan O'Brien (Bruce Springsteen, Train) at the Warehouse Studio in Vancouver, BC.

"Rock 'N' Roll Train," the album's first single, will debut on August 28th, with a video to premiere in September. Maybe the best news of all for fans -- the band is set to kick off its first world tour since 2001 in late October. Break out the cannons and get ready to head-bang!

What do Jackson Browne, ABBA and John Mellencamp have in common?

Answer: they have all asked Republican presidential candidate John McCain to stop using their songs in his campaign events and advertising. Browne yesterday went even further, suing the McCain campaign and both the Ohio and national Republican Party over a pro-McCain ad that used Browne's "Running On Empty." Regardless of which side of the political fence you're on, there is definitely something amusing about watching McCain struggle to generate some sort of youth appeal by latching onto popular music, only to get slapped down repeatedly by the artists he picks. Just ask Garry Trudeau...

The album is dead; long live the album

Interesting trend popping up in the news this week: artists doing their damnedest to make sure the album survives as an art form.

As the Associated Press notes on MSNBC.com, the list of artists taking a moment to perform classic albums live in their entireity has ballooned from an oddity into a full-blown trend. In recent months we have seen: Lou Reed playing Berlin on its 35th anniversary, Public Enemy performing It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back, Sebadoh playing Bubble and Scrape, Mission of Burma performing Vs., Liz Phair recreating Exile In Guyville (which she will do again later this month), and -- well, okay, THIS isn't exactly news -- Roger Waters playing the entire Pink Floyd classic Dark Side of the Moon as his second set at Coachella. Not to mention similar recent performances of whole albums by artists as diverse as Jay-Z, Lucinda Williams, Sonic Youth, Wilco, Slint, Iron Maiden and GZA.

In the era of the download, where individual tracks and custom playlists have gained prominence in the marketplace, it's great to see that the artist's vision of a substantial set of interconnected songs can still have a place at the table. Rock on, album-makers...

Soul legend Isaac Hayes dies

Soul legend Isaac Hayes died yesterday at his home in Memphis, he was 65. Hayes had been struggling with health issues following a stroke in 2006.

Hayes got his start as a house songwriter and musician at Stax records in the 60s, eventually emerging as a successful solo artist with his breakout album Hot Buttered Soul. Hayes was a pivotal creative force in the genesis of 70's soul music, influencing artists to this day. He received numerous gold and platinum awards, and headlined the legendary Wattstax concert in 1973.

He also acted, and for several years provided the voice of Chef on the animated series South Park. Throughout his career he garnered dozens of Grammy's and other accolades, including an Oscar in 1972 for best original song and induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

CNN: Isaac Hayes obituary

Mixtape Mondays

Today the Vault launches a new occasional feature: Mixtape Mondays. Before iPods, before playlists, back in the days when dinosaurs (and Isaac Hayes) roamed the land, there was a thing called the mixtape, wherein the author would put together a sequence of songs intended to convey a specific mood or idea. We've resurrected the concept and Assistant Editor Melanie Love is first out of the gate with a summery mixtape themed on "Ocean Waves" and featuring tracks from artists including Weezer, Styx, the Shins, the Unicorns, Death Cab For Cutie, Pixies and Band Of Horses. Grab a cool drink and a towel and enjoy...

Tom Petty raises the roof in St. Louie

Just had to share a link to this great review of last night's Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers gig in St. Louis. It sounds like this writer -- part of the younger segment of Petty's audience -- got baptized with some genuine rock and roll.

Trent Reznor and HBO in talks for possible Year Zero maxi-series

The man America counts on to turn nihilistic anger into high art -- Trent Reznor, natch -- may be on the cusp of his biggest multimedia triumph yet. The LA Times reports that Reznor is in talks with HBO about transforming the backstory behind his band Nine Inch Nails' 2007 album Year Zero and the video game of the same name into a two-year maxi-series for broadcast on the cable network. Year Zero chronicles a dystopian future vision in which holy wars rage worldwide as the environment collapses around us. Just the sort of thing to put a skip in your step... but, potentially powerful dramatic raw material.

The Police wrap reunion tour with live webcast

There's a nice piece on tonight's Madison Square Garden finale of the Police reunion tour on USA Today this morning. Among other things, it promos the live webcast of three songs from the encore set on bestbuy.com at 10:45 pm ET. Best Buy will subsequently release The Police: Certifiable, a DVD/CD set featuring the Buenos Aires concert, on Oct. 7. Best comment from the band goes to guitarist Andy Summers, 65: "Thank God people still love hair bands."

Americana Music Conference and Festival

Americana fans are in for a treat (again) this September...

Slated for Wednesday, September 17 through Saturday, September 20, the 9th Annual Americana Festival and Conference will offer daily seminars, panels and networking opportunities at the Nashville Convention Center in Nashville, Tennessee. Each evening brings more than 80 Americana showcases to key venues throughout the city. Approximately 2,000 industry executives, artists and fans are expected this year.

This year's list of showcase artists is amazing. How about: Joan Baez, John Hiatt, Jim Lauderdale, Tift Merritt, Levon Helm, Steve Earle, James McMurtry, Gary Louris and Mark Olson (from the Jayhawks), Kathy Mattea, Reckless Kelly and on and on.

Also, on September 18 the 7th Annual Americana Music Association’s Honors and Awards Show will recognize John Hiatt with the Lifetime Achievement Award in Songwriting and Jason and the Scorchers with a Lifetime Achievement Award in Performance. The two-hour event will be broadcast live on XM Satellite Radio, and rebroadcast on Sirius Satellite Radio and BBC2 Radio.

Tickets are available through www.americanamusic.org, where you can also find more details about award nominees, showcases, prize packs, etc.

Retrospective: Women Of Country

Fans of any of the following artists may want to tune in to the Daily Vault this month as we focus our monthly retrospective sights on the Women Of Country: Patsy Cline, Emmylou Harris, Martina McBride, Kathy Mattea, Rosanne Cash, Deana Carter, Carrie Underwood, Tammy Wynette, Trisha Yearwood, Shelby Lynne, Linda Ronstadt, Matraca Berg, Katy Moffatt, Shania Twain, Loretta Lynn, Lucinda Williams, Suzy Bogguss, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Neko Case, Alison Krauss, Dixie Chicks, Dolly Parton, K.D. Lang, Garrison Starr, Carlene Carter and Reba McEntire. That's a lot of musical territory to cover, so don't be late...

The Black Crowes "Jealous" of Gretchen Wilson?

Shades of the "My Sweet Lord" / "He's So Fine" debacle... country singer Gretchen Wilson stands accused of lifting the Black Crowes' 1991 hit "Jealous Again" for the basic melody of her new single "Work Hard, Play Harder," currently being used in advertising for the TNT series Saving Grace. E! Online invites you to compare the two songs' videos, and I'd have to say the evidence is pretty damning. The choruses are different, but the verses are dead on other than Wilson's version being countried up a bit.

Bob Dylan offers Tell Tale Signs, plus tour news from The Who

This just in from a pair of musical giants...

Bob Dylan's Tell Tale Signs -- the eighth installment in the best-selling Bootleg Series launched in 1991 - will be released by Columbia Records on Tuesday, October 7. Available in multiple formats, Tell Tale Signs will feature previously unreleased recordings and alternate versions of tracks from sessions which generated some of Bob Dylan’s most acclaimed and commercially successful albums from the last two decades, including Time Out Of Mind, Love And Theft, Modern Times and Oh Mercy. (Full track listing is here.) For a limited time, bobdylan.com will feature a free download of “Dreamin’ Of You,” a fully-produced recording from Dylan’s 1997 sessions with producer Daniel Lanois, which spawned Time Out Of Mind. Today (July 29) also marks the launch of a completely redesigned bobdylan.com.

Meanwhile over at TheWho.com, the boys are gearing up for their upcoming U.S. dates with exclusive weekly pre-sales and VIP packages to fan club members. Set to kick off on October 21st at The Palace Of Auburn Hills in Detroit, the tour is currently booked with ten dates, including stops in Boston, Philadelphia, New Jersey, Washington DC and ending with two gigs at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles on November 8 & 9. Ticket pre-sales are exclusively offered to ‘Official Wholigans’ fan club members; anyone can sign up now on TheWho.com to get access to pre-sales and other fan club benefits.

Rolling Stones get what they want from Universal

Big news in the world of corporate labeldom today as erstwhile world's biggest band The Rolling Stones announced they have left EMI and moved over to Universal. This is an unwelcome development for both EMI -- which recently lost both Radiohead and Paul McCartney -- and Live Nation, which had been lobbying hard to sign the Stones. In an industry in the midst of a wrenching transition in both business model and product delivery systems, it's a sign that there is still money to be made making and selling music.

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.