Sights and Sounds: 54th Annual GRAMMY Awards, Todd Rundgren, Grateful Dead

All set for the GRAMMY Awards on Sunday night? I'm looking forward to the telecast. Not because I necessarily care who wins, but rather because some of the performances might be cool.

Here are the performances on my radar:

Paul McCartney , seen here, is on the top of my list (wouldn't it be cool if Ringo Starr played drums; Ringo is set to be a presenter sometime during the show)


The reunited Beach Boys, set to perform with Foster The People and Maroon 5

The Civil Wars (an awesome duo that blew me away when I saw them live last year!)

Coldplay and Rihanna (their teaming on "Princess of China" is one of the best tracks on Coldplay's latest disc Mylo Xyloto)

Glen Campbell with the Band Perry and Blake Shelton (Glen Campbell, enough said)

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band! (Can't miss that one)


Visit GRAMMY.com for more details on music's big night.



TODD RUNDGREN’S LIVE PEFORMANCE OF CLASSIC ALBUM TODD
COMING ON S’MORE/ROCKBEAT ON DVD AND CD FEBRUARY 28, 2012


By the time he recorded the eponymous Todd in 1973, Todd Rundgren had charted with such evergreen hits as “Hello It’s Me,” “I Saw the Light” and “We Gotta Get You a Woman,” and had also been dubbed “Rock’s Renaissance Man” by Rolling Stone after releasing studio masterpieces Something/Anything? and A Wizard, A True Star. Todd was a departure; the iconoclastic artist included pop ballads alongside medleys, anthems, and prog rock. The album is universally heralded as one of Rundgren’s best, often compared to Electric Ladyland and Pet Sounds.

In 2010 — 37 years after its original release — Rundgren performed Todd live in its entirety for the first time ever, as part a special limited six-date sold-out tour (the Healing album was also performed, which will be a subsequent stand-alone live DVD/CD release). The September 14 date at Philadelphia’s Keswick Theater, in Rundgren’s hometown, was videotaped and is being released as both a live DVD by S’More Entertainment and a live audio CD by sibling RockBeat Records. Joining him onstage were Utopia’s Kasim Sulton (bass), The Cars’ Greg Hawkes (keyboards), The Tubes’ Prairie Prince (drums), Guitar Player Magazine’s editor Jesse Gress (guitar), Bobby Strickland (sax) and a full choir. Both the DVD and CD will hit retail on February 28, 2012.

In addition to the musical performance, multiple Emmy Award-winning television personality and sportscaster Roy Firestone, whose knowledge of Rundgren’s work is encyclopedic, was enlisted to conduct an extensive in-depth conversation with Rundgren onstage, which will also be packaged with the DVD.

From pop classic “A Dream Goes on Forever” to rocker “Heavy Metal Kids,” from the anthemic “Sons of 1984” to the explosive Blue Eyed Soul of “The Last Ride,” from the industry satire “An Elpee’s Worth of Toons” to the Gilbert & Sullivan homage “The Lord Chancellor’s Nightmare Song,” Todd is a masterful example of Rundgren’s broad musical palette.

You can pre-order Todd Rundgren’s live Todd DVD here.


SHOUT! FACTORY TO RELEASE

ALL THE YEARS COMBINE: THE DVD COLLECTION


A 14-DVD GRATEFUL DEAD BOX SET

FEATURING 38 HOURS OF FOOTAGE

THE DEFINITIVE VISUAL ANTHOLOGY OF ONE OF THE MOST

PROLIFIC AND CELEBRATED BANDS OF ALL TIME



On April 17, 2012 the Grateful Dead will be celebrated with a 14-DVD box set titled All The Years Combine: The DVD Collection, to be released by Shout! Factory in collaboration with Rhino Entertainment. Conceived as the ultimate tribute to the band’s legendary on-stage prowess, the set includes 12 concert films; a 40-page booklet containing rare photos and new liner notes by Blair Jackson; and all bonus features from previous releases of the DVDs in the set. As a special treat for fans, it also includes an exclusive bonus disc containing five previously unreleased live performances from the Grateful Dead archive, Backstage Pass, the 1992 documentary directed by Justin Kreutzmann, and a brand-new interview with Grateful Dead archivist David Lemieux.



Fans who preorder All the Years Combine: The DVD Collection directly from Shout! Factory will receive an exclusive bumper sticker with their order, while supplies last. More information at: http://www.shoutfactorystore.com/prod.aspx?pfid=5257684.


Despite an ambivalent attitude to using television as a promotional medium, the Grateful Dead’s creative genius and interest in filming their live shows resulted in what is now an extensive catalog of live performances on video. Included in All The Years Combine: The DVD Collection are The Grateful Dead Movie, The Closing Of Winterland; Dead Ahead; Truckin’ Up To Buffalo; Ticket To New Year’s; Downhill From Here; View From The Vault; View From The Vault Vol. 2; View From The Vault Vol. 3; View From The Vault Vol. 4; and So Far, a 1987 film that has previously only been available on VHS and laserdisc.


In 2011 Shout! Factory released The Grateful Dead Movie on Blu-ray, in a deluxe 2-disc set that included a DVD loaded with an extensive slate of bonus features. All The Years Combine: The DVD Collection will contain the DVD version of the film as well as the accompanying DVD of bonus features.


The 12 films in the box set begin with The Grateful Dead Movie, filmed in 1974 when the band hired a crew to film 5 pre-hiatus shows at San Francisco ’s Winterland Ballroom. The film was released in 1977 after more than 2 years of work with a team of editors led by Susan Crutcher. In the liner notes of All The Years Combine, Blair Jackson writes “The Grateful Dead Movie may be the single greatest document of the totality of the Grateful Dead experience. Even though it is really just a slice in time showing one incarnation of the group, it completely captures the group’s magical essence — that joyous and strange mystical spirit that was a part of everything they did, from the Acid Tests in 1965 to the last concert at Soldier Field in Chicago in 1995, a month before Garcia’s death.”


Filmed in the same location just a few years later, The Closing Of Winterland was filmed during the Dead’s annual New Year’s Eve concert in 1978, which was to be the final show at the venerable arena. Featuring friends like Lee Oskar (War) and Matthew Kelly (Kingfish); John Cipollina (Quicksilver); Greg Errico (Santana) and author Ken Kesey with his Thunder Machine, the playing is loose but intense, the frequent peaks reliably transcendent. The sound — mixed from the 24-track master reels — is superb. The Closing Of Winterland DVD is also packed with bonus features galore, including “Winterland: A Million Memories” Documentary Film; Blues Brothers: “Soul Man” & “B Movie”; New Riders Of The Purple Sage: “Glendale Train”; “Making Of The DVD” Featurette; 2 a.m. Interview with Bill Graham by Scoop Nisker; Detailed Chronological History of Grateful Dead at Winterland; and an Alternate Camera Angle Option (“Wharf Rat,” “St. Stephen” & “Good Lovin’”).

Dead Ahead, recorded at Radio City Music Hall in 1980, is the next DVD in All The Years Combine. Celebrating their 15th anniversary, the Dead played 15 shows at the Warfield in San Francisco , followed by eight concerts at Radio City Music Hall. In addition to their usual two sets, the Dead opened each night with an acoustic set as well. The final concert fell on Halloween, and was simulcast as a closed-circuit pay-per-view event at 20 movie theaters across the country. Dead Ahead is comprised of songs from the final show and the previous night’s show interspersed with comic bits from the Saturday Night Live comedy team of Al Franken and Tom Davis (both big Dead Heads).


The award-winning 55-minute conceptual video So Far makes its maiden appearance on DVD in this box. The video contains footage from private sessions taped in Marin County , portions of the 1985 New Year’s Eve concert at the Oakland Coliseum Arena, and psychedelic visual material. Of the film, Garcia said “The video is the Grateful Dead way of doing things, which turns out to be expensive, difficult and unrepeatable. If we went back to do this again, we’d come out with a different finished version. We couldn’t repeat it. If you’re going to do something, it’s important — for me, at any rate — to shoot high, even if you miss, or even if you’re accused of being pretentious. . . . We were after the idea of electronic mind-altering and consciousness-altering. And on that level, I think it’s pretty successful.”

Ticket To New Year’s, filmed at Oakland Coliseum on New Year’s Eve 1987, was also a national pay-per-view telecast. Once again the Dead rose to the occasion and gave the fans in Oakland and many thousands across the country watching in their living rooms a very well-played and energetic show.


Truckin’ Up To Buffalo is the complete show from Rich Stadium in Buffalo on July 4, 1989, and it’s a hot one. Len Dell’Amico’s direction really lets us see the communication between the players when they’re “on” — the subtle cues, the quick exchange of glances and smiles as they dig into a tune or jam. It’s really like eavesdropping on the band from an onstage perch.

Two weeks and seven shows after the Buffalo extravaganza, the Dead returned to one of their favorite Midwest haunts, Alpine Valley Music Theatre in East Troy , Wisconsin , for three shows. This scenic amphitheater has a covered seating area and a huge, steep back lawn section that the Dead had no problem filling by the late ’80s. Downhill From Here, which consists of the entire July 17, 1989, Alpine show — save for three songs at the end of the first set that were swapped out for three from the first set of the concert two nights later — was one of the first commercial videos the Dead released in the years right after Garcia’s death, and it still stands as one of the best.


The View From The Vault I release (recorded July 8, 1990, from the now-demolished Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh ) gets off to a rollicking start with “Touch Of Grey” and “Greatest Story Ever Told” and keeps grooving with the old British folk number “Jack-A-Roe.” Phil does a great job singing Bob Dylan’s “Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues,” and the encore is an emotional “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door.” Also worth noting is this disc’s bonus material — from the more intimate Cardinal Stadium, in Louisville, Kentucky, two nights earlier (July 6, 1990). Two of the best numbers on View From The Vault come from this addendum: a magnificent “Standing On The Moon,” sung with tremendous passion and nuance by Garcia; and a hot, bluesy 13-minute excursion labeled “KY Jam.”


View From The Vault II brings us a show from (long-gone) RFK Stadium in Washington , DC , on June 14, 1991. A few months after Brent Mydland’s death in the summer of ’90, the Dead had returned to the road as a septet, with the keyboard slot occupied by two players — Vince Welnick and Bruce Hornsby. This DVD’s bonus footage returns to RFK a year earlier for a portion of one of Brent’s last shows. We get a very different-sounding “Dark Star,” as well as “Victim Or The Crime,” “Foolish Heart” and Phil leading the group through a reassuring and hopeful “Box Of Rain”: “Believe it if you need it; if you don’t, just pass it on . . . ”


The show that dominates View From The Vault III took place on June 16, 1990, at Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View , CA , south of San Francisco . This turned out to be the last tour for Brent Mydland, who died in late July 1990, but here the sextet is still going strong, with no hint of the calamity to come. This particular concert is revered for its the extraordinary second set, which includes solid versions of “China Cat,” “I Know You Rider,” “Estimated Prophet” and “Terrapin” before the band launches into one of their most interesting and exploratory jams during this era. The first set is also loaded with goodies, and bonus footage on the DVD consists of the first six songs from the October 3, 1987 concert at Shoreline, and is perhaps most notable for the N’awlins funk rave-up “ Hey Pocky Way ” and one of the few extant video versions of Weir’s slithery “My Brother Esau.”


View From The Vault IV captures the complete Grateful Dead sets from two shows in a series of sold-out stadium concerts backing Bob Dylan in the summer of 1987, where the band played their own sets too. The concert from Oakland Stadium is an exceptionally lively and high-spirited affair. Two days later the tour moved to Anaheim Stadium in Southern California , and the group hit a series of completely different high notes with their set lists.


Wrapping up the box set is an exclusive bonus disc containing five previously unreleased and never before seen live performances from 1987-1991, sourced from the Grateful Dead archive, as well as Backstage Pass, the 1992 documentary directed by Justin Kreutzmann, and a brand-new interview with Grateful Dead archivist David Lemieux.

Jackson writes in the All The Years Combine booklet, “You can find nearly the whole history of American music spread across these discs, with music encompassing rock, folk, blues, jazz, country, ragtime, soul, funk, modern classical and avant-garde elements. Where else can you hear songs by Chuck Berry, Merle Haggard, Bob Dylan, Howlin’ Wolf, Johnny Cash and Buddy Holly, unifying anthems, party rave-ups, songs of existential longing, murder ballads, cowboy tunes, love songs, primal drums and dissonant electronics all in one place? The Grateful Dead created a rich and sumptuous psychedelic patchwork quilt stitched together with magical golden thread. Sad to say, we’ll never see anything quite like them come this way again — but at least we have the recorded footage, reminding us that it wasn’t just a beautiful dream . . .”


Shout! Factory is a diversified entertainment company devoted to producing, uncovering and revitalizing the very best of pop culture. Founders Richard Foos,
Bob Emmer and Garson Foos have spent their careers sharing their music, television and film faves with discerning consumers the world over. Shout! Factory’s DVD offerings serve up classic, contemporary and cult TV series, riveting sports programs, live music, animation and documentaries in lavish packages crammed with extras. The company’s audio catalogue boasts GRAMMY®-nominated boxed sets, new releases from storied artists, lovingly assembled album reissues and indispensable “best of” compilations. These riches are the result of a creative acquisitions mandate that has established the company as a hotbed of cultural preservation and commercial reinvention. With its fingers on the pulse of pop culture, Shout! Factory continues to impact the entertainment media landscape through acquisition of top quality programming for home entertainment releases. Shout! Factory is based in Santa Monica , California . For more on Shout! Factory, visit www.shoutfactory.com.

ALL THE YEARS COMBINE: THE DVD COLLECTION Includes:
· The Grateful Dead Movie (2-DVD)* (Theatrical film, originally released in 1977)

· The Closing Of Winterland (2-DVD)* (Winterland Ballroom, San Francisco, CA, December 31, 1978)

· Dead Ahead* (Radio City Music Hall, New York, NY, October 1980)

· So Far (Originally released on VHS and laser disc in 1987 — first time on DVD!)

· Ticket To New Year’s* (Oakland Coliseum, Oakland, CA, December 31, 1987)

· Truckin’ Up To Buffalo (Rich Stadium, Orchard Park, NY, on July 4, 1989)

· Downhill From Here (Alpine Valley Music Theatre, East Troy, WI, July 17, 1989)

· View From The Vault* (Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, PA, July 8, 1990)

· View From The Vault II* (RFK Stadium, Washington, DC, June 14, 1991)

· View From The Vault III* (Shoreline Amphitheatre, Mountain View, CA, June 16, 1990)

· View From The Vault IV (Oakland Stadium, Oakland, CA, July 24, 1987, and Anaheim Stadium, Anaheim, CA, July 26, 1987)



*includes all bonus features from previous release



Exclusive bonus disc contains:

· Five previously unreleased live performances from the Grateful Dead archive

· Backstage Pass, the 1992 documentary directed by Justin Kreutzmann

· Brand-new interview with Grateful Dead archivist David Lemieux

Sights and Sounds: Grace Potter & The Nocturnals, Tommy Bolin, Cowboy Junkies, Stephen Kellogg and The Sixers

Have your ears on? A bunch of promising releases from the far-flung reaches of the rock universe are set to land soon! I've had a chance to listen to the forthcoming Tommy Bolin release 'Great Gypsy Soul' and fans of the late guitar great will want to get this as soon as it is released next month...

Here are details about all that and more courtesy of the most recent media updates to land in my inbox. We'll kick things off with details about Grace Potter's forthcoming release.


GRACE POTTER & THE NOCTURNALS REVEAL DETAILS OF FOURTH STUDIO ALBUM,
THE LION THE BEAST THE BEAT, DUE OUT THIS SUMMER

CO-PRODUCED BY JIM SCOTT AND FEATURING A COLLABORATION WITH THE BLACK KEYS’ DAN AUERBACH

GPN TO PREVIEW NEW SONGS AT COACHELLA APRIL 14 & 21, 2012
SUMMER STADIUM TOUR WITH KENNY CHESNEY/TIM McGRAW KICKS OFF JUNE 2 IN TAMPA, FL

Grace Potter & the Nocturnals are nearing completion of their fourth studio album for Hollywood Records, which will bear the title The Lion The Beast The Beat. The envelope-pushing new LP plays with reoccurring themes and big ideas. “I think there's a Lion and a Beast within all of us - as humans. There's also true goodness, and the appearance of goodness…” says Grace. "Maybe I've watched too much Mad Men, but I'm in love with the idea of a story with no heroes and no villains and these themes just kept creeping into all the new songs and I didn't fight it. I decided to embrace it." Among the song titles are “Stars,” “The Divide,” “Steady,” “Parachute Heart,” “Never Go Back,” and “Loneliest Soul,” both co-written with Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys, and the title track “The Lion The Beast The Beat.”

“Each song stands upright on its own, but these songs really belong to this album,” says Potter. “The way we've always made records is to put together a list of 30 or so songs, pick the best ones, throw them together and hope it congeals. I didn't want to do that this time. I came up with the track order before we recorded so we could really bring you in and out of these songs like scenes in a movie. I want to bring the listener into our weird fantasy and keep them there."

The Lion The Beast The Beat has the scale of rock, the intimacy of blues, the wistfulness of country, and the imagination of psychedelia all tied together by an indelible voice. Grace can take you to church or the roadhouse, Nashville or Los Angeles, the penthouse or the pavement (or the barn) all in one phrase, and the band has the power and finesse to compliment her at every turn.

Potter co-produced the album with renowned studio artist Jim Scott. The band tracked the album live at PLYRZ, Scott’s studio in Santa Clarita, CA, far from the distractions of Hollywood. “When I first met Jim, I knew I wanted to make this record with him. He totally gets us,” says Grace. “He brought the perfect balance of sonic integrity and laid-back finesse. He clearly knows the ‘Zen Dance’ from many years with Rick Rubin and the countless records that he’s been a part of. His knowledge of working with bands runs so deep, from Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers to Wilco to Tedeschi-Trucks…Then we get to his studio, which is an F.A.O. Schwartz of vintage gear. I mean, the dude has enough drum sets for every single band member to play their own kit together, which we did—we’d go caveman apes**t every night before we left the studio.”

The Lion The Beast The Beat also contains the fruits of GPN’s collaboration with Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys. Auerbach co-wrote and recorded with the band in his Nashville studio in the midst of the pre-production, resulting in the songs "Never Go Back" and “Loneliest Soul.” Firing up his plethora of vintage amps, analog drum loops and “crazy kaleidoscope percussion,” as Grace puts it. “Dan has really hit his stride as a musician and a producer, making epic music the whole world is loving,” she says. "It was great to jump on his train and just let-a-rip.”

In April, the band will make their first-ever appearance at Coachella. “It’s great that we got invited. I love that it’s the first year they’re doing two identical weekends! I mean, who doesn’t want more of something great? It’s so right-on that they’re letting the party continue on. Most of the people who are gonna be there have no idea who we are. We’re fearless onstage, and I think Coachella is will be the perfect setting for us to be just that. And we’ll definitely unveil enough of the new stuff. I'm so looking forward to giving these songs life onstage.”

Following Coachella, GPN will embark on the ‘Brothers of the Sun’ Tour with Kenny Chesney and Tim McGraw, a pairing inspired by Grace’s duet with Chesney on their CMA Award-winning single and video “You and Tequila,” which is also up for multiple Grammy and ACM awards and was recently certified platinum for sales of over one million downloads. Grace is fully aware of the fact that a good number of those in attendance will think she’s a country artist, and she fully intends to disabuse them of that notion.

“I’m sure there will be some people who come to the show thinking they’ll see that blonde from the Kenny Chesney video and they get me,” she says with a laugh. “But I love taking people by surprise, and as much as we take things out into deep space onstage, elements of country and roots music have been in my songwriting since the very beginning. Besides, I think today’s country fans like to rock, and we’re gonna find a way to fulfill our dream of tastefully straddling rock ’n’ roll and country.

As if Potter didn’t already have enough good things happening in her career, Gibson is working with her on the Grace Potter Signature Flying V, which she designed herself in partnership with the guitar maker’s luthiers. “A rep from Gibson brought it to the studio last week and it was way better than any Christmas morning I’ve ever had. He told me that Gibson has only issued one other Signature electric guitar for a woman, and that was Joan Jett. I didn’t realize just how big a deal it was until I opened up the case and looked at it. It’s beautiful to look at – but more importantly, it sounds badass.”

All signs suggest that 2012 will be the year Grace Potter & the Nocturnals take it to the next level, validating years of nonstop roadwork and fulfilling their immense promise, commercially and artistically. And The Beat goes on…

Information: http://www.gracepotter.com/


ROCK GUITAR LEGEND TOMMY BOLIN PAID TRIBUTE ON
“GREAT GYPSY SOUL”

CD AND SPECIAL EDITION DOUBLE CD WITH BONUS TRACKS
SET FOR RELEASE MARCH 27 ON 429 RECORDS

All Star Lineup Contributes To All New Recordings of “Teaser” Tracks Performing Alongside Bolin
Guests Include Peter Frampton, Warren Haynes, Nels Cline, Steve Morse, Steve Lukather, Brad Whitford, Joe Bonamassa and Others.

In the annals of rock history, Tommy Bolin occupied a brief, but shining stint as a brilliant guitarist who wowed those in the know with his mastery of many genres—rock, fusion , funk, reggae and heavy metal among others. Along with a much lauded solo career that, pushed the boundaries of rock/jazz fusion, Bolin played with The James Gang and Deep Purple which set him up for major solo guitar stardom which was cut short by his untimely death in 1976. Not to be overlooked, there’s been much written about the guitar wunderkind and now a top notch roster of players have signed on to pay tribute to Bolin on GREAT GYPSY SOUL. Produced by Greg Hampton and Warren Haynes, it’s a remarkable project that brings together major players who actually perform alongside Tommy Bolin’s playing and vocals from the recording outtakes to his solo debut album “Teaser.” Peter Frampton, Warren Haynes (a key supporter of the project), Nels Cline, Steve Lukather, Steve Morse, Brad Whitford, Joe Bonamassa, John Scofield, Derek Trucks, Glenn Hughes and Myles Kennedy all contribute to this amazing project. GREAT GYPSY SOUL will be released on 429 Records on March 27 in both a single CD format and double CD with bonus tracks. A series of promotional concerts are also in the works.

Tommy Bolin was the quintessential guitar prodigy who focused his talents within the burgeoning rock/metal scenes of the early 70’s as well as mastered a highly lauded jazz fusion technique catching the attention of rock tastemakers and guitar legend peers. It was just a matter of time before Bolin was making a name for himself playing on projects as diverse as Billy Cobham’s “Spectrum” project (considered one of the great jazz fusion recordings of all time), replacing Joe Walsh in the James Gang, playing session work on seminal fusion projects by Moxy and Alphonse Mouzon, to replacing Ritchie Blackmore in Deep Purple. With the release of his second solo album Private Eyes, what should have been a red letter moment for Bolin, opening up for Jeff Beck in Miami, sadly turned tragic as Bolin was found dead of an overdose shortly after the gig.

Says Warren Haynes: “Many of the guests added after the fact have a close personal connection to Tommy—all share in acknowledging his place in rock history. Watching (and hearing) it all come to fruition some 35 years later was a journey of its own—well worth the travel.”

Track Listing:
Disc 1
1) The Grind w/ Peter Frampton
2) Teaser w/ Warren Haynes
3) Dreamer w/ Myles Kennedy and Nels Cline
4) Savannah Woman w/ John Scofield
5) Smooth Fandango w/ Derek Trucks
6) People People w/ Big Sugar and Gordie Johnson
7) Wild Dogs w/ Brad Whitford
8) Homeward Strut w/ Steve Lukather
9) Sugar Shack w/ Glenn Hughes and Sonny Landreth
10) Crazed Fandango w/ Steve Morse
11) Lotus w/ Joe Bonamassa, Glenn Huges and Nels Cline

Disc 2 Bonus CD
1) Flying Fingers w/ Oz Noy and Nels Cline
2) Marching Bag –Movement One w/ Nels Cline, Bolin, Greg Hampton, John Scofield, Sonny Landreth
3) Marching Bag—Movement Two w/ Nels Cline, Bolin, Steve Lukather, Derek Trucks, Peter Frampton
4) Marching Bag—Movement Three w/ Gordie Johnson, Bolin, Nels Cline, Oz Noy, Steve Lukather, Steve Morse, Joe Bonamassa
5) Marching Bag—Movement Four w/ Nels Cline, Bolin, Warren Haynes, Joe Bonamassa, Oz Noy, Brad Whitford, Peter Frampton

For more information visit:
www.429records.com


COWBOY JUNKIES TO RELEASE 'THE WILDERNESS' ON MARCH 27

THE NOMAD SERIES, VOLUME 4

With the March 2012 release of The Wilderness, Cowboy Junkies complete their four CD collection, “The Nomad Series.” The ambitious schedule of four new releases over an 18-month period will be punctuated by a full US tour - see dates below (more to follow). The latest collection of songs follows the critically acclaimed Renmin Park (2010), Demons (2011) and Sing In My Meadow (2011). Renmin Park was inspired by Timmins' two-month stay in China and was called “their most ambitious yet” by The Boston Herald. Demons, a collection of songs by the late Vic Chesnutt, was labeled “…a loving tribute” by NPR. Sing In My Meadow was hailed by Metromix as, “showing yet another side of one of the most versatile, underrated bands of the last 25 years.”

“The title, The Wilderness, in some odd way seemed to define what these songs were actually “about”: fragility, emptiness, loneliness, beauty, chance, loss, desperation, the delicate balancing act that makes up a life,” explains Michael Timmins. “They are about being lost in the wilderness of age, the wilderness of parenthood, in the wilderness of just trying to find meaning and substance, happiness and truth in one's day to day life. They are about standing alone in middle of it all, breathing in the cold still air and wondering.”

Upon the release of the four volumes, plans call for a book that will delve into the character, nature, and inspiration behind each of the albums. It will be published by Whale and Star, the publishing house of the band's friend Enrique Martinez Celaya, a Cuban-American artist whose "Nomad" paintings helped inspire the series. The four CD's are available separately, will be released as a box set in April with a bonus disc, and will be included in the upcoming book.

Timmins sums up the band's motivation for taking on such a massive project quite simply. "The main reason for wanting to do it," he says, "is that, as we steam through our twenty-fifth year, we feel that we have the energy and inspiration to pull it off!"

Cowboy Junkies On Tour

Date City Venue

02/23 Ithaca, NY State Theatre
02/24 W Long Branch, NJ Pollak Theatre
02/25 Providence, RI Fete Ballroom
02/26 Ridgefield, CT Ridgefield Playhouse
02/28 Annapolis, MD Rams Head Tavern
02/29 Annapolis, MD Rams Head Tavern
03/01 Alexandria, VA Birchmere
03/02 Norfolk, VA Attucks Theatre
03/03 Charlottesville, VA Jefferson Theater
03/04 Charleston, WV Mountain Stage
03/07 Harrisburg, PA Whitaker Center
03/08 Somerville, MA Somerville Theater
03/09 Glenside, PA Keswick Theatre
03/10 Westhampton Beach, NY Performing Arts Center
04/13 Ann Arbor, MI The Ark

Follow the band at www.cowboyjunkies.com


Stephen Kellogg and The Sixers Kick Off 2012 "Home Is Wherever You Are" Tour on February 8th!!

On the heels of their ‘Boys Only (Plus Girls)’ national headline tour, road warriors Stephen Kellogg and The Sixers continue to celebrate the release of their new album Gift Horse with the 2012 "Home Is Wherever You Are" Tour. Stops include Chicago, Minneapolis, Nashville, Atlanta, New Orleans, New York, and Vienna, VA where on June 22 and 23rd, the band will host the ‘Second Annual SK6ers Field Day Weekend.’ The event includes two shows at Jammin’ Java, and a day of BBQ and field games with The SK6ers. In addition to the headlining tour, the band will also be supporting O.A.R on select dates. For more information on SK6ers Field Day weekend event and all tour dates visit www.SK6ers.com. (Tour dates listed below).

SK6ERS - Stephen "Skunk" Kellogg, Kit "Goose" Karlson (keys, bass vocals), Brian "Boots" Factor (drums, vocals) and Sam "Steamer" Getz (guitars, vocals) - have been out on the road since September performing tracks off their October 11th release. Gift Horse, the band’s second album on Vanguard Records, brings the rich legacy of rock & roll into the present tense with 11 real-life narratives about love, family, and what it means to be an American today. By and large, the songs are directly relating to Kellogg’s personal experiences. The album’s debut was SK6ERS highest soundscan to date, reaching #1 on Amazon MP3’s Best Sellers, #14 on the Independent Current Albums chart, and #87 on Billboard’s Top 200.

Gift Horse is available now at iTunes and AmazonMP3.

Stephen Kellogg and The Sixers – "Home Is Wherever You Are" Tour
2-08 Columbus, OH - LC Pavilion w/OAR
2-09 Chicago, IL - Aragon Ballroom w/OAR
2-10 Milwaukee, WI - Eagle's Ballroom w/OAR
2-11 Minneapolis, MN - State Theater w/OAR
2-12 Fargo, ND – The Aquarium
2-14 Champaign, IL - Highdive
2-15 Columbia, MO - The Blue Note w/OAR
2-16 Memphis, TN - Minglewood Hall w/OAR
2-17 Nashville, TN - Marathon Music Works w/OAR
2-18 Atlanta, GA – Tabernacle w/OAR
2-24 Indianapolis, IN - Radio Radio
2-25 Ames, IA - The Maintenance Shop
2-26 Cedar Falls, IA - The Hub
3-01 New Orleans, LA - Sixth Man Presents - Rock the Boat XII
3-06 Tampa, FL – Ferguson Hall
3-07 Jacksonville, FL - Jack Rabbits
3-08 Athens, GA - The Melting Point
3-09 Asheville, NC - The Grey Eagle
3-10 Baltimore, MD - 8 x 10
3-11 York, PA – Capitol Theatre
3-13 Buffalo, NY - The Tralf
3-14 Killington, VT – Pickle Barrel
3-15 Brooklyn, NY - Brooklyn Bowl
3-16 Pawtucket, RI – The Met
3-17 Ogunquit, ME – Jonathan’s
3-18 Londonderry, NH – Tupelo Music Hall
6-22 & 6-23 – Vienna, VA - 2nd Annual SK6ers Field Day

Information: www.sk6ers.com

The Gram Parsons Foundation to host two events in March

Any chance to celebrate the music and legacy of the late, great Gram Parsons is a good one. This landed in my inbox today.

Gram Parson Foundation Launch Events and VIP Fundraiser Announced for March 14, 2012

Events Scheduled at Hotel San Jose in Austin, TX

Day Event to Feature Special Performances by Blitzen Trapper, Brendan Benson, Alberta Cross, Cory Chisel & The Wandering Sons, Great Lake Swimmers, and many more


The Gram Parsons Foundation is proud to announce two very special events to commemorate the foundation's official launching. The two events will both take place on March 14, 2012, at the Hotel San Jose in Austin, TX. The mission of the Gram Parsons Foundation is to support musicians and artists worldwide with addiction and recovery services. Motivated by the desire to assist the musical and artistic community, the Gram Parsons Foundation will providing solutions to drug and alcohol addiction, and focus on imparting a message of prevention and awareness to school aged children, the musicians and artists of tomorrow.


The first event is the official launch event, taking place at the Hotel San Jose parking lot from noon to 8 p.m. Numerous artists will be performing in celebration, including Blitzen Trapper, Brendan Benson (w/Eric Burdon), Cory Chisel & The Wandering Sons, Great Lake Swimmers, Alberta Cross, Poor Moon (Christian and Casey from Fleet Foxes), Jenny O., Shurman, Henry Wagons and Amy Cook, with the possibility of the addition of even more artists. The event will be streamed live through VenueOne (www.venueone.com) which is a fusion of entertainment and socializing functionality that enable viewers to connect, engage and watch gigs together online.


The second event is the official VIP Fundraiser, which will take place the evening of March 14 from 9 pm to Midnight at the Hotel San Jose Courtyard. This event will be a ticketed, private, VIP fundraiser with a live auction, food and cocktails. Polly Parsons, Gram's daughter, will speak about the Foundation and there will be a step and repeat available for photos. There will also be evening entertainment in the form of a musical performance by an artist to be determined.


GPF was first formed in 2004 to facilitate the transmittal of funds raised from the Return of the Grievous Angel: A Tribute to Gram Parsons shows in LA and Santa Barbara, to the Musicians Assistance Program (MAP) and SIMS Foundation. These concerts raised a substantial amount of funds with the support of the stellar musical talent, which included Keith Richards, Norah Jones, Dwight Yoakum, Lucinda Williams, John Doe, Jim James and more. After lying dormant, it was apparent after numerous passionate email's from Gram Parsons' fans, it was time to re-launch and begin giving back to the creative community.


The Gram Parsons Foundation continues to build on this exciting launch and there will be more announcements as they build for their March 14 event. You can donate to the foundation via their website and also request your own donate button for your online presence and to join our efforts.


For more information, please visit the Gram Parsons Foundation website at www.gramparsonsfoundation.org.

Ringo Starr & his 13th All Starr Band set to hit the road

ANNOUNCING RINGO STARR & HIS 13th ALL STARR BAND FEATURING
STEVE LUKATHER (Toto), GREGG ROLIE (Journey, Santana), RICHARD PAGE (Mr. Mister), TODD RUNDGREN, MARK RIVERA and GREGG BISSONETTE

Wednesday, February 8, Los Angeles, CA – Today Ringo Starr (seen on the left; photo courtesy of Rob Shannahan) announced his 13th All Starr Band, which will launch June 14, 2012 from Fallsview Casino in Niagara Falls, Ontario and conclude July 21, 2012 at the Greek Theater in Los Angeles, California. New to the All Starrs are Steve Lukather (Toto) and Gregg Rolie (Santana & Journey) who will join All Starr alumni Richard Page, Todd Rundgren, Mark Rivera, and Gregg Bissonette.

The tour is being produced by Dave Hart and as always fans can expect to hear a jukebox worth of hits. Ringo classic’s such as “It Don’t Come Easy”, “Photograph”, “Little Help From My Friends”, “Yellow Submarine” and “Wings," from Starr’s just released 17th solo record, Ringo 2012 (Hip-O/Ume). All Starr’s hits include “Rosanna,” “Broken Wings,” “Hello It’s Me,” “Black Magic Woman.”

Ringo will spend his birthday on the road, with a performance at Ryman Auditorium in Nashville on July 7. Following in the tradition of the last few years, at Noon from the Hard Rock Nashville, Ringo will ask anyone anywhere, and everyone everywhere, to join him in a wish for Peace & Love.

The confirmed dates are as follows:

June 14, 15 – Fallsview Casino, Niagara Falls, ON
June 16 – Bethel Woods PAC, Bethel, NY
June 17 – Mohegan Sun, Uncasville, CT
June 19 – Bank of America Pavilion, Boston, MA
June 22 – Jones Beach Ampitheater, Wantagh, NY
June 23 – Ceasar’s, Atlantic City, NJ
June 24 – Meyerhoff, Baltimore, MD
June 26 – State Theater, Easton, PA
June 27 – Mayo Center, Morristown, NJ
June 29 – St Augustine Theater, St. Augustine, FL
June 30 – Seminole Hard Rock Arena, Hollywood, FL
July 1 – Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater, FL
July 3 – Tuscaloosa Ampitheater, Tuscaloosa, Al
July 4 – The Wharf, Orange Beach, Al
July 6 – Fox Theater, Atlanta, GA
July 7 – Ryman Auditorium, Nashville, TN
July 8 – Horseshoe Casino, Hammond, IL
July 11 – Usana Ampitheater, Salt Lake, UT
July 13 – Northern Quest, Spokane, WA
July 14 – St Michelle Winery, Seattle, WA
July 15 – Edgefield, Portland, OR
July 17 – Mountain Winery, Saratoga, CA
July 19 – Humphrey’s, San Diego, CA
July 21 – The Greek, Los Angeles, CA

More dates will be announced soon.

For more information, visit http://www.ringostarr.com/

Friday Files: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, Ringo Starr, Buddy Holly

The Boss is set to rock the upcoming GRAMMYS next week, and today marks the 53rd anniversary of "The Day the Music Died." Read on as I share some exciting media releases that have landed in my inbox. Rave on and have a great weekend everybody!


BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN AND THE E STREET BAND SET TO PERFORM ON THE 54TH ANNUAL GRAMMY AWARDS®

Jack Black, Fergie and Ringo Starr to Present at the Music Industry's Premier Event

Music's Biggest Night®— Hosted by Rapper/Actor LL COOL J —
Airs Live on CBS Sunday, Feb. 12, 8 p.m. ET/PT


Photo credit: Jo Lopez


Twenty-time GRAMMY® winner Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band (the E Street Band's members are: Roy Bittan – piano, synthesizer; Nils Lofgren – guitar, vocals; Patti Scialfa – guitar, vocals; Garry Tallent – bass guitar; Stevie Van Zandt – guitar, vocals; and Max Weinberg – drums; with Soozie Tyrell – violin, guitar, vocals and Charlie Giordano – keyboards) have been added to the stellar lineup for the 54th Annual GRAMMY Awards® (www.grammy.com).

Actor/recording artist Jack Black, six-time GRAMMY winner and current three-time nominee Fergie, and nine-time GRAMMY winner Ringo Starr will appear as presenters. Music's Biggest Night® — hosted by two-time GRAMMY winner LL COOL J — takes place live on Sunday, Feb. 12 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles and will be broadcast in high definition and 5.1 surround sound on the CBS Television Network from 8 – 11:30 p.m. (ET/PT). The show also will be supported on radio worldwide via Dial Global, and covered online at GRAMMY.com and CBS.com, and on YouTube at www.youtube.com/thegrammys.

Previously announced performers for the 54th Annual GRAMMY Awards include Adele (in her first live performance since undergoing vocal cord surgery last fall); Jason Aldean and Kelly Clarkson; Glen Campbell with The Band Perry and Blake Shelton; Coldplay and Rihanna; Foo Fighters; Bruno Mars; Paul McCartney; Nicki Minaj; Katy Perry; and Taylor Swift. Aldean, The Band Perry, Minaj, and Shelton will perform on the GRAMMY telecast for the first time. Previously announced presenters are Dierks Bentley, Drake, Miranda Lambert, and Gwyneth Paltrow. LL COOL J has hosted "The GRAMMY Nominations Concert Live!! — Countdown To Music's Biggest Night" since its inception in December 2008, and this is his first time hosting the annual GRAMMY Awards telecast.



On the 53rd Anniversary of the rock pioneer's tragic death, acclaimed film and TV star to share stories, perform immortal Buddy Holly songs tonight (Feb. 3, 2012)



GARY BUSEY TO TAKE PART IN THE "THE BUDDY HOLLY STORY" FAN EVENTS AT PEPITO'S PARKWAY THEATER; McNALLY SMITH BAND FROM THE "BUDDY" HISTORY THEATER PRODUCTION TO PLAY HOLLY SONGS AFTER THE FILM WITH BUSEY FRIDAY


BUSEY'S ROLE AS HOLLY IN 1978 FILM EARNED HIM AN ACADEMY AWARD NOMINATION AND BEST ACTOR AWARD FROM THE NATIONAL SOCIETY OF FILM CRITICS

WHO: Buddy Holly died tragically 53 years ago today with two other musicians when their plane crashed outside of Clear Lake, Iowa, after playing the Surf Ballroom and heading to Moorhead, Minnesota to play.

Many music fans know February 3, 1959, as "The Day the Music Died."


WHAT: But Pepito's Parkway Theater and Rob Chapman Presents Rock & Roll Moving Picture Show will make the music and the life of Holly alive again with a Buddy Holly fan event TONIGHT, FRIDAY, Feb. 3, 2012 at 7 p.m. when it will present actor Gary Busey, who portrayed Holly in the 1978 film, The Buddy Holly Story. The scintillating performance earned Busey an Academy Award Nomination and the National Society of Film Critics' "Best Actor" award.


Busey will introduce the film, share stories about its making and talk about Holly.

Following the movie, he will perform a brief set of timeless Buddy Holly songs after the movie, with a backing trio that includes the former McNally Smith College of Music students who played as Holly's band, The Crickets for the History Theater's production of "Buddy." Those players include Josh Bourdon (Upright Bass), Brandon Petron (Guitar) and Zach Spicer (Drums).

The same group will do a set of Holly songs Thursday night after the screening.


WHEN: TONIGHT, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 3, BEGINNING AT 7:00 P.M. DOORS OPEN AT 6:15 P.M.


WHERE: Pepito's Parkway Theater is located at 4814 Chicago Avenue South , Mpls., 55417 and online at www.theparkwaytheater.com (612-822-3030). Tickets are available online at www.brownpaperticket.com

WHY: "Buddy Holly was one of rock's earliest pioneers, not only as a gifted songwriter and musician, but he was also doing highly innovative things in the studio, which later became commonplace," notes Rob Chapman, whose series of rock 'n' roll film events at the Parkway have included movies and conversations about Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones (with special guest saxophonist Bobby Keyes), The Doors, Prince and others.

"We are very fortunate to have Gary Busey join us on this memorial weekend," Chapman added, "and to share his insights into Holly's music, the celebrated Biopic in which Busey seemed to become the legendary rocker, and to sing select songs from the Buddy Holly songbook with a great young backing group of musicians. It's going to be a terrific night to fondly remember Buddy!"

Sights and Sounds: Paul Kostabi, 54th Annual GRAMMY Awards®, The Black Keys

Although this post features plenty of big updates about the upcoming 54th Annual GRAMMY Awards® set for Feb. 12, I'll kick things off with an update about artist-musician Paul Kostabi.

From Paul Kostabi with Love
Opening Reception:
Thursday, February 2, 2012
6:00 - 9:00 p.m.

Art is alive in Williamsport; come celebrate with the Grey Art Gallery!

The Grey Art Gallery is pleased to present "From Paul Kostabi with Love" with featured artist and musician Paul Kostabi. The exhibition will be on display from Thursday, Feb. 2, thru Feb. 25, with an opening reception on Thursday, Feb. 2, from 6 p.m. - 9 p.m.


Paul Kostabi has built his world around art and music. Born in 1962, Paul grew up in Whittier, California, and later moved to New York City. After college, he traveled across America and has circulated his work in Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, Canada and France. Some of his pieces remain in the permanent collections of the Paterson Museum in New Jersey, the Guggenheim in New York, the New England Museum of Art in Brooklyn, Connecticut, the Millenium Museum, the Whitney Museum of Art and the Museion in Bolzano, Italy.


Paul's work deals with all types of subject matter. He is a visual explorer who is intimately connected to the environment around him. Many of his paintings have the worked-over look of pictures meant to be worlds in themselves. They grab the eye like a stranger grabbing your lapels. They are paintings that love paint: its infinite variability, its stubbornness, its musicality, the energy it emits in contact with itself, the emotions it unlocks, even when it looks as random as spit and drool, as the record of the passing hand.


We will be showcasing several new paper pieces that Paul has been feverishly working on. Also on display will be some of his paintings that have hung with pieces by Jean-Michel Basquiat, Andy Warhol, and Keith Haring.

As an added bonus, we will be showcasing some paintings by Paul's brother Mark Kostabi.


Mark is a major player in the art world and was a prominent figure of the East Village art scene. In 1984, he won the "Proliferation Prize" from the East Village Eye for being in more art exhibitions than any other New York Artist.


Retrospective exhibitions of Mark's paintings have been held at the Mitsukoshi Museum in Tokyo (1992) and the Art Museum of Estonia in Tallin (1998.)


Mark's work is in the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Guggenheim, the Brooklyn Museum, the National Gallery in Washington D.C., the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, the Corcoran Gallery of Art, the Yale University Art Gallery, the National Gallery of Modern Art in Rome, and the Groninger Museum in Holland.


His permanent public works include a mural in Palazzo dei Priori in Arezzo, Italy, a large bronze sculpture in the central square of San Bernedetto del Tronto, Italy and a bronze portrait of Pope John Paul II in Velletri, Italy.


Mark even designed album covers for Guns 'N' Roses (Use Your Illusion) and The Ramones (!Adios Amigos!).


Other artists with new work on display for this opening include Mike Cockrill, Joshua R. Troxler, Misako Oba, Chad Andrews, Matthew Ryan Sharp, Tyler Cooey, Yosiell Lorenzo, Janelle Whisenant, Danielle Charette, Dean Landry, Matthew Parrish, Phillip Evans, Evan Summer, Joann Landis, and Aaron Meyers.


Musical entertainment will be provided by Michiko "Michi" Egger, and light refreshments will be served.


GRAMMY® NOMINEE KATY PERRY TO PERFORM ON THE 54TH ANNUAL GRAMMY AWARDS®

Dierks Bentley, Drake, Miranda Lambert, and Gwyneth Paltrow
are the first presenters announced for the Music Industry's Premier Event

Music's Biggest Night® — Hosted by Rapper/Actor LL COOL J —
Airs Live on CBS Sunday, Feb. 12, 8 ET/PT


Current GRAMMY® nominee Katy Perry has been added to the stellar lineup for the 54th Annual GRAMMY Awards® (www.grammy.com). Country artist Dierks Bentley, rapper/actor and current four-time nominee Drake, GRAMMY winner Miranda Lambert, and Emmy® and Academy Award® winner Gwyneth Paltrow will appear as presenters. Music's Biggest Night® — hosted by two-time GRAMMY winner LL COOL J — takes place live on Sunday, Feb. 12 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles and will be broadcast in high definition and 5.1 surround sound on the CBS Television Network from 8 – 11:30 p.m. (ET/PT). The show also will be supported on radio worldwide via Dial Global, and covered online at GRAMMY.com and CBS.com, and on YouTube at www.youtube.com/thegrammys. Additional performers, presenters and special segments will be announced soon. For GRAMMY coverage, updates and breaking news, please visit The Recording Academy®'s social networks on Twitter and Facebook: www.twitter.com/thegrammys, www.facebook.com/thegrammys.

Katy Perry is up for two awards: Record Of The Year and Best Pop Solo Performance for "Firework."

Previously announced performers for the 54th Annual GRAMMY Awards include Adele (in her first live performance since undergoing vocal cord surgery last fall); Jason Aldean and Kelly Clarkson; Glen Campbell with The Band Perry and Blake Shelton; Coldplay and Rihanna; Foo Fighters; Bruno Mars; Paul McCartney; Nicki Minaj; and Taylor Swift. Aldean, The Band Perry, Minaj, and Shelton will perform on the GRAMMY telecast for the first time, while Adele, Campbell, Clarkson, Coldplay, Foo Fighters, Mars, McCartney, Perry, Rihanna, and Swift are returning to the GRAMMY stage. LL COOL J has hosted "The GRAMMY Nominations Concert Live!! — Countdown To Music's Biggest Night" since its inception in December 2008, and this is his first time hosting the annual GRAMMY Awards telecast.

The 54th Annual GRAMMY Awards are produced by John Cossette Productions and AEG Ehrlich Ventures for The Recording Academy®. Ken Ehrlich is executive producer, Louis J. Horvitz is director, and David Wild and Ken Ehrlich are the writers.

Established in 1957, The Recording Academy is an organization of musicians, producers, engineers and recording professionals that is dedicated to improving the cultural condition and quality of life for music
and its makers. Internationally known for the GRAMMY Awards — the preeminent peer-recognized award for musical excellence and the most credible brand in music — The Recording Academy is responsible for groundbreaking professional development, cultural enrichment, advocacy, education and human services programs. The Academy continues to focus on its mission of recognizing musical excellence, advocating for the well-being of music makers and ensuring music remains an indelible part of our culture. For more information about The Academy, please visit www.grammy.com. For breaking news and exclusive content, follow @TheGRAMMYs on Twitter, like "The GRAMMYs" on Facebook, and join The GRAMMYs' social communities on YouTube, Tumblr, Foursquare, GetGlue, and Instagram.


MTV to Exclusively Premiere The Black Keys’ New Music Video “Gold on the Ceiling”
during “MTV FIRST: THE BLACK KEYS” on Monday, February 6th at 7:54pm ET on MTV

Band to Introduce New Music Video and Sit for Exclusive 30-minute Interview on MTV.com

On Monday, February 6, 2012, MTV News’ James Montgomery will sit down for an exclusive interview with Grammy-Award winning rock band The Black Keys to premiere the band’s new music video “Gold on the Ceiling” at 7:54pm ET on MTV during MTV FIRST: THE BLACK KEYS. Following the on-air portion, band mates Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney will stay on for an additional 30-minute interview on MTV.com to discuss their passage from humble beginnings to selling out Madison Square Garden and answer fan-submitted questions.

Immediately following the music video’s premiere on MTV, “Gold on the Ceiling”, which features footage from the band’s album release party that was livestreamed on MTV Hive, will go into rotation on mtvU and MTV Hits, premiere on MTV.com and VH1.com, and hit AMTV the next morning. The video will also debut in MTV2’s 120 Minutes with Matt Pinfield on Friday, Feb. 10 during a special Grammy-themed episode and in VH1’s “Top 20 Countdown” on Saturday, Feb. 11.

“Gold on the Ceiling” is the second single from The Black Keys’ new album, El Camino, released Dec. 6 on Nonesuch Records. The album debuted at #2 on the Billboard Top 200 and has already been certified RIAA Gold. The duo was featured on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine earlier this month, for the first time (January 19 issue). In celebration of the release, the band will embark on the first leg of their North American tour this March, featuring sold-out shows at Chicago’s United Center, DC’s Verizon Center, and two nights at New York’s Madison Square Garden followed by a second batch of April dates, including shows at Austin’s Frank Erwin Center and Seattle’s Key Arena. Click here for more info about tour dates: http://www.theblackkeys.com/shows.

In December, MTV supported the release of El Camino across its multiple screens, including “120 Minutes Road to Release The Black Keys” on MTV2, showcasing exclusive content offerings including interviews with the band, and a livestream of the band’s album release concert from New York City’s famed Webster Music Hall as part of MTV Hive’s Live in NYC livestream concert series.

The Black Keys have been a staple of MTV since 2003 when the network began playing their music video for “Set You Free.” In July, 2010, the band was featured as part of MTV’s weekly music initiative, MTV PUSH (Play Until Someone Hears) that showcases emerging artists. The Black Keys won the 2010 Video Music Award for Breakthrough Music Video for “Tighten Up”, and in 2011 were nominated for Best Rock Video and a “2011 mtvU Woodies” Award.

MTV News is the authority for music, movies and pop culture news for the Millennial audience, producing a diverse mix of daily news stories, insider specials, weekly series, live red carpet shows, exclusive music video and movie premieres, as well as exclusive artist and celebrity interviews on-air, online, via mobile and across social media.

The Cult set to release 'Choice of Weapon' in May

Here is an exciting update that landed in my inbox since I last checked in. Enjoy!

The Cult, left to right, features Billy Duffy, Chris Wyse, Ian Astbury, John Tempesta


One of the finest British rock acts to have enjoyed worldwide success over the last few decades, The Cult has wrapped up recording Choice of Weapon, the group's first studio album in five years. The album is set for a May 22, 2012 U.S. release on the band's new label Cooking Vinyl, and its 10 tracks reveal the band at its rawest and most visceral, encapsulating cinematic visions and themes of love, revolt, and redemption. Fans can get an early taste of the album by logging onto the band's website - www.thecult.us - where the track "Lucifer" is now available as a free download.


Choice of Weapon is the follow up to the critically-acclaimed 2007 release Born Into This that the UK's Mojo magazine called "a wholehearted, utopian and irrefutably exciting record." Long-time Cult collaborator and producer Bob Rock (Metallica, Bush), who produced one of The Cult's most successful albums, the Platinum-certified Sonic Temple, put the finishing touches on the foundations that were laid by co-producer Chris Goss (Queens of the Stone Age, U.N.K.L.E., Masters of Reality).


The album was written by Ian Astbury and Billy Duffy, recorded in New York City, Los Angeles, the California high desert, and the band's Witch Mountain studio between July and December 2011. The new release features founding members Astbury on vocals and Duffy on guitars, with drummer John Tempesta and bassist Chris Wyse. "We have had the opportunity to work with two of the most influential and talented producers in the world today," said Astbury. "They pushed us beyond our comfort zone, and helped us craft Choice of Weapon."


Choice of Weapon is aimed at the heart of The Cult's loyal following. It reflects the current discontent and destruction of our eco systems, the search for individual meaning against a tide of rampant materialism, narcissism and disconnected lives. "We went deeper . . . we worked a bit harder on this record. We have great fans and they deserve our best," added Duffy, "and I feel this is as strong as any album we have ever released.

Sights and Sounds: The Cranberries, Garbage, The Lumineers

Where did the weekend go? Well, here's some good news to kick the week off right courtesy of some timely releases that have landed in my inbox.


Most of my favorite bands to emerge during the 1990s were not of the grunge variety. Like DADA, Garbage and Toad the Wet Sprocket (three other bands I discovered during that decade), The Cranberries wrote powerful rock that was creative and boasted more textures and artful arrangements than most outfits to emerge out of the Northwest (hey Pearl Jam fans, I'm with yah!).

The Irish band is set to release Roses, its first new studio album in more than a decade, on Feb. 28, 2012. Issued by Cooking Vinyl/Downtown Records, Roses was produced by Stephen Street (Blur, The Smiths).

While waiting to pick up the new album, can visit The Cranberries' official Web site and view the official video of "Tomorrow," the first single from the new album.

In addition, The Cranberries are set to perform on "Late Night With Jimmy Fallon" on Feb. 7, "The View" on Feb. 10 and the "Tonight Show with Jay Leno" on Valentine's Day, Feb. 14.

For more details, visit www.Cranberries.com.


GARBAGE ANNOUNCE FIRST NEW ALBUM IN SEVEN YEARS

NOT YOUR KIND OF PEOPLE TO BE RELEASED ON BAND'S OWN LABEL ON MAY 15, 2012


GARBAGE ANNOUNCE FIRST ROUND OF TOUR DATES

Garbage has announced that their fifth studio album, Not Your Kind Of People, will be released in the United States on May 15, 2012, on the band's label STUNVOLUME. As V Magazine recently put it: "The poster girl for '90s alternative rock is ready to reclaim her reign - and the radio - with a new record from her iconic band, Garbage."


"Working with Garbage again was very instinctual," said Duke Erikson. "Like getting on a bicycle...with three other people." He adds "We haven't felt this good about a Garbage record since the last one!"


Garbage - Shirley Manson (vocals), Steve Marker (guitars, keyboards), Duke Erikson (guitars, keyboards) and Butch Vig (drums, loops) - will hit the road this spring in support of the album by performing several headlining shows as well as various festivals throughout Europe and the U.S. with more dates to be confirmed.


"Thinking about going back on the road is both thrilling and terrifying in equal measure," said Shirley Manson. ".........but we've always enjoyed a little pain mixed in with our pleasure."

See below for full list of dates confirmed so far.


Garbage 2012 Tour Dates*


Headlining Tour Dates

MAY
9th London, England Troxy

11th St. Petersburg, Russia Jubilenyi Hall

12th Moscow, Russia Crocus City Hall

16th Paris, France Olympia



Festival Tour Dates

JUNE
16th Hultsfred, Sweden Hultsfred Festival

17th Aarhus, Denmark Northside Festival

22nd Neuhausen ob Eck, Germany Southside Festival

23rd Scheessel, Germany Hurricane Festival, Red Stage

28th Werchter, Belgium Rock Werchter, Pyramid Marquee


* more dates to be announced

ABOUT GARBAGE
After forming in Madison, WI, Garbage released their self-titled debut album in 1995 and rode a wave of visually arresting, female-fronted alternative rock bands. The album spawned the hit singles "Stupid Girl" and "Only Happy When It Rains" and was certified double platinum in Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The band won the Breakthrough Artist Award at the 1996 MTV Europe Music Awards, and was nominated for the Best New Artist Grammy® Award. Their second album, Version 2.0, was released in 1998 and topped the charts in the United Kingdom. It was nominated for two Grammy Awards including Album of the Year and Best Rock Album. 2001's Beautiful Garbage was named one of Rolling Stone Magazine's Top 10 Albums Of The Year. In 2005, Garbage released Bleed Like Me, earning the band it's highest chart position with a No. 4 on the Billboard Top 200 Album Chart. In 2007, the band released a retrospective collection called Absolute Garbage. Garbage has sold over 12 million albums worldwide. They have performed in over 35 countries and will tour extensively worldwide in support of this new release.



The Lumineers Announce Self-Titled Debut Album

Band Signs to Dualtone


The Lumineers Be Released on April 3

Touring In US March and April

Denver band The Lumineers are proud to announce the release of their self-titled debut album, out on April 3rd via Dualtone. The band's style of emotive, powerful folk-rock has garnered comparisons to Edward Sharpe and Mumford and Sons, and is in line with Dualtone's history of supporting talented folk acts. The album was produced and mixed by Ryan Hadlock (Foo Fighters, Ra Ra Riot, Metric) at Bear Creek Studios, with additional mixing by Kevin Augunas (The Black Keys, Cold War Kids, Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros) at Fairfax Recordings, and follows the band's eponymous self-recorded EP that was released earlier in 2011.




The Lumineers will be touring in support of the debut, beginning in March and playing through the end of April. The tour will start along the West Coast with stops in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Seattle, and will run through other major markets including Chicago, Brooklyn, and Philadelphia. For a full list of tour dates, please see below.



Off the strength of a self released EP the band was named one of the 20 best new bands of 2011 by Paste Magazine:

http://www.pastemagazine.com/blogs/lists/2011/12/the-20-best-new-bands-of-2011.html



The band also played at World Café, which you can check out at NPR here:

http://www.npr.org/2012/01/09/144900622/the-lumineers-on-world-cafe-next




The Lumineers were formed by Wesley Schultz and Jeremiah Fraites in New York. Their story begins in 2002, the year Jeremiah's brother and Wesley's long-time best friend, Josh, died from a drug overdose at 19. Amidst the loss and grief, Wes and Jeremiah came together and found solace in music, writing songs and playing gigs around New York. After battling the city's cutthroat music scene and impossibly high cost of living, the two decided to expand their horizons. They packed everything they owned and headed for Denver, Colorado. It was less a pilgrimage than act of stubborn hopefulness.

The first thing they did in Denver was place a Craigslist ad for a cellist, and the first person to respond was Neyla Pekarek, a classically trained Denver native. As a trio, they began playing at the Meadowlark, a gritty basement club where the city's most talented songwriters gathered every Tuesday for an open mic and dollar PBRs. Neyla softened Wes and Jeremiah's rough edges while expanding her skills to mandolin and piano. And so The Lumineers sound took shape; an amalgam of heart-swelling stomp-and-clap acoustic rock, classic pop, and front-porch folk.

The Lumineers Tour Dates

Wed-Mar-21 - San Diego, CA @ The Casbah

Thu-Mar-22 - Los Angeles, CA @ Hotel Café

Sat-Mar-24 - San Francisco, CA @ Café Du Nord

Sun-Mar-25 - Santa Cruz, CA @ The Crepe Place

Thu-Mar-29 - Eugene, OR @ Axe & Fiddle

Fri-Mar-30 - Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios

Sat-Mar-31 - Seattle, WA @ Tractor Tavern

Sun-Apr-01 - Vancouver, BC @ Media Club

Wed-Apr-04 - Boise, ID @ Neurolux

Thu-Apr-05 - Salt Lake City, UT @ The State Room

Fri-Apr-06 - Bellvue, CO @ Misawaka Indoors

Sat-Apr-7 - Boulder, CO @ Shug's

Mon-Apr-09 - Ames, IA @ The Maintenance Shop

Wed-Apr-11 - Minneapolis, MN @ 7th Street Entry

Thu-Apr-12 - Madison, WI @ The Frequency

Fri-Apr-13 - Chicago/Evanston, IL @ SPACE

Tue-Apr-17 - Burlington, VT @ Higher Ground Lounge

Wed-Apr-18 - Northampton, MA @ Iron Horse

Thu-Apr-19 - Fairfield, CT @ StageOne

Fri-Apr-20 - Berklee, MA @ Café 939 (festival)

Sat-Apr-21 - Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg

Sun-Apr-22 - Vienna, VA @ Jammin' Java

Tue-Apr-24 - Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brendas

Thu-Apr-26 - Chapel Hill, NC @ Local 506

Fri-Apr-27 - Nashville, TN @ The Basement

Sat-Apr-28 - St. Louis, MO @ Blueberry Hill

Sun-Apr-29 - Kansas City, MO @ The Record Bar


For more information, please contact:

www.thelumineers.com

Area concerts bring Jeff Peterson, Geoff Tate and Deana Carter to So Cal this weekend

Just because NAMM has ended doesn't mean there are no special concerts being staged in the Orange County area here in Southern California. In fact a wide-range of artists will be bringing their music to the region this weekend.

Lord of the Strings concerts bringing the sounds of Hawaii to the OC this weekend


Jeff Peterson is coming in from Hawaii for two Lord of the Strings concerts in South Orange County. If you have seen the highly popular Academy Award nominated and Golden Globe Award winning movie The Descendants starring George Clooney you no doubt noticed the fantastic slack key guitar music throughout the film. Peterson recorded five songs that are featured in the movie.

In related news (guitar player take note!), LOTSC only have 3 openings left (of seven total) for the guitar workshop with Jeff Peterson this Saturday (Jan. 28) from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in San Juan Capistrano. All levels welcome! The cost is $75 and will include lunch. Call Tim at (949) 842-2227 to make your reservation.

Tickets for Peterson's Friday evening show in Dana Point or his Saturday night performance in Mission Viejo can be purchased online at www.LordOfTheStringsConcerts.com. For further information please call 949 842-2227 or visit the LOTSC site.




QUEENSRYCHE'S GEOFF TATE "AND FRIENDS" TO PERFORM AT THE COACH HOUSE ON SUNDAY, JANUARY 29

After touring extensively in 2011 with his band, Queensryche, Geoff recently announced that he will be doing a handful of acoustic solo dates billed as "Geoff Tate and Friends" beginning on Thursday, January 26 at Anthology in San Diego, California.

What can fans expect on the brief run of dates?

According to Tate, he'll be "playing acoustic versions of all my favorite Queensryche songs as well as some songs from my solo album." And that certainly gives him a lot to choose from...

Not one to remain idle, Tate is anxious to hit the road again next year despite an incredibly busy 2011 that found the band performing over 75 dates along their 30th Anniversary tour primarily in support of their 12th studio album, Dedicated to Chaos (Roadrunner Records/Loud & Proud), that was released in the summer.

Towards the end of the tour, Geoff and the band pulled out "all the stops" by performing Rage for Order in its entirety for the first time ever (New York City on Halloween) and Operation: Mindcrime from beginning to end on this year's ShipRocked Cruise (with In This Moment's Maria Brink handling vocal chores as "Sister Mary") for the first time in three years. Both shows were a pure treat for fans!

"Mindcrime" (1988) is universally respected as a classic concept release about rock, revenge and redemption and, ultimately, regarded as one of the most important and essential hard rock records in the genre's expansive canon. 1990's follow-up, Empire, yielded a number one single, the Grammy-nominated ballad "Silent Lucidity," which Queensryche performed at the 1992 Grammy Awards accompanied by a supporting orchestra.

In 2006, the band released Operation: Mindcrime II, a scorching sequel to their original. The band then hit the road performing both albums Operation: Mindcrime and Operation: Mindcrime II back-to-back in their entirety in an incredible theatrical presentation throughout the year. The final performance was recorded at The Moore Theatre in Seattle that October and the Mindcrime at the Moore double CD/DVD release debuted at #1 on Billboard's Top Music DVD Chart and eventually reached gold status.
For more information, please view the official Queensryche website at www.queensryche.com.



GEOFF TATE TOUR DATES
THURSDAY, JANUARY 26 - ANTHOLOGY IN SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA

FRIDAY, JANUARY 27 - THE CANYON CLUB IN AGOURA HILLS, CALIFORNIA

SATURDAY, JANUARY 28 - SLO BREW IN SAN LUIS OBISPO, CALIFORNIA

SUNDAY, JANUARY 29 - THE COACH HOUSE IN SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO, CALIFORNIA

TUESDAY, JANUARY 31 - CENTER FOR THE ARTS IN GRASS VALLEY, CALIFORNIA

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 1 - EL REY IN CHICO, CALIFORNIA

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 2 - UPTOWN IN NAPA, CALIFORNIA

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 4 - FINAGHTY'S IN SNOQUALMIE, WASHINGTON



Deana Carter & band to perform at the Fender Museum on Saturday


I ran into singer-songwriter-guitarist Shawn Jones at NAMM last weekend and he noted that he will be playing lead guitar for Deana Carter when she performs in the Rhythm Lounge at The Fender Museum at 8 p.m. on Saturday night (Jan. 28).

The Fender Museum is located at 365 N. Main Street, Corona Ca 92880. The direct number to call is 951-735-2440.

This is a benefit concert, with proceeds going to benefit the Kids Rock Free Music Education Program.

For more details, check out Shawn Jones' Web site or the Fender Museum site.

'American Idol' gets fitting tribute courtesy of singer-songwriter TJR

You might want to check out my Music Worth Buying co-host TJR's musical send-up to American Idol now posted on YouTube. Whether you like the show or hate it, I think you'll get a real kick out of the music video.

Sights and Sounds: M. Ward, Kate Bush, Plain White T’s, Audio Fidelity releases

Wow, I've been so swamped attending NAMM and wrapping up my coverage of the event that my inbox is stuffed. Now I've had some time to get some of it cleared out and I'm sharing it here!


M. Ward to release A Wasteland Companion in April; full North American Tour announced

Merge will release M. Ward's sixth solo album, A Wasteland Companion, on April 10.

In the three years since Portland, OR-based troubadour M. Ward released his last solo album - the universally lauded Hold Time - he’s toured the globe, released two albums as one half of Grammy-nominated duo She & Him as well as one with the talented group of friends collectively know as Monsters Of Folk.

Inspired by his increasingly itinerant lifestyle Ward set forth to create something of a musical travelogue. He explains, “Between now and when I made Hold Time there has been a lot of traveling which requires a lot of reckoning with what to leave behind and what to carry – material and otherwise – and thinking about what I want versus what I need, creatively and otherwise. I wanted to get a reflection of that on the album. It was a process of stripping away my security blanket, which is the same four walls I always record in.”

The album was made with 18 musicians and recorded in eight different studios in Portland, Omaha, New York City, Los Angeles, Austin and Bristol (UK). A Wasteland Companion features the talents of M Ward (piano, guitars, voice, production), Mike Coykendall (percussion, bass), Giant Sand’s Howe Gelb (piano), John Parish (percussion, marimba), Bright Eyes’ Mike Mogis (organ), Susan Sanchez (vocals), She & Him’s Zooey Deschanel (vocals), Jordan Hudson (percussion), Adam Selzer (bass), Nathan “JR” Andersen (piano), Scott McPherson (percussion), Sonic Youth’s Steve Shelley (percussion), Dr. Dog’s Tobey Leaman (bass), Devotchka’s Tom Hagerman (strings), Oakely Hall’s Rachel Cox (vocals), Amanda Lawrence (violin), John Graboff (pedal steel) and Tyler Tornfelt (bass). The recording utilized eight engineers, including Tom Schick (Rufus Wainwright) and John Parish (PJ Harvey).

M. Ward can be found on Twitter, Facebook, and at mwardmusic.com.

Track listing:
1. Clean Slate (for Alex & El Goodo)
2. Primitive Girl
3. Me And My Shadow
4. Sweetheart
5. I Get Ideas
6. The First Time I Ran Away
7. A Wasteland Companion
8. Watch The Show
9. There’s A Key
10. Crawl After You
11. Wild Goose
12. Pure Joy

M. Ward on tour:
Feb 2 Los Angeles, CA Masonic Lodge at Hollywood Forever Cemetery
Apr 11 San Francisco, CA The Fillmore
Apr 12 Santa Cruz, CA The Cocoanut Grove Ballroom
Apr 13 Indio, CA Coachella **SOLD OUT**
Apr 14 Santa Barbara, CA SoHO
Apr 16 San Diego, CA Belly Up
Apr 17 Phoenix, AZ Crescent Ballroom
Apr 18 Flagstaff, AZ The Orpheum
Apr 20 Indio, CA Coachella **SOLD OUT**
May 5 Portland, ME State Theatre
May 6 Burlington, VT Higher Ground
May 7 New Haven, CT Toads Place
May 8 Boston, MA House of Blues
May 11 New York, NY Webster Hall
May 12 Philadelphia, PA Union Transfer
May 13 Washington, DC 9:30 Club
May 15 Durham, NC Duke Performances at Page Auditorium
May 16 Athens, GA Georgia Theatre
May 17 Atlanta, GA Buckhead Theatre
May 22 Chicago, IL Vic Theatre
May 24 Minneapolis, MN First Avenue
Jonathan Richman supports 4/11
fIREHOSE supports 4/12, 4/16-4/18
Lee Ranaldo Band supports 5/5-5/22


KATE BUSH PREMIERES NEW VIDEO VIA NPR.ORG

Clip For “Lake Tahoe” From Acclaimed New Album
50 Words For Snow

Revered singer Kate Bush is premièring a new video from her acclaimed new album 50 Words For Snow at NPR’s All Songs Considered. The beautifully evocative cinematic clip is for her song “Lake Tahoe” and features stark shadow puppetry – featuring a dog moving through a stark landscape searching for its owner - perfectly compliments the music’s haunting sense of dramatic longing.

Bush told NPR that despite the video's abbreviated running time, she intended the clip to be viewed as a complete work: “The video exists as a self-contained piece, it is called 'Eider Falls at Lake Tahoe'. It has all been created in camera with shadow puppets, one of my favorite art forms because of its simplicity. It is something that I've wanted to do for years and it was great fun to make.”

To watch Kate Bush’s new video go to: http://www.npr.org/blogs/allsongs/

50 Words For Snow features 7 new tracks set against a background of falling snow, with a total running time of 65 minutes; through a highly evocative musical and lyrical landscape. The record features a number of special guest musicians including Elton John.



Plain White T's on Guitar Center Sessions - Airs on DIRECTV on Jan. 28, 2012

THE PLAIN WHITE T’S Bring Their Successful Mix of Pop-Rock To New Season of Award-Winning TV Series Guitar Center Sessions


Show to feature performance from Plain White T’s – plus an intimate conversation with Tom Higgenson, Tim Lopez and De’Mar Hamilton about the creative process of writing songs, the sometimes difficult dynamics of working together as a band and the increasing importance of commercials and TV in making a hit song — with host and esteemed musical tastemaker Nic Harcourt


Sneak Peek At: http://guitarcenter.com/sessions/


Westlake Village, CA – Guitar Center (http://www.guitarcenter.com), the world's largest retailer of musical instruments and equipment, and DIRECTV, one of the world’s leading providers of digital television entertainment services, feature PLAIN WHITE T’S in a new episodes of the award-winning music series Guitar Center Sessions this Saturday, January 28. Guitar Center Sessions features exclusive performances and intimate, enlightening conversations conducted by revered musical tastemaker Nic Harcourt. The episode premieres Saturday, January 28th at 9pm ET/PT in 2D hi-definition on DIRECTV’S Audience Network (channel 239) and in 3D on DIRECTV’S n3D™ powered by Panasonic.


An exclusive clip of Plain White T’s performance of “Hey There Delilah” from the episode can be seen at http://guitarcenter.com/sessions/.


Hailing from the suburbs of Chicago, the pop-rock Plain White T's began taking shape in 1997, a full ten years before the acoustic ballad "Hey There Delilah" made them Grammy-nominated stars. Led by Tom Higgenson, the band toured extensively over the next years, weathering personnel changes along the way and building a following through a solid work ethic and promising songwriting. After a few indie label releases, in 2006 they signed with Hollywood Records, released Every Second Counts and hit big with “Hey There Delilah” which reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was nominated for Grammy awards (song of the year and best pop performance by a duo or group). The following year they had another hit with “1, 2, 3, 4,” which struck a universal chord and catapulted up the charts with an assist from a Hallmark Valentine’s Day ad. In 2010, Plain White T's released their sixth, most recent studio album, The Wonders of the Younger, changing up their dynamic with two songs penned and sung by guitarist Tim Lopez, including the hit single, "The Rhythm of Love," which layers on a new laid-back acoustic sound to the band's usual mix of spunky energy and pop/rock craft. Plain White T’s line-up: Tom Higgenson (lead vocals, acoustic guitar), Tim Lopez (lead guitar, vocals), De’Mar Hamilton (drums), Dave Tirio (rhythm guitar) and Mike Retondo (bass).

In the episode, Higgenson, Lopez and Hamilton talk frankly to host Nic Harcourt about the pressures of working together as a band, with Lopez noting “the closest we’ve come to fighting in the writing process comes with putting songs together as a band.” Higgenson also discusses his shock at the huge success of “Hey There Delilah,” which he thought of as a “good, small song” until it took off on MySpace, becoming an early Internet sensation—and a chart-topping hit—in 12 countries. Hamilton agrees, saying the success of that song funded the band at a crucial time (“We were able to continue doing what we love to do – play music”). The three also talk about the evolution of social networking from the band’s early days (“so much time and money at Kinko’s making up a flyer”) to today with Higgenson saying it can be hard to feel a connection with the live audience “when you see a bunch of phones instead of people’s eyes and faces.” Another change they’ve witnessed concerns the benefits of licensing songs for commercials and TV shows. Higgenson and Lopez agree that placing a song in the right scene in the right movie or commercial adds a stronger emotion in visual form to the song. When Harcourt asks the seasoned musicians what advice they’d give young bands to get their music out, the answer is a resounding “Anything you can. Work hard, keep writing songs and do great live shows.”


“The Plain White T’s are one of the first artists to benefit from the unprecedented reach that the Internet provides to musicians,” says Harcourt. “They were able to hear fans in the UK sing along to ‘Hey There Delilah’ before their album was available there, thanks to the Internet. It’s fascinating to hear such a modern success story, and to find out how the band is able to build off their original success in a tangible way. It’s exactly the type of story we’re trying to explore with Guitar Center Sessions.”


AUDIO FIDELITY KICKS OFF THE NEW YEAR WITH 24-KARAT GOLD REISSUES OF
TWO CAREER-CHANGING ALBUMS OF THE EARLY '80S

Dio's Holy Diver and Bryan Adams' Cuts Like a Knife Rock Anew on Limited-Edition Audiophile Compact Discs Arriving January 31, 2012


Marshall Blonstein, president of Audio Fidelity, has set January 31st as the release date for the audiophile label's Gold CD reissues of Dio's HOLY DIVER and Bryan Adams' CUTS LIKE A KNIFE. Both albums will be issued as numbered, limited editions that will be available through both online and brick-and-mortar retailers and will be retired after they have reached 5000 units in sales.

The two albums hail from 1983, a year when rock was reasserting its place on a music landscape then dominated by dance and pop records. Long acknowledged as classic entries in each artist's catalog, HOLY DIVER and CUTS LIKE A KNIFE represented key turns in the careers of Ronnie James Dio and Bryan Adams. The albums enjoyed the longest tenure of any Dio or Adams set on Billboard's chart, with HOLY DIVER logging 38 weeks and CUTS LIKE A KNIFE notching 89.


Ronnie James Dio had already achieved star status as the lead singer of Elf, Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow and Black Sabbath by the time he released HOLY DIVER, the first record of what would be a long and fruitful solo career. Joined by alumni of his former bands-drummer Vinnie Appice (Black Sabbath) and bassist Jimmy Bain (Rainbow)-and teenaged discovery, guitarist Vivian Campbell, Dio crafted a searing debut that won widespread pop acceptance without compromising an ounce of its power or heavy-metal principles. The group-composed "Rainbow in the Dark," as well as the Dio-penned title track, became mainstream-rock radio hits, and the Bain-Dio cuts "Straight Through the Heart" and "Stand Up and Shout" grew into fan favorites-the latter featuring impressive, breakneck-speed soloing from Campbell.


HOLY DIVER peaked at No. 56 on Billboard's album chart (and reached 13 in the U.K.) and was certified Gold a year after its release and Platinum in 1989. The song "Holy Diver" retains considerable popularity almost three decades after it was first recorded, having been featured on TV's South Park and in the video game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories. "Rainbow in the Dark" was featured in Rock Band 3. Dio himself appears in the opening musical performance of the 2006 comedy Tenacious D in the Pick of Destiny starring Jack Black.

Audio Fidelity's reissue of HOLY DIVER includes a two-page spread reproducing the original vinyl LP's photo montage of images from Dio's time with Black Sabbath and Rainbow.



Following two solid solo albums, Canada's Bryan Adams broke through with CUTS LIKE A KNIFE, which was a Top 10 entry on both the American and Canadian charts. The set initiated Adams' run of five such acclaimed credits, sold some four million copies internationally and launched the raspy-voiced singer-writer as a major pop music figure, one who's garnered 15 Grammy® nominations. Adams wrote or co-wrote (mostly with longtime writing partner Jim Vallance) the album's ten songs-among them three solid Top 30 hits: the stirring piano ballad and signature piece "Straight From the Heart," the brisk rocker "This Time" and the troubled-relationship title track. "Straight From the Heart" was covered by Welsh singer Bonnie Tyler, and the album-closer, "The Best Was Yet to Come," was recorded by Laura Branigan.


Recorded in 1982 and originally issued on January of 1983, CUTS LIKE A KNIFE was produced by Adams with frequent associate Bob Clearmountain, whose engineering and mixing credits include Bruce Springsteen's Born in the U.S.A. and recordings by the Rolling Stones and Bon Jovi. Foreigner lead singer Lou Gramm contributes backing vocals on CUTS LIKE A KNIFE.



Founded in 2002 by music industry veteran Marshall Blonstein, Audio Fidelity specializes in deluxe reissues of classic popular-music recordings for the audiophile and collector markets The Camarillo, California-based label is best known for its 24-Karat Gold CDs and its 180-gram virgin-vinyl album editions, as well as a line of popular DVD titles. Audio Fidelity emerged out of the pioneering DCC Compact Classics label that Blonstein started in 1986, following stints as president of Island Records and co-founder of Ode Records (where he helped make Carole King's Tapestry one of the best-selling albums of all time and built the cult-film franchises The Rocky Horror Picture Show and Cheech & Chong's Up in Smoke).

For more information, visit: www.audiofidelity.net