The Monkees Davy Jones Dead at 66
(TMZ) Davy Jones, the lead singer of The Monkees, died Wednesday morning of a heart attack. He was 66.
An official from the medical examiner's office for Martin County, Florida confirmed with TMZ they received a call from Martin Memorial Hospital informing them that Jones had passed away.
Jones joined The Monkees in 1965 ... along with Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork ... and together they churned out a bunch of hits including, "Daydream Believer," "Last Train to Clarksville" and "I'm a Believer."
The group was initially cast by TV producers who wanted to create a scripted series about an actual rock n' roll band.
Davy's last performance was on February 19th in Oklahoma -- the night before, he performed at BB King in NYC ... and he looked totally fine.
Jones is survived by his wife Jessica and 4 daughters from previous marriages. more on this story
Led Zeppelin Reunion Raised $41 Million
(hennemusic) The effects of the 2007 Led Zeppelin reunion are still being felt, almost five years after one of rock's biggest events took place.
The Daily Mail reports funds raised by Zeppelin's 02 Arena show in December 2007 have been donated to Oxford University.
The £26 million ($41.6 million US) donation, made by Mica Ertegun, widow of Atlantic Records founder Ahmet Ertegun, is understood to be one of the largest in Oxford's 900-year history.
It will be used to set up the Mica and Ahmet Ertegun Graduate Scholarship Programme in the Humanities. more on this story
Guns N' Roses Plot Take Over
Guns N' Roses are returning to where it all began to wrap-up their current run of intimate club shows.
The band announced that they will be taking over Los Angeles in March with a three-date club run.
It's been 22 years since they last visited the Hollywood Palladium, where they have set their first stop on the LA run on March 9. GN'R will make their first appearances two LA music landmarks, The Wiltern on March 11, and House of Blues Sunset Strip on March 12. more on this story
Scorpions Final American Tour
(hennemusic) The Scorpions have announced new dates for their farewell tour. The German rockers have announced a summer tour of North America, starting June 8 in Reno and running through July 12 in Washington, DC.
At this point, "The Final Sting" World Tour is set to wrap up October 13 in Munich.
In addition to the group's farewell trek, The Scorps are also supporting their latest album, "Comeblack," a collection of classic rock covers and rerecorded band hits. more on this story
Memorial For 30th Anniversary of Randy Rhoads' Death
(The Metal Den) The sister of late Ozzy Osbourne lead guitarist Randy Rhoads, Kathy Rhoads D'Argenzio, has issued a statement to fans in concern with the upcoming memorial for the 30th anniversary of his death:
"Dear Randy Rhoads fans, As we quickly approach the 30th anniversary, I wanted to send a special THANK YOU to all of you for your continued support and love for my brother Randy.
"The upcoming anniversary is a clear reminder of how quickly time passes and I hope all of you will come join us in celebrating my brother's life. I know that for a lot of people coming to California isn't possible but, I hope that you'll remember my brother in your own special way. For all local fans or people making the trip to California, my family and I will be available to spend time with you" more on this story
Phish Plan Summer Tour
Phish will return to the road this June when they launch their 2012 summer tour of North America.
The tour will kick off with a two-night stand at DCU Center in Worcester, MA (June 7 & 8) and a headlining performance at the Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival, which will be held in Manchester, TN June 7-10.
The run will include three consecutive dates - June 15, 16 & 17 - at Atlantic City's 142-acre Bader Field, which was formerly the site of the first U.S. municipal airport for both seaplanes and land-based planes. Centrally located on the Eastern seaboard, Atlantic City offers a wide range of attractions and amenities, including gaming, fine dining, spas, pristine beaches and the city's historic boardwalk. more on this story
Meat Loaf Too Sick For Loose Women
(Gibson) Meat Loaf was due to appear on British daytime TV show Loose Women, but pulled out with an undisclosed illness.
He had been seen on the program fooling around with a banana, but when it came time for his segment, the host Andrea McLean said: "A little bit of sad news – I'm afraid Meat Loaf has taken unwell so he's unable to join us for the end of the show."
Meat Loaf collapsed during a couple of concerts last year. We wish him a speedy recovery. more on this story
Sorum Wants To See Adler Jam With Guns N' Roses at Rock Hall
(hennemusic) April 14 can't come fast enough for Guns N' Roses fans, as the band's original lineup reunites for their induction into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame.
Various GNR members have been speaking about the upcoming event and, at the end of the day, there's still no consensus about what is actually going to go down. Drummer Matt Sorum is the latest to chat about the occasion during an interview with KOMP 92.3 Las Vegas.
"People keep asking me about the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, and I'm really like the last guy to ask," says Matt. "I was the guy that joined Guns N' Roses and I was lucky to get the gig. And I was sort of there to be of service to the rest of the band. And the band is Axl Rose, Slash, Duff McKagan and Izzy Stradlin. Yeah, was I in the band? Sure. But when it comes down to making the decisions, I was the last guy to hear about it. So when people ask me [about Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame], I go, 'To be honest with you, I really don't know what's gonna happen.' I just don't know. Will I be there and be available for whatever happens? Yeah."
"And at the same time," Sorum continued, "I would like to see [original GNR drummer] Steven Adler up there." He has a lot more to say here.
Hole's Erlandson Releasing Book About Kurt Cobain's Suicide
(Gibson) When Kurt Cobain ended his life nearly 20 years ago, the tragedy caused a tsunami of devastation and change. From those close to Cobain – like wife Courtney Love – to casual fans of the grunge-rock musician's music, the heartbreak was felt across the globe.
Eric Erlandson, the guitarist who co-founded the grunge band Hole with Love, has penned a book looking back on Cobain's suicide and the period of emotional chaos and heartache that resulted from it. The book – which promises to pack 52 chapters of Erlandson's experiences and musings – will arrive in April via Akashic Books, the same month that commemorates the 18th anniversary of Cobain's passing.
Speaking with the New York Times, Erlandson explained that Letters to Kurt has been in the works for years, but he was only recently able to really articulate what he was trying to express in it. "It just wasn't feeling right to write a memoir-style book and this one just came out of me a couple years ago," he said. "It felt like the right way to go, but at the same time, I had a lot of hesitation. At some point it just started to click and I started to honor it."
Erlandson hasn't told Love about the new book. "Up until September of last year, October, she was asking me to play with her," he said. "But I felt like there was no transformation in our relationship at all. So that kind of worked its way into the book. I never mentioned to her that I had written the book, and I'm sure she's heard of it now." more on this story
John Legend Dancing in The Dark For Springsteen Week
(hennemusic) John Legend was featured on night three of Jimmy Fallon's tribute week to Bruce Springsteen.
Fallon is dedicating a week of shows Bruce to mark the March 6 release of his new album, "Wrecking Ball."
Night 3 of Springsteen week saw Legend perform a subdued, jazzy piano version of Springsteen's 1984 hit, "Dancing in The Dark," the first single from Bruce's "Born In The USA" album. Check out video of the performance here.
Another Classic Concert Coming From Rolling Stones Archives
(hennemusic) The Rolling Stones have a new offering from their archives: a 1981 concert from Hampton, Virginia.
The December 18, 1981 show was not only Keith Richards' 38th birthday, but also the final date on the band's North American tour in support of "Tattoo You."
The Hampton show was one of the first ever pay-per-view events on television. As the latest addition to the Stones Archive, the concert has been remastered by Bob Clearmountain. Read more and check out video here.
New Smashing Pumpkins To Be A 'Full Online Experience'
(Gibson) Smashing Pumpkins main man Billy Corgan is no stranger to dramatic, unorthodox ways to get his music out, and Corgan is reminding fans of that fact this week with an announcement that he will use next week's South by Southwest as a catalyst to announce the group's latest album, Oceania. Moreover, Corgan says the new album will be a "full online experience."
"Our aim is to turn the 'social' into a new way to experience an album," Corgan told Mashable. "By taking the medium one step further we will create an experience with Oceania online and off-line that transcends the single and the single mentality in all ways."
Corgan says he'll drop details about his vision for the album, as well as the official release date, at a session moderated by Altimeter Group Principal Brian Solis. The Pumpkins, he asserted, hope to "[bring] back the album experience through fan engagement in a whole new way with Oceania." He also said that the group are, "Working closely with Superfans as gatekeepers to help interaction on a fan-to fan level by promoting their Smashing Pumpkins related blogs and enlisting their help in maintaining a few official Smashing Pumpkins social media sites." more on this story
Gavin DeGraw Talks Working With Butch Walker
(Gibson) When Gavin DeGraw set out to record his latest album, 2011's "Sweeter," Butch Walker was high on his list of dream guys to tap for production duties. While Walker – with his credits with Weezer and Panic! At the Disco – might not seem like a likely fit for DeGraw's pop-rock, singer-songwriter fare, DeGraw insists that the two actually have a ton in common when it comes to music.
"He and I are a lot more similar, musically, than people would think; just the types of music we're into and the way we hear things," DeGraw exclusively told Gibson.com. "I thought he did an incredible job on this album. I had some songs I had written that I felt strongly about, and he selected which ones would best represent what we were doing and could do with the album.
"I think some of my proudest moments on the album are the things we were doing in his studio in Santa Monica, California. It was a great vibe. Butch is a fantastic musician, and he kicks it." more on this story
The Black Keys' Auerbach Worked on New Dr John Album
(Gibson) The Black Keys' Dan Auerbach is keeping his schedule pretty tight these days. For one, he recently dropped a new disc with the Black Keys: the chart-topping, garage punk set known as El Camino. In addition, he and Keys bandmate Patrick Carney are traveling the U.S., playing arenas in support of the release this spring.
But, somehow, Auerbach still finds time for some kooky collaborations, and a shining example of that is his recent venture with New Orleans icon Dr. John – a.k.a. Mac Rebennack – to record Dr. John's latest album, Locked Down.
"Watching him come up with parts was just so awesome. Mac is fearless," Auerbach told Rolling Stone of the collection of songs, which he produced. "Like that Farfisa solo on 'Revolution' – that's a first-take solo. He just goes for it, man. He told me he hadn't played a Farfisa organ since 1969 when he was with Doug Sahm, and he killed it." more on this story
Hank3 Plans Free Show
(Sub) Hank3's Attention Deficit Domination and 3 Bar Ranch will be playing a FREE show at NYC's Gramercy Theatre as part of the launch of Metal Wreckage Night on St Paddy's Day (Saturday, March 17th.)
To get into the show, you must RSVP on Eventbrite at www.metalwreckage.eventbrite.com. Entrance to the show is not guaranteed, and will be granted first-come, first-serve to all who RSVP and show up on Saturday, March 17th. The show will also be streamed live worldwide - details to follow.
Hank3 is on tour throughout March in support of his four albums that were released in September 2011, a double country record and two metal albums. The Metal Wreckage Night Hank3 show on March 17th will be the ONLY night on Hank3's tour where he will be playing an exclusive night of metal. more on this story
Keith Richards Posts Video Message To Fans
(hennemusic) Keith Richards has posted a new video message to fans. The Stones guitar legend recounts his events from last weekend while heading home on a private plane.
Keith kicked things off Friday night at New York's Apollo Theater, where he joined Eric Clapton and other music greats for the "Howlin For Hubert: A Concert to Benefit the Jazz Foundation of America" event. The evening was a tribute to guitarist Hubert Sumlin, who played in Howlin' Wolf's band for decades and passed away on December 4th due to heart failure.
From there, it was off to another cool event for one of Keith's own icons…"It's Sunday and I just got back from Boston to honor Chuck Berry," explains Keef. "Chuck's my man. I just had a great afternoon with him; he got an award for literary excellence – I've always said he's Shakespeare with a guitar around his neck. He finally got his due today. I had a great time with him." Watch the video here.
The Birth of Squeeze
(Gibson) On this day in 1974, Chris Difford placed an advertisement in a shop window: "Lyricist seeks musician for co-writing." Glen Tillbrook answered the ad. The pair went on to form Squeeze. Gibson takes a look back:
The smoky pubs in South London were a fertile breeding ground for new, young bands in the mid-'70s. And if The Kinks put North London on the map in the '60s, then those south of the river got their turn with Squeeze, 10 years later.
Nobody had caught the flavor of working class South London like Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook, writers who quickly would be hailed as the new Lennon and McCartney when the hits started making radio a much better place. Squeeze, in turn, developed into one of the U.K.'s most respected and cherished bands of the past 30 years. But if Tilbrook hadn't stopped to read a few ads in the window of his local tobacconist on this day in 1973, Squeeze may never have existed.
Tilbrook recalled that historic day to U.K. newspaper The Independent: "I wasn't going to answer the ad, but my girlfriend prodded me into it. So I called the number and this rather gruff person answered and said: 'Meet me at the Three Tuns in Blackheath village at six o'clock. I'll be carrying a copy of the Evening Standard under my arm.' I went along and there was this guy with long hair, a multi-colored lurex coat and a copy of the Evening Standard under his arm. Why he didn't just tell me about the coat, I don't know. It would probably have been a bit easier to spot."
The two prototype musicians were cut from very different cloth. Tilbrook was an easy-going hippie type with a natural flair for guitar while Difford was more blue collar in style and prepared to embellish his tobacconist ad with promises of (non-existent) imminent tours and recording contracts. more on this story
Singled Out: Centric Jones' Save Me
Today Tobe London of prog duo Centric Jones tells us about the song "Save Me" from their brand new album "The Antikythera Method," which comes out March 6th. Here is the story:
"A lot of what inspires our music comes from our shared love for science fiction. It seems to get woven into everything we do musically, visually and conceptually.
One great example on this record is track 9 'Save Me'. I'm not sure what came first, the song or the imagery. The idea behind it is one I came up with that puts Centric Jones as a Galactic touring band in the distant future. We travel around in our ship "Antikythera" and play enormous concerts on alien worlds. I imagined that the ship would land on some far away planet and then fold open to become this killer stage set up. This "galactic rock-stars" theme tied in also while I was working with Thierry Guilleminot on the art and layout for the CD package.
'Save Me' is also a great example of how Chris Fournier and I right music together. I came up with the intro feel and progression in 9/4. Chris came in and layered textures, bass and lead guitar over that. Chris then wrote the middle section and outro and tied it all together. Once we had the arrangement down and most of the parts I went in and played all the drum parts over that."
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