Legacy RecordingsA star-studded list of musicians, including Heart's Ann and Nancy Wilson, the Eagles' Joe Walsh and The Pretenders' Chrissie Hynde, have contributed to the upcoming album by technology mogul and philanthropist Paul Allen and his band The Underthinkers. Scheduled for an August 6 release, Everywhere at Once features 13 songs either written or co-written by Allen.
Other musicians who appear on the multi-billionaire's album include Allman Brothers Band slide guitarist Derek Trucks, Los Lobos' David Hidalgo, Ivan Neville and frequent Eric Clapton collaborator Doyle Bramhall II.
The Wilson sisters lend their talents to the song "Straw into Gold," Walsh sings and plays guitar on the tune "Six Strings from Hell" and Hynde delivers a lead vocal on a track titled "Rodeo." Trucks, meanwhile, appears on two songs while Hidalgo plays guitar on 11 of the album's 13 tracks.
Proceeds raised by sales of Everywhere at Once will benefit educational programs at Seattle's EMP Museum, which Allen founded in 2000. Allen co-founded Microsoft in 1975 and, after leaving the company in 1983, has gone on to fund and support a variety of projects in the areas of science, the arts, sports and business. He's also a lifelong guitar aficionado whose own music has been greatly influenced by Jimi Hendrix.
Yuri Gripas-Pool/Getty ImagesCarole King was honored by President Obama at the White House on Wednesday night as she was awarded the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song.
Obama remarked, "For an entire decade, behind so many of the songs that touched our hearts and stirred our soul, there was Carol forever joyful and uplifting."
Several artists paid tribute to King by performing her music, including Billy Joel, James Taylor, Gloria Estefan, Trisha Yearwood, JesseMcCartney and Emeli Sande.
The highlights included Joel performing "Locomotion," Taylor playing "Up on the Roof," and Estefan, Yearwood and Sande teaming up on "Will You Love Me Tomorrow."
King herself opened the event with a performance of "Beautiful."
The concert was presented as the latest edition of the “In Performance at the White House” series. It will air on PBS next Tuesday.
The 71-year-old King, the first woman to receive the Gershwin Prize, was also saluted with a concert at the Library of Congress on Tuesday night.
Photo: Bob HakinsIn honor of Doors keyboardist Ray Manzarek, who passed away Monday at age 74 after a battle with cancer, VH1 Classic will air a special block of Doors-related programming on Thursday night.
The network will kick things off at 8 p.m. ET/PT by screening the influential band's recently restored concert film, Live at the Hollywood Bowl '68. The film captures The Doors' historic July 1968 show at the famed Los Angeles venue and includes three previously unreleased performances.
Next up, at 9:30 p.m. ET/PT, VH1 Classic will air the Classic Albums series' making-of documentary about The Doors' self-titled debut. The program features recently taped interviews with Manzarek, as well as with Doors guitarist Robby Krieger and drummer John Densmore.
Then, at 10:30 p.m. ET/PT, an encore screening of Live at the Hollywood Bowl will be shown.
Manzarek's hypnotic and inventive keyboard melodies were a key element of The Doors' sound. After the band broke up in 1973, Ray delved into a wide variety of creative projects. He reunited with Krieger about a decade ago to form a touring group that continued to play The Doors' music for fans around the world until his death this week.
Mary McCartney/MPL Communications Ltd.Paul McCartney has once again spoken out in support of the jailed members of Russian punk group Pussy Riot after one of the imprisoned musicians, Maria Alyokhina, began a hunger strike Wednesday in protest of her treatment at a recent parole hearing. According to The Guardian, Alyokhina started the protest after she was denied the right to attend her hearing in the Russian city of Berezniki.
Following Maria's announcement, McCartney sent handwritten letters to Russian officials asking that they consider granting parole to both Alyokhina and her band mate Nadezhda Tolokonnikova.
On behalf of Alyokhina, Sir Paul wrote, "My personal belief is that further incarceration for Maria will be harmful for her and the situation as a whole, which, of course, is being watched by people all over the world." He added, "In the great tradition of fair-mindedness which the Russian people (many of whom are my friends) are famous for, I believe that you granting this request would send a very positive message to all the people who have followed this case."
With regard to Nadezhda, who was denied parole last month, McCartney wrote, "I have had a long relationship with the Russian people, and, with this in mind, I am making the following request in a spirit of friendship for my many Russian acquaintances who, like me, believe in treating people - all people, with compassion and kindness."
Alyokhina, Tolokonnikova and their band mate Yekaterina Samutsevich were arrested in March 2012 for hooliganism after Pussy Riot staged an unauthorized concert at Moscow's Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, described by authorities as "blasphemous." Following the trio's arrest, McCartney was among the many artists who sent letters to the Russian authorities imploring them to release the musicians. However, the three rockers were convicted in August and sentenced to two years in prison. Samutsevich was released on probation in October 2012.
The British LibraryAcclaimed Beatles biographer Hunter Davies has donated lyric sheets and letters written by John Lennon to the British Library in London as part of a new U.K. government initiative. The Cultural Gifts Scheme, which was adopted by the British government in March, allows citizens or companies to donate historically significant items in exchange for having their tax liability lowered.
Davies officially handed over the documents, which include Lennon's handwritten lyrics to The Beatles songs "Strawberry Fields Forever," "She Said She Said" and "In My Life," during a ceremony held earlier on Thursday at the library. The author had previously allowed the items to be temporarily displayed at the institution.
Prior to the event, the author said in a statement about his donation, "I want my Beatles collection to be kept together, in one place, and on public display, and the British Library is the perfect home for it. I have always been pleased to see them in the Treasures Gallery, next to the Magna Carta, and works by Shakespeare and Beethoven, because that's where I honestly think they belong."
He added that he's been working on a new book focusing on The Beatles' lyrics, and explained that this inspired him to give the Fab Four-related collectibles to the library.
In response to Davies' donation, U.K. Culture Minister Ed Vaizey said, "It's fantastic that the first treasures to be donated to the nation through the Cultural Gifts Scheme include the hand written lyrics to some of the world's best known songs, by one of the world's most loved artists. Incredibly generous donations like these are testament to the strong culture of philanthropy that exists in Britain today."
According to the BBC, Lennon himself gave the documents to Davies, who became friends with the late Beatles legend during the 1960s.
Rounder RecordsThe temporary restraining order Robert Plant recently obtained against a female fan has now been made permanent. TMZ reports that Alysson Billings was ordered by a judge on Wednesday to stay at least 300 yards away from the former Led Zeppelin singer for the next three years.
According to the website's original report, Plant stated in court documents that the 40-something-year-old Billings believes she's in a relationship with the rock legend even though they've never met. Plant claimed Billings has been sending flowers and leaving hotel keys for him and shows up at his concerts all over the world.
The veteran rocker also suggested that Billings' obsession with has taken a more ominous turn since he began dating his current girlfriend, singer/songwriter Patty Griffin. In the court documents, Plant alleged that Billings had been sending him increasingly threatening messages like, "Your betrayal with another woman stabs my mind" and "This woman is literally evil for you...I cannot, will not, shall not live this way anymore."
Billings originally was required to stay 100 yards away from Plant, but the new ruling ups the distance threefold.
Uriah-Heep.comTrevor Bolder, who played bass in Uriah Heep and David Bowie's famed backing band The Spiders from Mars, died Tuesday after a long battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 62. Bolder's passing was announced in a message on Uriah Heep's website that praised the rocker as "an all time great, one of the outstanding musicians of his generation, and one of the finest and most influential bass players that Britain ever produced."
In homage to his former band mate, Bowie issued a statement that reads, "Trevor was a wonderful musician and a major inspiration for whichever band he was working with. But he was foremostly a tremendous guy, a great man."
Uriah Heep frontman Mick Box also paid tribute to Bolder, calling him "a 'World Class' bass player, singer & songwriter, and more importantly a World Class friend." Box added, "He will be sadly missed by family, friends and rock fans all over the world. We are all numb to the core."
Bolder played in Bowie's backing group from 1970 to 1973, and appeared on four of the singer's studio albums -- 1971's Hunky Dory, 1972's The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars and 1973's Aladdin Sane and Pin Ups. After Bowie disbanded the group, Trevor went on to join Uriah Heep in 1976 and played with the band on and off until earlier this year when his declining health forced him to stop performing.
Trevor also had a brief stint as a member of Wishbone Ash during the early 1980s. In addition, in the early 2000s, he played in the Bowie tribute band The Cybernauts alongside Spider from Mars drummer Mick "Woody" Woodmansey and Def Leppard members Joe Elliott and Phil Collen.
Facebook.com/InterlockenFestivalNew details have been revealed about the recently announced inaugural Interlocken Music Festival, which is scheduled to take place September 5-8 at Oak Ridge Farm in Arrington, Virginia.
A new addition to the bill is John Fogerty, who will join veteran jam band Widespread Panic to perform a set of his classic Creedence Clearwater Revival material. Widespread Panic also is slated to play a second night at the festival without Fogerty.
Meanwhile, Grateful Dead spinoff group Furthur, which previously was announced as part of the Interlocken lineup, has been confirmed to perform on three of the festival's four days. During one of its sets, Furthur will play the Grateful Dead's classic 1970 album Workingman's Dead in its entirety.
Another previously revealed performer, The Black Crowes, now is confirmed to perform on two nights during the musical extravaganza.
Other artists who were part of the Interlocken fest's initially reported lineup include Neil Young & Crazy Horse, The String Cheese Incident and country star Zac Brown. Early bird general admission tickets and VIP packages will go on sale Thursday, May 23, at 10 a.m. ET. Visit InterlockenFestival.com for more details.
The Albright Entertainment GroupThe Edgar Winter Band and Rick Derringer will return to take part in the second annual edition of the Rock'N'Blues Fest tour, which will feature a variety of veteran artists who showcase the merger of rock 'n' roll and the blues. Joining Winter's group and Derringer on this year's lineup will be two Woodstock legends -- Ten Years After and Canned Heat -- as well as Canadian guitar whiz Pat Travers.
The 2013 Rock'N'Blues Fest tour is scheduled to get under way on July 27 in Las Vegas and currently is plotted out through an August 24 stop in Clearwater, Florida. A total of 19 shows have been confirmed, although more dates are expected to be announced for the trek soon.
Ten Years After's current lineup features three of the group's four original members -- drummer Ric Lee, bassist Leo Lyons and keyboardist Chick Churchill. Sadly, founding singer/guitarist Alvin Lee died in March at the age of 68. Speaking about the upcoming outing, Ric Lee says in a statement, "We are…excited to tour the U.S. as we pay tribute to band-mate Alvin Lee, while igniting a new wave of youthful excitement and appeasing long-term fans."
Winter, meanwhile, promises that his band "will be doing a new and very different show" from last year's Rock'n'Blues concerts. He adds that because 2013 marks the 40th anniversary of the release of The Edgar Winter Group's classic album They Only Come Out at Night, "we intend to celebrate the occasion by playing some of the songs from that album I haven't done in years."
Here are all of the announced Rock'n'Blues Fest tour dates so far:
7/27 -- Las Vegas, NV, The Cannery Casino 7/28 -- Saratoga, CA, The Winery 7/30 -- San Diego, CA, Humphrey's by the Sea 8/2 -- Anaheim, CA, The Grove 8/3 -- Flagstaff, AZ, Pepsi Amphitheater at Fort Tuthill Park 8/4 -- Tucson, AZ, Fox Tucson Theatre 8/7 -- Minneapolis, MN, The Zoo 8/9 -- Chicago, IL, Country Club Hills Theater 8/10 -- Sterling Heights, MI, Freedom Hill Amphitheater 8/11 -- Yonkers, NY, Empire City Casino 8/13 -- Westbury, NY, NYCB Theatre 8/14 -- Glenside, PA, The Keswick Theater 8/15 -- Providence, RI, The Park Theater 8/16 -- Englewood, NJ, Bergen Performing Arts Center 8/17 -- Rama, Canada, Casino Rama 8/18 -- Kettering, OH, Fraze Pavilion 8/21 -- Hampton, NH, Hampton Beach Casino 8/22 -- Hyannis, MA, Melody Tent 8/24 -- Clearwater, FL, Ruth Eckerd Hall
Jane Rose/KeithRichards.comA public library in Dartford, England, apparently can’t get satisfaction from Keith Richards.
The veteran rocker admits he still owes fines for books he borrowed and failed to return to the library decades ago, the Mirror reports. The newspaper quotes Richards as saying, “I’ve still got overdue fines from about 50 years ago. They must be astronomical by now.”
The Mirror estimates that with a 15 pence a day fine, plus interest and administrative fees, Richards could be facing a library bill of about 3,000 pounds, approximately $4,547.
The 69-year-old Richards says he felt right at home in the quiet atmosphere of the library in Dartford. “To me it was a place where you get a hint there was somewhere called civilization.” The hard-living guitarist adds, “It was the only place where I would willingly obey the laws, like silence. It was somewhere I could find out about things I was interested in.”
When contacted by the newspaper, a receptionist at the Dartford Library was unable to determine quickly how much Richards owes in fines. “For fines going back 50 years, it’s going to be tough to work out exactly how much is owed,” says the receptionist, adding, “We’d have to check the archives.”
Meanwhile, the U.K. tabloid The Sun cites experts who estimate that Richards actually owes the library around 20,000 pounds in overdue fines. That’s approximately $30,000.
Kris Connor/Getty ImagesCarole King will receive the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song at the White House on Wednesday. On the eve of that event, she was celebrated at the Library of Congress with a concert featuring Colbie Caillat and other artists.
King remarked at the Tuesday night concert, “The greatest joy for me is to hear someone interpret my song.” She performed herself, too, entertaining those in attendance with “Now and Forever” and “You’ve Got a Friend."
King also acknowledged the victims of the Oklahoma tornado, saying she would "keep them in our prayers."
On Wednesday night, President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama will salute King as part of the latest edition of the “In Performance at the White House” series. King, BillyJoel, James Taylor, Gloria Estefan and Trisha Yearwood are among the artists who will perform. The concert will be streamed live on WhiteHouse.gov/Live beginning at 7 p.m. Eastern time.
Legacy RecordingsFrom punk pioneers to musical innovators who cross-pollinated rock with reggae, hip-hop and other genres, The Clash blazed a fiery trail during the 1970s and '80s that influenced and inspired countless bands that emerged in their wake.
Now, the group's surviving members have designed and compiled a massive new box set titled Sound System that collects all five of the U.K. rockers' studio albums along with a plethora of demos, singles, B-sides and outtakes; promotional videos; concert footage; memorabilia; and much more.
Scheduled to be released on September 10, Sound System features a total of 12 discs, including the three CDs of extra material and a DVD. Among the bonus tunes are previously unreleased tracks from The Clash's very first recording session at Beaconsfield Film School in 1976, demos the band laid down for the Polydor label in November 1976 and performances from a December 1978 concert at The Lyceum Theatre in London.
The DVD, meanwhile, contains interview and concert footage shot by director Julien Temple and frequent Clash collaborator Don Letts, unreleased performances from a 1977 show at England's Sussex University, footage from the band's famous spring 1981 run of shows in New York City and a career-spanning selection of promo clips.
Sound System comes housed in a boom box-shaped case that also features a booklet, fanzines, a poster and collectible dog tags, badges and stickers. In celebration of the box set, Clash guitarist Mick Jones, bassist Paul Simonon and drummer Topper Headon have lent their voices to a quirky video in which they discuss the concept behind Sound System.
In conjunction with the arrival of Sound System, The Clash also is putting out CD and vinyl box sets featuring just the remastered versions of their studio albums. In addition, a compilation called The Clash - Hits Back, featuring 33 of the group's most popular songs, will be issued as a two-CD set and a three-LP vinyl collection on September 10. The retrospective's track list is based in part on a set that the band played at a famous 1982 concert held at London's Brixton Fair Deal venue.
To find out more details about the upcoming Clash releases, visit TheClash.com.
Facebook.com/EltonJohnElton John joins a growing list of famous rockers, including The Rolling Stones and Bon Jovi, who will perform headlining sets at London's famous Hyde Park this summer.
Elton and his band will serve as the main attraction at a July 12 concert that also will feature Kinks frontman Ray Davies, plus Elvis Costello, Nick Lowe and several other artists. The event, part of Hyde Park's British Summer Time series, will showcase singer/songwriters.
"I am truly honored to be headlining the Songwriters evening of the new British Summer Time series," says John in a statement. "This will be the first time in eight years that I have played with a band at Hyde Park…The audiences there are always amazing, and to be sharing the bill with two of Britain's great songwriters, Ray Davies and Elvis Costello, will only make the night that much more special."
Tickets for the concert will be available for purchase by the general public at BST-HydePark.com starting this Thursday at 4 a.m. ET.
The Rolling Stones are scheduled to play Hyde Park on July 6 and 13, while Bon Jovi's show is slated to take place on July 5.
Gonzo DistributionA new two-CD/DVD set featuring highlights from 1970's star-studded Kralingen Music Festival in the Netherlands is scheduled to be released on July 2. The Dutch Woodstock 1970 offers rare vintage performances by such beloved rock acts as Santana, Pink Floyd, Jefferson Airplane, The Byrds, T. Rex and Canned Heat.
Among the memorable tunes featured on the set are Santana's "Jingo," the Jefferson Airplane classic "White Rabbit," and the early Pink Floyd psychedelic gem "Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun." The DVD contains footage originally included in a feature film that focused on the 1970 Kralingen festival, as well as additional previously unreleased performances from the event.
Other artists that also contributed songs to the collection include The Soft Machine, Country Joe, Dr. John and Al Stewart.
Here's the complete track list for The Dutch Woodstock:
DVD Santana, "Gumbo" Al Stewart, "Zero She Flies" Canned Heat, "Human Condition" Canned Heat, "The World's in a Tango"/"So Sad" Quintessence, "Giants" Jefferson Airplane, "Won't You Try Saturday Afternoon" It's a Beautiful Day, "Wasted Union Blues" Pink Floyd, "Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun" Country Joe, "Oh Freedom" Dr. John and the Night Trippers, "Mardi Gras Day" Family, "Drowned in Wine" It's a Beautiful Day, "Bulgaria" T. Rex, "By the Light of the Magical Moon" The Byrds, "Old Blue" The Flock, "Big Bird" Soft Machine, "Esther's Nose Job" Jefferson Airplane, "White Rabbit"/"The Ballad of You and Me and Pooniel" Santana, "Savor"/"Jingo" Pink Floyd, "A Saucerful of Secrets"
CD 1 Cuby and the Blizzards, "Dust My Blues" Canned Heat, "Human Condition"/"So Sad" Livin' Blues, "Big Road Blues" Al Stewart, "Zero She Flies" Quintessence, "Giants" East of Eden, "The Sun of East"/"Irish Theme" Country Joe, "Freedom" Dr. John and the Night Trippers, "Mardi Gras Day" Family, "Drowned in Wine"
CD 2 Santana, "Gumbo"/"Savor"/"Jingo" Jefferson Airplane, "White Rabbit"/"The Ballad of You and Me and Pooneil" It's a Beautiful Day, "Wasted Union Blues"/"Bulgaria" T. Rex, "By the Light of the Magical Moon" The Byrds, "Old Blue" The Flock, "Big Bird" Soft Machine, "Esther's Nose Job" Pink Floyd, "Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun"/"A Saucerful of Secrets"
Samir Hussein/Redferns via Getty ImagesDespite the fact that George Michael's rep said the singer only suffered "superficial cuts and bruises" in a car crash last week, he's still in the hospital, reports the BBC.
George was a passenger in a Range Rover that was involved in a car accident in the U.K. last Thursday, and he was found on the road by paramedics, the BBC says. He was then airlifted to a medical center in London.
The spokeswoman confirmed to the BBC that George was still in the hospital, and added, "We are keen to stress it's purely as a precaution for observation. He did suffer a couple of bumps and bruises to the head, and that's why they are keeping him in -- to keep an eye on him."
She added, "He is doing better. He is making good progress and is looking forward to getting out."
But the British paper The Sun paints a more serious picture of the accident, which did not involve a third party. A driver on the scene, who was forced to hit the brakes when she saw George in the road, tells the paper, "I saw blood everywhere and a man on the ground...I asked what had gone on and was told he tried to open the car door and shut it again because it wasn’t shut properly and apparently fell out at 70 mph."
She added, "There was a nasty cut on his forehead and the back of his head. There was blood all down his face and on his teeth. He was breathing and conscious but in shock...He was lucky he didn’t die.”
The hit-making singer appears to have nine lives. According to Billboard, in 2004, he was involved in two car accidents, and another one in 2006. His license was yanked in 2007, but when it was restored, he got into another accident: In 2010, the car he was driving slammed into a photo processing store in London. He was then sentenced to eight weeks in prison after a judge found he'd been driving under the influence of pot and prescription medication.
In addition, in 2011, George suffered a bout of pneumonia that nearly killed him, and then last year canceled a tour due to "major anxiety," a side effect of that near-death experience.
Henry Diltz/Elektra RecordsIn the wake of Doors keyboardist Ray Manzarek's death Monday at age 74 after a battle with bile-duct cancer, the group's two surviving members, guitarist Robby Krieger and drummer John Densmore, have penned tributes to their longtime band mate.
After issuing a brief initial statement about Manzarek's passing on Monday, Krieger later posted a longer homage on his official Facebook page. In the message, Krieger notes that Manzarek and late Doors singer Jim Morrison "were the two most unusual people I have ever known." He then points out that while Morrison "was obviously a genius" whose unique qualities were immediately apparent, Ray "was a late bloomer."
Krieger continues, "The real Ray didn't appear until after Jim was gone. He was constantly doing projects with different people, producing, playing with different poets. He always saw the good side of people, and that was his genius."
The guitarist goes on to praise Manzarek for being "the only guy at UCLA that saw something good about Jim. Everyone else thought of Jim as a phony or worse. He saw the genius of Jim's words and the rest is history."
Lastly, Krieger notes that Ray "sure did influence my life, and I hope yours [too]. I'll always be grateful to John for introducing me to Ray and Jim, and I'll never forget them."
As for Densmore, he writes of Manzarek in an extended Twitter post, "There was no keyboard player on the planet more appropriate to support Jim Morrison's words." Then, speaking directly to his late band mate, he declares, "Ray, I felt totally in sync with you musically. It was like we were of one mind, holding down the foundation for Robby and Jim to float on top of. I will miss my musical brother."
Meanwhile, a TMZ report has revealed some new details about Manzarek's illness and the treatment he sought to cure it. Sources close to the keyboardist's side group The Manzarek-Rogers Band revealed to TMZ that Ray was at the RoMed Clinic in Rosenheim, Germany, the facility in which he died, because it's a world-class clinic that specializes in treating the rare cancer that killed him. The sources reported that Manzarek told his band mates about his condition in March, and he went to Germany not long after that.
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The Louisiana Swamp Pop Museum operated by the City of Ville Platte is open to the public every Friday and Saturday from 10:00am to 3:00pm. Come view the amazing artifacts, photos, records, Wall of Fame and hear the music. Admission charge is $3 adults, $2 seniors and $1 for children under 12. The museum is located on Northwest Railroad Avenue.
Yuri Gripas-Pool/Getty ImagesCarole King was honored by President Obama at the White House on Wednesday night as she was awarded the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song.
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