Music Bender

Whaddya think about this idea, yardbirds?

SongVest has partnered with writer Preston Glass to offer bidders 25% of his writer’s share for his hit songs “We Don’t Have To Take Our Clothes Off” and “Miss You Like Crazy”.

In addition to sharing in the royalties, the highest bidders will also receive one-of-a-kind platinum album awards plaques featuring handwritten and signed lyrics.

Glass says, “As a songwriter, sharing my songs with people is always a great thrill. But I can think of no deeper fan connection than sharing the benefits of ownership as well. It’s a mutually rewarding opportunity,”

Over the past three years, SongVest has offered music fans, collectors, and investors the unique opportunity to share the royalties with the writers of their favorite music.
Past auctions have included the rights to songs recorded by Aerosmith, Bon Jovi, Carrie Underwood, Ringo Starr, Ozzy Osbourne, and The Monkees.

The auction will begin at 3PM EST on Saturday, August 15 and end at 3PM EST on Saturday, August 22. Fans can register now at http://www.songvest.com to learn more about the revenue history for each song and get a glimpse behind the scenes at how and why the songs were written.

The Grammy Foundation and MusiCares are asking teen fans to take part in a new charity auction that can benefit their high school music programs.

You can bid on items like: original artwork and photos from Taylor Swift and Paris Hilton, signed postcards from Kanye West and Stevie Wonder, and actual guitars signed by Depeche Mode, John Mayer, Tom Petty and Sheryl Crow.

The GRAMMY Foundation makes it possible to show others how our culture is impacted by music, and does it through music education programs, scholarships and grants. MusiCares, on the other hand, provides a safety net of critical financial assistance and services for music people in times of need.

You’ll also have the opportunity to pick up hoodies signed by the Jonas Brothers, a T shirt signed by Iggy Pop, and items from Coldplay, Maroon 5, Joe Satriani, the Dave Matthews Band, Slash, Alice Cooper, Jennifer Lopez, Jennifer Hudson, Neil Diamond, 3 Doors Down, John Legend, Jason Mraz, U2, Melissa Etheridge, Green Day and many more.

The auction runs until July 31 and can be accessed here.

Y’know, whenever rock music’s discussed — whether here or elsewhere — there’s something missing from the conversation; something interesting.

Have you noticed that, among all genres of music, ours has the fittest, trimmest stars?  Yeah, country music’s in the mix, too, but, by and large, rock performers have better builds and, overall (if they stay away from the booze and bongs), better health.

Now, there’s a reason for this. 

You see, the rigors of rehearsals, tours (often from setting up equipment to the actual performances themselves) and the adrenalin that’s pumping throughout all that can be excruciating to any singer or instrumentalist who’s out-of-shape.
They also have to concern themselves with the public image.  Let’s face it:  in today’s world, “fat” just doesn’t sell (unless you’re a comic actor).

So, beyond the music, the glitz and glamor that comes with the territory, we’ve gotta take a moment and appreciate their fitness — and maybe even take a few lessons from them!

DIETING MADE EASIER

Of course, we all want trimmer, healthier bodies … and, when that calls for dietary supplements, we want to make sure they work to their full potential!
But there are so many of them out there, how can we be sure we’re getting the best?

Obviously, we can “pick and choose” through whatever pills and potions the local department store or pharmacy has, but, to find an actual diet pill that works, all you need to do is click that link you just passed.
These folks compare the best diet pills on the market and rate them by criteria that mean something to the consumer: Power, ingredient quality, reputation, results, value … even possible side effects! (Now, how many will go so far as to check that out for you?)
If you want to know which pills scored the highest (ie, the best), then just click the link you saw up there …
and, with their findings, you can discover the best diet supplement to help bring out the new you!

First, I’ve gotta share this with ya:

Now, you’ve heard … er, read … me talk about the fab new UK band, The Fore, and many of you have become great fans of the foresome.
Well, they’ve now been nominated IRM Best Independent Artist of 2009! And all it takes to get them on top is your vote for them to win!
Here’s how ya do it:

Click on this link, select “Rate this song” or “Become a Fan” or, better yet, both! Rating the song gives the artist a point, while becoming a fan gives the artist FIVE points!

Become a fan of the fore by clicking here! It won’t take but a minute … and you can listen to their music while you’re voting for them!

NOW … TO OTHER THINGS

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band have added some new dates to their Working on a Dream tour, which starts late next month with three shows at the Comcast Theater in Hartford, Conn.

Now, in addition to other U.S. dates already set, they’re adding performances in Nashville, Tenn.
Tampa, Fla.
Sunrise, Fla.
Greenville, S.C.
Chicago. Ill.
Philadelphia, Pa.
St. Louis, Mo.
Kansas City, Mo.
Washington, D.C.
Charlotte, N.C.
New York, N.Y.
Cleveland, Ohio
Auburn Hills, Mich.
Milwaukee, Wisc.

So, if you’re around any of these areas, be sure to take in “The Boss” … ’cause you’re guaranteed an excellent show you won’t soon forget …

Hey … remember an album by the famed rock ensemble, KISS, called Rock And Roll Over?
Well, now the band have their very own Rock And Roll Odor – and you can get it for just £4.99!

Yep … they’ve gone into the fragrance business by marketing two new scents, titled KISS Him and KISS Her (hey … their name fits the product, so why not?).

You can buy it online here in the states (could cost ya up to about thirty-five bucks), but the best price so far is at The Perfume Shop, which has over 170 stores across the UK and the Republic of Ireland.
In England, each fragrance is normally £26, but the Shop has cut the price to just £4.99! That means you can buy both fragrances for under ten pounds (minus the VAT, natch!).

The KISS Him Cologne Spray (pictured) is, according to its promo, “spicy-warm, oriental, distinctive, boldly masculine and lasting”. And get this — it’s packaged in a shiny black patent leather box, embossed with KISS graphics and the KISS logo in flames (guess it means “heat” and “passion”).

The KISS Her Eau De Toilette Spray (who comes up with these fancy names, anyway?) is said to be “succulent, wild… it entices and seduces like a high-energy, forbidden aphrodisiac”. (oookayyy … but ya don’t drink it, right??)

Y’know, it kinda makes ya wonder what these guys are gonna do next! Already, they’ve got hit records, comics, all kinds of merchandise, and Gene’s got a reality show and now his own record company. Of course, there’s also their live shows, which, IMHO, are yet to be beaten!

Pretty good for some boys from New York who just wanted to start a band years ago …

Hey … better late than never, right??

For you tennis fans who dig the Wimbledon scene, you’ve still got one more day to visit Starcards.org and bid on the only WTA Tour No.1 Jersey signed by nine former “World Number Ones! Those who signed the jersey include Kim Clijsters, Amelie Mauresmo, Venus Williams, Serena Williams, Martina Hingis, Martina Navratilova, Justine Henin, Tracy Austin and Maria Sharapova.

You can also bid on Serena Williams’ signed designer Nike shoes, and thirty other items. This auction runs until tomorrow … so go for it!

MRS. SLOCOMBE/MOLLIE SUGDEN

Man, I had no idea how popular this wonderful lady — who died last week at the age of 86 — really was until I received a number of emails on my Facebook entry about her!
Now, in the last post (and as a tribute to her), I gave ya Part I of The Erotic Dreams of Mrs. Slocombe.
Doesn’t seem right to have it stop there, does it? So … here’s Pt. II:

Part 3 follows later this evenin’ (should be on yer monitor doorstep while you’re fixin’ yer morning coffee!) … so, I’ll see ya then!

Hey … you can celebrate ‘Def Leppard Day’ today … if you’re in Hamburg, New York, anyway.

The town board voted unanimously this past Monday to officially designate the day to honor one of the world’s greatest hard rock bands (my source actually said “80’s”, but, since they’re still rockin’ and have hit the charts again with country star Taylor Swift [don't tell me ya missed their knockout performance on the CMT Awards recently!], don’t stick these guys into just one era!).

Band members Phil Collen and Rick Savage are gonna be signing autographs at a local music store before playing a gig at the town’s Darian Lake Performing Arts Center.

The store’s owner is proud to have the band making an appearance at his shop, the only of this kind they are making on their current tour (see??), he told Buffalo News, “This is an important band. This isn’t the blown-out rocker tour!”

ANOTHER ENTERS MUSIC HEAVEN

With the world still in shock over superstar Michael Jackson’s death (… er, if you have … problems finding anything about it, just click here), we overlooked the fact that another rock star has taken the (hopefully) upward trip.

Sky Saxon (real name: Richard Marsh), bassist and lead singer of the Seeds, died yesterday in an Austin, Texas hospital, where he went for an apparent internal infection on Monday.

While the group is remembered for the hits “Pushin’ Too Hard” and “Can’t Seem To Make You Mine” (both in 1967) it’s the latter one that’s recently been used in a television commercial.
Sky (who later lengthened his alias to Sky Sunlight Saxon) broke up the band and joined a spiritual commune in 1970, but always kept close to his music. He appeared in a Smashing Pumpkins video and performed with his group, Shapes Have Fangs, just last Saturday. RIP, Skyman …

Well, that’s all for this round. Until later this evening … see ya on the flip side!

Justin Timberlake is gonna climb Mount Kilimanjaro … and it’s all for charity.

He and rapper Lupe Fiasco – were asked by Ethiopian-born pop star Kenna to help out with the mission, which is aiming to raise awareness of the world water crisis.

Now, the climb has been done before by other rockers,(and, again, for charity) like Take That’s Gary Barlow and Boyzone’s Ronan Keating. Their climb last year raised over £3,326,142 for Comic Relief.

There’s a special significance to this climb for Kenna, whose hits include Out Of Control.

“My dad almost died as a child from waterborne diseases in Ethiopia, and he had talked to me about digging a well there, and I thought, ‘I have too many friends who would be concerned with the subject of clean water,” he said. “‘Maybe I can help out.’”

It’s actually something that Fiasco’s looking forward to.
“I’m an adventure junkie. Part of the motivation is beating Kenna to the top. Sabotaging his tent, taking the lining out of his coat, lacing it with ants or something like that. (The water crisis in Africa) is a universal problem; it’s all mounting to the point where eventually there’s no clean water left. If I did a song, it would be jam-packed with so much information, it would almost be like we fit the substance of an entire interview in three and a half minutes.”

All three are expected to take the climb later this year. My only suggestion? For the rapper Lupe Fiasco to leave his last name at home for this one (you … do know what the word “fiasco” means, right?).

Hope they make it, though … and that it’ll awaken a lot of people to the burgeoning water problem, whether throughout Africa or elsewhere.

WOW!! If you haven’t gotten yer mitts on the book, To Live Is To Die: The Life & Death Of Metallica’s Cliff Burton, you oughtta order it from Metallica’s official web site now!

Written by the UK’s Classic Rock Magazine’s Joel McIver with help from the band’s Kirk Hammett, the book not only takes you through Cliff’s life and terribly tragic death, but will evoke all kinds of emotions in ya!
Simply put, these collaborators put together one helluva read!
“I’m deeply honored that Kirk spoke to me for the Cliff Burton biography,” McIver said. “We talked about the rollercoaster ride of Metallica’s early career which he and Cliff experienced, from the time that both men joined the band in early 1983 until Cliff’s death three and a half years later. The impact that Burton had on the rest of Metallica, both musically and as an example of how to stick to your principles in the music industry, was profound — and Kirk provided a perspective on that impact which couldn’t have come from anywhere else.”

The book is also available now in good book stores! My suggestion? GET IT!! It’s worth the (not-bad) price … and more …

SONISPHERE OLD SCHOOL

Speaking of Metallica: They’re goin’ “old-school” in their upcoming Sonisphere gig — meaning, you’ll hear the revitalized band tear through their material (including yer favorites) with the same raw, reckless and kick-ass abandon they became famous for!

I mean, check out their set-list for the August 1/2 show in Knebworth (Hertfordshire, England):

Blackened
Creeping Death
Holier Than Thou
Harvester Of Sorrow
One
Broken, Beat And Scarred
Cyanide
Sad But True
Welcome Home (Sanitarium)
The Judas Kiss
The Day That Never Comes
Master Of Puppets
Dyers Eve
Nothing Else Matters
Enter Sandman
(TBD)
Stone Cold Crazy
Phantom Lord
Seek and Destroy

Listen … since James, Lars, Kirk and Robert have their chops back, take a definite shot at gettin’ to one of their concerts! You’re in for one helluva serious night of rock!

Look … I know we’re not startin’ off with rock this time, but the following is so good I just had to include it:

92-year-old screen legend Kirk Douglas has been behind a long-running campaign for Congress to apologize to African-Americans for our history of slavery.
Earlier, he wrote on his MySpace® page (yes, he does have one of those!): “As I told you quite some time ago, in my last book Let’s Face It, I wrote about the importance of our country showing the world that we are capable of humility by making an apology for our behavior towards African-Americans before and after the Civil War. I think this action is more important right now.”

Well, it finally happened! The apology received from the Senate reads that it: “acknowledges the fundamental injustice, cruelty, brutality, and inhumanity of slavery and Jim Crow laws,” and “apologizes to African-Americans on behalf of the people of the United States, for the wrongs committed against them and their ancestors who suffered under slavery and Jim Crow laws. [The US] expresses its recommitment to the principle that all people are created equal and endowed with inalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, and calls on all people of the United States to work toward eliminating racial prejudices, injustices, and discrimination from our society.”

Now, brothers and sisters, that, by itself, makes a helluva post, don’tcha think?? But wait … here’s another item:

JOEY’S BIRTHDAY PRESENT

Aerosmith drummer Joey Kramer (who turned 59 on Sunday), hosted a different kind of birthday party – he invited 20 wounded warriors to be his personal guests at the band’s show that night at Nissan Pavilion in Bristow, VA, near Washington, DC.

“I can’t think of a better gift to receive on my birthday than to have the privilege of sharing a night of our music with these brave and heroic warriors who have been wounded in the service of our country,” he said.

The Marines and sailors attended the show – which also featured ZZ Top – all served in conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan and are patients at the National Naval Medical Center. Some are single leg amputees; others have suffered blast injuries, burns, and traumatic brain injuries.

Kramer has also just written a book about his experiences with the band and his struggle with depression. Hit Hard – due in stores on June 30 – is “the story of an average kid from an average American suburb who went through physical and emotional trauma. It’s about years of depression and the nervous breakdown at the height of the band’s comeback success. Ultimately, Hit Hard is about how Joey recognized his confusion between love and abuse, awakening to the kind of self-acceptance and compassion that makes relationships possible in the real world.”

To find out more about the book, visit his official website.

One of my favorite tunes by any duo has to be I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles) by the Scottish tandem called The Proclaimers.

And today, they’re showing their support (you’ll see it’s a double-entendre in a moment) for a major charity event this weekend by appearing on … a bra (seee?).

The duo of Chris and Charlie Reid have had their caricatures drawn onto both cups of the bra, thanks to cartoonist Malky McCormick. It’ll then be auctioned at the Edinburgh Moonwalk tonight.

For those who don’t know, the Edinburgh Moonwalk is part of a series of walks being held around Britain to raise money for breast cancer research. It’s organized by a charity called Walk The Walk and features women and men walking while wearing bras! So far, it’s raised over £48 million for vital breast cancer causes.
Since its beginning thirteen years ago — and with a patron in the form of Prince Charles — the charity has donated its proceeds to Breakthrough Breast Cancer and other organizations.

“We could never say no to helping a charity like this,” said Chris. “Every family has been touched by cancer, so we were only happy to do something. Even though Malky has drawn us as caricatures we are flattered by out portrayal – we have seen the drawings he has done of other people!”

Tonight’s Edinburgh Moonwalk will see 10,000 people pound the streets of the Scottish capital in their decorated bras to raise money for the cause.

“It’s a shame we can’t do the walk,” said Charlie Reid. “I am very interested in doing it in the future – possibly next year.”

With breast-cancer awareness being one of the hottest (and most important) topics on both sides of the Atlantic, the fundraiser should be very successful. Thanks to organizations like this — and with the help of musical celebs like The Proclaimers, it’s possible that, sometime in the near future, we might find a cure for this disease.

To find out more about the Moonwalks, visit the official Walk The Walk website.

COINING AN INVESTMENT

With today’s economy being what it is, most of us would love to find some way to ensure that our families (as well as ourselves!) can survive financially!
The best way to provide that security is to invest in rare coins. You see, these only increase in value as time progresses — so, by investing in them, you’re bound to see a great return on them over time!
Now, investing isn’t hard at all — if you let reputable, dependable and experienced professionals help you with it.
That’s where Monaco Rare Coin comes in. They’re not only the leader in rare coin investments, but they help you in every step of the investment procedure. Their courteous, trained staff will also help you find the top value of your rare coins!
So, whether you want to invest in or collect rare coins, it makes sense to go to the pros who’ve had nearly 40 years’ successful investing and trading in precious metals and rare coins!
For the best rare coin dealer you will ever want, just click the link you just passed!
You’ll be glad you did, believe me!

Just read that Green Day bassist Mike Dirnt has designed his own shoe (this on the heels [pun intended?] of the band’s already-established line of footwear), the 45 RPM Schubert, in association with the vegan footwear company Macbeth.

Though it was established only seven years ago, Macbeth shoes contain no animal products. In 2007, Macbeth won “Best Vegan Skate Shoe” from Peta2, and is quickly becoming the rage among those who decry the mistreatment of animals in any form (this writer included).

Now, Dirnt’s new shoe has a canvas and synthetic-patent upper with a rubber sole. As you might expect, the shoe is classic-punk black, sort of like what you’d expect to see The Clash wearing. The price starts at around seventy bucks US and there are different styles to choose from.

To view the 45 RPM Schubert, visit the Macbeth website.

Natch, there are other stars who’ve put out their own brand of shoes (especially tennis shoes) — but the one I was most impressed with were the special footwear designed by Jerry Garcia (the famed late front man of The Grateful Dead) and distributed by his wife and Trust.

The shoes, themselves, were limited-edition, very hippie-style colorful — and the sales proceeds went to help underprivileged kids in and around the San Francisco area.
Now, whether they’re offered to the public again or not is a matter of conjecture — but it was a great move by a man who, along with his band, was known for their selfless and compassionate charity work (as well as some seriously dynamite jams)!

The new drummer of The Smashing Pumpkins’ new drummer was just an infant when the band first broke into the charts!

SP front man Billy Corgan has hired 19-year-old Mike Byrne to be its new drummer.  Byrne was just a year old when the band debuted in 1991 with Gish (Caroline).

Although Corgan said, on his blog, that he’s started working on demos for the band’s new material with a drummer, he didn’t name the new rocker.

The band  found Byrne when they put out an open call for drummers to audition back in April.   He replaces their longtime drummer Jimmy Chamberlain, who parted ways with Corgan in March.

NO MORE WEB FOR REZNOR!
Nine Inch Nails’ impresario Trent Reznor says he’s had it with the internet and is ready to pull out of online communities!

It sounds odd, considering there’s still a lot of action on the Nine Inch Nails’ blog, but Reznor says there are simply too many stupid people out there, or as he put it “idiots rule (the Internet).”
“At the end of the day it’s now doing more harm than good in the bigger picture,” he wrote.
On his blog.
On the Internet.
Incidentally, a source close to Reznor told me that “he’s just tired of all the bumpkins who don’t know what they’re doing on the web.”

Weird …

It actually was almost true:

The members of Lynyrd Skynyrd had seriously thought about disbanding following the deaths of two more members earlier this year.

“We really were at another crossroads, wondering what we should do,”  says guitarist Rickey Medlocke.  He went on to say it took a great deal of soul-searching before the band decided to keep performing.

Skynyrd’s no stranger to tragedy, of course. In 1977 their touring plane crashed, killing singer Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist Steve Gaines, backing singer Cassie Gaines and three others on board.
This past January,  keyboardist Billy Powell died of a suspected heart attack, while bassist Ean Evans passed away from cancer just last month.
Medlocke, who played drums with  the band in th early ’70s then returned as guitarist in 1996, (he was with Blackfoot in-between) says with their new album God & Guns (due out this September), Skynyrd finally cemented the decision to continue.

He says: “We’re one big family. We spend so much time on the road together. When you get to be that close you take things heart.
“When you lose somebody you can’t help but step back and think, ‘How much longer do we want to continue losing people like this?’
“We really were at another crossroads, wondering what we should do here.

“We’re rock musicians, you know? We were born to play music and that’s what we should be doing. They would want us to carry on and do the best we can.
“So we’ve got Robert Kearns on bass and Peter Keys on keyboards now, and we’re really looking forward to the album coming out. People are saying it’s the strongest thing we’ve done in years.”

We’re all hopin’ they’ll stay strong for decades and generations to come!

The Rolling Stones played there. So did The Beatles, The Kinks and The Who. Producer/legend Alfred Hitchcock frequented the place as well.

Now it’s in danger of closing for good …

And Mick Jagger is now using his clout to front a campaign to save the EMD Cinema in Walthamstow, north-east London,.

It’s listed as a Grade II historic building. Sold in 2003, planning permission to keep it open, unfortunately, has been denied.

“Cinemas and live venues like the Granada in Walthamstow where the Stones played in the early days, learning our craft on the way, are the lifeblood of our cultural history,” said the Stones front man. “They helped launched British popular music on to a world stage and should continue to function as places of entertainment and enjoyment.”

“It’s heartbreaking to hear about such a beautiful, important historical building and center of entertainment being lost to the local community.
I fully support the campaign to keep it open and provide film, music and the arts for generations to come.”

To many Londoners, its closing would be much like The Flamingo Club closing its doors … or having The Cavern shut down in Liverpool (as we all know, the original was razed … then rebuilt!). Taking such an important piece of musical history and just throwing it away is, IMHO, idiotic! The tourist value alone would more than pay for its continued upkeep!

Now, joining Sir Mick in supporting the campaign is Tony Robinson — but even you can get involved! Just click on their Facebook page for more.