Music Bender

Hey … remember a few days back, when Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Tex., and no relation that I know of) introed a House Resolution in Congress to honor Michael Jackson?
At the memorial service, she showed the plaque and received a resounding standing ovation for her effort.

Well, according to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, it ain’t gonna happen.

The wide-eyed wonder of the House said that debate on the symbolic measure could raise “contrary views” about the pop star’s life.

Lawmakers are free to use House speeches “to express their sympathy or their praise any time that they wish,” she said. “I don’t think it’s necessary for us to have a resolution. A resolution, I think, would open up to contrary views … that are not necessary at this time to be expressed in association with a resolution whose purpose is quite different.”

Of course, you’ve got racist jerks like “Rep.” Peter King (Representative?? of what?? Of who?? Whatever he “represents”, I don’t wanna part of it …) who says he’ll “fight” the measure (Yoooo-hoooo … Mr. Rep. Kinnnnnnnnk? Didja happen, like, to read it’s, ummm, not gonna be presented?? Or aren’t ya listeninno,Ithoughtnot …)

Fortunately, Rep. Lee is going to try and re-introduce it again soon (sheesh! Come on, guys and gals … it’s not a law we’re talkin’ about here!! What’s the problem??).

Let’s hope she succeeds this time (reckon we oughtta write/call/see our own Congresspeople and push for it?? Whaddya think, yardbirds??).

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!

SPECIAL CLASSIFIED
Auditions will be held Friday, April 10 in Los Angeles for drummers who are looking to play with THE SMASHING PUMPKINS. They should send their background info, photos and performance web links via email only to: pumpkinsdrummer@gmail.com.

Spandau Ballet, 1980s

It’s True! The ’80’s icons, Spandau Ballet, are reuniting for a comeback world tour, ending a very bitter split that took the rock world by surprise.

The five original band members - Tony Hadley, Steve Norman, John Keeble, and brothers Martin and Gary Kemp - chose HMS Belfast on the Thames, the scene of their famous 1980 gig, to announce that they’d “buried the hatchet”.

They’ll make about £12 million for the tour, which starts in October with a string of UK dates before heading to Europe, Asia and Australia. The band’s first comeback performance will be on BBC One show Friday Night With Jonathan Ross in the coming weeks.

The last time fans saw the band together, they were facing off across a court room. Hadley, Norman and Keeble sued Kemp for a £1 million share of the royalties, but lost. Over the following years, they talked exclusively through lawyers.

Spandau Ballet, 2009

“Time is a great healer,” said Hadley. “As you can see, we are back together again and we are very happy boys. We first met in the pub, had a few beers, the stories and the anecdotes acme out and we just realized we are great mates.”

Martin added: “We are like any family - families go through troubled times sometimes and argue and get back together.”

The tour will be a nostalgia trip for fans and the band have promised to play all of their greatest hits. Their run of chart success began in 1980 with To Cut A Long Story Short and lasted for seven years. They sold more than 25 million albums worldwide and their singles included Gold, Only When You Leave and Through The Barricades.

Joking about the flamboyant costumes they wore in their New Romantic heyday, Hadley said: “Before anybody asks - we’re not wearing kilts, frilly shirts, our mums’ blouses or anything else.”

They may be fast approaching their 50th birthdays, but the band said they had no worries about getting in shape for a gruelling world tour. “We’re fitter now. We were too hungover in the Eighties,” Martin said.

‘Nuff said for this issue!  Tune in tonight for more …
See ya on the flip side!

Celebrity rockers Matthew and Gunnar Nelson announced their rock band NELSON is confirmed to perform at the Third Annual ROCKLAHOMA Music Festival in Pryor, Oklahoma on Thursday, July 9, 2009.

The band recently reunited, touring for the first time in 15 years. VH1 recently ranked NELSON’s “Love and Affection” as one of the “100 Greatest Songs of the ’90s”.

“We’re excited to be back on the road performing with our original rock band, NELSON,” says Gunnar. “And to play at ROCKLAHOMA, which is one of Rock’s premiere festivals, is a wonderful opportunity to reintroduce NELSON to the rock fans”.

“ROCKLAHOMA is the perfect event for NELSON to perform with original drummer Bobby Rock as well as guitar virtuoso Neil Zaza,” adds Matthew. “We’re thrilled to be a part of this premiere rock festival!”

For you who didn’t know (or recognize the name.  Pity …) Matthew and Gunnar Nelson are the identical twin sons of early-rock legend Ricky Nelson, and grandsons of TV’s Ozzie & Harriet Nelson. They comprise the only family in entertainment history with three generations of #1 hitmakers (now, this is according to the Guinness Book of World Records!).

NELSON (the rock band) had five top 40 Billboard hits,  four #1 MTV videos (hmph … back when they were still running videos.  Nowadays, it’s mostly “reality” shows)  and sold over four million albums worldwide!

Okay … it’s short but sweet (had a short power-outage here that kept me offline until about a half-hour ago).  But stay tuned … there’s more comin’ up within the next 12 or so.  That being said, I’ll

see ya on the flip side!

Kings of Leon, Depeche Mode, the Beastie Boys and Jane’s Addiction will be some of the acts playing Lollapalooza in Chicago’s Grant Park Aug 7-9.

The full Lollapalooza lineup announcement should be made next month  Here are a few stats I’ve found about these heavy-hitters, though:

KOL sold out New York’s Madison Square Garden in January, and has a run of U.S. arena dates scheduled for April and May.

Jane’s Addiction has reunited with its original lineup and will be playin’ the event for the first time. The band will also soon be touring with Nine Inch Nails, a band that played on the first Lollapalooza tour.

The Beastie Boys, who were on the Lollapalooza tour in 1994, are getting ready for the release of a new album — a followup to their instrumental work of two years ago, “The Mix Up” .

Depeche Mode is getting set for the release next month of “Sound of the Universe” and will be going out on a North American tour starting July 24.

Kings of Leon and Jane’s Addiction will get together a little earlier in the season when they both appear as headliners the Sasquatch Festival at the Gorge in Quincy, Washington, on May 23-25.

THE FACES: WILL THEY OR WON’T THEY?

That seems to be the musical question at the moment. Apparently, it’s all comin’ down to what Rod Stewart wants to do. Already, the plans have been changed and re-changed … and Ronnie Wood is expected to be talkin’ with Rod about the possibility of re-forming at least for a filmed gig.
What’s gonna happen? Dunno yet, but I’ll keep ya posted.

See ya on the flip side …

Metallica’s concert at Marlay Park in Dublin, Ireland on August 1st, 2009 is now being described as a ‘mini-festival’. Bands confirmed so far are:
Metallica
Avenged Sevenfold
Alice In Chains
Thin Lizzy
Mastodon
Lamb of God
The Sword
Tickets priced €76.50 go on sale on Tuesday, March 10th.

Nine Inch Nails head the latest additions to this year’s Sonisphere festival.

Also added to the Metallica and Linkin Park headlined festival are:
Anthrax
Airbourne
Killing Joke
Bullet For My Valentine
Avenged Sevenfold
Machine Head
Lamb Of God
Alice In Chains
Mastodon
Thin Lizzy
The Sword

The bash is set to take place on August 1st - 2nd at Knebworth.

Listen … we had a power outage a bit earlier, which is why this post seems just a bit flat. Gotta play “catch-up” now (it threw me behind by about a half-day) … but stay tuned:  We’ll be back up-to-speed later this evening (if the weather man’s right …) .

See ya on the flip side ..

Y’know, we’ve focused so much of our musical thoughts on the US and UK that, on occasion, we forget that other countries know how to rock, too!

And Sweden — known more for the ’70s single-hitters Blue Swede — seriously knows this business (incidentally, there’s a humongous contingent of FORE fans throughout their Scandinavian scenery!)

So this summer’s gonna bring the first Sweden Rock Festival to Sölvesborg from June 3 - 6 and, for all MB readers across the pond, it’s a line-up you won’t wanna miss!

HERE’S THE LINEUP

From Norway, Immortal (first ever gig in Sweden), Axident Avenue

From Sweden, Pain,  Hysteria (hey … who’da thought they’d name bands after my work?), Amon Amarth, In Flames, Europe, Hammerfall, Soilwork, Kebnekajse, Grand Magus, H.E.A.T, Bullet, Seventh Wonder, Torch, Enforcer, The Chair, Chains

From the UK: Blaze Bayley, Motörhead (UK and Sweden), Marillion, Demon

From the US: Helstar, Heaven & Hell (US and UK), ZZ Top, Twisted Sister, Foreigner, Johnny Winter Band, Lita Ford, Dream Theater, Riot, Blackfoot, The Tubes, Kamelot, Forbidden, The Outlaws, Flogging Molly, Jon Oliva’s Pain, Eric Sardinas

From Canada: Voivod, Thor, Tracenine
From Ireland: Stormzone
From Germany: Volbeat, Powderhog

From Turkey: Black Tooth
From Finland: Amberian Dawn
From Spain: Lujuria

Now, more than thirty bands will be added to this tremendous international line-up soon!  Without a doubt, this is gonna be a gig to remember (and, for all who can’t make it, I’ll BOLO for any CD news coming out of it!)!

For more information about tickets and the festival in general, just click on www.swedenrock.com. (Just remember: If you’re livin’ in the US or UK, be sure to click the small UK flag in the upper right so you can get an English translation of the page (it’s Swedish, y’know …)

Anyway, that’s it for this go-’round, so, until tomorrow night (a little earlier than now, though!) …
Keep yer eyes on the skies, yer feet on the ground, yer heart with the music …

and I’ll see ya on the flip side …

It’s one of the best and most sensible charities a music lover could ever find:

Y’see, Musicians on Call — which provides room-to-room hospital performances by both local musicians and national celebrities — has just announced James Taylor as the headliner for their 5th Annual Benefit Concert & Auction. It’ll take place at the Hard Rock Cafe New York in Times Square on February 24, 2009.

The org’s 5th Annual Benefit Concert & Auction will kick off Hard Rock’s month-long March On Stage charitable celebration. March On Stage is a global live music series featuring both established as well as up-and-coming artists in a drive to support music healing organizations. Committed to its “Love All, Serve All” creed, Hard Rock will donate proceeds from its March on Stage events in North America to Musicians On Call.

“Musicians On Call’s campaign to bring music straight to the bedsides of patients in hospitals would not be able to continue to expand without the donations made at our annual event.” says Leslie Faerstein, Executive Director of Musicians On Call. “The impact of this one night has a profound effect throughout the rest of the year improving the health and spirits of thousands of patients one song and one bed at a time.”

Here are just a few items that will be available for bidding at www.musiciansoncall.org beginning on February 10th:

• a one-hour personal painting lesson from singer (and renowned artist) Tony Bennett at his private studio in New York City
• a visit to the set of Nickelodeon’s hit series iCarly;
• autographed guitars from Bruce Springsteen, Coldplay, Depeche Mode, Rascal Flatts, Kenny Loggins, Black Crowes, Kings Of Leon, Kanye West, David Cook, & Brooks & Dunn.

The annual Musicians On Call Benefit Concerts have raised over a million dollars for the organization in the past four years; helping them to continue their mission of bringing music to patients in healthcare facilities. While aiding Musicians On Call, lucky music fans have walked away with a load of signed guitars and other treasures, including a signed 1952 reissued Telecaster from Bruce Springsteen, a played harmonica from the Johnny Cash Estate, time in the studio with Maroon 5, artwork from John Lennon, and a signed basketball from Justin Timberlake.

Tickets for this unparalleled benefit (with a special performance by James Taylor) are available at www.musiciansoncall.org.

We know that music can be immensely therapeutic to those who are ill, injured or otherwise incapacitated. Here’s your chance to pitch in and help millions around the globe. So why not give ‘em a click and show your support now?

Listen … before we go on with this particular post, remember that it’s the 50th anniversary of the plane crash that took Buddy Holly, Richie Valens and The Big Bopper from us. To read more about it, click here.

Now, if you’re lookin’ for some prime office space, ya might wanna check out a cool location in London. But it’s not any building …

Y’see, the five-story structure (located at 3 Savile Row, in case you wanna take a look-see) is where The Beatles headquartered their Apple Corps in the late ’60s. In fact, the band bought it for an easy £500,000.
And on January 30, 1969, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr played a very famous performance on its rooftop! They’d been recording their final album, Let It Be, in the basement studio, before staging their first live performance for nearly three years (it was also their absolute last).

But it has even more history: It was constructed in 1735, and was once bought by Lord Horatio Nelson for his mistress Lady Hamilton.
Owners Kier Property plan to sell it for office space but they believe the Beatles connection will send the value up quite a bit.

Leigh Thomas, Kier’s associate director, said: “It’s being marketed internationally. If someone wants a bit of heritage with a bit of history of the band, then this is the place. I still get goose bumps in here. It’s the world’s biggest piece of memorabilia!”

HERE’S THE GIG THAT MADE THAT ROOFTOP FAMOUS:

So that’s it for now … but stay tuned: there’s more in 24!
‘Til then …
see ya on the flip side …

Lemmy Kilmester and his famed heavy-metal trio, Motörhead, is planning a solid tour of the UK this fall!

The band, which was formed almost 34 years ago by the self-proclaimed “gigolo” (you oughtta hear him brag about his … er, “ladies”. Yeah. Sick …), do show an appreciation for early rock in a few of their cover songs — but they’re better noted for original material that covers such topics as war, the battle between good and evil, abuse of power, promiscuous sex, substance abuse, and even their life as rock stars.

Considered one of the most popular of the English “heavy” bands (if you’re a statesider and watched VH1’s recent 50 Top Metal Acts countdown, you’ll know that!), they’ve scheduled a full UK tour for November. So, if you’re in England, here are the venues:

Nov. 11 - Plymouth Pavillion
Nov. 12 - Bristol Colston Hall
Nov. 13 - Newport Centre
Nov. 15 - Swindon Oasis
Nov. 16 - Nottingham Royal Concert Hall
Nov. 17 - Newcastle City Hall
Nov. 19 - Glasgow Academy
Nov. 20 - Leeds Academy
Nov. 21 - Manchester Apollo
Nov. 23 - Cambridge Corn Exchange
Nov. 24 - Southend Cliffs Pavilion
Nov. 25 - Portsmouth Guildhall
Nov. 27 - Bournemouth Solent Hall
Nov. 28 - London Hammersmith Apollo
Nov. 29 - Wolverhampton Civic Hall

Now, I’ve already been asked about their logo.  It’s called Snaggletooth, and was created in 1977 by artist Joe Petagno.

Here’s one of their most famous songs — Ace Of Spades:

Okay … stay tuned, ’cause I’ll have more in 24! ‘Til then, I’ll see ya on the flip side!

Can you believe this??

Some idiot is blamin’ The Thin White Duke, David Bowie, with causing the current economic collapse! And, worst of all, he’s serious!

Here’s how British economist Evan Davis sees it:

In 1997 Bowie relinquished his royalty rights in exchange for a large cash advance.
“He thought: ‘I have a lot of money coming in over the next ten years from my back catalogue, but I’d rather have the cash now and not have to wait’,” Davis wrote in reference to Bowie’s possible state of mind at the time.
Davis contends that this unprecedented event inspired larger financial institutions to approach home mortgages in a similar fashion.

Poor guy. If brains were dynamite, the dude wouldn’t have enough power to blow his nose …

The Sensational Alex Harvey Band are finally gonna release the album ‘Hot City’ — 35 years after work finished on the album!

Y’see, it was supposed to be released when the band finished working on it in 1974. Ahhh, but the group stopped its release because they didn’t like the production work of Shel Talmy, who also produced The Who and The Kinks.
So most of the songs on the album were revamped to make up The Impossible Dream LP a year later.

Listen … a quick reminder to watch the first few minutes of the Super Bowl this coming Sunday. While I’m not a big football fan, it’s gonna be worth the look to hear Jennifer Hudson sing the National Anthem!

Y’see, it’s gonna be her first gig since the brutal murders of her mother, brother and precious 7-year-old nephew! That place is bound to erupt with cheers and support for this amazing lady (btw, she’s set up a foundation to help others who’ve lost loved ones to violence!). So, be sure to tune in … then you can go back to yer knitting …

Anyway, that’s all I’ve got for now. But stay tuned … there’s more in 24! Until then …
I’ll see ya on the flip side!

Yup … it’s been confirmed: Aussie rockers AC/DC are gonna do a one-off gig at the World Wrestling Entertainment’s Wrestlemania XXV on April 5th.

According to WWE CEO Linda McMahon, AC/DC will be providing the theme tune for the company’s top event (you’ll see it in commercials and on the wrestling group’s other televised shows until the big day), then perform the song at Wrestlemania XXV itself. (Only thing is: We don’t know which song the band’ll be using at Wrestlemania at this point)

Now, a lotta folks who love rock-n-roll also dig pro wrestling. But, of all the wrestlers I’ve known (I was an announcer with different organizations over the years, and still do appearances occasionally), there’s one who combines both in his ring persona (and, no, it’s not Chris Jericho!):

Mason Raige could make anyone forget about Duane “The Rock” Johnson! He’s an amazing mix of power, fantastic skills, and a personality (both in-and-out of ring) that makes a fan of everyone who greets him.

Not only does the man have a well-chiseled body and looks that makes the ladies swoon (and guys jealous!), but he really knows how to get an audience pumped and on its feet when he’s in action, and he does it as well as the best rock bands on the circuit!

Raige is also a master at ad-lib smack (which means, talking and posing to get the fans revved up for the show; even the best bands do this!) and, yet, this former English teacher is also completely fan-friendly (again, another trait of successful rock acts! Never deny your fans!!).

So, if ya wanna see the best in independent (re: non-WWE) wrestling, and meet a man who is revolutionizing that industry — really making it rock – then be sure to catch any wrestling card that carries the name Mason Raige on it.

Wanna know more? Visit his website and be sure to read the section called Latest News.

British heavy rock legends, Iron Maiden, have announced that they’ll be releasing a feature length documentary film worldwide on April 21st (which has also been christened Iron Maiden Day by the band).

It’s called ‘IRON MAIDEN: FLIGHT 666′ and it follows the band during the first part of their “SOMEWHERE BACK IN TIME WORLD TOUR” of February and March of last year. It was billed as the most ambitious and adventurous tour in rock history.

The band flew in a specially customized Boeing 757 along with their crew and 12 tons of music and stage equipment on-board. During the tour, they played 23 sold out stadium and arena shows in Asia, Australia and North, Central and South America in just 45 days!

And Hawkwind offshoot The Hawklords will be playing a single reunion show on March 8th to honor their late English graphic artist, Barney Bubbles. The show’s gonna be held at the Roundhouse in London, England.

It’ll include the band performing ‘The Space Ritual 2009′ show, a presentation inspired by Barney’s creative stage presentation of the original ’Space Ritual ‘73: Space-Rock Opera’ show, with tribute to his concept for the Hawklords’ ‘25 Years On’ production. Bubbles had also designed album covers and stage shows for both Hawkwind and Hawklords.

It’s the first time the band’s been together since their Live Aid performance in 1985.

Okay … that’s it for now. But stay tuned … there’s more in 24 …

HEY!! I just learned that the UK legends Mott The Hoople are comin’ up with a pair of reunion shows (with their original lineup!) to celebrate their 40th anniversary.

The concerts (which you’ll see billed as “the return of one of the best loved rock’n’roll bands of all time”) will be at London’s Hammersmith Apollo on October 2 and 3.
The last time the original lineup played together was 1973!). And their gig at Hammersmith Apollo is bound to bring back some memories; it was the scene of near riots following their shows in ’73 and recorded for the legendary ‘Mott The Hoople Live’ album

The band was formed in 1969 when Ian Hunter joined Verden Allen, Dale Griffin, Overend Watts and Mick Ralphs and they released their debut album that same year.
Within two years, they were selling out and trashing the Albert Hall (thanks to that, all rock bands were banned from that venue for years) but …
just one year later, after some onstage insults (and punches!) were thrown, they were ready to give it up.

Fortunately, rocker David Bowie persuaded them to stay together. He gave them a song called “All The Young Dudes’”, which was the first of a many hits, including “Roll Away The Stone”, “All The Way From Memphis” and (an AOR hit here in the states) “The Golden Age of Rock ‘n’ Roll”. Even with those under their belts and a rabid fan following, by 1974 the band had split.

Concerning the Hammersmith Apollo: It was where they had to play twice in one day to satisfy ticket demand. Like I said, that second show ended in near riot when they finished their final encore.
Now, the first side of their “LIVE” album was recorded during that show. But the “B” side was recorded during a gig at the Uris Theatre on Broadway (New York City). Their support band on these shows was a little-known ensemble known as Queen (yes, that “Queen”!).

WANNA GO??

If you’re in (or gonna be in) the UK on show dates, tickets go on sale January 22nd and are priced at £36.00 and £42.50. You can get them from:
www.ticketmaster.co.uk, www.seetickets.co.uk (08700 603 777) and www.ticketweb.co.uk (08700 600 100).