The Police : Every Breath You Take The Classics
Tuesday, December 31, 2013
Buddy Guy Blues For Carlos Santana
On December 8, 2013, the 36th Annual Kennedy Center Honors inducted Herbie Hancock, Martina Arroyo, Shirley MacLaine, Billy Joel and Carlos Santana at a special event attended by the President and First Lady along with other Hollywood and political elites. The tribute concert aired on CBS Sunday night (December 29, 2013).
Bluesman Buddy Guy, a previous inductee whom Santana adores, performs his own soul-shaking rendition of Willie Dixon’s classic, "I'm Your Hoochie Coochie Man" (above). source
Steve Winwood/Sheila E./Orianthi Jam For Carlos
Steve Winwood led a percussion-stuffed musical tribute to Carlos Santana, who was one of five performers to receive the prestigious Kennedy Center Honor in 2013. The gala, which took place on December 8, 2013, was televised on CBS Sunday night (December 29, 2013).
Winwood, percussionist Sheila E. and Australian guitarist Orianthi performed Santana’s ‘Everybody’s Everything’ with a full band that included expanded horn and percussion sections (above). Orianthi shreds on the guitar and Sheila E. was on fire, ending her amazing solo with a Keith Moon inspired finish! source
Country Losses 2013
Country music felt a seismic shift this year as some of the people most intimately linked to the format took their final bow. Among these were the master vocal stylists George Jones and Ray Price and the less-heralded Tompall Glaser, who was instrumental in birthing the Outlaw movement that helped make superstars of Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson. MORE HERE
Henry Rollins' 2013 Favorites
Henry Rollins' Favorite Albums of 2013
HERE are some records that came out this year that Henry Rollins thought were great. Most, if not all of these bands music can be found for free online, and Rollins does not attempt to go into much description. The point he makes is that music is alive and well and 2013 was a perfect example.
Monday, December 30, 2013
High Hopes From The Boss
" album briefly became available for purchase and download via
Amazon on Saturday (December 28, 2013)."High Hopes
" could be found on Amazon's mobile website in an MP3
format. It is unclear whether or not this was the website's intention.
Since then, the album has become available through file-sharing websites
by those who purchased the album through Amazon.Amazon has since rescinded the ability to download the album, which was merely available by buying each song individually.
." It also marks the first album for the E Street Band,
Springsteen's longtime backing band, since the announcement of its induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this April (2014). MORE HEREAlso...
Bruce Springsteen Producer Breaks Down 'High Hopes' HERE
High Hopes: track by track HERE
official website
Talking Heads '76
Also...
Talking Heads - City of Dreams - early demo version HERE
Jimi Hendrix At Handel House
A permanent museum is to be created in a bland office space in a London attic. They are rooms that rock music pilgrims have been pleading to get into for decades – the rooms rented in the late 1960s by Jimi Hendrix, poignantly described by him as "the only home I ever had".
The Heritage Lottery Fund will soon announce a £1.2m grant to restore the rooms to their appearance during 1968, when Hendrix paid £30 a week to share the flat with his girlfriend, Kathy Etchingham. The rooms will hold displays on his life, work and musical legacy.
A unique pair of blue plaques on the outside wall of the 18th-century listed building celebrates the two musical giants whose time there was separated by centuries: Hendrix lived at No 23 Brook Street, and George Frideric Handel at No 25. The Mayfair properties, separate houses when constructed in 1721, are now linked as the Handel House Museum. MORE HERE & HERE
Brian May Health Update
Back in August (2013), Brian May underwent knee replacement surgery. Now, unfortunately, the Queen guitarist is dealing with some new health problems. The 66-year-old rocker recently revealed via his Twitter account that he’s been diagnosed with “two torn discs” in his back that are “pressing on a nerve.”
In September (2013), May started to have some fairly serious pain in his “backside”. He worked through the problems but found they had gotten severe enough by mid-December (2013) that he could no longer stand for any length of time.
May’s doctor sent him for an MRI which is when things started to fall apart. The scans showed up all kinds of mechanical disc and vertebra problems that might be the cause of the pain, but there were also some abnormalities in the bones.
The good news is, after more tests, there is no evidence of cancer in the abnormalities. MORE HERE
official website
Carly Rae Jepsen On Broadway
The singer, who broke out last year with her hit "Call Me Maybe," will replace Laura Osnes, who received a Tony nomination for the role. Osnes is exiting the show after a yearlong run.
Jepsen will star in the musical production for 12 weeks. MORE HERE
Sunday, December 29, 2013
36th Kennedy Center Honors
“The Kennedy Center Honors” is always a joyous and classy affair...
Celebrate the Careers of Five Extraordinary Artists: Martina Arroyo, Herbie Hancock, Billy Joel, Shirley MacLaine & Carlos Santana received the 36th Annual Kennedy Center Honors onSunday December 8, 2013 -- the event airs Sunday night December 29, 2013 on CBS. MORE HERE
Stevie Nicks Officiates Vanessa Carlton's Wedding
Vanessa Carlton (above left) and Deer Tick singer-guitarist John McCauley (above right) tied the knot on Friday December 27, 2013, in a ceremony officiated by Stevie Nicks (above middle). Carlton shared the news on Twitter with a photo of the outdoor ceremony, along with the note to the Fleetwood Mac singer: "Thanks Stevie for marrying us!" MORE HERE, HERE & HERE
Cake Boss Bakes For Willie
Willie Nelson may be a Texas icon, but when he turned 80 in April (2013), New Jersey-based Carlo’s Bakery got the call to make a cake.
Carlo’s is the focus of the TLC series Cake Boss and the show’s midseason premiere on December 30, 2013 will feature Carlo Valastro and his crew making a cake in the form of Nelson’s guitar, “Trigger.” MORE HERE & HERE
official website
Los Angeles Record Stores
L.A's fertile vinyl scene provides the ideal terrain to start an archaeological dig for records. With a resurgence in turntable culture leading to a proliferation of record stores around town, especially on the east side, locals now have even more excuses to drop a needle on an LP.
Residents of most cities spend their time lamenting their lack of record stores, but here there's enough to make you dizzy. Which is why, after visiting the most talked about spots in town and thoroughly examining their collections, LA Weekly has put together a list of the 10 best record stores in L.A. HERE
The Worst Song Lyrics of 2013
There’s something special about hearing a truly terrible lyric — that rhyme or verse that makes you stop everything to bask in its glory. Listening to Madonna’s rap from “American Life” or parsing Train lyrics is like witnessing a moment in history, when the universe came together to create something that truly sucks. Luckily, 2013 was a banner year for terrible songwriting, one in which some seriously boneheaded lyrics from Robin Thicke (amazingly) weren’t even the worst thing that came out.
You’d better start getting your shit together now, 2014. Here are 17 lyrics you’ll have to work overtime to top, the best of this year’s worst. They're HERE
Saturday, December 28, 2013
T Bone Burnett Scores Again
If it hadn't been for the invention of the CD, T Bone Burnett (above) would probably never have got into films. A decade after playing guitar for Bob Dylan on the Rolling Thunder tour, he sensed digital audio would destroy the industry in which he worked as a musician, songwriter and producer, and decided he needed new avenues of work. The first people he called were Joel and Ethan Coen. That was 1987.
The celebrated musician and record producer has made his mark with a score for the brilliant new Coen brothers film Inside Llewyn Davis
. MORE HERE & HEREVideo HERE
Inside Llewyn Davis official website
T Bone Burnett official website
The State Of Women In Country Music
New York Magazine music critic Jody Rosen is absolutely nuts for commercial country. This year, he's dug albums by Ashley Monroe, Kellie Pickler, the Pistol Annies and the Court Yard Hounds — the group that's two-thirds of the Dixie Chicks. But one album in particular has had his full attention all year: 12 Stories
by Brandy Clark (her single 'Stripes' is above).Here's the thing: Big-city critics love these female country singers, but they're not selling especially well. In fact, says Rosen, except for a few huge solo acts named Carrie Underwood, Miranda Lambert and Taylor Swift, women are basically marginalized on the country charts right now.
So why are these women not owning the country charts? Rosen says he has absolutely no idea.
Historically, Rosen says, you looked at women in country — women like Kitty Wells or June Carter Cash or Loretta Lynn — and you saw artists who were the moral center of the genre. Today's female artists still are, he says. But the moral center appears to be out at the edges. MORE HERE
Snoop Dogg Goes To Washington
You never know who you might run into at the White House...say, Snoop Dogg in a tux. Why not?
It was an unconventional encounter when Snoop met Secretary of State John Kerry, both decked out in penguin suits, at the White House earlier this month (December 2013).
They talked, they laughed, they bumped fists, according to the cellphone video posted on Snoop's Instagram page. From their tweets, it's hard to tell which one was more dazzled by the meet. source
Piracy Propaganda And Iron Maiden
Wouldn’t it be awesome if heavy metal icons Iron Maiden leveraged data about which regions of the world pirated their music to plan a multi-million dollar global concert tour? Yeah, it’d be awesome, if it were true.
In the last 48 hours, tech and music outlets have heaped praise on the supposed the tech savviness of the 80s metal band, who allegedly analyzed Bittorrent data to plan a concert tour in South America. Like most things on the internet, it turns out it's simply not true; even we were hoodwinked. MORE HERE
Friday, December 27, 2013
Nirvana Day In Washington
The small city of Hoquiam, Washington has declared April 10, 2014 to be Nirvana Day.
Hoquiam is part of Grays Harbor County and is just four miles away from Kurt Cobain’s hometown of Aberdeen. Cobain (above middle) also lived in Hoquiam for a short period, but the city’s mayor said the band brought “great honor… to the entire community.”
Mayor Jack Durney added (via KXRO News Radio), “[Kurt Cobain] and Krist Novoselic (above right) are part of our community, and I think it’s good to honor our sons and their great accomplishments.”
It’s unlikely Novoselic and Dave Grohl (above left) will be in Hoquiam for Nirvana Day, but they have a legitimate excuse. On that day, they’ll also be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. source
Jerry Garcia's Guitars
Jerry Garcia had about 25 guitars, but 70% of his time in the spotlight he played just 3, all custom built by the same luthier.
"He slept with these instruments," said equipment manager Steve Parish, who handled Garcia's guitars for more than 25 years. " You could lose amps. You could break things, and sometimes we did. But I could never look Jerry in the eye and say, 'I don't have your guitar.
The history of Jerry Garcia's guitars is HERE
Pussy Riot Justice Zone
Nadezhda Tolokonnikova (above right) and Maria Alyokhina (above left), the two recently freed Pussy Riot members, don’t rule out art or political activities at some point, but plan to focus on prisoners’ rights protection in the immediate future. They also stressed that they have no plans of capitalizing on the Pussy Riot brand or even using it in the future.
Tolokonnikova and Alyokhina said they will form a non-governmental human rights organization, “Zona Prava” (“Justice Zone”), focused on protecting prisoners’ rights. They also hope to collaborate with former tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky, who was released last week after ten years in prison, but rule out taking money from him.
Tolokonnikova also said the rockers still wanted Russian President Vladimir Putin out of power, adding she would like freed ex-tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky to stand in elections and replace him. MORE HERE & HERE
Christmas Clash w/David Bowie and/or Elvis Presley
It's been a phenomenal year for David Bowie, starting back in January, when he announced his comeback album, The Next Day
. Although fans didn't get any concerts, Bowie was all over our screens this year, with a multitude of videos, remixes and ad campaigns.And he just capped off 2013 with a very heartfelt and personal holiday greeting for BBC6's new program "This Is Radio Clash," a two-hour show hosted by the Clash's Mick Jones, Paul Simonon and Topper Headon. Notably, his special message for British fans was done in a near-perfect Elvis Presley voice (above).
Simply titled "David Bowie's Christmas Message," the 41-second clip finds the musician putting on his best southern accent; unless the BBC (and Bowie's Facebook) hadn't specifically told us it was indeed the Thin White Duke, you'd have no clue it was him. Like the return of Bowie himself this year, it's best not to question it. source
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