Favorite Seventies Artists In The News

Posted by Administrator on July 28th, 2014

Jimmy Buffett's new online streaming channel Margaritaville TV has netted about 10,000 viewers for each of its seven broadcasts since it began earlier in 2014. The feedback from that has been unbelievable," says Buffett, whose channel offers select Buffett concerts live. "There was one element of my inner circle that thought we'd be cannibalizing ourselves by going on television. But I played my instincts, and I haven't had one person say they'll watch it instead of going to the show...they do both," he says. "They watch the (online) shows and get charged up to go see it in person. And there are other people that can't get to a show that absolutely love the fact we're doing it. My friends in Bora Bora now can punch (the shows) up on the screen and watch it while they're having dinner. It makes it a Parrothead world now, not just a nation," Buffett adds. The singer/songwriter also predicts that other programming, including special events and archived shows that weren't presented live, will be part of Margaritaville's offerings, and it may also serve as a vehicle for releasing new music. Buffett's last album, Songs From St. Elsewhere, came out in August 2013, and he says that since then he's been "playing around with some new songs," including one called "We Need to Care a Little Less," which he says is "about over-thinking, over-reacting to everything." Writing, he adds, is "a natural process. I'm not stopping writing," but he isn't sure if a conventional album will be the result. "For me, an album has just been adding something; if you like this music you can add it to the collection," he explains. "I'm not out there trying to win hits or chase Grammys or shit like that. I'm just trying to stay in the game at our level, so we're looking to find the best system for the next batch of new music." In addition to his online TV venture, Buffett is also keeping busy with his new line of wine, Auter deRose, whose purpose, he cracks, is "to get women in our bigger bars to stop drinking white zinfandel and drink a better wine." - Billboard, 7/25/14.

Stevie Nicks has confirmed she will be releasing her new CD, 24 Karat Gold: Songs From the Vault, on Oct. 7 via Warner Bros. Records. Produced by Dave Stewart, Waddy Wachtel and Nicks, the new album was recorded in Nashville and Los Angeles, and is the follow-up to Nicks' 2011 LP In Your Dreams. Most of these songs were written between 1969 and 1987," Nicks says. "One was written in 1994 and one in 1995. I included them because they seemed to belong to this special group. Each song is a lifetime. Each song has a soul. Each song has a purpose. Each song is a love story. They represent my life behind the scenes, the secrets, the broken hearts, the broken-hearted and the survivors. These songs are the memories... the 24-karat gold rings in the blue box. These songs are for you." A deluxe photobook CD album will be available for fans, which includes two bonus tracks plus 48 pages of exclusive photos from Nicks' personal collection. Fans can pre-order the new album beginning Aug. 5, and on that date Nicks will begin previewing snippets of 24 Karat Gold on her new official Instagram account, "stevienicksofficial." The multi-Grammy winning singer is scheduled to embark on a new tour with Fleetwood Mac, the On With the Show Tour, beginning Sept. 30 in Minneapolis with recently returned bandmate Christine McVie. "It's so exciting to have Christine back after so many years. We can't wait to get on the road together," stated Nicks. - The Hollywood Reporter, 7/24/14.

Neil Young has launched a new Kickstarter.com campaign that is devoted to saving the rainforest, teaming up with the environmental group Rainforest Connection to help them raise much-needed funds. "[This] is a technology that's a connection between the rainforest and you," says Young. "This technology enables the forest to talk to the world. When the forest is threatened, the forest can speak and you can hear it." Young sent out a letter to supporters of his Pono Music campaign, which he also fully funded through Kickstarter, asking them to contribute, and he appears in a video on behalf of Rainforest Connection. "Neil's involvement makes perfect sense," says Topher White, the physicist and engineer beyond Rainforest Connection. "Throughout his life, he has always been a passionate crusader for indigenous rights, and in recent years, has worked tirelessly in combating climate change. These are both issues that we directly address with the Rainforest Connection technology." If Rainforest Connection reaches their fundraising goals, they will be able to help the Temb indigenous people of Brazil fight black market illegal logging operations. They also hope to place their system in trees all across Indonesia. The central idea behind Rainforest Connection is as simple as it is brilliant: Old cellphones are retrofitted with a solar-powered energy source and placed in trees around the rainforest. When they pick up the sound of chainsaws, animals in distress or gunshots, they alert authorities in real time. "Current detection systems rely on satellites which show rainforest destruction days or weeks too late," says a note on the group's Kickstarter page. "Our system provides the world's first real-time logging/poaching detection system. We can pinpoint deforestation activity the moment it begins, while simultaneously streaming the data openly and immediately to anyone around the world." In other Neil Young news, the singer-songwriter has announced the 2014 edition of the Farm Aid benefit concert will take place Sept. 13 in the Walnut Creek Amphitheatre in Raleigh, N.C. It features performances by Young, Farm Aid president and co-founder Willie Nelson, and fellow board members John Mellencamp and Dave Matthews. Local artists will also perform. Since 1985, Farm Aid has raised more than $45 million through the festival to help family farmers keep their land and publicize locally grown food. Tickets for the concert go on sale in August and prices range from $49 to $175. - Rolling Stone/AP, 7/28/14.

The new musical from former Talking Heads frontman David Byrne and his recent collaborator Fatboy Slim is set to begin a U.K. run at London's Dorfman Theatre at the National Theatre on Sept. 30. "Here Lies Love" is based on the pair's double album of the same name, which was released in 2010 and documents the life of Imelda Marcos, the former first lady of the Philippines. The show recently opened its new commercial run at New York's Public Theater, after initially opening in April 2013. The 22-track double Here Lies Love featured a host of guest vocalists, including Florence And The Machine's Florence Welch, Santigold and Tori Amos. "The story I am interested in is about asking what drives a powerful person, what makes them tick? How do they make and then remake themselves?" Byrne explained in an introduction to the 100-page book which came along with the record. Byrne is also a member of the newly formed Content Creators Coalition, a group of musicians, authors and other creators seeking better terms for online use of their works -- for some thoughts on the state of artists' rights. "I think that artists in general can be given more agency regarding what happens to their work," Byrne recently told Billboard. "I don't own my own old recordings, a similar situation to many artists, so I have no say whether they are licensed to YouTube, Spotify, Beats, Apple, you name it, and for what percentage and for how long. If that's where music consumption is going, much of it is completely out of my control. I do at least control the publishing (which not every artist does) so that gives me a foot in the door: other kinds of licensing -- films, TV, etc. -- are up to me." - Billboard, 7/25/14.

The children of famous pop crooner Bing Crosby made a rare public appearance together on July 23 to discuss the upcoming PBS American Masters episode, Bing Crosby Rediscovered, and reminisced about the time their dad made a surprise duet with David Bowie on Crosby's 1977 Christmas television special. Harry, Mary and Nathaniel Crosby, now all in their 50's, were on set when Bowie arrived to tape his appearance. The mash-up between the cardigan-clad singer known for "White Christmas" and the glam-rocker who was in his Ziggy Stardust phase required some last-minute reworking of "The Little Drummer Boy." The result was a new melody and lyrics called "Peace on Earth." The duet remains a holiday staple and a curiosity. Bowie was 30 and Crosby was 73 at the time. Crosby died of a heart attack a month after the taping in September 1977. The Crosbys said the experience left an indelible impression on them. "The doors opened and David walked in with his wife," Mary Crosby said. "They were both wearing full-length mink coats, they have matching full makeup and their hair was bright red. We were thinking, 'Oh my god.'" Nathaniel Crosby added, "It almost didn't happen. I think the producers told him to take the lipstick off and take the earring out. It was just incredible to see the contrast." "They sat at the piano and David was a little nervous," Mary Crosby recalled. "Dad realized David was this amazing musician, and David realized Dad was an amazing musician. You could see them both collectively relax and then magic was made." Bing Crosby Rediscovered will air Dec. 2 on PBS stations across the US. In other Bowie news, actress Susan Sarandon has revealed she used to date the famous rocker and calls her former lover "extraordinary." "He's worth idolising. He's extraordinary," Sarandon told The Daily Beast website. "That was a really interesting period. I wasn't supposed to have kids, and I'm the oldest of nine and had mothered all of them, so I wasn't ever in a mode to where I was looking to settle down and raise a family, so that definitely changes the gene pool you're dipping into. But Bowie's just a really interesting person, and so bright. He's a talent, and a painter, and he's great." Bowie recently confirmed that he is working on new music, saying it will be released "soon." - AP/New Musical Express, 7/23/14.

The final Cadillac purchased by Elvis Presley is among 72 items being auctioned in August at Presley's Graceland mansion in Memphis during the annual celebration known as "Elvis Week." Among the items being auctioned, all from third-party collectors, are a 1976 Cadillac Seville that Graceland says is the last one Presley purchased for his personal use; Presley's signature on a library card; Presley's copy of the original script for his first movie, Love Me Tender; a 1969 Las Vegas show agreement; a 1975 Martin D-28 guitar; and a gemstone, diamond and gold lion mask pendant and chain worn by Presley when he met President Richard Nixon at the White House. More information about the auction is available at Graceland.com/auction. - AP...... Ozzy Osbourne will release a compilation of his greatest hits as a solo artist dubbed Memoirs of a Madman on Oct. 6 via Epic/Legacy Recordings. The album will feature 17 of the Osbourne's solo singles and be available in single CD format, a two-LP set and a two-LP picture disc set. There will also be an accompanying DVD with the release, featuring classic music videos, unreleased live performances and interviews. Osbourne is currently touring the world with Black Sabbath, with the band playing in London's Hyde Park in July as part of the British Summertime Festival. - New Musical Express...... Ted Nugent is firing back at those who called for his planned Aug. 4 concert at Idaho's Coueur D'Alene Casino to be canceled over his "racist views," saying his vehement support of the Second Amendment is behind the cancellation, not his alleged racism. "They literally have an army assigned to destroy Ted Nugent," Nugent told Radio.com. "To call me a racist is a clear act of desperation. Because everybody knows I'm not a racist! My [former] bass player Johnny Gunnel happens to be a black guy. My [former] bass player Marco Mendoza was born in Mexico! Are you kiddin' me? I pay tribute to Martin Luther King in my songs, I've always said my music is a direct result of Chuck Berry and Bo Diddley, and all the black musical heroes of my life." While the casino didn't cite any specific racist views, Nugent referred to President Obama as a "subhuman mongrel" earlier this year, later apologizing for the comments. - Billboard...... The Who vocalist Roger Daltrey and several of his UK pals are backing plans to launch an international model railway museum in Ashford, Kent. "We're trying to start a model railway museum down in Ashford, me and a few pals down in Kent," he told Radio 2's Chris Evans. "Britain forgets that we invented the railway and it conquered the world. The railway was the first thing to open up the world in a big way for trade. We invented it, and we should be proud of that. The model making side of it, it's enormous." Daltrey said he was a big miniature train hobbyist and that "I hate watching the TV because there's nothing on and I like listening to the radio... The great thing about model railways is you can be doing a bit of woodwork, a bit of painting, a bit of this, a bit of that, and having fun with your mates and you can listen to the radio." The Who recently announced details of their 50th anniversary tour and confirmed that they are starting to think about retirement. "This is the beginning of the long goodbye," Daltrey said. - New Musical Express...... Singer, songwriter and film composer Randy Newman has signed an administration agreement for North America with Downtown Music Publishing. Downtown's agreement covers Newman's catalog from 1977's Little Criminals forward, including such hit singles as "Short People" (Little Criminals), "The Blues" and "I Love L.A." (both from Trouble in Paradise), and "It's Money that Matters" (Land of Dreams). "The Randy Newman songbook transcends generations and inspired countless songwriters, artists and composers," said Downtown Music president Justin Kalifowitz. "We are truly honored to represent this timeless catalog and welcome such a beloved songwriter to the Downtown roster." Newman is a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee and also a member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the winner of two Academy Awards, three Emmys, six Grammys, an Ivor Novello, and most recently, a PEN New England Song Lyrics of Literary Excellence Award. - The Hollywood Reporter

Paul McCartney's continuing Archive reissue series will add two albums from his Wings days this fall. The group's 1975 LP Venus and Mars, and the following year's Wings at the Speed of Sound, will will be available on Sept. 23 as remastered deluxe 2-disc editions with a wealth of bonus material. One CD will contain the original album and a second with demos and unreleased tracks. A three-disc edition will also include a hardback book alongside unpublished photographs, new interviews with McCartney, track-by-track info and a bonus DVD containing footage from the time of each release. The albums will also be available as gatefold vinyl releases and as deluxe digital releases, in Mastered for iTunes and high-res formats. McCartney personally supervised the production of both reissues, the remastering for which was done at Abbey Road Studios by the same team that remastered the Beatles' discography. McCartney began his Archive collection in 2010 and has so far won two Grammy Awards for the releases, taking home Best Historical Album for Band on the Run in 2012 and Best Boxed for Special Edition Package for Wings Over America earlier in 2014. In other Beatles-related news, John Lennon's widow Yoko Ono is among several musicians who have signed up as "virtual teachers" at an online girls school which is currently seeking funding via Kickstarter. The School Of Doodle calls itself a "peer-to-peer, self-directed learning lab dedicated to activating girls imaginations through entertainment, education and community." Ono and such artists as Pussy Riot, Courtney Love and Kim Gordon have all contributed "doodles" to the project, which will be part of Kickstarter pledgders' reward packages. - Rolling Stone/New Musical Express, 7/28/14.

A Washington state musician who conned several investors out of $600,000 after claiming such classic rock icons as Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty and REM were involved in his project has been sentenced to jail. Singer-songwriter Kasey Anderson ran several schemes to fraud backers out of their money, including claiming that he was working on a compilation album that would raise money for the legal funds of the so-called "West Memphis Three," a trio of teenagers convicted of murder in 1994 but later released from prison. Anderson told potential investors the likes of Springsteen, Petty, REM and more were all involved with the record. He also conned people into funding his own album, falsifying paperwork that said it had already sold thousands of copies and earnt $1.4 million in royalties. The musician has now been sentenced to four years in prison by a court in Tacoma and ordered to pay back the money he stole. Anderson claims he suffers from mental illness and wrote a letter to the court explaining his actions. "I lied to myself and others, and believing those lies, I told myself consistently that whatever was going on with me I could fix it on my own. I convinced myself that it was normal," he allegedly wrote. - New Musical Express, 7/27/14.

The U.S. Library of Congress announced on July 22 that Billy Joel will be the 2014 recipient of its annual Gershwin Prize for Popular Song. Calling the New York Piano Man "a storyteller of the highest order," Librarian of Congress James H. Billington said on the bureau's website that the 65-year old performer will be awarded the prize in November in Washington, D.C., during a week that will also include a series of events, complete with an honoree's luncheon and musical performances. Joel, a six-time Grammy winner and a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Songwriter's Hall of Fame, issued a statement saying that George Gershwin, the award's namesake, "has been a personal inspiration to me throughout my career...And the Library's decision to include me among those songwriters who have been past recipients is a milestone for me." According to the Library of Congress' website, the Gershwin Prize "honors a living musical artists lifetime achievement in promoting the genre of song as a vehicle of cultural understanding; entertaining and informing audiences; and inspiring new generations." Joel's upcoming concerts include shows in Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia, then one concert each month in New York's Madison Square Garden from August to December. - Billboard, 7/22/14.

The legendary George Harrison is most often associated with the Beatles, but now an infestation of beetles has killed the George Harison Memorial Tree, which was planed in Los Angeles' Griffith Park in 2004 in tribute to the music icon. The pine tree was originally put in the park three years after Harrison's death in 2001 because the musician had spent his final days in L.A. and was an avid gardener. A small plaque at the base of the tree read, "In memory of a great humanitarian who touched the world as an artist, a musician and a gardener." The plaque also quotes Harrison himself: "For the forests to be green, each tree must be green." The tree reportedly had grown to more than 10 feet tall before the beetle infestation took over. Tom LaBonge, a member of the L.A. City Council, says the tree will be replanted soon. - Billboard, 7/21/14.

Multi-instrumentalist Edgar Winter, the brother of recently deceased Johnny Winter, announced on July 23 that he will pay tribute to his sibling on his upcoming 17-date tour, which gets underway on July 31 in Clarkston, Mich., and wraps on Aug. 24 in Snoqualmie, Wash. In a statement, the "Frankenstein" rocker expressed admiration for Johnny, who he describes as "my greatest musical hero," and remorse for his passing. "My wife, Monique, and I are shocked at the suddenness of Johnny's passing, especially since I was so looking forward with such joy and anticipation to seeing him again and playing together," Edgar posted on Facebook. "I know his body is departing this physical realm, but his presence, his music, and his spirit are undiminished, and alive as ever in my heart." Edgar says he is reprogramming his upcoming Rock 'n' Blues Fest tour to serve as a tribute to Johnny. On each date of the tour, the Edgar Winter Band, Vanilla Fudge, Rare Earth member Peter Rivera and Savoy Brown's Kim Simmonds intend to play songs that fans associate with Johnny. Rick Derringer, whose "Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo" Winter recorded with Derringer on his Johnny Winter And album in 1970, will appear as a special guest on the tour's final two nights. The final album by Johnny, who died at age 70 on July 16, will feature the Texas blues guitarist playing with the likes of Eric Clapton, ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons and Aerosmith's Joe Perry, among others. - Vintage Vinyl News/Rolling Stone, 7/23/14.

Tom Petty says his new album Hypnotic Eye will include songs what he perceives as "the unchecked greed of the one percent" and the Catholic Church sex scandals. "Very few people know how to handle power and once they just become completely immoral, they're dangerous people," Petty told Billboard. "That attitude is what, to me, wipes out the middle class." Petty also spoke about "Playing Dumb," a song he wrote a song about the victims of the Catholic clergy that will be included as a bonus track on the album's vinyl release. "If I was in a club, and I found out that there had been generations of people abusing children, and then that club was covering that up, I would quit the club. And I wouldn't give them any more money," he maintained. Hypnotic Eye, which is due for release on July 29, will be a return the sound of Petty's early work, according to longtime Petty guitarist and collaborator Mike Campbell, who also co-produced the new LP. "I knew I wanted to do a rock & roll record," Petty told Rolling Stone earlier in 2014. "We hadn't made a straight hard-rockin' record, from beginning to end, in a long time." Petty and his Heartbreakers will be hitting the road later this year for a North American tour. Every ticket purchased includes a copy of Hypnotic Eye. - Billboard, 7/21/14.

Appearing on NBC's Today show on July 18, Mick Jagger opened up about the March 2014 suicide of his longtime girlfriend L'Wren Scott. "I'm doing OK. It's difficult. Very hard year, but I got back into it by working on touring with the Stones in Europe and doing other things, including doing this great movie," said the Rolling Stones frontman, adding that he "appreciates the support I've received from friends and family." Jagger is promoting Universal's upcoming James Brown biopic Get on Up, which he is co-producing with Brian Grazer. Jagger was joined in the interview with Grazer, director Tate Taylor and the movie's stars, including Chadwick Boseman, Octavia Spencer and Dan Aykroyd. Jagger noted that Brown was a big influence on him, and explained that he particularly loved how "Soul Brother No. 1" interacted with the audience: "the way he charmed them, the way he told them what to do, the way he gave them his emotions and encouraged them to give back." Dan Aykroyd also praised Brown's skill as a businessman. "He understood all aspects, the full range of what it took to be a superstar and how to exploit it for his friends and himself and his family," he said. Brian Grazer revealed that Chadwick Boseman, who had a breakthrough role as Jackie Robinson in last year's 42, landed the role as Brown once they saw he could dance. "Our minds were blown," the veteran producer said. Get On Up gets its world premiere in Brown's hometown of Augusta, Ga., on July 24. - The Hollywood Reporter, 7/19/14.

A Native American tribe called the Coeur d'Alene announced on July 21 that an Aug. 4 concert by Ted Nugent at its casino in the northwest Idaho city of Worley has been cancelled because of the rocker's "racist and hate-filled remarks." The tribe says it booked Nugent without realizing he espoused "racist attitudes and views," but didn't detail which of Nugent's specific views it opposes. Nugent, an outspoken advocate of conservative causes, in the past has referred to President Barack Obama as a "subhuman mongrel." He later apologized "for using the street fight terminology of subhuman mongrel," but maintained that Pres. Obama was a "liar" violating the Constitution. - AP, 7/21/14....... A hotel inspired by the life of Bob Dylan opened for business in June in the upstate New York village of Woodstock. The Hotel Dylan, located just a few miles from where the singer used to record on Route 28, is at the center of a new complex designed by owner Paul Covello and architects Cortney and Robert Novogratz. The hotel is described as having "bohemian sophistication," also featuring rooms named in tribute to musicians other than Dylan who are associated with the area and the Woodstock festival, including 'The Jimi,' 'The Roadies,' 'The Van' and 'The Hippie Chick'. Every room in the hotel has its own turntable and records. Plans for a gastropub are also in the pipeline, where Covello says there will be a music venue for "intimate, unplugged concerts." - No Depression/New Musical Express, 7/21/14.

Crooner Paul Anka has become the latest performer to cancel a concert in Israel due to the current hostilities in the Middle East. "Due to the current situation in the Middle East, Paul Anka and the local promoters will be postponing his upcoming concerts scheduled for July 24 and 26, 2014," a rep for Anka said in a statement, adding that Anka's camp is trying to find a solution to reschedule the dates. "We ask all current ticket holders to keep their tickets and await that announcement. Mr. Anka assures you that once the local situation is resolved, he will be there with the latest version of his fantastic performance." The concerts would have been Anka's third time to the holy land since his November 2009 inaugural visit. His popularity in Israel had local promoters announce last month a second concert to be added, both scheduled for July 24 and 26. While Neil Young & Crazy Horse and The Brian Jonestown Massacre canceled their shows in Israel, both originally supposed to take place in mid-July, Anka's announcement clarified his shows are postponed and will be rescheduled in the near future. - The Hollywood Reporter, 7/18/14.