The Rolling Stones' Mick Jagger and Keith Richards and Aerosmith's Steven Tyler and Joe Perry are just a few of the musicians demanding politicians seek approval from artists before playing their songs at campaign rallies. In an open letter penned posted on Medium.com by the Artists Rights Alliance (ARA) ahead of the US elections, those rockers along with the likes of Blondie, Elvis Costello, REM, Lionel Richie, Green Day, Pearl Jam, Sheryl Crow, Courtney Love and Panic! At the Disco demand that the major US national political party committees "establish clear policies requiring campaigns to seek the consent of featured recording artists, songwriters, and copyright owners before publicly using their music in a political or campaign setting." The letter continues: "This is the only way to effectively protect your candidates from legal risk, unnecessary public controversy and the moral quagmire that comes from falsely claiming or implying an artist's support or distorting an artists' (sic) expression in such a high stakes public way." The ARA says that political campaigns are obliged to seek permission to use music for their rallies, while music creators hold the ultimate decision over who can use their music. "We've seen so many artists and estates dragged into politics against their will and forced to take aggressive action to prohibit the use of their music usually songs that are broadcast during political rallies. It can confuse and disappoint fans and even undermine an artists' long term income and mostly it's just not right," the letter reads. - Music-News.com/NME, 7/29/20...... 
In related news, Neil Young posted on his Neil Young Archives site on July 26 that he is "reconsidering" suing US Pres. Donald Trump over the president's use of Young's music at his rallies. "I am changing my mind about suing President Trump. Reconsidering," wrote the Canadian born folk-rock star, who said earlier in July that he didn't want a lawsuit to distract Trump from properly responding to the coronavirus pandemic. "I'm looking at it again," he added. "There is a long history to consider and I originally considered it, deciding not to pursue. But then President Trump ordered thugs in uniform onto our streets. His idea... This is all DJT." Young, who became a US citizen in Jan. 2020 after living here for more than five decades, recently criticized Trump for playing his song "Rockin' in the Free World" during the Independence Day celebration at Mount Rushmore. "This is NOT ok with me," he tweeted along with a video of the event at the time. Trump has also used the song previously during his presidential campaign. - Billboard, 7/27/20...... Meanwhile, Barbra Streisand lashed out at the president during a virtual fundraiser for Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden on July 28. "Let's face it, Trump is unfit, mentally and morally, to hold this distinguished office," said Streisand, who didn't perform but was given eight minutes to deliver the event's closing remarks. The diva continued: "A few weeks ago, Trump called out the troops against peaceful protesters. That is what cowards do when they are scared. Donald Trump has failed us. And we cannot survive four more years of his incompetence we're feeling right now. (Biden) will listen to people rather than greeting them with guns. All they want is justice. It's as simple as that." The "Celebration for Change" fundraiser reportedly raked in $760,000 (£583,000) for the campaign of Joe Biden, who Streisand said is "the leader we need now." - New Musical Express, 7/28/20...... The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has shared more classic performances to its YouTube archive to help fans in lockdown during the coronavirus pandemic. A number of live outings from past ceremonies have recently been added to the archive, including those from such '70s superstars as Rush, Pink Floyd and Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen. There are currently more 200 videos on the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame YouTube channel, with new performances being added on a weekly basis. The Rock Hall's 2020 ceremony was due to be held on May 2, but will now take place on Nov. 7 at Cleveland's Public Auditorium. The event will be broadcast live on HBO and will begin at 8:00 pm EST (1:00 am GMT). - New Musical Express, 7/29/20...... 
Robert Plant announced on July 29 that he's releasing a career-spanning anthology CD set titled Digging Deep: Subterranea on Oct. 2 via his own Es Paranza label. The 2-CD set, which will accompany the third season of his podcast Digging Deep With Robert Plant, will include 30 tracks from across Plant's 11 solo albums, with guest appearances by his Led Zeppelin bandmate Jimmy Page as well as the likes of Phil Collins, Buddy Miller, Nigel Kennedy, Richard Thompson and more. The album is slated for release on Oct. 2 via Plant's own label, Es Paranza. In February 2020, Plant released an 8-record box set of his 7" singles also called Digging Deep. The third season of his Digging Deep With Robert Plant podcast began on July 27. Five new episodes will be released fortnightly over Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube. - NME, 7/29/20...... Actor Sam Rockwell is reportedly in talks to star as late country music legend Merle Haggard in an upcoming biography about Haggard's life. To be directed by Robin BIssell, who directed Rockwell in The Best of Enemies, the project will be co-written by Bissell and Haggard's widow, Theresa Haggard, based on the Haggard' memoir Sing Me Back Home. Rockwell will do his own singing of Haggard's songs, recorded during the '60s when the picture is set. The film will focus not only on Haggard's three years in prison at San Quentin, but also heavily on his complicated love affair, which played out on-stage and off, with singer Bonnie Owens -- his singing partner who eventually became his wife. Haggard, who scored 9 number one Country hits from 1966 to 1970, died on Apr. 6, 2016 -- his 79th birthday -- at his ranch in Shasta County, Calif., having recently suffered from double pneumonia. - New Musical Express, 7/28/20...... Van Morrison and The Bootleg Beatles have joined the summer line-up for the UK's first distanced music venue. The Virgin Money Unity Arena, which is set to open at Newcastle Racecourse in August, will allow music fans across the North East to enjoy live music for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic began. Morrison will play the venue on Sept. 3, while The Bootleg Beatles will play an earlier show on Aug. 16. Taking place until Sept. 13, fans can also expect sets from the likes of The Libertines, Two Door Cinema Club, Tom Grennan and Maximo Park as well as comedy shows from Bill Bailey and Jason Manford. - NME, 7/27/20...... Rolling Stone magazine's website is currently sharing a previously unreleased version of Paul McCartney and Steve Miller's collaborative track "Broomstick" in conjunction with the remastered deluxe re-release of McCartney's 1997 album Flaming Pie. "Broomstick," which features on the album, is a tune McCartney cut with Miller, who played guitar on most of the well-received album. It was released as a B side to the single "Young Boy" (which Miller also sang and played guitar on) but has since faded into obscurity. "As long as we're together, it's gonna be just fine/ Well, I heard it on the broomstick, dashing through the middle of the night," Sir Paul sings on the smooth track that hears Miller play a bluesy solo. Although it won't appear on the boxset, a previously unreleased all-acoustic instrumental jam version of "Broomstick" has been shared by Rolling Stone. - Rolling Stone/NME, 7/25/20...... 
Peter Green, the influential blues rock guitarist and co-founder of Fleetwood Mac, died in his sleep over the fourth weekend of July according to a statement shared by his family members to the BBC. He was 73. "It is with great sadness that the family of Peter Green announce his death this weekend, peacefully in his sleep. A further statement will be provided in the coming days," the statement reads. Born in London in 1946, Green began his career as a teenager in 1965 as the guitarist for John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, where he replaced Eric Clapton. In 1966, Green teamed up with drummer Mick Fleetwood to form Fleetwood Mac. The two later recruited John McVie on bass. The first incarnation of Fleetwood Mac, under Green's direction, released Fleetwood Mac (1968), Mr. Wonderful (1968) and Then Play On (1969). During his time in the group, Green penned such popular songs as "Albatross," "Man of the World," "Oh Well" and "Black Magic Woman," which later became a huge hit for Santana. Green left Fleetwood Mac in 1970 and was later diagnosed with schizophrenia, forcing him to seek treatment in psychiatric hospitals, however he continued to release music, including his 1970 solo debut, The End of the Game. Because of his mental illness, however, the guitarist wouldn't release another solo album until 1979, and his last solo release was 1983's Kolors. During the 1990s, Green teamed up with guitarist Nigel Watson and drummer Cozy Powell to form Peter Green Splinter Group, releasing numerous albums in the late '90s and early 2000s. In 1998, Green was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame along with seven other past and present other members of Fleetwood Mac, who after Green's departure later went on to achieve major success with the new lineup of Fleetwood, McVie, Christine McVie, Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham. In Feb. 2020, Mick Fleetwood organized an all-star tribute to the early years of Fleetwood Mac with Green, featuring performances by Billy Gibbons, David Gilmour, Steven Tyler and others. In a statement, Mick Fleetwood called the loss of his former bandmate as "monumental." "No one has ever stepped into the ranks of Fleetwood Mac without a reverence for Peter Green and his talent, and to the fact that music should shine bright and always be delivered with uncompromising passio ... Peter, I will miss you, but rest easy your music lives on," he said. Stevie Nicks tweeted that Green's guitar playing "was one of the reasons I was excited to join Fleetwood Mac" and "my biggest regret is that I never got to share the stage with him." Green is survived by his daughter, Rosebud, who he had with ex-wife Jane Samuels. - Billboard/Music-News.com, 7/25/20...... Miss Mercy, a member of the Frank Zappa-associated band The GTOs (Girls Together Outrageously, died on July 28 at age 71, as confirmed on Instagram by Pamela Des Barres (aka GTOS' Miss Pamela), and later the author of the memoir I'm With The Band. "My beloved sister for most of my life, Miss Mercy has just passed. Words don't work for me at this moment. I can't imagine my world without her in it," she wrote. Born Judith Edna Peters on Feb. 16, 1949 in California, Miss Mercy met Zappa in the '60s, who would go on to encourage Peters and future bandmates Miss Christine and Cinderella to form The GTOs. The GTOs, which at first numbered seven members, then five, were only active between 1968 and 1970. They recorded one studio album, 'Permanent Damage', through now-defunct label Straight. The record, which featured musical contributions from Jeff Beck and Rod Stewart, was produced by Zappa. Following their separation, The GTOs joined forces again four years later for a reunion. Mercy would go on to marry American musician Shuggie Otis, with whom she had a son, before they separated. - New Musical Express, 7/29/20...... John Saxon, the ruggedly handsome actor and close friend of the late Bruce Lee who appeared in Lee's classic Enter the Dragon as well as three Nightmare on Elm Street movies for director Wes Craven,, died of pneumonia in Murfreesboro, Tenn., on July 25, according to his wife Gloria. He was 83. An Italian-American from Brooklyn, Mr. Saxon played characters of various ethnicities during his long career. His portrayal of a brutal Mexican bandit opposite Marlon Brando in The Appaloosa (1966) earned him a Golden Globe, and he had a recurring role on ABC's Dynasty as Rashid Ahmed, a powerful Middle East tycoon who romanced Alexis Colby (Joan Collins). On another 1980s primetime soap, CBS' Falcon Crest, he played the father of Lorenzo Lamas' character. Years earlier, Mr. Saxon starred from 1969-72 as the surgeon Theodore Stuart on The New Doctors' rotating segment of the NBC drama series The Bold Ones. Discovered by the same agent who launched the careers of Rock Hudson and Tab Hunter, Mr. Saxon first gained notice for his performance as a disturbed high school football star who taunts Esther Williams in The Unguarded Moment (1956). Other big screen credits include Rock, Pretty Baby (1956), Summer Love (1958), The Reluctant Debutante (1958), Cry Tough (1959), Joe Kidd (1972), The Swiss Conspiracy (1976), Beverly Hills Cop III (1994) and God's Ears (2008). He was married three times, to screenwriter Mary Ann Murphy, airline attendant turned actress Elizabeth Saxon and, since 2008, cosmetician Gloria Martel. Survivors also include his son, Antonio, and his sister, Dolores. - The Hollywood Reporter, 7/25/20...... 
Beloved U.S. TV personality Regis Philbin, the Emmy-winning host of such popular television shows as Live! With Regis & Kathie Lee and Who Wants to be a Millionaire?, passed away on July 24 of a myocardial infarction, commonly known as a heart attack, due to coronary artery disease and hypertension (high blood pressure). He was 88. Over the years, Mr. Philbin also hosted Miss America pageants and was nominated for 37 Daytime Emmy Awards throughout his career and won six. He was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2008 and two years later was inducted into the National Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame and the Television Academy Hall of Fame. He also holds the world record for most hours on US television, according to Guinness World Records, with more than 16,700 hours on air. Regis Francis Xavier Philbin was born in New York on Aug. 25, 1931, Mr. Philbin got his start in show business as a page on NBC's The Tonight Show. He later hosted The Regis Philbin Show out of San Diego before joining The Joey Bishop Show as Bishop's sidekick. After a stint as the host of a local Los Angeles TV talk show, Philbin became the co-host in 1983 of The Morning Show on WABC. Kathie Lee Gifford became Philbin's co-host in 1985, and in 1988 the show was syndicated and renamed. The duo continued hosting together until 2000, at which point Philbin hosted the show alone -- then dubbed Live with Regis -- until he was joined by Kelly Ripa in 2001. He finally left the show in November 2011. In a tribute posted to Instagram, Gifford said there were "no words to fully express the love I have for my precious friend, Regis." "I smile knowing somewhere in Heaven, at this very moment, he's making someone laugh," she wrote. "It brings me great comfort knowing that he had a personal relationship with his Lord that brought him great peace. "There has never been anyone like him," Gifford said. "And there never will be." - CNN, 7/25/20...... Legendary actress Olivia de Havilland, a cast member of the 1939 film Gone With the Wind and considered to be one of the last remaining stars of Old Hollywood, died peacefully in her sleep at her home in Paris, France, on July 25. She was 104. The British-American Dame was the sister of actress Joan Fontaine and enjoyed a remarkable life and career, evening winning two Best Actress Oscars for To Each His Own (1946) and The Heiress (1949) respectively. Born in Tokyo in 1916, Ms. De Havilland, Fontaine and their actress-mother Lillian moved to California in 1919 after their father Walter, a British patent attorney, left them to pursue a relationship with their housekeeper. She went on to make her on-screen debut in Max Reinhardt's elaborate 1935 adaptation of the Shakespeare comedy, "A Midsummer Night's Dream." In 2018, Ms. de Havilland famously took legal action against the cable TV network FX and director Ryan Murphy, after she alleged Murphy never sought her permission to depict her or use her name in the drama Feud: Bette & Joan. The eight-episode series about Joan Crawford and Bette Davis saw Olivia played by fellow Oscar-winner Catherine Zeta-Jones, however, the lawsuit was later dismissed. - Variety, 7/26/20...... Fashion designer Kansai Yamamoto, who worked closely with David Bowie during his career, died on July 21 due to acute myeloid leukemia. He was 76. Mr. Yamamoto was the first Japanese designer to host a fashion show in London in 1971, and he soon established friendships with the likes of Bowie, Elton John and Stevie Wonder. Mr. Yamamoto formed a creative partnership with Bowie during the early 1970s, with the designer producing numerous stage outfits for the late musician. Their collaboration was particularly notable during Bowie's 1973 Aladdin Sane tour, with Yamamoto's outfit designs helping bring Bowie's various stage personas, such as Ziggy Stardust, to life. David Bowie's official Twitter account paid tribute to Yamamoto after learning of his passing. - New Musical Express, 7/27/20.
Genesis confirmed on July 24 that their much-anticipated reunion tour, set to take place across the UK and Ireland this November and December, has been postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. Genesis members Phil Collins, Mike Rutherford and Tony Banks announced in March that their "The Last Domino" tour would commence this fall, their first live shows in 13 years. Now due to coronavirus restrictions, the trio has postponed the tour until Apr. 2021. It kicks off on Apr. 1 in Glasgow, also hitting Birmingham, Newcastle, Manchester, Dublin, Belfast, Leeds, and Liverpool before wrapping with three shows at London's O2 Arena in late April. Two additional dates were added at Birmingham's Utilita Arena and London's O2 Arena on Apr. 7 and Apr. 30, respectively. Meanwhile, the band has spent the coronavirus lockdown uploading a series of classic gigs, streaming one new show every weekend. - New Musical Express, 7/24/20...... Barbra Streisand will be among the co-headliners of a Joe Biden presidential campaign fundraiser on July 26 at 8:00 p.m. EDT. The "Celebration for Change" virtual event will be hosted by comedian Jay Leno and also feature appearances by John Legend, Sara Bareilles, Kristin Chenowith, Julianne Moore, Rob Reiner, Pete Buttigieg, and more. - Billboard, 7/23/20...... A new exhibition celebrating the 50th anniversary of the legendary UK music festival Isle of Wight will open at west London's Masterpiece Art gallery beginning July 27. "Wight Spirit, 1968-70" will display pictures and associated artwork from the festival, including unseen photos from its iconic 1970 edition, the year from which 50 years is marked, when 600,000 people watched Jimi Hendrix, The Who, The Doors, Leonard Cohen and Joni Mitchell play what has become known as "Europe's answer to Woodstock." Sculptures by Guy Portelli and a selection of photos taken by the late Charles Everest -- some of which have never been publicly seen before -- will be displayed until Sept. 5. Some as yet unnannounced musicians who played at the festival from 1968-70 will also stage live performances at the gallery as well as at the showroom of guitar brand Gibson beginning in August. The Masterpiece Art gallery will also stage a one-day exhibition to mark the 50th anniversary of Jimi Hendrix's death on Sept. 19, 1970. Meanwhile, the 2020 edition of Isle of Wight was recently cancelled due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The 50th anniversary festival now takes place on June 17-20, 2021, with sets from Lionel Ritchie, Lewis Capaldi, Duran Duran, Snow Patrol, and others. - New Musical Express, 7/23/20...... KISS guitarist/vocalist Paul Stanley has called for compassion over rapper Kayne West's mental health after West's wife Kim Kardashian recently spoke out about her husband's mental struggles with bipolar disorder. Writing on her Instagram feed, Kardashian West said that "those who are close with Kanye know his heart and understand his words sometimes do not align with his intentions." This came after West posted a series of now deleted Tweets which claimed he had been trying to divorce Kardashian and that she had tried to "lock me up." This prompted Kardashian West to issue a response in which she wrote: "As many of you know, Kanye has bipolar disorder. Anyone who has this or has a loved one in their life who does, knows how incredibly complicated and painful it is to understand... I feel like I should comment on it because of the stigma and misconceptions about mental health." This prompted Paul Stanley to retweet her post with his own message: "Let's have compassion and commend this. So many struggle with mental illness and depression and we can all make a difference." - NME, 7/23/20...... 
"I Do Believe I Love You," a rare unreleased David Bowie demo, is set to be auctioned on July 23 and is expected to fetch up to £5,000. The demo was recorded when Bowie signed as a songwriter to Orbit Music in 1966, and was discovered by a London-based music seller who found it in their back catalog collection. It is amongst several other rare Bowie items being sold at the auction at Wessex Auction Rooms, including a signed copy of the singer's 1970 LP The Man Who Sold The World. "As one of only a few people in the world who have heard the recording, I am still amazed that this musical treasure has been uncovered after all of these years," says Auctioneer Martin Hughes. "David Bowie is one of the most iconic artists of all time, and I am sure that this item is going to create a buzz around the globe amongst fans of Bowie as well as collectors of pop culture," he added. - NME, 7/21/20...... As first reported in late June, Elton John's ex-wife Renate Blauel confirmed she was suing her former rock superstar husband by filing documents at London's high court on July 22. According to the documents, comments made by Elton in his 2018 memoir Me broke the terms of an agreement the couple made when they divorced 32 years ago. The documents state that John allegedly agreed to remove certain passages before publication of the book, but Blauel claims that they triggered existing mental health problems. Blauel, a German-born sound engineer, married Elton in Australia in 1984, but they split in 1988, around the same time the singer came out as gay. Describing the pain of their split, John wrote in his book: "I'd broken the heart of someone I loved and who loved me unconditionally, someone I couldn't fault in any way. Despite all the pain, there was no acrimony involved at all. For years afterwards, whenever something happened to me, the press would turn up on her doorstep, looking for her to dish the dirt, and she never, ever has." He also wrote about having very limited contact with Blauel following their separation, but had invited her to meet his children because he "wanted her to be part of our lives, and us part of hers, in some way." ut she didn't want to," he said. "And I didn't push the issue. I have to respect how she feels." Blauel had initially filed an injunction against John but that has now resulted in a civil case. He is yet to respond to Blauel's latest legal action. - New Musical Express, 7/23/20...... A release date for a 40th anniversary edition of Motörhead's landmark 1980 album Ace of Spades has been set for this fall. The reissue of Ace of Spades is due Oct. 30 and will come in various deluxe editions that include hardback book-packs in 2-CD and 3-LP formats, and a collector's edition Ace Of Spades' box set will contain "a bevvy of era-specific treasures and 42 previously unreleased tracks," according to a press release. Ace of Spades was led by its classic title track, which went on to become one of the band's signature songs during their career. - NME, 7/22/20...... In an interview with the BBC's Zoe Ball Breakfast Show radio program on July 22, Mick Jagger gave a progress update on the next fresh Rolling Stones music as he marked the release of "Scarlet," the Stones' previously unreleased collaboration with Jimmy Page. When asked about how the Stones' next set of songs are progressing, Jagger said: "I don't know and don't hold you breath! We recorded a bunch of tracks at the same time we did (Living In a) Ghost Town, (a standalone track released by the band in April) so actually I've been finishing off the vocals and some other instruments on them, and doing some mixes. So I'm working on it." Jagger continued: "We've got to get together and do a couple more sessions on them. But we're not really gonna get together right now. But it sounds good, what we've already done -- [it] sounds pretty good to me." About the "Scarlet" track, which will feature on the band's September-released expanded edition of their 1973 album Goats Head Soup, Jagger said: "I remember first jamming this with Jimmy and Keith [Richards] in Ronnie's basement studio. It was a great session." The Stones have shared the previously unreleased "Scarlet" track on YouTube. - NME, 7/22/20...... 
Speaking of Jimmy Page, the Led Zeppelin mastermind has has reiterated that it's "really unlikely" that Led Zeppelin will ever reunite to go on tour again in the future. During an interview on the BBC's Zoe Ball Breakfast Show on July 22, Ball asked Page if Zeppelin could ever return to go back on tour, referencing Mick Jagger's comments in their earlier interview in which he said he was "so disappointed" that the band didn't go on tour after their one-off 2007 reunion show at The O2 in London. "At the time of the O2, we thought -- myself, John Paul Jones and Jason [Bonham] -- that there was going to; it was said that there were gonna be some more dates," Page said. "It would've been really good to have done that after the O2, 'cos we'd put a lot of work into The O2 and we were really on it, y'know? But it didn't come off." Page added: "It seems really unlikely that there would be a tour in the future. Unlike the Rolling Stones, they do sort of know that the fans love that -- also I know that with Led Zeppelin [fans too]. But it doesn't look as though there's anything in the future, unfortunately. We're talking about a concert that was gigantic at the time, but that was 2007: time passes, y'know?" - NME, 7/22/20...... Eddie Van Halen's son and newest Van Halen member Wolfgang Van Halen has given VH fans some hope that a future VH tour could still happen, despite recent comments by VH singer David Lee Roth to the New York Times that the band wouldn't reunite anytime soon. In the interview, Roth said: "I don't know that Eddie is ever really going to rally for the rigours of the road again. I don't even want to say I've waited -- I've supported for five years. Because what I do is physical as well as musical and spiritual -- you can't take five years off from the ring. But I did. And I do not regret a second of it. He's a band mate. We had a colleague down. And he's down now for enough time that I don't know that he's going to be coming back out on the road. You want to hear the classics? You're talking to him." After seeing Roth's comments, VH bassist Wolfgang retweeted them and added: "Yeah I don't really think that's up for him to decide," giving hope to fans that a future tour could still happen yet. - NME, 7/20/20.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Comments are restricted to registered Google users and will be moderated before being published on our blog.