Feb 26 2009
In what should not come as a huge shock, Morrissey has canceled the first four dates of his U.S. tour due to "illness" -- or perhaps, it was just too sunny in Florida.
The former Smiths frontman is scheduled to play here March 17 at Carnegie Music Hall, but he's canceled here the past two times, both on the day of the show - when he was already in town.
The canceled dates this week are:
Feb. 28 Boca Raton, FL - Mizner Park
March 1 Orlando, FL - Hard Rock Live
March 3 Jacksonville, FL - Florida Theatre
March 4 St. Petersburg, FL - Jannus Landing Courtyard
So, he has about 20 days to recover from whatever it is that caused him to cancel. But you have to figure that the odds of him actually taking the stage here on March 17 have just dropped dramatically.
On "Something is Squeezing My Head," the first song on the new album, he rattles off a list of anti-depressants and hollers "Don't gimmie anymore!"
Maybe he needs some more.
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Feb 26 2009
When they offered me separate phone interviews with Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham, I fully expected to have to dance around questions about the dynamic between them these days.
Surprisingly, they weren't touchy about it in the least.
Both of them were friendly and candid in talking about their past and how they get along now. Most of that went into the original story.
There were other comments that didn't make it in. Here are some of the outtakes:
Stevie on the new Lindsey:
"... If we are arguing he lets it go and I let it go, because we're never going to not argue. But it's like ‘You want to do this song, I don't. OK, well let's make a compromise.' We won't do either of those songs, we'll do another song that we both want to do. That's how we're looking at things now. And it's much nicer. It doesn't mean that we're not so ragged and crazy on stage because we are, but behind the scenes his attitude towards me changed. And it's great."
Stevie on longevity:
"People say, ‘How long do you think you'll be doing this?' And you say, ‘Well, I don't know,' and then you see Tina Turner and she's 68 years old, and she's out there totally rocking... And I don't have to do what Tina Trner does. I just have to sand up there and wear really beautiful clothes and play a little tambourine and sing. I don't have to dance around like she does. I have a lot of fun on stage and I'm physical, but she's really choreographed. When I was 17, I said, I'm not going to be choreographed. I don't ever want someone telling me what dance steps I should do. That's why I'm a lead singer, so no one tells me what to do, except sometimes Lindsey, and that's a discussion. "
Stevie on her other creative life:
"Behind the singer on stage, there is that really very serious woman who is a writer. So my life, when I stop touring, whenever that I is, I flip over into writing and also art, because I draw and I paint. I look forward to the future because of that. It's like if I tour till I'm 70, great. At 70 I'll start making movies and writing screenplays and a poetry book and an art show in New York. I have all these great plans for things I'll do when this part of my life starts to wind down."
Lindsey on classic rock bands still thriving:
"I haven't really thought about it that much. I've been spending as much time trying to reject the values that a lot of people who have been making music as long as I have tend to have. A lot of people are just going out and doing their body of work and doing it for a certain set of reasons and aren't out there trying to place any more religious connotation on the creative process and I'm not one of those people. I don't know. I don't know what to say about that."
Lindsey on how he could make two solo records with all three kids running around his house:
"The whole thing with the family actually turned out to be a bit of a boon. Because home life has been so stable, unlike in the decades past when I would have crazy girlfriends or whatever, where everything just seemed like it was an extension of what was wrong with Fleetwood Mac. So meeting a beautiful woman and having three children at a relatively late point in my life was just a huge gift.
"I think again that fertility comes down to the logistics and putting a boundary around a period of time, because there certainly have been many instances in the last 20 years where I have had intentions to do solo work and it's gotten intervened upon by the Fleetwood Mac scene, and something has either been shelved or material has been moved over and become part of a Fleetwood Mac album.
"I just had to say ‘Don't bother me for like three or four years.' That as much as anything has been responsible for how prolific I've been able to be. I guess the challenge now, having set that bar kind of high, which is great in coming off that time period, where again you're not selling a lot of records, you're ... hopefully the right ears are hearing what you're doing and understanding it and appreciating it ... the challenge now is not letting that go under in the face of the ‘big machine.' I think the answer is to keep making solo albums, no matter what Stevie is doing."
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Feb 25 2009
And now... the most bizarre recipe yet for a supergroup:
- One part Fountains of Wayne.
- One part Cheap Trick.
- One part Smashing Pumpkins.
- And the kicker: One part Hanson.
Tinted Windows is a new power-pop group featuring Taylor Hanson as frontman, ex-Smashing Pumpkin James Iha on guitar, Fountains of Wayne's Adam Schlesinger on bass and, providing veteran leadership, Cheap Trick drummer Bun E. Carlos.
Schlesinger was the vortex, having been friends with both Hanson and Iha. in forming a power-pop group a la The Knack they wondered who might play drums like Bun E. Carlos -- and ended up with Bun E. Carlos.
The result is exactly what you'd expect. It sounds like Fountains of Wayne fronted by a sweet-voiced Hanson brother with a little extra juice in the guitar from the Pumpkin.
The band's debut album will be released April 21 on S-Curve Records.
You can hear the first single here
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Feb 24 2009
Spinner.com is the go-to place for lists like "Bad Songs by Good Bands" (e.g., R.E.M.'s "Stand") and "Worst Lyrics" ("Horse with No Name" gets an honor).
The site's latest list is an ambitious one: Most Outdated Songs.
Getting top honors is Morrissey with a song that came out only four years ago: "America is Not the World."
Morrissey's political diatribe includes the line "America ... Where the president is never black, female or gay/And until that day, you've got nothing to say to me."
Guess America can talk to Morrissey now.
But what would it say?
Also making the list:
"Put another dime in the jukebox, baby" --Joan Jett's ‘I Love Rock ‘N' Roll' (1982)
You might be able to love rock ‘n' roll for a dime, but hearing it on a jukebox will likely cost you a dollar.
"I can't go away with you on a rock-climbing weekend/What if something's on TV and it's never shown again?" --Lemonheads' ‘The Outdoor Type' (1996)
Not only can Evan Dando TiVo ‘Xena' -- he can post footage of himself from his tent on YouTube before the weekend's up.
"You play your guitar on the MTV" --Dire Straits' ‘Money for Nothing' (1985)
Remember when people actually played music on TV and made money? Good times!
Sticking with the TV theme, I would like to add:
"There's 57 channels and nothin' on." -- Bruce Springsteen's "57 Channels"
Now Bruce surely has at least 257 channels. And there's still nothing on. (Though "Flight of the Conchords" is really good.)
Check out the full list here
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Feb 23 2009
-- It wasn't the White Stripes people expected when the duo played the final Conan O'Brien Show Friday night. Rather than slapping at the drums, Meg White, in a long gown, donned a red Telecaster - and managed to keep her hand frozen on the G chord for nearly the entire song - as she assisted Jack White on "We're Going to Be Friends." It seemed like a struggle for the Whites, who haven't played together much in the past two years due to Meg's anxiety issues, to get through the song, but Jack's emotional vocal carried the day. He seemed on the verge of schoolboy tears as he sang a bluesy version of the ode to very young love. Word is that the White Stripes are working on a new album due in the summer. Let's hope Meg is holding sticks when he see her next.
-- As for another notable network performance, TV on the Radio was not at its best two weeks ago on "Saturday Night Live." Kyp Malone's vocals were off on the first song, "The Golden Age," which didn't live up to the sonic standard of a band that just topped the year-end lists in Rolling Stone, Spin and the Village Voice. TVOTR sounded better with Tunde Adebimpe taking over for the second song, the more spastic "Dancing Choose."
Malone told Pitchfork, "I never watch any of those things - it's bad for me. It was a really good vibe, though. But I was immediately told how [crappy] the sound was by people who were outside the room. All we had power over was the performance; we don't have a sound engineer who's a union guy. I feel like I'm making excuses but we just did what we did. It was fun in the room.
It's funny because I've heard a bunch of people say that the sound is bad there, but they had a lot of great-sounding performances in the 1970s and early 80s - this one Stevie Nicks performance stands out."
Of all the 'SNL' performances, how did he reach for Stevie Nicks.
-- Finally, the Oscars. So there was time for host Hugh Jackman to do campy Broadway send-ups but no time for Peter Gabriel to perform his Oscar-nominated "Down to Earth"? Huh? Fortunately, they found a more-than-adequate replacement in John Legend, who did a nice job with the truncated version of the song. After all my grumbling, the medley with the "Slumdog Millionaire" songs turned out to be an interesting, exotic blend. Still, would have been better to see Gabriel up there. Or even see him at all (other than on the red carpet). Looks like after he snubbed Oscar, it snubbed him.
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Feb 20 2009
Every day email pours in for thrilling concert tours.
Among today's entries: Leonard Cohen's first tour in 15 years and the punk rock billing of Rise Against/Rancid.
Both look great. Neither is coming to Pittsburgh - of course.
In our vicinty, Cohen is doing Chicago, Detroit, Columbia, MD, Philadelphia, New York and Boston.
Rise Against/Rancid is doing Cleveland, Cincinnati, Detroit, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Boston and... Buffalo!
There's no reason why these tours shouldn't be coming to Pittsburgh. Cohen could play Carnegie Music Hall, one of them; and Rise Against/Rancid could do the back-again tent at Station Square.
Now, on the bright side. We are getting TV on the Radio at Mr. Small's on May 11. Yay.
Feb 20 2009
Breaking news:
PRESIDENT AND MRS OBAMA
INVITE MUSIC LEGENDS
EARTH, WIND & FIRE
TO PERFORM AT WHITE HOUSE
Oooooh yeah!
We certainly have change in the White House now, folks.
Can you imagine a headline reading:
PRESIDENT AND MRS BUSH
INVITE MUSIC LEGENDS
EARTH, WIND & FIRE
TO PERFORM AT WHITE HOUSE
Uh-uh.
But now we have a hipster African-American president who grew up in the '70s grooving to "Shining Star" and "September" at the high school dance, and he's in the unique position of being able to order up his EWF - live! - whenever he wants it.
Who said it was all war, recession and bailouts?
Earth Wind & Fire -- from Obama's former hometown of Chicago -- will play the East Room for the U.S. Governors and guests on Sunday, which means Gov. Rendell likely will be in on this action. Hope all those guvs dancing to EW&F doesn't ruin the band for Obama, but that would be an acceptable occupational hazard. He and Michelle can close their eyes if they want when they dance to "That's the Way of the World."
Earth, Wind & Fire will embark on a summer tour with Chicago (the band) June 5 to Aug. 1. No word yet on whether or not we'll get a taste of this, but it's the '70s, so I'm guessing 98 percent yes.
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Feb 19 2009
Here's another piece of the summer concert puzzle, one that requires travel, camping and a love of hippies.
Ben Harper and Relentless7, Bob Weir & RatDog and moe. will headline the 13th annual All Good Music Festival July 10-12 at Marvin's Mountaintop in Masontown, WV.
The Relentless7 is Harper's new "fiery" four-piece blues-rock band, which will release its debut, "White Lies for Dark Times," in May.
Also on the festival lineup:
STS9 (Sound Tribe Sector 9)
Les Claypool
Yonder Mountain String Band
Tea Leaf Green
Buckethead
SOJA
Bassnectar
Steve Kimock Crazy Engine
The New Mastersounds
Donna the Buffalo
Ivan Neville's Dumpstaphunk
Todd Snider
Cornmeal
Trombone Shorty & Orleans Ave
Fear Nuttin' Band
In addition to music and camping, the All Good Music Festival features microbrews, craft vendors, late night shows, interactive artisan workshops, family camping area, kids area, ADA camping and more.
Early-Bird Tickets are available at the reduced rate of rate of $109 ($55), which includes camping, music and parking from Friday through Sunday.
Go to http://allgood.musictoday.com or charge by phone by at 1-800-594-TIXX.
Feb 19 2009
During an interview last summer, Alejandro Escovedo said the toughest gig you can play is opening for the Dave Matthews Band.
Because the crowd just doesn't listen. It's there to party.
That's not going to stop The Hold Steady from trying.
The Minneapolis band (via Brooklyn) has signed on as surprise guests to tour with the DMB this summer, including Post-Gazette Pavilion dates on June 19 and 20.
The Hold Steady plays a style of post-punk - somewhere between the Replacements and the E Street Band - that is not likely to appeal to DMB fans, who are generally more partial to virtuosic jamming.
The Hold Steady puts a big emphasis on Craig Finn's lyrics (about drugged-out party girls) that are likely to get lost in the shuffle during a shed show.
Let's hope in Burgettstown they don't showered with boos.
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Feb 18 2009
With Jane's Addiction back in the hunt, we're looking at the possibility of a summer concert season that's going to look like the heyday of the mid-'90s.
Limp Bizkit and blink-182 have already reunited and announced plans to tour.
The original lineup of Jane's Addiction played another reunion show Monday night in LA and the talk is that the band is working on a new album with Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails.
Jane's has signed on for the eighth Sasquatch! Music Festival, May 23-25 at the Gorge in Quincy, Wash., and a spring tour is in the works.
Are these the kind of shows we might get at the Post-Gazette Pavilion? Or will it be the usual cast of Jimmy Buffett, Dave Matthews and Steve Miller?
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