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As anticipated, Massachusetts based promoters, Gamelan Productions, announced today that the annual event, Berkfest, would not take place this summer.

“It is with deep sadness that we announce that after 6 amazing summers, the annual Berkshire Mountain Music Festival will be taking this summer off. We apologize for the late announcement, and realized that most of you have already assumed this is the case. Due to current market conditions and a difficult year in 2003, we will be sitting on the sidelines this festival season.

We would like to express our sincerest gratitude to everyone who has been a part of this unique community over the years and helped to create such an extraordinary event. The staff, volunteers, artists, performers, and especially you, the patrons, have made Berkfest one of the most highly anticipated festivals of the summer. We, the organizers, share in your disappointment that we are unable to bring another incredible weekend of music to you in 2004.”

The historic 1985 Live Aid concert will finally be released on DVD in the fall. Earlier this year, the Band Aid Trust agreed to auction the global rights for the concerts for the first time, after pirated copies were found for sale on the Internet.

Warner Vision International won the bidding and has set a Nov. 10 release date for a four-disc DVD package. The iconic Live Aid, held at London’s Wembley and Philadelphia’s JFK Stadium, raised more than $70 million for famine relief in Africa.

Among the acts that performed were a reunited Led Zeppelin, U2, Bob Dylan, David Bowie, Madonna, Paul McCartney, Eric Clapton, Neil Young and Queen. The DVDs will feature a documentary, “Food, Trucks & Rock’n’Roll,” plus performances from related Live Aid events around the world.

“Twenty years ago they not only played ‘real good for free,’ they took an issue that was nowhere on the agenda of the political world and placed it at the very top,” says concert organizer Bob Geldof. “By buying the Live Aid DVD, that day continues far off into some distant but hopefully better future for all those people in whose name those great artists played.”

Source billboard.com.

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Singer/songwriter Elliott Smith’s final album, “From a Basement on the Hill,” will be released Oct. 19 via Epitaph’s Anti- imprint. Smith committed suicide last October; the material he had been working on was posthumously overseen by members of his family, as well as longtime collaborator Rob Schnapf and musician Joanna Bolme.

The 15-track album features drumming by the Flaming Lips’ Steven Drozd on opener “Coast to Coast,” while Quasi’s Sam Coomes plays bass and sings on “Pretty (Ugly Before),” which was issued in August 2003 as a single by Suicide Squeeze Records. The cut “A Distorted Reality is Now a Necessity To Be Free” will appear first on MoveOn.org’s “Future Soundtrack for America” compilation, which hits stores Aug. 10.

Other song titles suggest Smith may have been contemplating suicide and revisiting his frequent themes of addiction, including “Strung Out Again,” “Shooting Star,” “Memory Lane” and “Last Hour.”

It is believed Smith had tracked more than 30 songs during work on the project, for which he’d reached an agreement with DreamWorks to release on an independent label of his choosing. But it’s unclear how many songs were complete, or if they will ever see the light of day. “He was always editing and working,” DreamWorks A&R executive Luke Wood told Billboard last year. “He always had a large cycle of songs that he was making better, and sometimes that cycle took years.”

Here is the track list for “From a Basement on the Hill”:

“Coast to Coast”
“Let’s Get Lost”
“Pretty (Ugly Before)”
“Don’t Go Down”
“Strung Out Again”
“Fond Farewell”
“King’s Crossing”
“Ostriches & Chirping”
“Twilight”
“A Passing Feeling”
“Last Hour”
“Shooting Star”
“Memory Lane”
“Little One”
“A Distorted Reality is Now a Necessity To Be Free”

Source billboard.com.

With noted jam band Leftover Salmon planning a hiatus, vocalist/multi-instrumentalist Drew Emmitt is making plans to hit the road this fall on a solo tour. Joining him will be the band’s Greg Garrison on bass, as well as noted bluegrass banjo player Matt Flinner and guitarist Ross Martin.

Although not yet fully booked, the run looks set to kick off in late September and run through early December, and encompass an appearance at San Francisco’s Strictly Bluegrass Festival in Golden Gate Park.

The group will head into the studio in January with an eye on releasing the debut Drew Emmitt Band album in April 2005 via Compass.

Leftover Salmon has a slate of shows scheduled through a Sept. 18 appearance in Bristol, Tenn., and a one-off Oct. 30 show in Denver.

Source billboard.com.

Lou Reed looks set for a return to the U.K. singles chart with the July 19 release by NuLife/BMG of a pop remix of “Satellite of Love,” originally produced by David Bowie and included on Reed’s classic 1972 album “Transformer.” The new mix, by London team Dab Hands, has been personally approved by Reed.

“Satellite of Love 2004” was well-received at the Winter Music Conference in Miami earlier this year and has been gaining club popularity since then. Reed not only gave the green light for a full commercial release of the track — which was never a U.K. single in its original version — but is fully involved in promoting the single.

“I’ve been getting all these great mixes sent to me out of the U.K. for years and years,” he told Attitude magazine, “and I just started saying to the record company, ‘Look, I really, really love what they are doing.’ I think that my record company was a little taken aback but, genuinely, if I could make that type of music then I would. If I could master the equipment then I would love to. Maybe I will now that I’ve got my own studio set up.”

The track will be included, alongside the original, on a new single-disc version of the 2003 compilation “Lou Reed … NYC Man,” also due July 19. It includes his best-known material as a solo artist and with the Velvet Underground.

Source billboard.com.

PBS stations across the United States will on Aug. 2 premiere a 90-minute special chronicling Phish’s August 2003 IT festival at Maine’s Loring Air Force Base. The film was directed by Mary Wharton, who won a Grammy for her Sam Cooke documentary “Legend,” and features sound engineering by multiple Grammy winner Elliot Scheiner. Select stations will broadcast the special in high-definition.

Phish’s official Web site hosts a list of stations planning to screen the film. IT drew 60,000 fans to watch the band play six sets over the course of the Aug. 2-3, 2003, event.

As previously reported, Phish is planning to split following its Aug. 14-15 Coventry festival in Coventry, Vt. Although the event is sold out, the band is auctioning a handful of tickets via Yahoo! Auctions, with proceeds above face value earmarked for its charitable Waterwheel Foundation. A contest is also underway via Phish.com to design the official Coventry t-shirt.

Meanwhile, the band has made the previously unreleased track “Tiny” available for download exclusively from Apple’s iTunes Music Store. The cut was recorded during sessions for Phish’s recent Elektra studio album, “Undermind.”

Source billboard.com.

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The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion has exited longtime home Matador Records and inked with Sanctuary. The first release under the new pact will be “Damage,” due Sept. 29. It features production work from several unlikely collaborators more known for their work in hip-hop and electronica, including DJ Shadow, Dan “The Automator” Nakamura and David Holmes.

Also contributing behind the boards were Steve Jordan, who produced JSBX’s 2002 album “Plastic Fang,” and Alan Moulder. The set was recorded in part at drummer Russell Simins’ New York Studio.

Among the guests lending a hand on “Damage” are Public Enemy frontman Chuck D, vocalist Martina Topley Bird and veteran New York post-punk artist James Chance.

The group has begun confirming fall North American tour dates, beginning Nov. 6 in Detroit. Beforehand, JSBX will appear Aug. 6 at Norway’s Notodden Blues Festival, which will also feature the Fabulous Thunderbirds, Jeff Healey and John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers, among many others.

Source billboard.com.

Bjork’s upcoming album, “Medulla,” finds the artist singing over rhythms fashioned by such beatboxers as former Roots member Rahzel, Shlomo and Dokaka. As previously reported, the 14-track set is due Aug. 31 via Elektra. It was produced by Bjork, with assistance on four tracks by longtime collaborator Mark Bell.

Other guests include Fantomas/Mr. Bungle principal Mike Patton, singer/songwriter Robert Wyatt (on the duet “Submarine”), classical vocalist Gregory Purnhagen, Inuit throat singer Tagaq and the Icelandic and London Choirs. Programming was supplied by Matmos, Mum’s Valgeir Sigurdsson, Olivier Alary and Jake Davies.

A limited edition of “Medulla” will sport expanded artwork and a 16-panel poster. According to her spokesperson, Bjork is not expected to embark on a full tour in support of its release. It is unclear if select dates are a possibility.

Here is the track listing for “Medulla”:

“Pleasure Is All Mine”
“Show Me Forgiveness”
“Where Is the Line?”
“Vokuro”
“Oll Birtan”
“Who Is It (Carry My Joy on the Left, Carry My Pain on the Right)”
“Submarine”
“Desired Constellation”
“Oceania”
“Sonnets/Unrealities XI”
“Piano II”
“Mouths Cradle”
“Wednesday (Midvikudags)”
“Triumph of a Heart”

Source billboard.com.

Southern California rockers Los Lobos, who continue to celebrate their 30th anniversary, are filling up their tour plans for the coming months.

The band is scheduled to play a mix of festivals and headlining shows through September as they continue to support their new, guest-filled album, “The Ride,” which hit stores in May.

On Aug. 3, Los Lobos will drop the six-track covers EP “Ride This,” which features the group’s takes on Elvis Costello’s “Uncomplicated,” Tom Waits’ “Jockey Full of Bourbon,” The Blasters’ “Marie Marie,” Bobby Womack’s “More Than I Can Stand,” Thee Midnighters’ “It’ll Never Be Over for Me” and Ruben Blades’ “Patria.”

Costello, Blades, Waits, Womack, The Blasters’ Dave Alvin and Thee Midnighters’ Willie Garcia are among the guests who contributed to “The Ride.” Other contributors include Mitchell Froom, Mavis Staples, Garth Hudson, Martha Gonzalez and Cafe Tacuba.

“As we were making our 30th anniversary disk, ‘The Ride,’ we were constantly amazed by the giving spirit of our guest artists,” the band said in a statement on its official website. “What was truly a dream project for us became an unforgettable experience, and struck by their graciousness, we decided to say thank you (and have a little fun at the same time) by making this EP.”

Tour Itinerary

July 2004
17 – Toronto, Ontario – Harbourfront Centre
18 – Detroit, MI – Concert of Colors
20 – Cleveland, OH – Beachland Ballroom & Tavern
21 – Louisville, KY – Whitney Hall
22 – Lexington, KY – Kentucky Theatre
23 – Asheville, NC – The Orange Peel
24 – Kettering, OH – South of the Border Festival
25 – Trumansburg, NY – Finger Lakes Grassroots Festival
29-30 – San Francisco, CA – Fillmore

August 2004
1 – Lake Placid, NY – Songs at the Lake
2 – Albany, NY – Washington Park Concert Series
4 – Nashville, TN – Uptown Mix
6 – Des Moines, IA – Simon Estes Amphitheater
7 – St. Louis, MO – River Splash
8 – Paso Robles, CA – California Mid-State Fair
19 – San Diego, CA – Humphrey’s Concerts by the Bay
21 – Chicago, IL – The Chill on Kingsbury
22 – Boulder, CO – Chautauqua Auditorium

September 2004
1-2 – St. Paul, MN – Minnesota State Fair
4 – Chilliwack, British Columbia – The Ranch
5 – Oakland, CA – Art & Soul Festival
9 – Edmonton, Alberta – Winspear Centre for Music
10-11 – Calgary, Alberta – Bowness Community Center
17 – Kansas City, MO – KPCT TV Dinner
25 – Puyallup, WA – The Puyallup Fair

March 2005
1 – Arcata, CA – Humboldt State University (acoustic show)
3 – Carmel, CA – Sunset Center (acoustic show)

Rhino Records will release Left of the Dial: Dispatches from the ’80s Underground on October 5th. The four-disc compilation includes tracks from such alternative-rock pioneers as the Replacements, Minor Threat, Husker Du, the Jam, the Smiths, R.E.M. and Sonic Youth.
Included are interviews with Greg Ginn and Peter Jesperson, founders of influential indie-rock labels SST and Twin/Tone respectively, as well as reflections on the era from Manchester scenemaker Tony Wilson and Dream Syndicate frontman Steve Wynn.

DIY punks like the Dead Kennedys and Black Flag were at the forefront of the movement and largely labored outside the reach of the limelight, while artists like the Red Hot Chili Peppers and the recently split Jane’s Addiction were able to capitalize on the momentum of the wave created by the earlier groups.

At the time of Jane’s Addiction recent split, singer Perry Farrell furnished an epitaph for the band, that could easily have doubled for the groups that helped bring punk and alternative to the mainstream. “She laid a foundation for unbridled underground music to rise up on,” Farrell told Rolling Stone. “The newly coined ‘alternative music’ came on to replace a stale music scene. We encouraged people to make scary choices.”

Left of the Dial track listing:

Disc One

“Radio Free Europe,” R.E.M.
“Going Underground,” the Jam
“A Forest,” the Cure
“Holiday in Cambodia,” Dead Kennedys
“I’m In Love With a German Film Star,” Passions
“I Will Dare,” the Replacements
“That’s When I Reach for My Revolver,” Mission of Burma
“Johny Hit and Run Paulene,” X
“Just Like Honey,” the Jesus and Mary Chain
“Black Celebration,” Depeche Mode
“Tell Me When It’s Over,” the Dream Syndicate
“Hollywood (Africa),” the Red Hot Chili Peppers
“Temptation,” New Order
“Ghosts,” Japan
“A Song From Under the Floorboards,” Magazine
“Oblivious,” Aztec Camera
“Don’t Want to Know If You Are Lonely,” Husker Du
“Rise Above,” Black Flag
“Back in the Flesh,” Wall of Voodoo
“Cattle and Cane,” the Go-Betweens

Disc Two

“Message of Love,” the Pretenders
“Vienna,” Ultravox
“Freak Scene,” Dinosaur Jr.
“This Charming Man,” the Smiths
“Stigmata,” Ministry
“Ways to Be Wicked,” Lone Justice
“Wardance,” Killing Joke
“Enola Gay,” Orchestral Maneuvers in the Dark
“Mirror in the Bathroom,” the English Beat
“Fairytale in the Supermarket,” the Raincoats
“Behind the Wall of Sleep,” the Smithereens
“Political Song for Michael Jackson to Sing,” Minutemen
“Punk Rock Girl,” the Dead Milkmen
“Still in Hollywood,” Concrete Blonde
“Love Will Tear Us Apart,” Joy Division
“Blister in the Sun,” Violent Femmes
“Lake of Fire,” Meat Puppets
“Amplifier,” the dB’s
“When Love Breaks Down,” Prefab Sprout
“Goo Goo Muck,” the Cramps
“This Corrosion,” Sisters of Mercy
“Senses Working Overtime,” XTC

Disc Three

“The Cutter,” Echo and the Bunnymen
“Pay to Cum!,” Bad Brains
“Birthday,” the Sugarcubes
“Madonna of the Wasps,” Robyn Hitchcock and the Egyptians
“We Care a Lot,” Faith No More
“Teen Age Riot,” Sonic Youth
“To Hell With Poverty,” Gang of Four
“Fa Ce-La,” the Feelies
“Ana Ng,” They Might Be Giants
“Swamp Thing,” the Chameleons U.K.
“The Mercy Seat,” Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
“I Look Around,” the Rain Parade
“All That Money Wants,” Psychedelic Furs
“Under the Milky Way,” the Church
“Rise,” Public Image Ltd.
“Kundalini Express,” Love and Rockets
“Gravity Talks,” Green on Red
“Adrenalin,” Throbbing Gristle
“She Bangs the Drum,” the Stone Roses

Disc Four

“Monkey Gone to Heaven,” Pixies
“Uncertain Smile,” the The
“Bela Lugosi’s Dead,” Bauhaus
“Christine,” Siouxsie and the Banshees
“Straight Edge,” Minor Threat
“I Want to Help You Ann,” the Lyres
“Our Secret,” Beat Happening
“Jane Says,” Jane’s Addiction
“World Shut Your Mouth,” Julian Cope
“Running Up That Hill,” Kate Bush
“Sex Beat,” Gun Club
“Take the Skinheads Bowling,” Camper Van Beethoven
“Institutionalized,” Suicidal Tendencies
“Pearly-Dewdrops’ Drops,” Cocteau Twins
“24 Hour Party People,” Happy Mondays
“I Want You Back,” Hoodoo Gurus
“Suburban Home,” Descendents
“A Pair of Brown Eyes,” the Pogues
“Jet Fighter,” the Three O’Clock
“Moving To Florida,” Butthole Surfers
“A New England,” Billy Bragg

Source rollingstone.com.