News

Wilkes Community College will resent MerleFest 2007, the 20th annual festival in celebration of themusic of the late Merle Watson and his father Doc Watson, on its campus n Wilkesboro, NC on April 26 – 29, 2007.

After a musical detour toward acoustic blues and country on its 2005 set "Howl," California trio Black Rebel Motorcycle Club is veering back into electric guitar-driven rock for its fourth album. The-as-yet-untitled set is "maybe 80 or 90% done," principal member Peter Hayes tells Billboard.com, and is due in February or March via RCA. Hayes […]

Metallica will on Dec. 5 release a DVD rounding up all of its music videos, including the entirety of the 1991 VHS "2 of One." Alongside classic videos like "Enter Sandman," "One," "Sad But True" and "Nothing Else Matters," "The Videos 1989-2004" tacks on more recent clips such as "I Disappear," "St. Anger," "Frantic." Also […]

The highly-anticipated third album from The Shins, Wincing the Night Away, is set for release via Sub Pop Records on January 23rd, 2007. The album was recorded in the summer of ’06 at Supernatural Sound in Oregon, and produced by James Mercer, The Shins’ singer/songwriter, and Joe Chiccarelli (Beck, U2). The tracklist for Wincing the Night […]

A small number of Apple Computer's Video iPods shipped in the past month carry a Windows computer virus.

British buzz band Forward Russia! has added a three-week North American tour to its fall schedule, which means the group will visit the U.S. twice in the coming months.
The Leeds-bred quartet is currently making its way through Europe and will embark on its first headlining U.S. tour October 25 in Seattle.
The band will play four dates on the West Coast, plus one at New York City’s Mercury Lounge, before heading back to the U.K. for the 10-day MTV2 Spanking New Music Tour with Wolfmother and Fields.
Then it’s back to the U.S. for a 17-date run through the East Coast and South. In New York, they’ll move up to the Bowery Ballroom, and other venues on the itinerary include the Magic Stick in Detroit, Stubb’s Barbecue in Austin, Texas, and The EARL in Atlanta. The band will stay in the U.S. through December 16, finishing at the Black Cat in Washington, D.C.
Forward Russia! released its self-produced debut album, Give Me A Wall, in the U.K. in May. The disc was released Stateside in September.
The group toured the U.S. with We Are Scientists earlier this year and headlined a sold-out Mercury Lounge show in June.

Source pollstar.com.

The legendary stage of New York rock club CBGB got its final workout last night (Oct. 15), courtesy of another legend, Patti Smith. Smith — who played her first show at CBGB in February 1975 and early on became synonymous with the East Village venue and the American punk movement that was birthed in and around it — gave a rousing, passionate performance to a packed-like-sardines crowd.

With her loyal band (Lenny Kaye on guitar, Jay Dee Daugherty on drums and bass and Tony Shanahan on keys, bass and guitar) providing a solid foundation, Smith paid fitting tribute to the club’s 33-year history with a varied and fast-moving two-and-a-half hour two-part set. It included takes on several songs by other punk artists the venue helped launch, including the Ramones, Blondie and Television.

Source billboard.com.

The Red Hot Chili Peppers and Gnarls Barkley will embark on a two-month North American arena tour in January, with dates to be announced. The Chili Peppers are in the midst of the second leg of their North American tour in support of "Stadium Arcadium," which visits East Rutherford, N.J., tomorrow (Oct. 17). Source billboard.com. 

Singer/songwriter Lou Reed will fill in a gap in his work schedule in November with a few US dates as he gets ready for the December world premiere of his “Lou Reed’s Berlin” stage production in Australia.

Reed will kick off his brief tour of college campuses with a Nov. 1 show at UC Santa Barbara’s Campbell Hall. He’ll also visit Northern California’s Humboldt State University on the trek, which also includes stops in San Luis Obispo, Chico, and Redwood City, all in California.

In December, Reed will jet to Australia to help premiere the stage version of his landmark 1973 album, “Berlin.” The live production, which is slated to run seven times through mid-January of next year in Sydney, is being directed by Bob Ezrin, who produced the original album, as well as Pink Floyd’s “The Wall.”

Reed will be joined on stage by a number of fellow musicians, including singer/ongwriter Antony of Antony and the Johnsons, bassist/multi-instrumentalists Fernando Saunders and Rob Wasserman, singer Sharon Jones, and others.

Full details on the production’s dates and ticketing information are available on Reed’s website.

November 2006
1 – Isla Vista, CA – Campbell Hall @ UC Santa Barbara
2 – San Luis Obispo, CA – Performing Arts Center
4 – Arcata, CA – Van Duzer Hall @ Humboldt State University
5 – Chico, CA – Laxson Auditorium
7 – Redwood City, CA – Fox Theatre

Trey Anastasio will perform five shows as part of his New Year’s Eve run, returning to some favorite venues and ringing in the new year with Trey’s first visit to Atlantic City. Beginning at the 9:30 Club in Washington, DC, the tour will then stop at the Orpheum Theatre in Boston and the Palace Theatre in Albany, NY before closing out 2006 with a two-night stand at the House of Blues in Atlantic City.

In addition to the current 6-piece lineup, Trey’s band for this run will also include Dave Grippo (sax), Peter Apfelbaum (tenor/bari sax) and Russell Remington (tenor sax and flute). Tickets pre-sale for the NYE run begin this Friday, October 13, with public on-sales starting as early as October 19.

To pre-order tickets, visit treytickets.rlc.net

For specific show information, please visit trey.com/tours

Liberal talk network Air America Radio (AAR), announced today (Oct. 13) that it has filed for Chapter 11 protection in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York. The company says the action became necessary when good faith efforts to resolve outstanding debt with a creditor from the company’s earliest days broke down.

AAR says the bankruptcy filing will allow the company to continue offering its complete line-up of programming while it deals with its creditors in the reorganization proceeding.

Source: RadioandRecords.com

Bonnaroo, Austin City Limits and Lollapalooza are the festival finalists for the 2006 Billboard Touring Awards. Based on actual box-office data reported to Billboard Boxscore (as opposed to a popular vote) the finalists represent the top grossing music events held between December of 2005 through September of this year.

Madonna’s run at London’s Wembley Arena makes her a finalist in the hotly contested top boxscore category, which goes to the top-grossing single engagement. Also a finalist in that category are Luis Miguel at Auditorio Nacional in Mexico City and Billy Joel’s record-setting stand at New York’s Madison Square Garden.

Notable finalists include:

TOP TOUR
Bon Jovi, Have A Nice DayMadonna, ConfessionsThe Rolling Stones, A Bigger Bang

TOP SMALL VENUE (Under 10,000 seats, Non-Resident)
Auditorio Nacional, Mexico CityFox Theatre, AtlantaGibson Amphitheatre, Universal City, Calif.

TOP CLUB
House Of Blues, Anaheim, Calif.House Of Blues, Atlantic City, N.J.House Of Blues, Chicago

TOP AMPHITHEATER
Nikon at Jones Beach Theatre, Wantagh, N.Y.PNC Bank Arts Center, Holmdel, N.J.Tweeter Center at the Waterfront, Camden, N.J.

TOP FESTIVAL
Austin City Limits Music Festival, Austin, TexasBonnaroo Music Festival, Manchester, Tenn.Lollapalooza, Chicago

See Billboard.biz for a full list of finalists

MySpace.com is getting involved with 20 concerts and is promoting them on its site as part of a campaign to raise awareness and money for humanitarian relief in Sudan.

The site, which grew in popularity thanks to its early adoption by emerging bands and their fans, has in recent months taken a more active role in promoting social causes, such as environmental awareness and voter registration.

“The crisis in Darfur is a global concern and as a global community we have a responsibility to take action,” Chris DeWolfe, MySpace’s chief executive, said in a statement. “MySpace’s reach gives us an extraordinary opportunity to spread the word and empower individuals to help address the horrors in Darfur.”

The concerts will take place October 21. Artists include TV on the Radio in Philadelphia, Alice in Chains in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Ziggy Marley in Medford, Oregon, Citizen Cope in Seattle, Gov’t Mule in Spokane, Washington, and Insane Clown Posse in St. Petersburg, Florida.

Other concerts will take place in Sacramento, San Diego and San Francisco, California; Melbourne, Florida; Atlanta; Louisville, Kentucky; St. Paul, Minnesota; Reno, Nevada; Baltimore; Asheville, North Carolina; Charleston, South Carolina; Milwaukee; and Washington, D.C. A Canadian show will take place in Toronto.

Source: pollstar

The New York Dolls will kick off their first extended headlining tour in more than 30 years on Nov. 6 in San Diego. The Supersuckers will support on the outing, which runs through Dec. 2 in St. Louis.

Here are the New York Dolls’ tour dates:

Nov. 6: San Diego (Belly Up)
Nov. 7: Los Angeles (Avalon)
Nov. 8: San Francisco (the Independent)
Nov. 10: Portland, Ore. (Berbati’s Pan)
Nov. 11: Seattle (El Corazon)
Nov. 14: Minneapolis (Fine Line)
Nov. 15: Chicago (Vic Theatre)
Nov. 16: Detroit (St. Andrews)
Nov. 17: Cleveland (Beachland Ballroom)
Nov. 18: Buffalo, N.Y. (Town Ballroom)
Nov. 20: Boston (Axis)
Nov. 21: Providence, R.I. (Lupo’s)
Nov. 22: New York (Irving Plaza)
Nov. 24: Atlantic City, N.J. (Borgata)
Nov. 25: Philadelphia (TLA)
Nov. 26: Washington, D.C. (Black Cat)
Nov. 28: Charleston, S.C. (Music Farm)
Nov. 29: Atlanta (Variety Playhouse)
Dec. 1: Nashville (City Hall)
Dec. 2: St. Louis (TBA)

Source billboard.com.

The track list for the Band tribute album first revealed here in July has been finalized. “Endless Highway: The Music of the Band,” is due Jan. 30 via 429 Records, an imprint of the Savoy Label Group. The set is led by My Morning Jacket’s cover of “It Makes No Difference,” recorded at Band drummer Levon Helm’s home studio in Woodstock, N.Y.

Also featured is Jakob Dylan’s “Whispering Pines,” Death Cab For Cutie’s “Rocking Chair,” Jack Johnson’s “I Shall Be Released,” Gov’t Mule’s “The Shape I’m In” and Gomez’s “Up on Cripple Creek.” John Hiatt teams with the North Mississippi Allstars for “Ain’t No More Cane,” while the Allman Brothers Band covers “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down.”

“Picking a song from their catalog was like looking at your group of close friends and deciding which one is ‘the closest,'” My Morning Jacket drummer Patrick Hallahan told Billboard.com. “You find that they’re all ‘the closest’ in their own relative way. We hold that song in the utmost reverence. It’s not only one of the saddest love songs ever written, but more importantly highlights the beauty of Rick Danko. His delivery on that song is one of the first reasons I fell in love with the Band in the first place.”

Here is the track list for “Endless Highway”:

“I Shall Be Released,” Jack Johnson
“The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down,” the Allman Brothers Band

“Rocking Chair,” Death Cab For Cutie
“It Makes No Difference,” My Morning Jacket
“The Weight,” Lee Ann Womack
“Whispering Pines,” Jakob Dylan
“Up on Cripple Creek,” Gomez
“King Harvest,” Bruce Hornsby
“Unfaithful Servant,” Rosanne Cash
“Rag Mama Rag,” Blues Traveler
“Bessie Smith,” Joe Henry
“This Wheel’s on Fire,” Guster
“Chest Fever,” Widespread Panic
“Ain’t No More Cane,” John Hiatt & North Mississippi Allstars
“Look Out Cleveland,” Jackie Greene
“Ophelia,” Animal Liberation Orchestra
“Stage Fright,” Steve Reynolds
“When I Paint My Masterpiece,” Josh Turner
“The Shape I’m In,” Gov’t Mule

Source billboard.com.

Modest Mouse will play a host of live dates in Los Angeles, New York and London next month. The bad news? The band’s highly anticipated new Epic album, “We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank,” has been bumped from its previously announced Dec. 19 release date to early next year.

A pre-sale is underway via the band’s Web site for four shows in Los Angeles, five more in New York and a one-off gig in London. These dates, which also include a previously announced Nov. 11 appearance at the Bang! Festival in Miami, will be Modest Mouse’s first with former Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr, who is now a full-time member of the band.

Marr also appears on “We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank,” which is the follow-up to 2004’s breakthrough “Good News for People Who Love Bad News.”

Here are Modest Mouse’s tour dates:

Nov. 5: Los Angeles (Avalon)
Nov. 6: Los Angeles (Wiltern Theatre)

Nov. 7, 9: Anaheim, Calif. (The Grove)
Nov. 11: Miami (Bang! Festival)
Nov. 13: New York (Nokia Theatre)
Nov. 14-15: New York (Webster Hall)
Nov. 17-18: New York (Bowery Ballroom)
Nov. 21: London (Koko)

Source billboard.com.

In agreeing to acquire YouTube for $1.65 billion on Monday, Google is making a big bet that it can harness its considerable advertising expertise to turn YouTube’s vast collection of video content into a media gold mine.

Google CEO Eric Schmidt went further, saying that the deal marked “the next step in the revolution of the Internet.”

Top executives at both Google and YouTube likewise offered few details on what types of advertising they plan to jointly develop. In response to a question about whether YouTube will adopt pre-roll ads, the company’s founder and CEO Chad Hurley said they “will explore a lot of options,” without giving specifics.

In its deal with CBS, Hurley also pointed out that YouTube is introducing a new automated system for protecting intellectual property rights. It will allow media partners to identify and remove copyright-infringing material from the site. The system is also intended to assure marketers that their ads won’t be linked to pirated or otherwise inappropriate content.

See MediaPost for more details

After a lengthy auction stretching over two days, a federal bankruptcy judge on Friday approved the sale of California-based Tower Records to Great American Group, which plans to liquidate the music retailer.
After almost 30 hours of what attorneys described as “robust” and “vigorous” bidding, Great American won with a bid of $134.3 million, beating Trans World Entertainment, which had hoped to continue operating at least some Tower stores, by a single bid increment of $500,000.
Peter Gurfein, an attorney representing Tower Records, said the company will be sold for an aggregate of $150 million, including the sale of various leases and properties.
Gurfein said Great American plans to begin the liquidation process and going out of business sales on Saturday, which eventually will result in the elimination of the jobs of some 3,000 Tower employees.
“This is not an easy decision,” said bankruptcy Judge Brendan Shannon, who nevertheless noted that the Tower debtors and other parties had agreed the bidding process was conducted fairly and in good faith, resulting in a substantial premium for the debtors over Great American’s stalking horse bid of about $90 million.

For full story see pollstar

In support of Badly Drawn Boy

Snoe.down ’07, the all ages, weekend winter music festival hosted by indie-jam rockers moe., returns to beautiful Lake Placid, N.Y., March 23-25, 2007. Snoe.down kicks off the week-long Adirondack Almost Springfest celebration, which will take place at all the 1980 Olympic venues in Lake Placid, N.Y., including the Olympic Center, home of the 1932 and 1980 Winter Olympics, and at nearby Whiteface.

Friday and Saturday nights will feature moe. at the Olympic Center’s 1980 Rink Herb Brooks Arena. Additional bands will perform with moe. as well as at other venues throughout the weekend, including afternoons in the base lodge at Whiteface.

Fans will be able to take advantage of a myriad of Lake Placid winter activities. During the concerts fans will even have the option of ice skating while listening to the show! Other area activities include: Public bobsled and luge rocket rides (weather permitting), outdoor public speed skating (weather permitting), gondola rides to the top of Whiteface, toboggan rides and dog sled rides on Mirror Lake, ice climbing and winter mountaineering, tubing on Saranac Lake, visiting the Olympic ski jump towers and touring the 1932 & 1980 Winter Olympic Museum.

Performers for Snoe.down ’07 will be announced over the coming months.

For more detailed and continually updated Snoe.down information, please visit moe.org or greatnortheast.com . For detailed area information please visit whitefacelakeplacid.com