Archive: 2003

Tyler Hamilton has been a media favorite since making the decision to continue in this year’s Tour de France despite a broken collarbone suffered early in the race. Next year, filmmakers will take the story of Hamilton’s perseverence to the big screen

Quick prose from jackrasityr.com

“Ah, David Harrington! Please come in.” David did his best to smile and shook hands with his host as he stepped inside. Mr. Viente looked as old but seemed much more vital than David had expected. “I

When James Brown was winding down his show at a jazz festival yesterday (July 17) in Helsinki, the crowds clapped to the beat of his 1970s hit “Sex Machine,” then roared with approval when Finland’s popular president Tarja Halonen walked on stage to jive with the Godfather of Soul.
An enthusiastic audience chanted “Tarja, Tarja, Tarja,” in the balmy, bright summer evening in Pori, on the southwestern coast of Finland, wrapped in a rare heat wave. Halonen, 59, let her hair down and visibly enjoyed dancing with 70-year-old Brown at one of Finland’s oldest music festivals.
Source Billboard.com.

Columbia/Legacy Jazz’s restoration of its catalog of albums by jazz legend Thelonious Monk will be extended next month with four additional titles. Due Aug. 19, each has been digitally remastered and expanded with bonus tracks not on the originally issued albums.
“Criss-Cross” (1963) was the pianist’s second album for Columbia and featured tenor saxophonist Charlie Rouse, bassist John Ore and drummer Frankie Dunlop. The new version adds three bonus tracks, including unreleased alternate takes of “Tea For Two” and “Eronel.” His third Columbia set, 1964’s “It’s Monk’s Time,” is also extended with three bonus tracks, including a complete version of Monk’s closing theme “Epistrophy.” The album was recorded with Rouse, bassist Butch Warren and drummer Ben Riley.
Nine extra tracks bolster the reissue of 1965’s “Solo Monk,” an album marked by its blues numbers and standards. Two of the new tracks “Introspection” and “Darn That Dream,” first appeared on the 1979 double-album “Always Know.”
Lastly, 1968’s “Underground,” Monk’s final Columbia studio album, newly features previously unreleased alternate takes of “Boo Boo’s Birthday” and the waltz “Ugly Beauty,” as well as the first recorded take of “Thelonious.” The quartet was rounded out by Rouse, Riley and bassist Larry Gales, and expanded with on-the-spot improvised vocals by Jon Hendricks on the closing track “In Walked Bud.”
Source Billboard.com.

Jam band fans who missed out on the chance to sail on the inaugural Jam Cruise — set to depart Jan. 6, 2004, from Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. — will now get a crack at the next-best thing, Jam Cruise II. The initial cruise sold out of its 800 tickets within an hour of their on-sale date, so Cloud 9 Adventures has announced a sequel, with tickets on sale Monday (July 21).
Jam Cruise II will depart Jan. 10, 2004, from Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. on the Imperial Majesty Regal Empress ship, the same day the ship will dock with returning passengers from Jam Cruise I. Both will make stops in Nassau, the Bahamas and Key West, Fla. Galactic and the Disco Biscuits will remain on the ship as participants in both cruises, and a host of other acts will climb aboard for the second edition.
Confirmed bands for Jam Cruise II include Michael Franti & Spearhead, Les Claypool, Donna The Buffalo, Yonder Mountain String Band, Rebirth Brass Band, RAQ, Codetalkers feat. Col. Bruce Hampton and the Hackensaw Boys. As previously reported, Keller Williams, Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe, Particle, Dirty Dozen Brass Band, and DJ Z-Trip will take part in Jam Cruise II.
Both tours will feature traditional cruise attractions such as casinos, dining and spa facilities as well as boasting three stages — an outdoor stage on the top deck, an indoor theater and a small nightclub. Passengers can choose between dozens of concerts, plus all-night jam sessions. The show admission is included in the package price, ranging from $500 to $1025 per person.
Source billboard.com.

The initial dates of the Gov

Organizers announced they are scrapping the festival stop scheduled for July 26 at upstate New York’s Vernon Downs race track, citing rising production costs.
“Due to the costs of production versus the estimated tickets sales of 15,000, it did not make fiscal sense to play this date,” says a statement from promoters. “Unfortunately, the venue is such that Lollapalooza would have needed to bring in additional production facilities, which made the cost to produce the Syracuse-area show significantly more than other venues on the tour.”
But the real culprit for the cancellation appears to be sluggish ticket sales. Despite a lineup including Jane’s Addiction, Audioslave, Incubus, and Queens of the Stone’s Age only about 4,000 tickets had been sold. Slow ticket sales and staging issues doomed the original July 3 kickoff date in Ionia, Michigan as well. Refunds are available at points of purchase.
Source yahoo.com.

HBO dominated television’s Emmy Award nominations with a total of 109, with “Six Feet Under” earning 16 nominations, including one for best TV drama where it faces another HBO hit “The Sopranos.”
“Sex and the City” landed 13 nominations, including best comedy which runs against the network’s other popular comedy “Curb Your Enthusiasm.”
“The Sopranos,” also claimed 13 to tie “Sex and the City” at the No. 3 position among most-nominated programs.
The 55th Annual Emmy Awards will be given out in September.
Source yahoo.com.

The White Stripes have postponed their North American tour dates through August 10. Lead singer/guitarist Jack White suffered a compound fracture to a finger in an auto accident in his hometown of Detroit July 9. Shows affected include those in Providence, Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C; Norfolk, Nashville, Indianapolis, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Columbus, Cleveland, Toronto, Montreal, Milwaukee, and Detroit. The White Stripes hope to reschedule the postponed shows as soon as possible, with previously purchased tickets remaining valid for the new shows.

Garage A Trois has announced a run of shows out west in support of their recent release

Miramax Films, a major player in distributing independent movies, is taking the unusual step of splitting a new movie from director Quentin Tarantino into two parts and releasing each as separate films, a studio spokesman said on Wednesday.”The idea was thought of when the script was in development and after seeing the (film) footage, it made sense,” said the spokesman.The movie, called “Kill Bill,” is the first from the critically acclaimed director since 1997’s “Jackie Brown,” and has been widely anticipated by his fans.But with preliminary versions running at three hours, it was almost twice as long as a normal movie, meaning theaters would have fewer screenings in a day and risk losing ticket sales.The movie is about a female assassin, played by Uma Thurman, who survives an attempt on her life.
Source etonline.com.

Cake will be on the road with their Unlimited Sunshine tour for a second run this fall, with this year

If you

Grammy-winning guitarist Carlos Santana has been working for free this summer so that those engaged in the fight against AIDS may benefit. Santana, who pledged the net proceeds from the U.S. leg of his “Shaman” tour to the fight against the AIDS pandemic in Africa, wrapped up the 23-city tour Monday night with a Hollywood Bowl show before a packed audience.
He estimates the tour raised at least $2 million.
Sharon Gelman, the group’s executive director, called Santana’s pledge, “a very significant contribution.” “This is basically Carlos working for a month and a half and giving away every penny he would earn to help other people,” she said.
Source yahoo.com.

Thanks at least in part to rising ticket prices, the concert industry is poised for record profits this year. Attendance overall jumped by 24 percent in the first half of this year, with the Elton John/Billy Joel tour leading the way with a gross of $57.2 million.Perennial leaders The Rolling Stones weren’t too far behind, at $37.4 million, with the Dixie Chicks, Celine Dion, and Cher all following closely.The Top 50 tours together collected $678 million in gross receipts, a 26 percent increase from last year.Much of the boost can be attributed to surging ticket prices – the average ticket for a Top 10 tour went up 11.5 percent. The average Rolling Stones ticket, for example, cost $158, up from $119 when they toured last year.Undeterred fans bought 13.1 million concert tickets to the Top 50 concert tours from January to June, compared to 10.6 million sold during the same period last year.
Source Pollstar.com.

Compay Segundo, one of Cuba’s oldest “troubadours” and charming frontman for the Buena Vista Social Club group, died this morning (July 14) in Havana. He was 95
Segundo shot to international fame with the 1997 Grammy Award-winning recording “Buena Vista Social Club” produced with the collaboration of American guitarist Ry Cooder. The record brought back into the limelight a group of talented musicians who had all but been forgotten in Cuba, including Segundo, pianist Ruben Gonzalez, and singers Ibrahim Ferrer and Omara Portuondo.

Legendary jazz pioneer and big band leader Benny Carter, who helped break Hollywood’s bar to black composers, died Saturday in Los Angeles, he was 95. Carter, who was one of the first black composers and arrangers to work on mainstream Hollywood films, including such classics as “Stormy Weather,” had been hospitalized for about two weeks, complaining of bronchitis and fatigue, said family friend Virginia Wicks.
In a career that spanned seven decades, Carter played with such jazz luminaries as pianist Willie “The Lion” Smith, Fats Waller, Miles Davis and Dizzie Gillespie. He is also credited with launching Ella Fitzgerald’s career by introducing her to bandleader Chick Webb. Carter’s compositions, including “Blues in My Heart” and “When Lights Are Low,” have become jazz standards.
A largely self-taught musician, Carter established the swing-era, big band sound through ensemble compositions for the Fletcher Henderson orchestra and later his own band.
Source Billboard.com.

Rancid, Simple Plan, the Used, Less Than Jake, the Ataris and other acts on the 2003 Warped Tour will appear in “Punk Rock Holocaust,” a feature-length slasher flick being filmed on this summer’s tour. The movie went into production June 19 at the opening date of the Warped Tour in Nampa, Idaho. “Punk Rock Holocaust” is being directed by 23 year-old Doug Sakmann.
The film will be shot at each venue along the 44-date tour. The plot centers around a number of mysterious deaths happening during the festival. In the film, many believe a fictional band is seeking revenge from beyond the grave for being kicked off the tour six years ago. Nearly every band on this year’s outing is slated to appear in the film to try to solve the mystery.
Source Billboard.com.

Dave Matthews mentions his recently completed solo debut reveals a side of the singer/songwriter that his fans have not yet seen. Matthews says “Some Devil,” due in September on RCA, includes some of his most introspective material to date. “This was very, very, very, very personal,” he says. “It was a good soul-searching thing for me to do. I think the songs are more introspective in many ways.”
The album features an as-yet-untitled track co-written by Matthews and Phish’s Trey Anastasio, who also adds guitar work to the record. Steve Harris, who produced Dave Matthews Band’s last studio effort, “Busted Stuff,” played on “Some Devil” and co-wrote and arranged some of the songs with Matthews.
Matthews says there’s really no comparison between the songs on “Some Devil” and those on his band efforts. And as the album nears release, he says that he’s excited, but he is being cautious not to get his hopes up: “Like most of what I’ve done, it’s done, and so now I just move on from it. I’m excited, I hope people like it, but I try not to get too excited because what if everyone f***in’ hates it? Then I can let it go like an empty beer can. That’s the way I look at it now: My part in it is done, and I hope people like it. But in case they don’t, I’m gonna try not to invest too much in it that I might be disappointed.”
Source Billboard.com.

The Flaming Lips came to the rescue of the Witnness festival in Kildare, Ireland, replacing the White Stripes on the main stage last night (July 13). The Stripes had to cancel at the last minute after frontman Jack White broke his finger in a minor car accident in Detroit (apparently, the car’s airbag caused the damage).
In tribute, the Lips played their gig attired in White Stripes-inspired red and white outfits. They also began their set with a cover of the group’s hit “Seven Nation Army” and performed a new song called “Thank You Jack White for the Fiber Optic Jesus That You Gave Me.” As usual, the band was joined on stage by about 20 people dressed in animal costumes, beneath which were members of Irish bands the Divine Comedy and Snow Patrol, as well as several prominent media figures.
Source Billboard.com.