2003

The federal government Friday launched a national “do-not-call” registry aimed at stopping most telemarketing phone calls to people who regard the sales pitches as invasive and want them blocked.
Within hours, 370,000 phone numbers had been registered, the Federal Trade Commission said. Officials said they expect 60 million people to register eventually.
Consumers can sign up online at http://www.donotcall.gov or by phone west of the Mississippi River — 1-888-382-1222 — for the registry, managed by the FTC. Nationwide registration by phone will be available next month.
Source CNN.com.

The Red Hot Chili Peppers will be using their break on their North American tour in support of By The Way to write two or three new songs for an upcoming Greatest Hits album to be released at a future date.
The Chili Peppers will resume their North American tour September 6th in Washington, D.C. which stretches to September 25th in Milwaukee, with possibly more dates being added.
Source Rollingstone.com.

R.E.M. is offering fans the opportunity to request songs for any date on the tour. The band — which has rehearsed over 70 songs for the tour — has set up a request form on its official Web site inviting suggestions for setlists.
“Want to hear a specific song when the band plays in your town?,” reads a post on the site. “The band wants to know what you want to hear. Click on the show you are attending to e-mail the band what you want to hear, whether it’s a single song, or a whole setlist. Be careful what you ask for, because you might just hear it.”
And in other R.E.M. news, the band has set a title and release date for its long-anticipated greatest-hits album. Warner Bros. will release “In Time: The Best of R.E.M.: 1988-2003” Oct. 27 internationally and Oct. 28 in the U.S. The disc will feature two new songs, “Bad Day” and “Animal.”
Source Billboard.com.

Due to popular demand, The Steve Kimock Band will be announcing the the release of two live shows from the official SKB archives! The first offering is from 4/19/03 at Midtown in Bend, Oregon. The second offering is from 4/27/03 at Cervantes’ Masterpiece Ballroom in Denver, Colorado, featuring an acoustic first set. Both of these releases are double CDs and will be on sale for $20 each. These are limited edition releases and will be available at the shows on this upcoming tour while supplies last.
Visit Kimock.com. for details.
Please check out Glide Magazine’s exclusive interview with Steve Kimock from our April issue at glidemagazine.com.

Phish bassist Mike Gordon will releas his solo debut “INSIDE IN” later this summer on Ropeadope Records. INSIDE IN is a loose soundtrack to his first feature film OUTSIDE OUT. Gordon went back to the mostly instrumental soundtrack and significantly reworked the material, creating songs out of jams and adding lyrics topieces that previously had none.
The album contains fifteen tracks written by Gordon, who plays all guitars and basses as well as Wurlitzer, accordion, washing machine, cow tilt, etc. In addition, Gordon’s backed by a list of accomplished musicians including: drummer Russ Lawton, James Harvey on trombone, piano and clavinet, and Gordon Stone on pedal steel. Special guests include Jon Fishman, Bela Fleck, Jeff Coffin, Craig Johnson, Col. Bruce Hampton (ret.), Future Man, Buddy Cage, and Vassar Clements.
The album will be in stores August 26.
For more info, visit Ropeadope.com.

Blues Traveler has signed with Sanctuary for the Aug. 5 release of a new studio album, “Truth Be Told.” The set was recorded at Sound Design Studio in Santa Barbara, Calif., with producer Don Gehman (John Mellencamp, Hootie & the Blowfish). Tracks include “This Ache,” “Partner in Crime” and “Can’t Get Free,” marked by a trademark harmonica solo from frontman John Popper.
The 12-track set is Blues Traveler’s first studio album since 2001’s “Bridge,” its final release for A&M/Interscope. That album peaked at No. 91 on The Billboard 200 and has sold 137,000 copies in the U.S., according to Nielsen SoundScan. A live album, “What You and I Have Been Through,” was issued last October by iMusic.
Blues Traveler will spend the bulk of the summer on the road in North America. The group’s next show comes Saturday (June 28) in Granite Falls, Minn.
Source and tour dates visit Billboard.com.

The embattled music industry disclosed aggressive plans Wednesday for an unprecedented escalation in its fight against Internet piracy, threatening to sue hundreds of individual computer users who illegally share music files online.
The Recording Industry Association of America, citing substantial sales declines, said it will begin Thursday to search Internet file-sharing networks to identify users who offer “substantial” collections of mp3 music files for downloading. It expects to file at least several hundred lawsuits seeking financial damages within eight to 10 weeks.
Source CNN.com,

After ridiculing Saddam Hussein in the animated feature “South Park: Bigger Longer & Uncut,” the cartoon’s creators are taking on terrorism, marionette-style, in a new film project.
Trey Parker and Matt Stone are writing the untitled project, previously known as “American Heroes,” which Paramount Pictures is expected to distribute. Parker and Stone will direct and voice the film as well. According to several sources, the project in development is a marionette movie about superheroes on a mission to eradicate such things as terrorism and certain celebrities who have outworn their welcome in the public eye.
Source etonline.com.

Things are heating up this summer for pedal steel guitar phenom Robert Randolph as we approach the release date of his first studio album with the Family Band on August 5th