After months of anticipation, the first full day of the quickly becoming legendary festival treated fans to over 20 acts spawning equally as many styles. After a hot, late night Thursday kickoff set by Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra, the band took the stage just hours later to get things going for Friday. The day was filled with highlights including Lucinda Williams inviting Emmylou Harris to sit in on
Piano Man/rocker Ben Folds will be releasing his next three offerings on vinyl. The records — three EPs — will be available in CD form at Folds’ shows. Fans will also be able to order to order them through various websites. In an article in the Hartford Advocate – Folds, mentions how tired he is becoming of record industry practices of releasing albums and the sticky promotion involved, and instead plans to circumnavigate the system.
Folds has spent the last five weeks writing and recording a batch of new songs, to be released between now and the end of the year as the three aforementioned EPs. The first, tentatively titled Speed Graphic, is scheduled for release at the end of July.
Folds will be touring later this summer with fellow piano prodigy Tori Amos in a tour rightfully titled – Lottapianos.
The full lineup for the Austin City Limits festival has been announced, and is possibly the most musically diverse festival this summer. To be held over Sept. 19-2, the festival will include: Dwight Yoakam, Yo La Tengo, Steve Winwood, Bela Fleck, Shawn Colvin, Steve Earle, Robert Earl Keen, Jay Farrar, Asleep At The Wheel, Hank Williams III, the Dandy Warhols, the North Mississippi All Stars, Howie Day, Cody ChesnuTT, Spearhead, Jason Mraz, Yonder Mountain String Band, Donovan, Charlie Robison, Doyle Bramhall, and Keller Williams.
The eclectic event will also welcome R.E.M., Al Green, Lucinda Williams, Rosanne Cash, Mavis Staples, the Mavericks, Liz Phair, Ben Harper, Polyphonic Spree, Jack Johnson, String Cheese Incident, Patty Griffin, Alejandro Escovedo, Leftover Salmon, Kings Of Leon, Topaz, the Derailers, Richard Buckner, the Gourds, Robert Randolph, Ween, G. Love & Special Sauce, Spoon, Galactic, O.A.R., Gomez, Doyle Bramhall, Ian Moore, Beth Orton, Beta Band, Old 97’s, Abra Moore, Ben Kweller, and the Shins.
Source ACLfestival.com.
The 2003 edition of the Sprite Liquid Mix tour will offer fans in 20 cities an affordable chance to see a late summer festival lineup including N*E*R*D and the Roots. Tickets to the tour, scheduled to kick off Aug. 14 in Denver and run through Sept. 14 in Boston, will cost only $10. O.A.R., Talib Kweli, Robert Randolph & the Family Band are also on the bill.
The event will boast two stages, the second of which will feature national and local bands to be announced. Other elements include the PlayStation2 Urban Playground, where BMX bikers will put on a show, an NBA Rhythm N Rims basketball court on which concertgoers can compete, and the Blockbuster video gaming lounge, where ticket holders can try out PlayStation game systems and new software. The Pinnacle “Work It” Performance Zone will feature audience members engaging in strength and endurance contests, while Scion Sessions will feature graffiti artists and local DJ talent.
Last year’s Sprite Liquid Mix tour featured Jay-Z, 311, N*E*R*D, Nappy Roots, and Hoobastank, with $20 ticket prices.
Source and tour dates visit Billboard.com.
The 30th Anniversary of the Telluride Bluegrass Festival which will be held on Thursday, June 19th, 2003 and will run until Sunday, June 22, 2003 is sold out, aside from a limited number of single day tickets for Thursday only.
For more information and a complete line-up, please visit www.bluegrass.com.
The Sex Pistols are ready to bring their anarchy back to the U.S.A., but don’t expect to hear any new material this summer . . . or ever. According to John Lydon, a.k.a. Johnny Rotten, the band will never write or record another original song. “The reason I do the Pistols is that’s where I started and that makes things clear how I have not changed,” said the forty-seven-year-old singer. “In any kind of different music I go into, the spirit is the same . . . but you will not get me doing new Pistols.”
The Sex Pistols’ original lineup — Lydon (vocals), Steve Jones (guitar), Paul Cook (drums) and Glen Matlock (bass); Sid Vicious replaced Matlock in 1977 — have confirmed two North American shows, August 21st at Jones Beach Theater in Wantagh, New York, and August 25th at Toronto’s Molson Amphitheater. More dates will be announced in the coming weeks.
Sourcerollingstone.com.
The Eels will launch their international tour with three dates in Southern California starting June 17. They then head on over to Europe and the U.K. where they’ll camp out through July 7. After that, it’s back to the States for a monthlong tour of theatres. Shootenanny!, the Eels’ latest album, just hit shelves this month and follows the band’s hit disc, Souljacker. Eels mastermind Mark Oliver Everett, a.k.a. E, has also done some side work, scoring the film “Levity.” There were rumors that MC Honky – an affiliate of the Eels – would join the band on their Tour Of Duty, but that doesn’t appear to be happening.
For list of dates vistit Pollstar.com.
In light of the recent headaches of holding the Field Day festival in Calverton, NY, the organizers of Bonnaroo have cancelled the inaugural Bonnaroo NE.
During the past few weeks, we have closely watched the developments surrounding the organizational and permitting process for another festival – Field Day – scheduled for the same site on the weekend of June 7-8,” read a statement issued by the Bonnaroo folks. “This process culminated with the denial of Field Day’s permits and the cancellation of the festival at this site only two days before it was scheduled to open.”
Bonnaroo NE organizers assure fans this decision has no impact on the Bonnaroo Music Festival, scheduled for Manchester, Tenn., June 12-15.
Source bonnaroo.com.
In a sign of the future – bands launching their own Internet TV Stations, Radiohead has launched their new Internet TV Station, – Radiohead.tv. which will feature webcasts of live gigs, studio footage and original programming. The band
Notice to barefoot concert fans, careful where you walk in the rain in large outdoor ampitheaters.
State safety officials are investigating the death of a UNC Charlotte student who was electrocuted as he walked barefoot on a wet stairway at an amphitheater during a concert by Snoop Dogg and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Ashley Faris, 26, of Waxhaw, was pronounced dead at Carolinas Medical Center-University, police said. A passer-by who tried to help Faris, 23-year-old Ryan Robards, was treated for electric shock. Charlotte-Mecklenburg police said Faris was walking barefoot in the rain Friday night on a lighted, concrete stairway with metal edges at Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre when he was shocked. The stairway is to the right of the stage and takes concertgoers from lawn seats to a concession area.
Pollstar.com.
