March 2004

Wynton Marsalis, Natalie Cole, Lyle Lovett and David Byrne are among the artists confirmed to take part in the Janus Jazz Aspen Snowmass festivals this summer. The first of the events will take place June 24-27 in downtown Aspen, Col., while the U.S. Labor Day holiday weekend (Sept. 3-6) festival will be staged at the foot of the nearby Elk Mountains.

The 14th annual June festival will feature Marsalis and the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band on June 24; Cole on June 25; Al Green, Lizz Wright and Yerba Buena on June 26; and Buddy Guy, Medeski, Martin & Wood and Yerba Buena on June 27. Additional free concerts will be held in Aspen’s Wagner Park, while small venue shows under the JAS After Dark banner will be held throughout the weekend.

At deadline, Lovett and Byrne were the only confirmed artists for the September Jazz Aspen Snowmass event.

In addition, weekly free concerts will be staged at the base of the Snowmass Ski Area, with the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, C.J. Chenier, Marcia Ball, Kermit Ruffins, Otis Taylor and Big Sandy & the Fly-Rite Boys confirmed to take part.

Daily and weekend festival tickets are already on sale to JAS Club members, and will go on sale Monday (March 29) to the general public via the event’s Web site.

Source billboard.com.

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Copyright 2004 Billboard

Rolling Stone Magazine has named their list of The Immortals

Elvis Costello will write a pair of books to be published by Simon & Schuster. The first will be “a series of intimate narrative chapters taking their cue from the styles, themes and characters found in a number of Costello’s lyrics,” according to the publisher. The as-yet-untitled volume is due in fall 2005.

The second book, a release for which is not yet targeted, will be “a work of comic philosophy.” That tome is already titled: “How to Play the Guitar, Sing Loudly and Impress Girls…or Boys.”

“There are few musicians with the range of Elvis Costello,” Simon & Schuster executive VP/publisher David Rosenthal says. “We’re excited about his unique and eclectic approach to present his life and artistry to the public.”

Source billboard.com.

Ireland’s most prominent West Coast-obsessed pop-rockers, The Thrills, are visiting the object of their desires once again. They’re raising eyebrows on both sides of the Atlantic with their catchy vocal harmonies and laid-back, country-rock feel, drawing less comparisons to countrymen U2 and Thin L

The band’s travels begin March 27 at the Paradise Rock Club in Boston. They’ll sprint through most every region of the U.S. over the next two months, with several detours to Canada and a May 2 stop at the Coachella Festival in Indio, Calif.

They’ll appear with Phantom Planet on several April dates, and with Spymob in late April and early May. Just two days after finishing up their U.S. jaunt May 29 in Providence, R.I., they’ll head to the Netherlands for the Pinkpop Festival.

The Thrills’ debut album, So Much For The City, was recorded in San Diego and finds the band paying homage to many of their favorite West Coast locales on songs like “Big Sur,” “Santa Cruz (You’re Not That Far)” and “Your Love Is Like Las Vegas.”

Source pollstar.com.