May 2004

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum plans to open a satellite museum early next year in downtown Phoenix.

The “on tour” museum will be housed in a two-level building near America West Arena and will remain for at least five years, becoming permanent if it’s well received.

Featuring traveling displays, rare items connected to artists and interactive educational exhibits, it could draw more than 100,000 visitors a year, organizers said Monday.

“It becomes one more little anchor to come downtown,” said Dale Jensen, a businessman from Paradise Valley who has been on the Cleveland-based Hall of Fame’s board for more than a year.

Source Launch.com.

Jamming in the VIP section doesn’t put you above the law. At least that’s what Andy Dick discovered when he was busted for lighting up a joint at the Coachella music festival in Indio, California, last week, according to reports.

Dick was partying in an exclusive area near the stage on May 2, when he was spotted by a security guard lighting up. He was searched and the guard uncovered a small marijuana stash in a baggie.

Dick was handed over to the Indio Police Department, who cited him for misdemeanor pot possession of less than an ounce, removed his VIP wristband and kicked him off the concert grounds.

The funnyman was one of 29 people busted on the closing night of the two-day Coachella festival. Dick is scheduled to appear in Riverside County Superior Court on June 16.

Source Eonline.com.

Sony’s entry in the handheld gaming space might be a bit delayed in the U.S., but when it arrives, it’s going to have a tremendous amount of publisher support. Nearly 100 game publishers are making games for the PSP (or PlayStation Portable), which will be released in the U.S. early next year. (Sony plans to ship the device in Japan this holiday season.)

Sony’s PSP will have a tremendous amount of support in the U.S.
The first batch of games will have some familiar titles, including Metal Gear, SpiderMan 2 and Tiger Woods Golf. Electronic Arts, the gaming industry’s leading publisher, vowed to have four titles ready for the PSP at launch.

The PSP, which has roughly the same graphical quality as the PS2, is being targeted at an older audience than other handheld gaming machines, with Sony particularly eyeing 18-34 year old males.

“We know they buy more games with more disposable income,” said Kaz Hirai, president and CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment of America.

The PSP will feature a 4.3-inch screen with a 16:9 widescreen ratio, come with built-in stereo speakers. It will support 802.11b wireless connections and have input ports for US 2.0 devices and Sony’s proprietary memory stick storage device.

Battery life will vary, depending on how the PS is used, Hirai said. Gamers should be able to play for roughly 10 hours before recharging the device’s lithium-ion battery. People using the PSP as a music player will be able to listen for approximately eight hours. And when it’s used as a portable movie player, the battery will last 2.5 hours.

Source CNN.com.

Andre 3000, one-half of the chart-topping hip-hop group OutKast, is developing a potential series project with Cartoon Network.

The musician is hashing out ideas for a half-hour special pegged for the cable channel’s “Adult Swim” block. If Andre 3000 and Cartoon — both based in Atlanta — are happy with the results, the channel will greenlight the special for series treatment.

Mike Lazzo, senior vp of Cartoon’s “Adult Swim” program block, quickly got over his reservations about collaborating with celebrities upon meeting with Andre 3000, who has worked as an illustrator. “I’m extremely wary of it, but in Andre’s case, I think he is a creative genius,” he said. “He has definite opinions of what he likes visually.”

While still in the early stages, the project is expected to be inspired by the rapper’s life or possibly his alter ego, Johnny Vulture, the guitar-playing wildman seen in OutKast’s video for the Grammy-winning hit single “Hey Ya!” The special will likely have a musical component similar in style to such off-kilter animated films as “Cool World” and “Yellow Submarine.” The rapper is expected to contribute music to the project.

Andre 3000 also is enjoying a burgeoning film career with a role in the “Get Shorty” sequel, “Be Cool.” He also is gearing up for a starring role in a Jimi Hendrix (news) biopic, to be directed by the Hughes brothers.

Source yahoo.com.

Marlow (a.k.a.Todd Pasternack) returns from the depths of his home studio to release his second indie rock album, The World Before It Ever Was on Pasternack

Umphrey’s McGee’s new album, Anchor Drops will be released June 29th nationwide. The album is being released on SCI Fidelity Records/Hanging Brains Music, and will be distributed coast to coast and beyond by Ryko Distribution. This will mark the sixth release by Umphrey’s McGee, but the first that will be available in record stores around the country.

In support, the band brings their live show on the road this summer. Current tour dates include:

Thu May 20 Bendix Theater South Bend IN
Thu May 27 Shank Hall Milwaukee WI
Fri May 28 Harmony Park Geneva MN
Thu Jun 3 Piere’s Fort Wayne, IN
Fri Jun 4 Newport Music Hall Columbus OH
Jun 6 Belmont-Sheffield Festival Chicago, IL
Fri Jun 11-13 Bonnaroo Music Festival Manchester TN
Thu Jul 22 Smilefest Harmony NC

See umphreysmcgee.com for more info.

Willie Nelson has canceled concerts for the next two months to have surgery for carpal tunnel syndrome. The 71-year-old star was apparently in so much pain he couldn’t finish a show Saturday in Las Vegas. Nelson had 10 concerts scheduled for the remainder of May and June, including a June 12 appearance at the three-day Bonnaroo Music Festival in Manchester, Tenn.

It is unclear when Nelson will resume touring. Among the events on his upcoming schedule include a June 26 show in Chicago’s Grant Park and his annual Fourth of July Picnic in Ft. Worth, Texas. That show is also tipped to feature performances by Asleep At The Wheel, Los Lonely Boys, Merle Haggard and David Allan Coe, among others.

Source billboard.com.

Yo La Tengo sure know how to keep busy. Last year, the band released a full-length album and an EP, and toured from March through October. They recently got back from a U.K. outing with Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci, and now they’re suiting up for another round of U.S. dates.

The new tour begins May 24 in Vancouver, B.C., and ends June 11 with a stop at the Bonnaroo Festival in Manchester, Tenn. The band has set aside three nights in a row for San Francisco, where they consistently sell out multiple gigs.

Southern indie rock vets Antietam are set to support on the trek. Their new album, Victory Park, was just released on Carrot Top Records.

Source pollstar.com.