The Hot Buttered Rum String Band has made a CD I’m sure they feel proud to release, and in many ways I agree that it’s a solid work. But the technical skills and instrumental variety the guys bring to their music cannot compensate for the antiseptic quality of the tunes, nor for the distance the band maintains between itself and its subjects.
With its mopey vocals and multi-layered arrangements, the second EP from
mellowdrone – go get ’em tiger – is what would result if Radiohead and the Cure had a jam/writing session for a locked away weekend – or maybe an
hour. In fact, the influences are so obvious it’s hard to pin point you’re
actually listening to mellowdrone, the alter-ego of singer/songwriter/musician Jonathan Bates.
Jam and Jay Goldberg Events & Entertainment are proud to announce the filming of the Summer Camp 2004 festival that took place at Three Sisters Park in Chillicothe, Illinois, on May 28th-31st.
With virtually no option to see “their” bands televised on any sort of regular basis, the “jam fan” fan can now stake claim to JamCam Chronicles! Summer Camp 2004 hosts Jay Goldberg Events and Entertainment have collaborated with 4th Street Productions to produce the inaugural edition of JamCam Chronicles; a brand-new, ground-breaking DVD subscription series tailor-made for the improvisational music enthusiast. Throughout the festival season, starting early spring through late fall, subscribers will receive, by mail, eight consecutive freshly edited issues of this scene-focused “DVD magazine.” “A celebration of music, art and the spirit of community and festival,” JamCam Chronicles is designed to produce positive impact across the entire community. All first year subscribers will receive the Summer Camp show, featuring performances by Leftover Salmon, Jeff Austin (YMSB) and several others, free-of-charge. To learn more about how you, your band, festival or organization can get involved, go to www.jamcamdvd.com or email Director Tom Ledermann at [email protected].
Representatives of the Beatles are in discussions with various online music services about licensing their songs for distribution on the Internet, according to people familiar with the discussions.
The Beatles have been one of the biggest holdouts in releasing their catalog for sale online, and the lack of such mega-hits as “Let it Be” and “Yesterday” has been cited as a major weakness for fledgling, Web-based music stores.
Negotiators for the Beatles have talked with several companies, with a particular emphasis on Microsoft Corp’s MSN, which is expected to open an Internet music store late this summer.
“MSN is working very closely with the music industry to build a top-quality music service for consumers, which includes providing a wide selection of music, but has nothing specific to announce at this time,” said a Microsoft spokesman.
The discussions by the legendary group were first reported yesterday (June 8) by CNET.
Sources familiar with the matter said the current round of talks is being steered by the Beatles’ representatives rather than their record label, EMI Group Plc. Representatives of the band’s two surviving members, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, could not be immediately reached for comment.
EMI owns the Beatles’ master recordings and would be involved in any final agreement, the sources said. The label has been trying to urge the Beatles for years to grant permission to distribute their songs online. “We think it would be great if the Beatles decided to make their music available on legitimate music services,” said an EMI spokesperson.
One person familiar with the discussions said he was optimistic that some deal could be reached by September.
“This would be a big deal because they have been one of the pre-eminent major holdouts in terms of licensing their digital rights,” said veteran entertainment lawyer Jay Cooper. “In the past year, various major artists are starting to put their toe in the water.”
Various services from RealNetworks’ Rhapsody to Apple Computer Inc.’s iTunes to Roxio Inc.’s Napster would all jump at the chance to distribute the Beatles, who broke up over 30 years ago, analysts said.
“We’ve always been confident that artists would see digital music as a must-have platform. We’re at the infancy stage of what will certainly be a booming business,” said Evan Harrison, VP and GM of Time Warner Inc.’s AOL Music.
Apple Computer, which launched its popular iTunes music store over a year ago, has been embroiled in a legal dispute with the management for the Beatles since September.
The Beatles, who formed similarly named London-based Apple Corps. in 1968 to manage its business interests and act as its music label, have accused the computer maker of violating a 1991 agreement specifying it could use the Apple trademark for computer products only.
The Beatles management have said Apple Computer broke the agreement when it used the logo and trademark to promote its iTunes online music store, the most popular Internet download service in the world.
A London High Court judge in April struck down Apple’s request to have the case heard by California courts. The computer maker argued the United States was the proper place for the hearing as this was where the original agreement between the two companies was struck.
Source billboard.com.
In what is being billed as the first appearance in 10 years by all of its key members, the Wu-Tang Clan will headline the July 17 Rock the Bells festival in San Bernardino, Calif. Organizers promise that RZA, GZA, Ol’ Dirty Bastard, Method Man, Ghostface Killah, Raekwon, Inspectah Deck, Masta Killa, U God and Cappadona will all be on hand for the performance.
“At first we thought we could get some of the members of Wu-Tang together and that would be enough, but it became a mission to bring them all out for one special day,” says festival organizer Chang Weisberg. “All the members have expressed their excitement to let their alter egos mash the stage and represent the ‘Clan.'”
A number of other major hip-hop acts have also signed for Rock the Bells, including Redman, Dilated Peoples, Sage Francis, Eyedea & Abilities and Supernatural with Jurassic 5 members Chali 2na and DJ Nu-Mark. Tickets go on sale June 18 via Ticketmaster. Organizers are also planning a Rock the Bells North American tour in 2005.
The Wu-Tang Clan will play eight festival and headlining dates in Europe this summer, beginning July 1 in Zurich, but it is unknown what the group’s exact lineup will be for those shows. As exclusively revealed here in November, the RZA-spearheaded book “The Wu-Tang Manual” is scheduled for a fall release by Riverhead Books, senior editor Sean McDonald tells Billboard.com.
Source billboard.com.
