2004

Dave Blood, bassist for beloved Philadelphia rock act the Dead Milkmen, committed suicide March 10, according to a post by his sister Kathy on the band’s official message board. In a subsequent post, Milkmen drummer Dean Clean confirmed the news.

“This morning Dave Blood is no longer with us,” his sister wrote. “David is my brother. Since the breakup of the band David has never really found his niche in life. My brother was a smart, clever and talented person. Inner peace has seemed to elude him for the last many years. Sometime last night David chose to end his life. He left a note that I don’t know all of what it said, he was not elaborate — but he said he just could not stand to go on any longer.”

Posting as Kathy F., Blood’s sister asked fans to pray for his soul and explained that their mother had passed away at the end of January and felt that “maybe David just had had enough.” A memorial service will be held in the Delaware County area of southeastern Pennsylvania at some point in the near future, with details to be announced.

“I want to say that one of the shiniest parts of David’s life was being a Dead Milkman and having that claim to fame,” Blood’s sister concluded. “And the fans who appreciated the talent and time that went into making the band rise above the ordinary — thank you all for making my brother feel and know that he was indeed somebody.”

Source Billboard.com.

SCI

In the months before he shot himself, American rock legend Kurt Cobain was considering quitting his band Nirvana to work with his wife, singer Courtney Love (news), according to a previously unpublished interview.

Nirvana’s tragic frontman said he had a stronger musical affinity with Love’s own band, Hole, than he had found with any other musicians, according to Britain’s “Uncut” magazine, which will publish the interview next Monday ahead of the 10th anniversary of his death.

“I’d like to (collaborate with Love),” he said in the interview eight months before his suicide. “But to tell you the truth, I would rather just quit my band and join Hole.

“When I have played music with them, there’s a level of connection that’s a little bit higher than with anyone else I ever played with,” he added.

Nirvana’s surviving founders, Dave Grohl and Krist Novoselic (news), have had a turbulent relationship with Cobain’s widow, clashing with her in court over the band’s musical legacy.

Cobain, 27, killed himself with a shotgun in April 1994 in his Seattle home, where he was recovering from a drug and alcohol overdose.

With punk-influenced music and angst-ridden lyrics, Nirvana led the grunge movement that emerged from Seattle to become one of the most powerful forces in 1990s rock.

Cobain said in the interview, originally intended for French television, that he was thinking of moving away from his grunge roots toward acoustic music.

“It might be nice to start playing acoustic guitar and be thought of as a singer and a songwriter, rather than a grunge rocker,” he said. “I could sit down on a chair and play acoustic guitar like Johnny Cash (news) or something, and it won’t be a big joke.”

Source yahoo.com.

Foo Fighters, George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic, Wyclef Jean, Fountains Of Wayne, Puddle Of Mudd, the Doors Of The 21st Century, the Offspring, Lil Jon & the Eastside Boyz and Twista are among the first acts confirmed for the 11th annual Music Midtown festival. The event will be held April 30 and May 1-2 on a 42-acre site in Atlanta; tickets go on-sale Saturday (March 13) via Ticketmaster.

Also set to appear are Trapt, Angie Stone, Cee-Lo, Chris Robinson and New Earth Mud, Damien Rice, Fuel, Joss Stone, Galactic, Musiq, Default, Journey, Smile Empty Soul, Gavin DeGraw, Switchfoot, Tantric, Steve Miller Band, Toby Lightman and Anthony Hamilton.

A host of additional acts are yet to be announced; the most up-to-date lineup can be found on the event’s official website.

Source:Billboard.com.

Lucinda Williams has canceled her remaining tour plans due to the passing of her mother. Her Website states that all tickets should be returned for refund at point-of-purchase, and that dates will most likely be rescheduled for August.

The canceled shows include her last four March concerts, in Nashville, Columbus, St. Louis and Kansas City, as well as an Australian jaunt in April. A Santa Barbara date with Willie Nelson and an appearance at the Doheny Heritage Music Festival in May are also off for now.

Source Pollstar.com.

A news post on the official DMB website states:

“We would like to thank everyone who responded to our previous festival surveys. We received a great response. As determined by the survey, the #1 choice for a festival location is the New York City metropolitan area and the July 4th weekend being the clear winner as a favorite date. We are pleased to report that we are developing a plan for an event at a unique site in the NYC metropolitan area for the Saturday and Sunday of July 4th weekend. As we continue with our planning, we would like to hear an update on the the interest for this idea. Please click here to respond.”

Put your dancing boots on and get ready for one heck of a hoedown, courtesy of some of the finest folk, bluegrass and country musicians in the business. Alison Krauss & Union Station, featuring Dobro master Jerry Douglas, head out on the Great High Mountain Tour this May, along with a stellar cast of roots musicians including Ralph Stanley, The Whites, The Cox Family, Norman & Nancy Blake, The Nashville Bluegrass Band, Tim Eriksen, Riley Baugus, Dirk Powell, Reeltime Travelers, Ollabelle and the Sacred Harp Singers.

The tour features music from the motion pictures “Cold Mountain” and “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” Nine dates have been announced, beginning on Cinco De Mayo at the Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, Tenn.
Krauss & Union Station were an integral part of the wildly successful Down From The Mountain tour back in 2002. That outing included Great High Mountain participants Stanley and The Nashville Bluegrass Band, along with Emmylou Harris, Patty Loveless and more.

Given the similarities between the two tours, don’t be surprised if more dates get announced for this year’s jaunt. Down From The Mountain stretched for a good eight weeks.

Source pollstar.com.