If you you never had the chance to check out 90’s ska-rock heroes Sublime, cover band Badfish is the next best thing. If you wanted to hear any Sublime song, Badfish played it convincingly well, as even a version of “Daterape” got the girls dancing on stage.
Veteran rock artists Peter Gabriel and Brian Eno are launching a provocative new musicians’ alliance that would cut against the industry grain by letting artists sell their music online instead of only through record labels.
With the Internet transforming how people buy and listen to songs, musicians need to act now to claim digital music’s future, Gabriel and Eno argued Monday as they handed out a slim red manifesto at the Midem conference in Cannes, France.
They call the plan the “Magnificent Union of Digitally Downloading Artists” – or MUDDA, which has a less lofty ring to it. “Unless artists quickly grasp the possibilities that are available to them, then the rules will get written, and they’ll get written without much input from artists,” said Eno, who has a long history of experimenting with technology.
By removing record labels from the equation, artists can set their own prices and set their own agendas, said the two independent musicians, who hope to launch the online alliance within a month.
Their pamphlet lists ideas for artists to explore once they’re freed from the confines of the CD format. One might decide to release a minute of music every day for a month. Another could post several recorded variations of the same song and ask fans what they like best.
Source billboard.com.
Soulive will do a string of dates in the Northeast featuring special guest Reggie Watts, best known as the frontman for the group Maktub. The shows will take place from February 6th-14th running from a date at Colby College in Maine to a date the Dowtown in Farmingdale, NY.
Source soulive.com.
8-string guitar maestro Charlie Hunter is now offering three albums for sale through digital downloads in either MP3 or FLAC format on his website, CharlieHunter.com. The three albums include his two latest: a duo album with Bobby Previte called Come In Red Dog, This Is Tango Leader, and TJ Kirk’s new album Talking Only Makes It Worse. The third album is out-of-print and very difficult to find a physical copy of: his 2000 release Solo Eight-String Guitar. This may mark a new trend in the distribution of out of print albums.
Particle will deliver their trademark high-energy funktronic sounds to the masses with their debut studio album, “LAUNCHPAD.” The release features a diverse selection of tracks from the Los Angeles based band’s extensive live repertoire. It showcases the unique, dynamic sound that has propelled Particle into the national spotlight. Produced by Tom Rothrock (Beck, Coldplay, Foo Fighters), “Launchpad” will be released nationally March 23, 2004 on the Or Music label (Los Lonely Boys).
Though “Launchpad” is Particle’s first studio effort, the band is nostranger to the road. Since forming in 2000, the group has touredrelentlessly, both nationally and internationally, performing almost500 shows since their inception. Particle’s upcoming three-month tourwill see them headlining large clubs and theatres in major marketsincluding Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Boston, Atlanta,Denver, and Chicago. Bass master Rob Wasserman will open the winterportion of the tour from February 2nd through the 23rd (complete listof dates follow below).
Musical troubadours Widespread Panic announce the release of Night Of Joy on March 23, 2004 (Widespread Records/Sanctuary Records). Known for their legendary live performances, Night Of Joy is compiled from two of their most recent concerts, taped at the House of Blues in Myrtle Beach, SC on November 6 and 7, 2003. The live CD is both a follow up and companion to Another Joyous Occasion released in 2000, both CD’s feature Widespread Panic performing with the Dirty Dozen Brass Band on horns and rhythm.
Hip-hop act the Roots has formed a label, Okayplayer Records, in partnership with Decon, a multimedia design/entertainment company, Billboard.biz reports. The label derives its name from the Grammy-nominated group’s popular Web site, Okayplayer.com. The Roots previously operated the Motive imprint through MCA.
Roots drummer Ahmir “?uestlove” Thompson will executive-produce the label’s inaugural release, a compilation featuring the Roots, Skillz, Jean Grae, Madlib, Aceyalone, Little Brother and Dilated Peoples. The album will also include two unsigned acts; Okayplayer Records is accepting submissions until Feb. 13, with details available through the Web site. The album is slated for release this summer.
“There is an array of untapped talent out there, especially from the people who are members of the Okayplayer.com community,” Thompson says in a statement. “The Roots have always been a magnet for talented artists. This deal is important to us because we can now provide a vehicle for bringing deserving artists to the forefront.”
As previously reported, the group is currently recording a new album, “The Tipping Point,” for release on Geffen. It’s the follow-up to 2002’s “Phrenology,” which is nominated for the best rap album Grammy.
Source billboard.com.
Experience Hendrix, the holding company that oversees the Jimi Hendrix estate, is launching a pilot tour of three concerts celebrating the Hendrix legacy, Billboard.biz reports. The dates are Feb. 22 at the Paramount Theatre in Seattle; Feb. 24 at Roseland Theatre in Portland, Ore.; and Feb. 26 at the Warfield in San Francisco.
Participating artists will include Buddy Guy, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Living Colour, Alice In Chains’ Jerry Cantrell, Kid Rock, Hubert Sumlin (Howlin’ Wolf), Sheldon Reynolds (Earth, Wind & Fire), Indigenous and Joe Satriani. All will be backed by former Hendrix bandmates Mitch Mitchell on drums and Billy Cox on bass, with Bad Company’s Paul Rodgers on vocals.
As previously reported, Experience Hendrix has corralled a host of top acts for “Power of Soul,” a Hendrix tribute album due May 4 from Image Entertainment. The set will feature newly recorded covers by Sting, Prince, Eric Clapton and Musiq, among others.
Source billboard.com.
Neil Young’s latest album, “Greendale,” will be re-released Feb. 24 by Reprise with a bonus DVD featuring behind-the-scenes footage of its creation. Issued in August, the original edition of “Greendale” was bundled with the DVD “Live at Vicar St.,” which found Young performing the new material during a solo concert in Ireland.
The Young-directed “Greendale” film, which brings to life the characters described in the album, will be rolled out nationally around the album’s re-release. Screenings begin Feb. 27 in Los Angeles and Austin, Texas, with new locations added through late April. For a full list, visit Young’s official Web site .Young and Crazy Horse are also planning to return to the road, beginning Feb. 19 in Vancouver. Eighteen dates are on tap through March 21 in Amherst, Mass., including a March 17-18 stand at New York’s Radio City Music Hall.
The “Greendale” film is tentatively scheduled for a summer release.
Source billboard.com.
