2004

Buffalo Springfield bassist Bruce Palmer died Monday of an apparent heart attack; he was fifty-eight. Born in Canada in 1946, Palmer was an early collaborator with Neil Young, first in the Mynah Birds, a band that also featured the recently deceased Rick James. The group broke up after James was sent to prison for going AWOL from the military. Palmer and Young moved from Ontario to Los Angeles in the spring of 1966, making the journey in Young’s black hearse. The pair soon joined forces with Stephen Stills, drummer Dewey Martin and singer/guitarist Richie Furay to form Buffalo Springfield.

In just two years Buffalo Springfield captured the spirit of folk-rock protest with songs such as “For What It’s Worth,” and revealed a more rocking side with “Mr. Soul.” The group served as a springboard for some of the biggest bands of the late Sixties and early Seventies, with alums going on to form Crosby, Stills and Nash; Neil Young and Crazy Horse; Poco; and Loggins and Messina.

“There’s not a person who listened to the Buffalo Springfield that wasn’t drawn to the way he played bass,” says Furay. “He made the music move — Bruce was truly a musician’s musician. I consider it a privilege to have played with him in such a creative time in my life.”

Buffalo Springfield split in 1968 after two years and two albums, in part due to Palmer’s ongoing difficulties with U.S. immigration, which sought to deport him for a pair of marijuana-related convictions. Palmer left the group shortly before its break-up and was replaced by Jim Messina.

Palmer went on to record one solo album, 1971’s The Cycle Is Complete, recruiting his old bandmate Rick James to contribute percussion and vocals. More than a decade later, Palmer re-teamed with Young to join his live band and play on Young’s 1983 Trans. In the mid-Eighties, Palmer and Martin resurrected the Buffalo Springfield name, performing shows as Buffalo Springfield Revisited. The closest the group came to a full reunion was in 1988 when the original members got together for an informal rehearsal. Palmer told Rolling Stone in 2002 that the reunited Springfield sounded “terrific,” but plans for a reunion were scuttled when Young didn’t show up for the next scheduled rehearsal a few months later. “He just forgot,” Palmer said. “So we all said, ‘What’s the use?'”

An enigmatic stage presence, Palmer frequently performed with his back to the audience and was often photographed with his hair covering his face. “Bruce was the mysterious one in the group,” says Furay. “You may not have always known what he was thinking as he just looked at you and smiled, but when he plugged the bass in, there was no mistaking his life was truly about the music.”

Source rollingstone.com.

He may be known for his over-the-top antics but Poison guitarist C.C. DeVille has another claim to fame: his “Guitar Solo” has been named the worst of all time by Guitar World magazine.

The magazine selected the “100 Worst Riffs, Licks & Solos of All Time,” identifying ones that are “lazy,” “boring,” “just plain stoopid,” or “involve C.C. Deville.”

The list includes songs by David Bowie, Def Leppard, Metallica, Green Day, B.B. King, The Grateful Dead, Jimi Hendrix, Aerosmith and The Strokes, among others. Many are guitar legends who simply had a bad night or bum note.

Guitar World describes DeVille’s nine-minute solo “completely devoid of taste, structure or steady tempo” and recommends every budding guitarist listen to it because “surely, they can’t do any worse.”

DeVille was also cited for his “Cherry Pie” solo when he played with Warrant and Poison’s “Every Rose Has Its Thorn.”

The magazine recommends DeVille “take solace in the fact that he’s in some rather good company.”

Rounding out the top 10: “Summertime Blues,” Blue Cheer; “The Game of Love,” Carlos Santana; Falstaff beer 1967 radio spot, Cream; “All You Need is Love,” The Beatles; “Thirsty and Miserable,” Black Flag; “Wango Tango,” Ted Nugent; “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg,” Rolling Stones; “Sting of the Bumblebee,” Manowar; and “American Woman,” Lenny Kravitz.

The list appears in the magazine’s December issue.

Source yahoo.com.

Matador Records will celebrate its 15th anniversary with a double-disc collection of favorite tracks and rarities, plus a DVD of music videos. The material roughly dates from 1999-2004, serving as a companion piece to the prior compilations “What’s Up Matador” (1997) and the 10th anniversary album “Everything Is Nice.”

The “greatest hits” disc sports 18 familiar tracks from Interpol, Cat Power, Stephen Malkmus, Yo La Tengo, Guided By Voices, Mission Of Burma, Jon Spencer Blues Explosion and Belle & Sebastian, among others.

“Unreleased and rarities” boasts contributions from the New Pornographers, Pretty Girls Make Graves, GBV, Mogwai, Matmos and, as previously reported, a live version of the Malkmus and the Jicks’ “It Kills.”

Twelve music videos are included on the DVD, such as Cat Power’s “He War,” Interpol’s “PDA,” Pavement’s “Spit on a Stranger” and Mogwai’s “Stanley Kubrick.”

Here is the track list for “Matador at 15”:

Disc one (“Greatest Hits”):

“This Is Our Emergency,” Pretty Girls Make Graves
“Obstacle 1,” Interpol
“The Laws Have Changed,” New Pornographers
“Dirt,” Mission Of Burma
“Free,” Cat Power
“Church on White,” Stephen Malkmus
“Don’t Have To Be So Sad,” Yo La Tengo
“Drop,” Cornelius
“Money Rock’n’Roll,” Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
“The Whirlings,” Dead Meadow
“My Kind of Soldier,” Guided By Voices
“Caught in the Rain,” Preston School Of Industry
“Inside,” Bardo Pond
“Forty Nights,” Seachange
“Don’t Leave the Light on Baby,” Belle & Sebastian
“1926,” Thalia Zedek
“For the Trees,” Matmos
“Hunted by a Freak,” Mogwai

Disc two (“Unreleased and Rarities”):
“Graceland,” New Pornographers
“Specialist,” Interpol
“C-30 C-60 C-90 GO!,” Pretty Girls Make Graves
“Dust for Guitars #1,” M. Ward
“It Kills” (live), Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks
“Hunted by a Freak” (Boom Bip remix), Mogwai
“Everything Going On” (alternate version), Dead Meadow
“Deeper Into Moves” (acoustic), Yo La Tengo
“Fame & Fortune” (live), Mission Of Burma
“Free of This World,” Guided By Voices
“The Party,” Cat Power
“Seven Calls,” Seachange
“Tone It Down” (Pablo Wong Remix), Preston School Of Industry
“Homemade Bombs in the Afternoon,” A.C. Newman
“Cymbals & Aspirin (A Breakthrough in Pain Relief),” Matmos
“Wataridori,” Cornelius

Disc three (“Music Videos”):
“Stanley Kubrick,” Mogwai
“Spit on a Stranger,” Pavement
“Dr. Cat,” Mary Timony
“Ladies & Gentlemen (In the Woods),” the Wisdom Of Harry
“Discretion Grove,” Stephen Malkmus
“I Hate Hate,” Cornelius
“The Laws Have Changed,” New Pornographers
“PDA,” Interpol
“She Said,” Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
“He War,” Cat Power
“This Is Our Emergency,” Pretty Girls Make Graves
“Stars and Stripes Forever,” Matmos

Source billboard.com.

Melissa Etheridge has been diagnosed with breast cancer and has canceled upcoming tour dates to accommodate treatment. The 43-year-old artist will undergo surgery and her doctor expects a “speedy and complete recovery,” her publicist says in a statement.

“I am fortunate to be under a wonderful doctor’s care and thankful that this was caught early,” Etheridge says in the statement. “I am looking forward to a quick and full recovery.”

The artist had North American dates in support of the her latest Island album, “Lucky,” scheduled through the end of the month. Refunds will be available at point of purchase.

It is unclear if Etheridge’s illness will affect her work on her upcoming ABC sitcom, in which she stars as a gay woman raising the daughter of a friend with her straight male roommate.

Source billboard.com.

Bluegrass veteran Del McCoury won his ninth entertainer of the year award at the 15th Annual International Bluegrass Music Awards last night (Oct. 7) at the Kentucky Center in Louisville. McCoury and his band also netted the album of the year accolade for “It’s Just The Night.”

The awards show is the highlight of the International Bluegrass Music Association’s (IBMA) World of Bluegrass Oct. 4-10 trade show and festival. Alison Krauss and Dan Tyminski, taking their second consecutive turn at the podium, hosted the ceremony.

Larry Sparks won his first award in the male vocalist of the year category, a victory that was especially sweet as Sparks is celebrating his 40th anniversary in bluegrass. This year also marked a milestone for Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver. The group celebrated its 25th anniversary this year, and picked up a fourth consecutive vocal group of the year trophy.

Perennial favorite Rhonda Vincent garnered an unprecedented fifth win in the female vocalist category. Vincent also won song of the year for “Kentucky Borderline” from her Rounder album “One Step Ahead.” Vincent co-wrote the song with Terry Herd of the Bluegrass Radio Network and Sirius Satellite Radio, who was also named broadcaster of the year.

Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder earned their sixth win for instrumental group of the year. Blue Highway received their second award for gospel recorded performance of the year for the Rounder album “Wondrous Love.” The band’s Rob Ickes took home his seventh trophy in the dobro player of the year category.

The recorded event of the year was the Universal South album “Livin’ Lovin’ Losin’: Songs of the Louvin Brothers.” Produced by Carl Jackson, the tribute to Charlie and Ira Louvin featured performances by Emmylou Harris, James Taylor, Vince Gill, Terri Clark, Merle Haggard, Ronnie Dunn, Leslie Satcher, Kathy Louvin, Patty Loveless, Dierks Bentley, Larry Cordle, Dolly Parton, Sonya Isaacs, Marty Stuart and Pam Tillis, among others.

The 2004 IBMA Bluegrass Hall of Honor inductees were Curly Seckler and the late Bill Vernon.

The awards were broadcast live on Sirius Satellite Radio and syndicated to radio stations in more than 300 U.S. markets and 14 foreign networks.

Source billboard.com.