2004

R.E.M.’s fall North American tour will find the veteran rock act playing some of the most intimate venues it has visited in years. The 29-date trek kicks off Oct. 13 at Los Angeles’ Greek Theatre and will wrap Nov. 27 in Denver. As previously reported, R.E.M. will warm up for the dates on the Vote for Change tour, playing five shows with Bruce Springsteen, John Fogerty and Bright Eyes beginning Oct. 1 in Philadelphia.

Although the trek will feature such arenas as New York’s Madison Square Garden (Nov. 4) and Boston’s FleetCenter (Oct. 29), it will also find R.E.M. performing in such intimate confines as Akron, Ohio’s E.J. Thomas Performing Arts Hall (Oct. 27, capacity 2,925) and an Oct. 25-26 stand at the Chicago Theatre (capacity 3,604).

Tickets for some shows will go on-sale Aug. 21. Members of R.E.M.’s fan club will be offered special ticket opportunities.

The tour comes in support of the group’s new Warner Bros. album, “Around the Sun,” due Oct. 5 in North America via Warner Bros. First single “Leaving New York” arrives commercially Sept. 27 outside North America.

Here are R.E.M.’s tour dates:

Oct. 1: Philadelphia (Wachovia Center, Vote for Change tour)
Oct. 2: Cleveland (Gund Arena, Vote for Change tour)
Oct. 3: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Crisler Arena, Vote for Change tour)
Oct. 5: St. Paul, Minn. (Xcel Energy Center, Vote for Change tour)
Oct. 8: Orlando, Fla. (TD Waterhouse Centre, Vote for Change tour)
Oct. 13: Los Angeles (Greek Theatre)
Oct. 14: Santa Barbara, Calif. (Santa Barbara Bowl
Oct. 15: San Francisco (Greek Amphitheatre)
Oct. 16: Irvine, Calif. (Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre)
Oct. 19: St. Louis (Fox Theatre)
Oct. 20: Indianapolis (Murat Theatre)
Oct. 22: Nashville (Ryman Auditorium)
Oct. 23: Atlanta (Gwinnett Arena)
Oct. 25-26: Chicago (Chicago Theatre)
Oct. 27: Akron, Ohio (E.J. Thomas Performing Arts Hall)
Oct. 29: Boston (FleetCenter)
Oct. 30: Atlantic City, N.J. (Borgata)
Nov. 1: Washington, D.C. (DAR Constitution Hall)
Nov. 4: New York (Madison Square Garden)
Nov. 5: Uncasville, Conn. (Mohegan Sun)
Nov. 7: Pittsburgh (Palumbo Center)
Nov. 9-10: Toronto (Hummingbird Center)
Nov. 11: Ottawa, Ontario (Civic Centre)
Nov. 12: Montreal (Bell Centre)
Nov. 14: Thunder Bay, Ontario (Fort Williams Gardens)
Nov. 15: Winnipeg, Manitoba (Centennial Concert Hall)
Nov. 17: Calgary, Alberta (Saddledome)
Nov. 19-20: Seattle (McCaw Hall)
Nov. 21: Vancouver (Orpheum Theatre)
Nov. 26: Salt Lake City (E Center)
Nov. 27: Denver (Fillmore)

Source billboard.com.

Their name is the Asher Kahn Band and they are virtually unknown in the music entertainment world.

Funk legend Rick James was found dead at 9:45 a.m. PT this morning (Aug. 6) at his Los Angeles home by a caretaker, according to a police spokesperson. He was 56. The cause of death was believed to be natural. The artist had a history of drug problems that led to poor health in recent years, including a 1998 stroke.

In addition to his own slew of pop and R&B hits, such as “Super Freak (Part 1),” “You and I” and “Mary Jane,” James wrote and produced songs for the likes of Teena Marie, the Temptations and Eddie Murphy. The one-time Navy deserter fell prey to drugs, and spent time behind bars in the 1990s for assault and holding a woman against her will.

James was recently honored with the Heritage Award from performing arts society ASCAP. Prior to the ceremony, he told Billboard he was planning to release a 30-song double-CD on his Sony/RED-distributed label, Ma Records.

“God sat me down to pay attention,” James said about the stroke. “Then he told me to get back up and hit the stage, and I’m enjoying it.”

James also claimed he was ready to retire from the music business “to do something more spiritual.” His daughter Ty, a rapper, is recording and negotiating a deal for her own solo album.

The artist roared back into the public consciousness earlier this year thanks to a series of hilarious, oft-quoted sketches on Comedy Central’s “Chapelle’s Show.” The show’s host/creator, Dave Chappelle, was in early talks to star as James in a film based on his upcoming autobiography, “Memoirs of a Super Freak.”

Source billboard.com.

The String Cheese Incident has mapped out their plans for the remainder of 2004. Fall Tour will begin in mid October with a three-night run at The Backyard in Austin, Texas. The 16-show tour will wind through parts of the South and Midwest and end on October 31st with a Halloween bash in Madison, Wisconsin. The band has also confirmed an isolated run of shows in Philadelphia over Thanksgiving weekend, as well as an acoustic performance at Michael Franti’s 911 Power to the Peaceful Festival in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park.

Halloween is always an over-the-top event for The String Cheese Incident and their fans. In 2001 SCI’s Halloween show at the Theater at Madison Square Garden staged stops along NYC’s subway line. The conductor for the wild ride was John Perry Barlow. In 2002 at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles SCI fans dressed for the “Acadamummy Awards” and upon entering the venue via the red carpet, stopped to chat with a Joan Rivers impersonator. During that show the band played a special middle set comprised of songs by dead rocks stars; and they dressed the part. The set list included Stevie Ray Vaughn’s “Tightrope,” Freddie Mercury’s “We are the Champions,” and Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” among others. The band is not yet revealing plans for this Halloween. Stay tuned to their website for details as they become available stringcheeseincident.com.

SCI has also announced that they will ring in this New Year in the Big Apple. The band is confirmed to perform December 28 and 29 at the Theater at Madison Square Garden and December 31 at Radio City Music Hall.

Tickets for SCI’s Fall Tour go on sale at 10 am MST on August 25 at sciticketing.com. On sale dates for November Philly shows and NYE will be announced soon.

The complete 2004 Fall tour dates is as follows:

Sat Sep 11 San Francisco CA Golden Gate Park
Fri Oct 15 Austin TX The Backyard
Sat Oct 16 Austin TX The Backyard
Sun Oct 17 Austin TX The Backyard
Tue Oct 19 Birmingham AL BJCC Theater
Wed Oct 20 Atlanta GA Fox Theatre
Fri Oct 22 Asheville NC Thomas Wolfe Auditorium
Sat Oct 23 Asheville NC Thomas Wolfe Auditorium
Mon Oct 25 Louisville KY Palace Theatre
Tue Oct 26 Bloomington IN IU Auditorium
Thu Oct 28 Ann Arbor MI Hill Auditorium
Fri Oct 29 Chicago IL UIC Pavilion
Sat Oct 30 Chicago IL UIC Pavilion
Sun Oct 31 Madison WI Exhibit Hall @ the Alliant Energy Center
Fri Nov 26 Camden NJ Tweeter Waterfront
Sat Nov 27 Camden NJ Tweeter Waterfront
Tue Dec 28 New York NY Theater at Madison Square Gardens
Wed Dec 29 New York NY Theater at Madison Square Gardens
Fri Dec 31 New York NY Radio City Music Hall

Strangefolk and Wormtown Trading Co. present The 9th Annual Strangefolk’s Garden Of Eden Festival to be held September 4th and 5th at Camp Keewanee in Greenfield, MA.

For the 9th year in a row, Strangefolk, the energetic Rock quintet from Burlington,VT will be hosting their annual Strangefolk’s Garden Of Eden Festival. This year marks the first time that the event has been held in Massachusetts and also the first year that Strangefolk has joined forces with one of New England’s most prolific festival promoters, Wormtown Trading Co. to create an even more vibrant and colorful Garden of Eden.

This exciting 2 day event is to be held at Camp Keewanee, on the banks of the Green River in Greenfield, MA on Labor Day weekend, September 4th and 5th and will include performances by some of the most talented and beloved bands in the Northeast today, as well as a variety of other attractions including roaming entertainers, a kids tent, drum circles, a community bonfire, arts & crafts, body art and a wide array of quality food and clothing vendors.

Also Performing:
Max Creek, The Zen Tricksters, Rob Wasserman, Rev Tor Band, Gordon Stone Band, Raisinhill, U-Melt, Seth Yacavone Band, Perpetual Groove, Bathtub Mary, Fungus Amungus, Oak Street, Hot Day At The Zoo, Spaghetti Cake, The Rafter Bats, The Brew, & EdnDave with T.

For more information on Strangefolk’s Garden Of Eden Festival, visit wormtown.com/gardenofeden.

Norah Jones’ sophomore Blue Note album “Feels Like Home” will be re-released as a double-disc package Sept. 21. Three previously unreleased songs will be featured: the original “Moon Song,” a cover of the Boudleaux/Bryant staple “Sleepless Nights” and “I Turned Your Picture to the Wall,” penned by Jones’ guitarist Adam Levy’s grandfather.

The second disc will be a DVD with live versions of album cuts “Creepin’ In,” “The Long Way Home” and “In the Morning,” recorded in March in Madrid, as well as a cover of Gram Parsons’ “She.” An interview with Jones plus music videos for “Sunrise” and “What Am I to You?” round out the package.

“Feels Like Home” debuted earlier this year at No. 1 on The Billboard 200 and has sold 3.2 million copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

Jones is in the midst of her biggest tour yet, which next plays Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry on Aug. 12. Dates are on tap through Nov. 14 in West Palm Beach, Fla.

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Vision International is proud to announce AmsterJam, the first ever multi-bill event for American bands in Amsterdam, Holland. There will be limited capacity to catch four of today’s hottest acts for three nights only, March 20-22, 2005. Confirmed acts are:

Keller Williams, The Disco Biscuits, Umphrey’s McGee and Particle

Each act will play a long two-hour set each night of AmsterJam, in one of the two venues. There will be overlap, so that we can accommodate all attendees within the two rooms. Even though the total capacity is 1750, we only plan to sell 1500 tickets, so as to keep it very comfortable for all. With normal ebb and flow of the crowd, it should be no problem seeing your favorite group, up close and personal, without being elbowed or jostled.

The General Public onsale will begin next Friday August 6th at noon at amsterjam.net.

Also, at that time, travel packages will be available from Madison House Travel. Due to the nature of the show, there will not be a ‘one size fits all’ package, but will include deals on airfares, hotels, and offer travel insurance. Show passes will also be included, but not discounted.

Gregg Allman will return to the Telluride Blues & Brews Festival this year as Gov’t Mule’s Special Guest, Saturday, September 18, 2004. Regarding the addition of Allman to the line-up, Steve Gumble, Festival Director, says, “Gregg Allman has been one of my musical heroes for many years. He is truly a part of rock and roll’s living history and Telluride is once again part of that history. To have him grace our stage with Gov’t Mule is more than just an honor, it is a privilege.”

This year’s diverse array of world class musicians also includes B.B. King headlining Sunday, Jonny Lang headlining Friday as well as the Neville Brothers, Dr. John, Stockholm Syndrome featuring Dave Schools and Jerry Joseph, Edgar Winter, Shemekia Copeland, Elvin Bishop, Lonnie Brooks, Indigenous, Anders Osborne and Friends, Papa Grows Funk, Bonerama, Richard Johnston with Papa Mali, Gospel Hummingbirds, Hazel Miller, Mofro, Tommy Elskes and Friends.

To order tickets, check availability, and/or make camping reservations, call 866-515-6166 (toll free) or log on to tellurideblues.com. Three day passes are $125.00, Friday passes are $44.00 and Saturday and Sunday passes are $49.00 each. Juke Joint passes are $17.00 each per night. Tickets are also available locally at Telluride Music at 201 East Colorado Avenue.