2004

Rhino Records will release Left of the Dial: Dispatches from the ’80s Underground on October 5th. The four-disc compilation includes tracks from such alternative-rock pioneers as the Replacements, Minor Threat, Husker Du, the Jam, the Smiths, R.E.M. and Sonic Youth.
Included are interviews with Greg Ginn and Peter Jesperson, founders of influential indie-rock labels SST and Twin/Tone respectively, as well as reflections on the era from Manchester scenemaker Tony Wilson and Dream Syndicate frontman Steve Wynn.

DIY punks like the Dead Kennedys and Black Flag were at the forefront of the movement and largely labored outside the reach of the limelight, while artists like the Red Hot Chili Peppers and the recently split Jane’s Addiction were able to capitalize on the momentum of the wave created by the earlier groups.

At the time of Jane’s Addiction recent split, singer Perry Farrell furnished an epitaph for the band, that could easily have doubled for the groups that helped bring punk and alternative to the mainstream. “She laid a foundation for unbridled underground music to rise up on,” Farrell told Rolling Stone. “The newly coined ‘alternative music’ came on to replace a stale music scene. We encouraged people to make scary choices.”

Left of the Dial track listing:

Disc One

“Radio Free Europe,” R.E.M.
“Going Underground,” the Jam
“A Forest,” the Cure
“Holiday in Cambodia,” Dead Kennedys
“I’m In Love With a German Film Star,” Passions
“I Will Dare,” the Replacements
“That’s When I Reach for My Revolver,” Mission of Burma
“Johny Hit and Run Paulene,” X
“Just Like Honey,” the Jesus and Mary Chain
“Black Celebration,” Depeche Mode
“Tell Me When It’s Over,” the Dream Syndicate
“Hollywood (Africa),” the Red Hot Chili Peppers
“Temptation,” New Order
“Ghosts,” Japan
“A Song From Under the Floorboards,” Magazine
“Oblivious,” Aztec Camera
“Don’t Want to Know If You Are Lonely,” Husker Du
“Rise Above,” Black Flag
“Back in the Flesh,” Wall of Voodoo
“Cattle and Cane,” the Go-Betweens

Disc Two

“Message of Love,” the Pretenders
“Vienna,” Ultravox
“Freak Scene,” Dinosaur Jr.
“This Charming Man,” the Smiths
“Stigmata,” Ministry
“Ways to Be Wicked,” Lone Justice
“Wardance,” Killing Joke
“Enola Gay,” Orchestral Maneuvers in the Dark
“Mirror in the Bathroom,” the English Beat
“Fairytale in the Supermarket,” the Raincoats
“Behind the Wall of Sleep,” the Smithereens
“Political Song for Michael Jackson to Sing,” Minutemen
“Punk Rock Girl,” the Dead Milkmen
“Still in Hollywood,” Concrete Blonde
“Love Will Tear Us Apart,” Joy Division
“Blister in the Sun,” Violent Femmes
“Lake of Fire,” Meat Puppets
“Amplifier,” the dB’s
“When Love Breaks Down,” Prefab Sprout
“Goo Goo Muck,” the Cramps
“This Corrosion,” Sisters of Mercy
“Senses Working Overtime,” XTC

Disc Three

“The Cutter,” Echo and the Bunnymen
“Pay to Cum!,” Bad Brains
“Birthday,” the Sugarcubes
“Madonna of the Wasps,” Robyn Hitchcock and the Egyptians
“We Care a Lot,” Faith No More
“Teen Age Riot,” Sonic Youth
“To Hell With Poverty,” Gang of Four
“Fa Ce-La,” the Feelies
“Ana Ng,” They Might Be Giants
“Swamp Thing,” the Chameleons U.K.
“The Mercy Seat,” Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
“I Look Around,” the Rain Parade
“All That Money Wants,” Psychedelic Furs
“Under the Milky Way,” the Church
“Rise,” Public Image Ltd.
“Kundalini Express,” Love and Rockets
“Gravity Talks,” Green on Red
“Adrenalin,” Throbbing Gristle
“She Bangs the Drum,” the Stone Roses

Disc Four

“Monkey Gone to Heaven,” Pixies
“Uncertain Smile,” the The
“Bela Lugosi’s Dead,” Bauhaus
“Christine,” Siouxsie and the Banshees
“Straight Edge,” Minor Threat
“I Want to Help You Ann,” the Lyres
“Our Secret,” Beat Happening
“Jane Says,” Jane’s Addiction
“World Shut Your Mouth,” Julian Cope
“Running Up That Hill,” Kate Bush
“Sex Beat,” Gun Club
“Take the Skinheads Bowling,” Camper Van Beethoven
“Institutionalized,” Suicidal Tendencies
“Pearly-Dewdrops’ Drops,” Cocteau Twins
“24 Hour Party People,” Happy Mondays
“I Want You Back,” Hoodoo Gurus
“Suburban Home,” Descendents
“A Pair of Brown Eyes,” the Pogues
“Jet Fighter,” the Three O’Clock
“Moving To Florida,” Butthole Surfers
“A New England,” Billy Bragg

Source rollingstone.com.

Scabeba Entertainment has acquired the film and television rights to Rush drummer/lyricist Neil Peart’s biographical journal “Ghost Rider.” Specifics of the project have not been announced. Scabeba is overseen by Cathy Rich, the daughter of legendary jazz drummer Buddy Rich. She and Peart became friends after the drummer appeared at a 1992 concert in her father’s memory and on a subsequent series of tribute albums.

Published in 2002 by ECW Press, “Ghost Rider” originated from the journals Peart kept as he grieved for the deaths of 19-year-old daughter Selena and his wife Jackie. To deal with the loss, he embarked on a 55,000-mile motorcycle journey throughout North America that ultimately took him from Quebec to Belize and back. A track of the same name later appeared on Rush’s 2002 album “Vapor Trails”

As previously reported, Rush is in the midst of its 30th anniversary tour, which descends on Irvine, Calif., tomorrow (July 14). The group just issued an EP of classic rock covers, “Feedback,” which debuted at No. 19 on The Billboard 200.

As for Peart, he recently issued a new book, “Traveling Music: The Soundtrack to My Life and Times,” initially inspired by a trip to Texas’ Big Bend National Park in his BMW Z-8 sports car.

Source billboard.com.

Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl logged time last week behind the drum kit with Nine Inch Nails at Sound City Studios in Van Nuys, Calif. His contributions are expected to appear on the Trent Reznor-led act’s long-awaited new album, “Bleed Through,” due later this year via Interscope.

Eagle-eyed fans spotted Grohl on Nine Inch Nails’ in-studio Web cam, sitting behind a mixing console. His presence was also tipped off by members of rock act the Exies, who are recording their next album at the same studio.

“Last week, we had a great barbeque with Queens Of The Stone Age and this week we come in to see Dave Grohl playing drums for Nine Inch Nails,” the band wrote on its official Web site. “Is that a trip or what?! I guess Trent Reznor is going for real drums this time around. Good call, I say.”

A Foo Fighters spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.

An unattributed message on Nine Inch Nails’ official Web site says the band is “about to head back to New Orleans to begin work with [engineer] Alan Moulder. We’re in the midst of a very inspiring recording session that has everyone thrilled. We’re working on a new batch of songs Trent just wrote and we cannot wait for you to hear them.”

“There are lots of surprises in store — wish I could tell you what they are,” the post continues.

“Bleed Through” will be the follow-up to 1999’s “The Fragile,” which debuted at No. 1 on The Billboard 200 and has sold more than 875,000 copes in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan. It was followed in February 2002 by the concert album “And All That Could Have Been, Live.”

Source billboard.com.

Southern California rockers Los Lobos, who continue to celebrate their 30th anniversary, are filling up their tour plans for the coming months.

The band is scheduled to play a mix of festivals and headlining shows through September as they continue to support their new, guest-filled album, “The Ride,” which hit stores in May.

On Aug. 3, Los Lobos will drop the six-track covers EP “Ride This,” which features the group’s takes on Elvis Costello’s “Uncomplicated,” Tom Waits’ “Jockey Full of Bourbon,” The Blasters’ “Marie Marie,” Bobby Womack’s “More Than I Can Stand,” Thee Midnighters’ “It’ll Never Be Over for Me” and Ruben Blades’ “Patria.”

Costello, Blades, Waits, Womack, The Blasters’ Dave Alvin and Thee Midnighters’ Willie Garcia are among the guests who contributed to “The Ride.” Other contributors include Mitchell Froom, Mavis Staples, Garth Hudson, Martha Gonzalez and Cafe Tacuba.

“As we were making our 30th anniversary disk, ‘The Ride,’ we were constantly amazed by the giving spirit of our guest artists,” the band said in a statement on its official website. “What was truly a dream project for us became an unforgettable experience, and struck by their graciousness, we decided to say thank you (and have a little fun at the same time) by making this EP.”

Tour Itinerary

July 2004
17 – Toronto, Ontario – Harbourfront Centre
18 – Detroit, MI – Concert of Colors
20 – Cleveland, OH – Beachland Ballroom & Tavern
21 – Louisville, KY – Whitney Hall
22 – Lexington, KY – Kentucky Theatre
23 – Asheville, NC – The Orange Peel
24 – Kettering, OH – South of the Border Festival
25 – Trumansburg, NY – Finger Lakes Grassroots Festival
29-30 – San Francisco, CA – Fillmore

August 2004
1 – Lake Placid, NY – Songs at the Lake
2 – Albany, NY – Washington Park Concert Series
4 – Nashville, TN – Uptown Mix
6 – Des Moines, IA – Simon Estes Amphitheater
7 – St. Louis, MO – River Splash
8 – Paso Robles, CA – California Mid-State Fair
19 – San Diego, CA – Humphrey’s Concerts by the Bay
21 – Chicago, IL – The Chill on Kingsbury
22 – Boulder, CO – Chautauqua Auditorium

September 2004
1-2 – St. Paul, MN – Minnesota State Fair
4 – Chilliwack, British Columbia – The Ranch
5 – Oakland, CA – Art & Soul Festival
9 – Edmonton, Alberta – Winspear Centre for Music
10-11 – Calgary, Alberta – Bowness Community Center
17 – Kansas City, MO – KPCT TV Dinner
25 – Puyallup, WA – The Puyallup Fair

March 2005
1 – Arcata, CA – Humboldt State University (acoustic show)
3 – Carmel, CA – Sunset Center (acoustic show)

Stewart Copeland is big in Italy. He’s also big as a TV and film composer, and he was in a really big rock band called the Police. In May, Copeland took part in the Taranta Ensemble concert in Rome and wailed on his drums in front of 500,000 people. The free concert, showcasing the regional southern Italian music called puglia — a mixture of ethnic Mediterranean sounds and percussion — was broadcast live throughout Italy.

Copeland began a tour with the 20-piece Taranta band this week that will take them throughout Italy and Greece. He also recently released his “Orchestralli” album and DVD in Europe, which was recorded live during the course of four concerts in Italy and features music from his extensive soundtracks, ballets and operas. A North American distribution deal is in the works.

Of his orchestral compositions, Copeland notes: “I went through a period, as a drummer, trying to prove that I am actually a musician by writing a lot of orchestral music. I wrote three operas, three ballets for the Seattle symphony, and I wrote some orchestra work. I actually have quite a lot of orchestral music.”

On the TV side, Copeland has been working diligently on scoring the second season of Showtime’s hit series “Dead Like Me,” which stars Mandy Patinkin, Ellen Muth and Rebecca Gayheart. The new season premieres July 25.

Copeland says he came to “Dead Like Me” because series creator Bryan Fuller was a fan of his work. “[Bryan] laid a lot of very stringent parameters around me: no electric guitar or keyboard,” Copeland says. “So I couldn’t use any guitar or any rock ‘n’ roll instruments for a youth-oriented show, which actually forced me to think of something else. I ended up with this kind of diabolical quartet, with strings and baroque trumpet. I had to find other ways of telling the story that don’t involve the [rock] cliche.”

Copeland says that after almost a decade of writing with the Police, he loved making the transition to film and TV music during the 1980s because the parameters of writing for a particular mood and scene are both challenging and liberating. His scoring work includes “Rumble Fish,” “Wall Street,” “Highlander II,” “She’s All That” and “Gridlock’d.”

Copeland also says he is hoping to regroup with his Oysterhead bandmates Les Claypool (Primus) and Trey Anastasio (Phish) to work on new material later this year.

Source billboard.com.

Musician David Bowie underwent an emergency angioplasty to open a blocked heart artery in Germany and is recuperating, his spokesman said Friday.

Doctors discovered the blockage after the 57-year-old Bowie sought treatment after performing in the German town of Scheesel on June 25, according to the spokesman, Julian Stockton.

A pinched nerve was initially cited as the cause of shoulder pain that forced Bowie to shorten a June 23 performance in Prague and eventually to cancel the remainder of a European tour.

Stockton did not specify the date of the procedure but said it was after the June 25 show. Bowie left the clinic in Hamburg, Germany early this week and is now with his family in New York.

Stockton quoted Bowie as saying, “Can’t wait to be fully recovered and get back to work again. I tell you what, though, I won’t be writing a song about this one.”

Source yahoo.com.