2004

Electronica act the Prodigy has finally nailed down details for its first album since 1997’s “The Fat of the Land.” The 12-track “Always Outnumbered, Never Outgunned” will arrive Sept. 14 via Maverick/XL, preceded by the single “Girls” featuring the Ping Pong Bitches. The Liam Howlett-led group is planning to tour later in the year.

“Always Outnumbered, Never Outgunned” boasts an array of eclectic guest artists, including actress Juliette Lewis on “Hot Ride,” Oasis’ Liam Gallagher on “Shoot Down,” rapper Twista on “Get Up Get Off,” rapper Kool Keith on “Wake Up Call” and “You’ll Be Under My Wheels” and Princess Superstar on “Memphis Bells.”

Sessions for the album were said to have begun as far back as 2001. In July 2002, Prodigy released the single “Baby’s Got a Temper,” which debuted at No. 21 on Billboard’s Hot 100 Singles Sales chart. It has been the only piece of new music the threesome has released in recent years but is not included on “Always Outnumbered.”

Source billboard.com.

After releasing their latest album, Undermind, whose cover resembles the Beatles’s last released record, Let It Be, Phish has decided to do another Beatles-esque move: playing on top of a building. As posted on the band’s website – the Vermont quartet is hoping to make their last tour memorable in more ways than one.

When Phish plays the Late Show with David Letterman on Monday night, they will perform from the top of the Ed Sullivan Theatre marquee (about two stories up from the street) at 53rd and Broadway in New York City. The band will perform their first song at the end of the Letterman taping. After the show ends, the band will perform an additional 20-25 minutes for fans.

The best place to watch the band perform will be on the far side of the street opposite from the Ed Sullivan Theater. The band will not perform until 6:25 PM.

In other Phish news, fans got more than they bargained for on Friday night, in Brooklyn, N.Y., as rapper Jay-Z joined the veteran jam band for two songs during its show at KeySpan Park near Coney Island. Phish provided the backing for Jay-Z as he ran through his hits “99 Problems” and “Big Pimpin’,” much to the delight of the stunned audience.

Percussionist Cyro Baptista, a member of Phish guitarist Trey Anastasio’s solo band, also guested on the tunes.

A month after promoters declared the concert industry healthier than ever, big summer tours such as Ozzfest, Fleetwood Mac, the Dead and Lollapalooza have run into a concrete wall of slow sales. “Ticket sales are mixed, and in some cases they appear to be substantially off from the past,” says Alex Hodges, executive vice president of House of Blues Concerts, one of the three major U.S. promotion companies.

The summer’s success stories so far are big-buzz superstar events such as Prince and Madonna, plus low-cost packages including the long-running Warped Tour, Alanis Morissette/Barenaked Ladies and No Doubt/Blink-182. Also, the three-day Bonnaroo Music Festival in Manchester, Tennessee, recently scored its third annual sellout, with 90,000 tickets. Otherwise, sales have been universally slow.

Promoters and agents list several reasons for the unexpected ticket-buying malaise: Once fans spend their summer-entertainment money on Prince and Madonna, they have little left over for Kiss or Ozzfest; some of 2003’s biggest draws, such as Fleetwood Mac and Aerosmith, have already toured several summers in a row at high prices; and the core baby-boomer audience is finally getting tired of amphitheater lawns.

“What consumer wants to sit out at night in Phoenix, Arizona, in 105 degrees to watch Daryl Hall and John Oates?” says Dennis Arfa, president of Writers and Artists Group International, an agency representing Metallica, Rod Stewart and others. “People don’t have an unlimited amount of funds. In the amphitheater business, there is some concern.”

Nobody’s panicking — yet. In early 2003, promoters expressed similar gloom, until Bruce Springsteen, the Eagles and others barnstormed the country. Says Seth Hurwitz, whose company, I.M.P. Productions, books the Merriweather Post Pavilion near Washington, D.C.: “Over the last ten years, I’ve heard ‘This is the worst yet’ every year.”

Source rollingstone.com.

The guitar Eric Clapton used to record the album that included one of his biggest hits, “Cocaine,” is going on the auction block to benefit the drug and alcohol rehabilitation center the legendary rock musician founded.

The Fender Stratocaster, nicknamed “Blackie,” is one of 58 guitars that rock and blues master Clapton, 59, is donating as part of a June 24 auction to benefit the Crossroads Centre Antigua in the West Indies.

The guitar is practically the only one Clapton used on stage and in the studio from late 1970 to 1985.

Christie’s, the New York auction house handling the sale, estimated the instrument would fetch between $100,000 and $150,000. But if past sales are any indication, the guitar could bring in much more money.

At a 1999 Christie’s auction that also benefited Crossroads, an anonymous bidder paid a record $497,500 for “Brownie,” a 1956 Fender Stratocaster that Clapton used on the Derek and the Dominos hit, “Layla.”

That auction of 100 of Clapton’s guitars brought in over $5 million.

“Blackie,” a composite of three guitars from 1956 and 1957, is on the cover of Clapton’s 1977 album “Slowhand,” which includes such hits as “Cocaine” and “Wonderful Tonight.”

He also used it to record the albums “461 Ocean Boulevard,” “No Reason To Cry” and “Just One Night,” as well as his first music video for the song “Forever Man.”

“This was his favorite guitar for a long time,” said Kerry Keane, a musical instrument specialist for Christie’s. “Through his battle with substance abuse, the instrument was by his side.”

The condition of the guitar shows its extensive use. Large areas of black paint have worn off, and the springs in the back are exposed.

Guitar virtuoso Clapton has also donated a Gibson ES-335 that he bought in 1964 and used through stints with The Yardbirds, Cream, John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers and Blind Faith as well as his solo career.

The estimated price is $60,000 to $80,000.

The 1939 C.F. Martin & Co. acoustic guitar that Clapton played during his famous MTV “Unplugged” appearance in 1992 is also expected to sell for between $60,000 and $80,000.

Other items in the auction include guitars donated by such musicians as Carlos Santana and Peter Townshend of The Who, as well as several of Clapton’s stage suits designed by Gianni Versace.

Clapton, a longtime Antigua resident who has spoken openly about his recovery from drug and alcohol abuse, founded Crossroads in 1998 and is its chairman of the board.

Crossroads Executive Office Tim Sinnott said Clapton has given at least $10 million of his own money to the rehabilitation center and its halfway house.

Source CNN.com.

Phish’s last 2 concerts as part of the COVENTRY festival to be held on August 14th and 15th in their home state of Vermont is officially sold out. The band’s management posted the following message on their website.

COVENTRY is officially sold out.

There will be NO tickets sold at the gates. People without tickets will be turned away. Unless all passengers in a vehicle have tickets, the vehicle will be turned away.

To those who have purchased tickets, please discourage those without tickets from coming to COVENTRY. Ticket-less travelers compound the traffic congestion, add unnecessary stress to our staff, the police and the local community and ultimately diminish the quality of everyone

New York rock act Interpol will release its highly anticipated sophomore album, “Antics,” Sept. 28 via Matador. The 10-track set is highlighted by the dancefloor-worthy “Slow Hands,” the slow, fragmented “Public Pervert,” the foreboding “Length of Love” and “NARC,” which veers from jagged guitars in its verses to lush chord changes in its chorus.

The latter two cuts were previously debuted live on tours in support of 2002’s “Turn on the Bright Lights,” which reached No. 4 on Billboard’s Heatseekers chart and No. 5 on the Top Independent Albums tally. The set has sold 289,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

In conjunction with the release of “Antics,” Matador is sponsoring a contest to create 10 short films inspired by Interpol’s music. Interested parties are asked to submit treatments to the label by July 5, with 10 finalists to be bestowed with $1,000 and a 60-second fragment of music from the album in which to create their films. Visit the label’s Web site for full details.

As previously reported, Interpol will play the main stage of the Cure’s Curiousa Festival alongside the Rapture and Mogwai. The tour kicks off July 24 at the Sound Advice Amphitheater in West Palm Beach, Fla.

Here is the track list for “Antics”:

“Next Exit”
“Evil”
“NARC”
“Take You on a Cruise”
“Slow Hands”
“Not Even Jail”
“Public Pervert”
“C’mere”
“Length of Love”
“A Time To Be So Small”

Source billboard.com.

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