November 3, 2005

Mudhoney has set a March 7 release date for its ninth Sub Pop album, “Under a Billion Suns.” The 11-track set features backing vocals from Christy McWilson and Amy Allison on “Let’s Drop In” and “I Saw the Light,” plus several tracks with a horn section arranged by Craig Flory.

And while Sub Pop co-founder Jonathan Poneman previously told Billboard.com the album was “more political” than typical Mudhoney fare, frontman Mark Arm says, “That may be a little exaggerated. There are four songs where those things are touched on. It’s more kind of mocking than the stark, black or white approach.”

“There’s a lot of satire involved,” he continues. “And to say that’s never been the case before, I mean, one of the first things we ever recorded was ‘Hate the Police!'”

Although songs like “Hard on for War” (which was written around the time of the U.S.’s 2003 invasion of Iraq), “On the Move,” and “I Saw the Light” have been appearing in Mudhoney’s recent live shows, Arm says the band wasn’t particularly looking to fine-tune the material before it hit the studio.

“There’s something to be said for something that is completely spontaneous,” he says. “On the last record [2002’s ‘Since We’ve Become Translucent’], we recorded everything as we wrote it. But this time, we knew we’d only be able to go in on three separate weekends, so we did each one with a different engineer.”

Source billboard.com.

Trey Anastasio will play a rare hometown show in Priceton, New Jersey on Monday, November 14th at 7:30PM. A limited number of tickets are now available through the McCarter Theatre Box Office. Tickets are $38 Reserved, there is a limit of 2 tickets per customer. Tickets are available by phone at 609.258.2787 or order online at www.mccarter.org.

In other news, Anastasio who just released his latest solo album Shine on November 1, will appear as the musical guest on both Late Show With David Letterman and Late Night With Conan O’Brien over the next couple weeks. The Letterman appearance is scheduled to air Monday night, November 7th. Trey will perform on Conan Thursday night, November 17th. Be sure to check your local listings for show times.

ASCAP President and Chairman Marilyn Bergman today announced the ASCAP “I Create Music” EXPO – the first and only national conference dedicated to songwriting and composing that is designed to bring together music creators with music industry professionals who want to work together to achieve greater success. The EXPO will take place April 20-22, 2006 at The Hollywood Renaissance Hotel in Los Angeles, California.

Marilyn Bergman (“The Way We Were,” “The Windmills of Your Mind”) will be among some of the most accomplished songwriters, composers and producers in the world participating in the conference, along with Glen Ballard (“Man in the Mirror”, “The Space Between”), Stephen Bray (“Express Yourself,” “Into the Groove”), Bruce Broughton (Silverado, Warm Springs), Desmond Child (“Dude (Looks Like A Lady),” “Livin’ La Vida Loca”), Hal David (“Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head,” “Close to You”), Mike Elizondo (“In Da Club,” “Let Me Blow Ya Mind”), Michael Giacchino (Lost, The Incredibles), James Newton Howard (Batman Begins, The Sixth Sense), Jimmy Jam (“No More Drama,” “That’s the Way Love Goes”), The Dust Brothers’ John King (Fight Club, “Where It’s At”), Johnny Mandel (“The Shadow of Your Smile,” “A Time For Love”), Rick Nowels (“The Game of Love,” “White Flag”), Rudy Perez (“Pero Me Acuerdo De Ti,” “Vivir Lo Nuestro”), Linda Perry (“Beautiful,” “Get the Party Started”), Stephen Schwartz (Wicked, Godspell), John Shanks (“Pieces of Me,” “Somebody Like You”), Jimmy Webb (“Galveston,” “Wichita Lineman”), Matthew Wilder (“Beautiful Disaster,” “Break My Stride”), and Paul Williams (“Rainy Days And Mondays,” “We’ve Only Just Begun”), with many more participants to be announced.

All songwriters, composers, producers, publishers and music industry professionals, regardless of affiliation, will benefit from this unique creative event, which will be presented in a stimulating format designed to facilitate personal interaction, education and networking. Programs will include, panels, workshops, master classes, keynotes, mentoring, song critiquing, product displays, state-of-the-art technology demonstrations, performances, and more. Detailed information, including early bird pricing and registration, can be found at www.ascap.com/expo.

“This is a must attend event for all serious music creators working to achieve greater success,” said Marilyn Bergman. “In keeping with the long tradition of ASCAP’s top songwriters and composers helping to nurture those starting out in the business, attendees will have the opportunity to hear music legends talk about their craft and the chance to interact with them in a variety of settings. They’ll walk away with the knowledge, tools and contacts to maximize their success and inspire their work.”

“ASCAP is the only U.S. performing rights organization owned and governed by its music creator members, and the most trusted organization among songwriters and composers,” said Jimmy Jam. “I’m thrilled to be a part of the first conference focused exclusively on songwriting and composing.”

Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend are scheduled to head back into the studio in February to continue recording the new Who2, which has been in the works for nearly a decade. “I don’t want to stop and I don’t think Pete does,” Daltrey says. “We’re at the pinnacle of our decline.”

The 2002 death of bassist John Entwistle and Townshend’s 2003 arrest for accessing a child-pornography Web site (charges were later dropped) delayed the album. “He’s fucking angry about what happened to him,” Daltrey says. “Make no mistake about it, it will come out in his music.”

Daltrey has also revealed details about the Keith Moon biopic that he is co-producing, starring Mike Myers as the late Who drummer. “Mike has more depth than a lot of people give him credit for,” Daltrey says. The film, he adds, may cover only Moon’s final three days. “In the last fifteen years I’ve stopped two bad Keith Moon films from being made,” Daltrey says. “If my one’s bad it will be bad because it’s dangerous, not because it’s predictable.” Daltrey and Myers are currently assembling a production team for the project.

Source rollingstone.com.