Archive: 2005

Library officials in two southern Mississippi counties have banned Jon Stewart’s best-selling “America (The Book)” over the satirical textbook’s nude depictions of the nine U.S. Supreme Court justices.

“I’ve been a librarian for 40 years and this is the only book I’ve objected to so strongly that I wouldn’t allow it to circulate,” said Robert Willits, director of the Jackson-George Regional Library System of eight libraries in Jackson and George counties.

“We’re not an adult bookstore. Our entire collection is open to the entire public,” Willits said. “If they had published the book without that one picture, that one page, we’d have the book.”

Wal-Mart has declined to stock the book because of the page, which features the faces of the nine Supreme Court justices superimposed over naked bodies.

The facing page has cutouts of the justices’ robes, complete with a caption asking readers to “restore their dignity by matching each justice with his or her respective robe.”

The book by Stewart and the writers of “The Daily Show,” the Comedy Central fake-news program he hosts, was released in September. It has spent 15 weeks on The New York Times best seller list for hardcover nonfiction, and was named Book of the Year by Publishers Weekly, the industry trade magazine.

Former English teacher Tara Skelton of Ocean Springs said the libraries shouldn’t decide what is in poor taste.

“It just really seemed kind of silly to me,” she said. “I don’t think the Supreme Court justices have filed any defamation of character or libel suits. It’s humor.”

Source CNN.com.

Eric Clapton is set to headline a tsunami relief concert at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, Wales, on January 22nd. British singer-songwriter Badly Drawn Boy and Wales’ own Manic Street Preachers will also perform, with additional acts to be announced.
All proceeds from the Cardiff show will go to victims of the December 26th tsunami which devastated South Asia, leaving approximately 150,000 dead and a decade’s worth of rebuilding in its wake. About two-thirds of the venue’s seats (45,000) have already sold, and organizers anticipate raising about $1.8 million.

Meanwhile, Sharon Osbourne and American Idol judge Simon Cowell are preparing a charity remake of Clapton’s Grammy-winning “Tears in Heaven.” Among those confirmed for the celebrity recording thus far are Gwen Stefani, Rod Stewart, Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler, Ozzy Osbourne and Elton John. Clapton originally penned the hit song in memory of his four-year-old son Conor, who died in a 1991 accident.

Source rollingstone.com.

Photos by Mike Wren of the Benevento/Russo Duo feat. Mike Gordon and special guest Page McConnell, at the Higher Ground in South Burlington, VT 12.30.04

Bad Credit, Reeve Oliver, Dresden Dolls, and Blues Explosion ring in the New Year at San Diego

The music industry reversed a four-year decline as album sales rose slightly in 2004 while overall music sales spiked thanks to a huge increase in digital track sales, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

The music industry was buoyed by chart-toppers from acts such as Usher, whose “Confessions” sold 7.9 million copies to rank as the year’s best-selling album. The best seller of 2003, 50 Cent’s “Get Rich or Die Tryin’,” sold 6.5 million copies.

Last year’s album sales increased 1.6 percent, versus 2003’s decline of 3.6 percent. Some 666.7 million albums were sold in 2004, compared to 656.2 million in 2003.

Overall music sales

Rock act the Mars Volta will release its sophomore album, “Frances the Mute,” March 1 via Strummer/Universal. Expanding on the progressive epics of the former At The Drive-In members’ 2003 debut, “Deloused in the Comatorium,” the new set features 77 minutes of music spread across five tracks, three of which contain multiple subsections.

First single “The Widow” is an anthemic, mid-tempo rocker accented by an acoustic guitar intro and organ flourishes. “Frances the Mute” was produced by group member Omar Rodriguez and mixed by Rich Costey, who provided the same service on “De-loused in the Comatorium.”

The Mars Volta will begin a five-week international tour Feb. 5-6 at the Sonic Mania festival in Tokyo and Osaka, Japan. The event will also boast sets by Good Charlotte, Velvet Revolver, Marilyn Manson, Kings Of Leon and Sparta, the other band formed by ex-members of At The Drive-In.

Here is the track list for “Frances the Mute”:

“Cygnus…Vismund Cygnus”
A. “Sarcophagi”
B. “Umbilical Syllables”
C. “Facilis Descenus Averni”
D. “Con Safo”

“The Widow”
“L’ Via L’ Viaquez”

“Miranda That Ghost Just Isn’t Holy Anymore”
A. “Vade Mecum”
B. “Pour Another Icepick”
C. “Pisacis (Phra-Men-Ma)”
D. “Con Safo”

“Cassandra Gemini”
A. “Tarantism”
B. “Plant a Nail in the Navel Stream”
C. “Faminepulse”
D. “Multiple Spouse Wounds”
E. “Sarcophagi”

Source billboard.com.

Markus Sandlund, a cellist with the Stockholm Strings and Horns who performed on Brian Wilson’s “Smile” album, has been reported missing, according to a statement from Wilson’s publicity firm.

Sandlund was vacationing with his girlfriend, Sofi, at Phuket, Thailand. Sofi was swept away by the flood but was later rescued. She is now back in Sweden. She has not seen Sandlund since the tsunami hit.

Wilson, who described himself as “devastated” by the news, has sent an agent to look for Sandlund. The cellist had not been located as of Tuesday. Sandlund and Sofi had been staying at the Orchid Beach Resort at Khao Lak.

Wilson and his colleagues ask anyone who has any information on the whereabouts of Sandlund to contact Wilson’s Web site, brianwilson.com.

Source: cnn

Who would have thought just a couple years ago that three bands by the names of Sleater- Kinney, Wilco and The Flaming Lips would be headlining a place called Madison Square Garden on New Years Eve.

Moving ahead with a March tradition, The Allman Brothers Band will return to New York City

A user of Apple’s iTunes music service is suing the firm saying it is unfair he can only use an iPod to play songs. He says Apple is breaking anti-competition laws in refusing to let other music players work with the site.

Apple, which opened its online store in 2003 after launching the iPod in 2001, uses technology to ensure each song bought only plays on the iPod.

Californian Thomas Slattery filed the suit in the US District Court in San Jose and is seeking damages.

“Apple has unlawfully bundled, tied, and/or leveraged its monopoly in the market for the sale of legal online digital music recordings to thwart competition in the separate market for portable hard drive digital music players, and vice-versa,” the lawsuit said.

Mr Slattery called himself an iTunes customer who “was also forced to purchase an Apple iPod” if he wanted to take his music with him to listen to.

A spokesman for Apple declined to comment.

Source: BBC