2005

Hasidic reggae rapper Matisyahu will release his studio debut, “Youth,” Jan. 31 via Epic/Or Music/J Dub. As previously reported, the majority of the project was overseen by noted producer Bill Laswell. Three other tracks were co-produced by Jimmy Douglass and ill factor.

Matisyahu has been touring all year in support of the concert set “Live at Stubb’s,” which reached No. 2 on Billboard’s Top Reggae Albums chart and No. 14 on the Top Heatseekers survey. The album has sold 87,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan. “Youth” will feature two songs from “Stubb’s”: “King Without a Crown” and “Warrior.”

The artist’s busy touring schedule will continue through the end of the year, having just announced a six-show Hanukkah tour that begins Dec. 24 in Philadelphia.

Matisyahu is also tipped to appear on two songs from P.O.D.’s new album, “Testify,” due early next year via Atlantic.

Source billboard.com.

Hal Abramson, promoter of this summer’s Shakedown Festival in Oregon, has resurfaced and given Pollstar his side of the story. The jam band event was canceled just hours before gates were to open, leaving a lot of fans and concert insiders scratching their heads.

Lowell MacGregor, owner of festival site Columbia Meadows near the city of Saint Helens, has been fielding calls all summer, giving his side of the story. Abramson, on the other hand, left the area soon after the would-be August 26-28 concert collapsed and could not be reached. His side of things showed up online at the Shakedown’s Web site.

Abramson says he’s quit the music biz and is living at his mother’s house. The experience left him destitute and he’s now under the care of a psychiatric clinic. He recently fired off a screed to the Columbia County board of commissioners, detailing MacGregor’s alleged mishandling of the festival.

To read more, visit pollstar.com.

Having recently made plans to end the year with a Dec. 31 show at New York’s Madison Square Garden, the Black Crowes have announced a March 18-19 stand at London’s Shepherd’s Bush Empire. According to a spokesperson, the shows are one-offs and not part of a longer tour.

As previously reported, the Crowes are working on a DVD shot during a five-night run at San Francisco’s Fillmore, but no information is available about when it might be released.

Also soon to materialize are “Instant Live” recordings of the band’s Oct. 30-31 shows at Chicago’s Riviera Theatre. At the second concert, which doubled as a Halloween celebration, the Crowes opened for themselves as BC/DC, performing the vintage AC/DC songs “Rock’n’Roll Damnation,” “Hell Ain’t a Bad Place To Be” and “Highway to Hell.”

Source billboard.com.

In the wake of the devastating Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans native Dr. John has recorded a seven-song EP in tribute to the area in which he was raised. Due Nov. 22 via Blue Note, “Sippiana Hericane” will double as a benefit for such charities as the New Orleans Musicians Clinic, the Jazz Foundation of America and the Voice of the Wetlands.

The recording is highlighted by the four-part “Wade: Hurricane Suite,” and also features “Clean Water,” penned by New Orleans songwriter Bobby Charles. In addition, Dr. John re-recorded his own “Sweet Home New Orleans” with new lyrics written by his wife, Cat Yellen.

“I’m saddened and angered by what has happened,” Dr. John says. “If anybody in the government would’ve done something about the disappearing wetlands for the past 50 years, then this probably wouldn’t have been as bad.”

Source billboard.com.