2005

Guided By Voices, one of the most widely admired and influential rock groups of the 90’s and beyond were famous for writing an astounding quantity of really great rock songs, in a dizzying variety of styles and arrangements, and recording them on whatever equipment was at hand, whether boombox or four-track or professional recording studio. They were also famous for the revolving-door line-up whose only constant was singer/songwriter Robert Pollard, whose output moreover overflowed, on a seemingly endless series of side projects, solo records, and bizarre collaborations with ex-members of the band, current members of the band, and random passersby. Pollard, whose first post GBV release, From A Compound Eye, is due out in late January will be touring in support of it. The band will feature Robert Pollard : vocals, Tommy Keene : guitar and keyboard, Dave Phillips : guitar, Jason Narducy : bass, Jon Wurster : drums.

Tour Dates

JANUARY

Thursday January 26
Athens, GA-40 Watt Club

Friday January 27
Carrboro, NC-Cat’s Cradle

Saturday January 28
Washington, DC-930 Club

FEBRUARY

Thursday February 09
Cleveland, OH- Beachland Ballroom

Friday February 10
Columbus, OH – Little Brothers

Saturday February 11
Newport, KY- Southgate House

Friday February 24
Los Angeles, CA- Knitting Factory LA

Saturday February 25
San Francisco, CA – The Independent

Monday February 27
Portland, OR- Doug Fir Lounge

Tuesday February 28
Seattle , WA- Crocodile Cafe

MARCH

Thursday March 30
Minneapolis, MN – First Ave

Friday March 31
Chicago, IL- Metro

Saturday April 01
Detroit, MI- St Andrews

APRIL

Thursday April 20
NYC- Irving Plaza

Friday April 21-
Boston, MA- Paradise

Saturday April 22-
Philadelphia, PA- Theatre of Living Arts

With her long-awaited sophomore album, Speak For Yourself, finally hitting stores, Imogen Heap will cross the pond to pay her American fans a visit.

After a “Late Night With David Letterman” appearance January 10, she’ll play New York City’s Avalon and make her way across the country throughout the month.

Nearly a dozen cities are on the itinerary, with Rasputina cellist Zo

The Who will launch a world tour this summer that will bring the band to North America for its first extended trek in nearly four years. “We plan to visit the USA, Europe, Japan, Australia and also South America,” manager Bill Curbishley says.

The group — which now consists of Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend backed by bassist Pino Palladino, keyboardist John “Rabbit” Bundrick, drummer Zak Starkey and guitarist (and Pete’s brother) Simon Townshend — was forced to take a hiatus in 2005 due to Starkey’s touring commitments with Oasis and Palladino’s stint with the John Mayer Trio.

“I don’t want to stop, and I don’t think Pete does,” frontman Roger Daltrey told Rolling Stone in the fall. The Who have been working on a new album, Who2, on and off for the past decade and are scheduled to go back into the studio in February. There’s no word on whether the summer tour will feature new songs, but in March guitarist Pete Townshend posted in his online diary, “I feel I can’t tour any more with the Who without a new record.”

Townshend’s girlfriend, singer-songwriter Rachel Fuller, may open some dates on the tour.

Source rollingstone.com.

Vincent Schiavelli, the droopy-eyed character actor who appeared in scores of movies, including “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” and “Ghost,” died Monday at his home in Sicily. He was 57.

He died of lung cancer, said Salvatore Glorioso, mayor of Polizzi Generosa, the Sicilian village where Schiavelli resided.

Schiavelli, whose gloomy look made him perfect to play creepy or eccentric characters, made appearances in some 150 film and television productions, according to the Internet Movie Database.

In “Fast Times at Ridgemont High,” he played the science teacher Mr. Vargas, who was married to the character portrayed by Lana Clarkson. (Rock producer Phil Spector is accused of killing Clarkson at his mansion in 2003.)

Schiavelli also appeared as Salieri’s valet in “Amadeus,” as “Cuckoo’s Nest” patient Frederickson, the subway ghost in “Ghost,” the organ grinder in “Batman Returns,” and as Chester in “The People vs. Larry Flynt.” He was selected in 1997 by Vanity Fair as one of America’s best character actors.

Schiavelli, who was born and raised in New York, studied acting at New York University’s School of the Arts.

He also wrote three cookbooks and many food articles for magazines and newspapers, possibly inheriting his love for cooking from his grandfather, who had been a cook for an Italian baron before moving to the United States, according to IMDB.

“He was a great friend, a great chef and a great talker,” Glorioso, who has known Schiavelli for almost four years, said in a telephone interview.

“With a smooth, witty conversation, he would make everything look more colorful. I’ve lost a brother,” he said.

Schiavelli also had worked in Italy, including in 2001 when he directed a theater piece in Sicily based on nine fables.

A funeral service will be held Tuesday in Polizzi Generosa, Glorioso said.

yahoo.com.

Bruce Springsteen’s celebrated 1982 album, “Nebraska,” will be performed in its entirety by a host of notable artists next month as part of the New York Guitar Festival. Dubbed the Nebraska Project, the event will serve as the kick-off for the Guitar Festival, which will open Jan. 14 at the World Financial Center Winter Garden.

A different artist will perform each album track, beginning with Michelle Shocked on the title cut and also including the National (“Manson on the Hill”), Martha Wainwright with Marc Ribot (“Highway Patrolman”), Meshell Ndegeocello (“Up All Night”) and Dan Zanes with Vernon Reid (“State Trooper”).

Other performers set to appear are Jesse Harris (“Atlantic City”), Chocolate Genius (“Johnny 99”), Laura Cantrell (“Used Cars”), Mark Eitzel (“My Father’s House”) and Kevn Kinney with Lenny Kaye (“Reason To Believe”). Additional instrumental interludes will be provided by Ribot, Gary Lucas and Harry Manx.

“Nebraska” was previously the subject of a 2000 Sub Pop tribute album that featured Johnny Cash, Aimee Mann, Ben Harper, Ani DiFranco and Los Lobos, among others.

The New York Guitar Festival, which runs through Feb. 8, will feature 60 artists at seven venues, including Daniel Lanois, Bill Frisell, Jorma Kaukonen and Taj Mahal.

Source billboard.com.

Less than two weeks before the planned Jan. 3 release of her sophomore Columbia album, “Pretty Little Head,” singer/songwriter Nellie McKay has voluntarily left the label, sources tell Billboard.com. At deadline, the fate of the album is unknown; a spokesperson for the artist had no comment and McKay could not be reached.

The parties apparently reached an impasse over the length of the project. McKay insisted the label release her 23-song, 65-minute version, while Columbia sent out promotional copies of a 16-song, 48-minute album. Reviews of the set, which features guest appearances from Cyndi Lauper and k.d. lang, have already begun appearing in music magazines.

At recent shows, McKay had given out the personal email address of Columbia chairman Will Botwin from the stage, encouraging fans to press for the release of the longer version of the album. Botwin left the company earlier this month.

Source billboard.com.