April 2006

As the Doors’ surviving members gear up for the band’s 40th anniversary — with plans for a comprehensive boxed set, reissues, merchandise and an interactive Las Vegas attraction — there is a possibility that their music may be used in commercials for the first time.

It almost happened in 1969, when drummer John Densmore, guitarist Robby Krieger and keyboardist Ray Manzarek agreed to license “Light My Fire” to Buick to advertise its German-made Opel. Singer Jim Morrison, who was out of town for the meeting, vehemently disagreed, and the deal never came to pass. From that point, Densmore has opposed commercial usage, although Krieger and Manzarek have opened up to the possibility.

All deals, licensing and otherwise, must be approved by all partners in the Doors’ assets: The three surviving members have a 75% share, and Morrison’s families and his late girlfriend, Pamela Courson, share the other 25%.

To read more visit billboard.com.

Asthmatic Kitty Records has announced plans to release a new collection of songs from Sufjan Stevens, titled The Avalanche: Outtakes and Extras from the Illinois Album which will hit shelves on July 25, 2006.

The little secret behind the Illinois record is that it was originally conceived as a double album, culminating in a musical collage of nearly 50 songs. But as the project began to develop into an unwieldy epic, common sense weighed in

Apparently outside the boardroom, Donald Trump likes to let his freak flag fly.

“The sound of booing filled New York’s Beacon Theatre last night when Donald Trump announced that Bob Weir was unable to perform and that he would instead be taking his place fronting Ratdog. It was, of course, a ruse, and the band, with Bobby in tow, took the stage to thunderous applause.” read more

Widespread Panic, the wildly popular standard bearers of rootsy American rock, are readying for the release of their audacious new album Earth To America (June 13, Sanctuary/ Widespread Records). Their 9th studio CD, Earth To America captures the band at a new creative peak in collaboration with producer Terry Manning, the first time they’ve worked with the famed studio master whose credits stretch back to Stax days.

Beginning with the eerie, ambitious 11-minute plus epic “Second Skin,” (a staple of their live shows), the album twists and turns through 10 tracks of time-honed classic rock. Other standout tracks include the boisterous barroom rocker “Goodpeople” and the toe-tapping, blues tinged “Time Zones”. Extended workouts like “You Should Be Glad” give the band a chance to show off their chops, while the tender closing benediction “May Your Glass Be Filled” highlights the band’s delicate touch on a down tempo ballad. Also noteworthy is the band’s hard charging cover of Bob Dylan’s “Solid Rock” from 1980’s ‘Saved’.

The album will be available in four formats- digi-pack, jewel case, double Vinyl LP, and digital download. The vinyl includes two bonus songs not available on the CD. The fans who pre-order the disc through widespreadpanic.com before June 13th will have access to 6 bundles of digital extras including home video from the recording at Compass Point studios, exclusive band interviews, unreleased concert footage, artwork, and more.

Widespread Panic will perform 4 spring concerts this year, 2 in Raleigh, NC and 2 Atlanta, GA at the Fabulous Fox Theatre. The May 9th Fox Theatre show will be simulcast through select movie theaters nationwide in association with National Cinemedia. Plans are in the works for a full summer tour to be announced soon.

MerleFest 2006, the 19th annual festival in celebration of the music of the late Merle Watson and his father Doc Watson, will once again share its performers with some 12,000 members of the local community through the Outreach program. Sponsored by Sprint, Outreach will facilitate performances by MerleFest artists on April 27-28 at 32 different locations.

Artists will appear in all twenty-one Wilkes County K-12 schools, Ashe County High School, Alexander Central High School, Wilkes Development Day School, Montessori Learning School, the Wilkesboro Methodist Church After-School Program, Camp E-Ma-Etu, and several nursing and assisted living facilities. The Outreach performances, designed to expose students and seniors to different kinds of Americana music live, are not open to the general public.Some of the artists scheduled to participate in the Outreach Program include Richard Watson & Charles Welch, the Alison Brown Quartet with Joe Craven, John Cowan Band, Feufollet, David Holt & the Lightning Bolts, Jim Lauderdale & his Bluegrass Band, Chatham County Line, Laura Love Band, the Wilders, the Avett Brothers, the Biscuit Burners, and Darrell Scott.

Repeat artists are rotated to different venues than prior years. Every effort is made to match performances to the ages of the audiences. More than 3000 Wilkes County school students also attend MerleFest as part of organized school groups admitted without charge each year on Friday.

Wilkes Community College will present MerleFest 2006 on April 27 30, 2006 on its campus in Wilkesboro, NC. Among those previously announced as joining Doc Watson and Merle

Gov’t Mule has returned to the studio to record the follow-up to its 2004 ATO Records release D

Columbia Records announced that innovative rock band Coheed and Cambria have elected to hit the road for a spring co-headlining jaunt across North America with Avenged Sevenfold. The band will be using their full live production and lights during their shows, which are now legendary for their progressive dynamics, and high-energy post-punk drama.

The stage props and projections used during the shows will include images borrowed from singer Claudio Sanchez’s 124-page graphic novel that reveals the story behind their current, internationally successful third record, “Good Apollo, I’m Burning Star IV, Volume 1: From Fear Through the Eyes of Madness.” The album was released late last year to glowing reviews, widespread radio airplay and strong sales. The NY Times proclaimed that “no other band is better at turning hard rock into something so wild and sweet,” while Blender gave the record four out of five stars and said that Coheed and Cambria are “an ambitious band that get to balance their charismatic music with a biblically epic take encompassing all human experience.” Alternative Press put the band on their cover and rewarded the record five out five stars, while Rolling Stone hailed: “Good Apollo” is “so over the top, it’s damn near awe-inspiring.” Guitar World said that with the new record, “Coheed and Cambria take prog-rock to the outer limits.”

The dates for the spring tour with Avenged Sevenfold are below:

Date City Venue
Fri. 4/7 Poughkeepsie, NY Mid Hudson Civic Center
Sat. 4/8 Providence, RI Dunkin Donuts Arena
Sun. 4/9 Asbury Park, NJ Convention Hall
Tue. 4/11 Norfolk, VA Convocation Center at ODU
Thu. 4/13 Louisville, KY Louisville Gardens
Fri. 4/14 Atlanta, GA Hi Fi Buys Amphitheatre
Sat. 4/15 Orlando, FL UCF Arena
Mon. 4/17 Houston, TX Verizon Wireless Theatre
Tues. 4/18 San Antonio, TX Freeman Coliseum
Wed. 4/19 Dallas, TX Nokia Live
Fri. 4/21 Denver, CO Magness Auditorium
Sat. 4/22 Salt Lake City, UT The Great Salt Air
Mon. 4/24 Sacramento, CA Memorial Hall
Tue. 4/25 Reno, NV Lawler Events Center
Thu. 4/27 San Jose, CA SJSU Events Center
Fri. 4/28 San Diego, CA San Diego Sports Arena
Tue. 5/2 Phoenix, AZ Mesa Amphitheatre
Wed. 5/3 Albuquerque, NM Albuquerque Convention Ctr
Fri. 5/5 Kansas City, MO City Market
Mon. 5/8 Minneapolis, MN Myth
Tue. 5/9 Milwaukee, WI Eagles Ballroom
Wed. 5/10 Chicago, IL Aragon Ballroom
Fri. 5/12 Detroit, MI Cobo Arena
Sat. 5/13 Cleveland, OH Tower City Amphitheatre
Sun. 5/14 Pittsburgh, PA Chevy Amphitheatre
Fri. 5/19 New York, NY Hammerstein Ballroom