May 8, 2006

Go-Betweens’ principal Grant McLennan died yesterday (May 6) in his sleep at his home in Brisbane, Australia, according to the influential Australian rock act’s official Web site. He was 48. No cause of death has been announced.

With longtime partner Robert Forster, McLennan led the Go-Betweens to critical, if not commercial, success with such albums as 1983’s “Before Hollywood” and 1988’s “Sixteen Lovers Lane.” After the band split in 1989, McLennan recorded with the band Jack Frost and released four solo albums.

The Go-Betweens reunited in 2000 for the album “The Friends of Rachel Worth,” which featured backing from members of Sleater-Kinney. Ever since, the group has enjoyed a productive period of recording and touring, as its influence became more apparent on such groups as Luna, the Clientele and Belle & Sebastian.

The band’s most recent release was the CD/DVD “That Striped Sunlight Sound,” released in January via Yep Roc Records. Its last show was Jan. 16 at the Sydney Festival.

Source billboard.com.

On March 17, 1973, a band in musical transition named Pink Floyd hit the Top 200 chart with the release of its new album, “Dark Side of the Moon.” It entered the chart at No. 95, the top debut that week. And then a funny thing happened: It never left. Or almost never, anyway.

More than 14 years later — 736 weeks to be precise — in July 1988, it finally fell off The Billboard 200. Add in a later run on that chart and another 759 weeks on the Top Pop Catalog Albums chart, and Pink Floyd, with this issue, reaches the staggering plane of 1,500 weeks on the charts.

It’s difficult to contextualize just how singularly dominant a chart — and cultural — force the album has been. The runner-up for time served on The Billboard 200, Bob Marley and the Wailers’ “Legend,” is several years behind, and Floyd’s lead in total chart weeks is greater Marley’s by an almost 2-1 margin.

Label sources say “Dark Side” has sold roughly 40 million copies worldwide and still routinely moves 8,000-9,000 copies on a slow week. In fact, the album still often outpaces the low end of The Billboard 200, and every song on the more than 30-year-old record still gets radio play, with some among the most-played songs at classic rock stations monitored by Nielsen Broadcast Data Systems.

Source billboard.com.

Fats Domino, the headliner for Jazz Fest’s final day, canceled his performance several hours before he was to take the stage Sunday, organizers said. Festival organizers declined to say why the 78-year-old Hall of Fame performer would not play. Last week, he had canceled an autograph session for his latest album “Alive and Kickin’,” saying he was fatigued and wanted to rest up for the Jazz Fest performance.

Source yahoo.com.

moe. has announced the initial lineup for their 7th annual moe.down festival held in Turin, NY labor day weekend each year. Among the artists scheduled to perform are:

Umphrey’s Mcgee
Grace Potter and the Nocturnals
The Avett Brothers
Apollo Sunshine
Toubab Krewe
Before Cowboys
Mike Rocklin

Early Bird Tickets ON SALE NOW for $80 at moeticketing.musictoday.com

Quite a few new faces will grace the lineup of Jam Cruise 5. The fourth annual floating festival is proud to announce that Derek Trucks Band, Drive-By Truckers, Los Amigos Invisibles, Tea Leaf Green, ALO, New Mastersounds, and Hot Buttered Rum will join Jam Cruise favorites Galactic and Dirty Dozen Brass Band. Jam Cruise also welcomes first timers Perpetual Groove, Zero (featuring Steve Kimock), Greyboy Allstars, and Deep Banana Blackout. Each artist will play multiple shows during the cruise and will be accessible for autograph signings, casual interaction, and other activities including music workshops, solo musician performances, and a special Artist Jam Room. Additional artists, including late night DJ performers, will be announced shortly. Stay tuned to www.jamcruise.com for complete details.

For its fifth adventure, Jam Cruise has outdone itself with a superior lineup and luxurious ship, the MSC Opera. The boat will leave port from Fort Lauderdale, Florida on January 2, 2007, floating for five days and five nights with stops in the Turks and Caicos Islands and a special private island, Cayo Levantado in the Dominican Republic. 650 cabins are already pre-booked – official onsale begins June 1, 2006.

Since its first journey in 2003, Jam Cruise has revolutionized the music festival experience by blending the community, spontaneity and good times of a music festival with the convenience, luxury, and adventure of cruise travel. The MSC Opera first sailed in 2004 and features swimming pool and whirlpool, a gym and sauna, mini-golf course, internet caf