2006

On Neil Young’s website he wrote the following in regads to his new album Living With War, recorded in three days in early April.

I just finished a new record…. a power trio with trumpet and 100 voices … recorded earlier this month…i think it is a metal version of Phil Ochs and Bob Dylan … Metal folk
protest? its called LIVING WITH WAR… the title song is the second of 10 songs
on the record… we will be releasing lyrics on this ticker…I would like to thank Warner Bros/Reprise records for the support…as well as the 100 vocalists and my three musicians,
Chad Cromwell, drums, Rick Rosas, bass, Tommy Brea , trumpet … and Nick Bolas, Larry Johnson, John Hausman, John Nowland, Tim Mulligan,Darrell Brown and Rosemary Butler, Redwood Digital Studios, Capital Studios …

2 Living With War
I’m LIVING WITH WAR everyday
I’m LIVING WITH WAR in my heart everyday
I’m LIVING WITH WAR right now…..

And when the dawn breaks I see my fellow man …
And on the flat-screen we kill and we’re killed again…
and when the night falls, I pray for PEACE…
Try to remember PEACE (visualize)…
I join the multitudes…
I raise my hand in PEACE
I never bow to the laws of the thought police
I take a holy vow…
To never to kill again..
To never kill again…
I’m LIVING WITH WAR in my hear
I’m LIVING WITH WAR in my heart and my mind…
I’m LIVING WITH WAR right now…

Don’t take no tidal wave…
Dont take no mass grave…
Don’t take no smokin’ gun….
To show how the west was won….
But when the curtain falls,
I pray for PEACE….
Try to remember PEACE (visualize)…….

As Son Volt begins early work on its fifth album, group leader Jay Farrar is planning to release a collection of mostly traditional songs he cut with former Varnaline singer Anders Parker in the fall, titled “Gab Iron.”

Featuring at least one Stanley Brothers songs, as well as “Hills of Mexico,” a traditional often associated with Woody Guthrie, “Gab Iron” (British slang for harmonica) coalesced just prior to the recording of Son Volt’s 2005 album “Okemah and the Melody of Riot.”

Source billboard.com.

The Beatles are preparing to sell their songs online after years of refusing to take part in the Internet music boom, according to testimony given by the head of their record company.

Neil Aspinall, a former Beatles road manager and managing director of Apple Corps, was a witness in the company’s trademark lawsuit against Apple Computer. He said that the company was digitally remastering the entire Beatles catalog, which would pave the way for selling the songs online.

“I think it would be wrong to offer downloads of the old masters when I am making new masters,” he said in a written statement submitted to the High Court in London earlier this month.

“It would be better to wait and try to do them both simultaneously so that you then get the publicity of the new masters and the downloading, rather than just doing it ad hoc.”

A spokesperson for Apple Corps confirmed Aspinall’s statement, and said that the company is preparing to make the Beatles catalog available through online music services. “There’s no firm date on any of this at the moment. There are a lot of projects that Apple are working on at the moment,” the spokesperson said.

The Beatles have been high-profile holdouts from the booming online music sector, which saw sales triple to $1.1 billion in 2005.

Apple Corps, owned by Beatles Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, John Lennon’s widow Yoko Ono and the estate of George Harrison, have accused Apple Computer of violating a 1991 agreement by using the Apple name and logo to sell music downloads through its market-leading iTunes Music Store.

The trial ended on April 6, with a decision from the judge due after Easter.

Source billboard.com.

Michael Stipe, Iggy Pop and Bo Diddley lend a hand on the New York Dolls’ first new album in 32 years. Due July 25 via Roadrunner, “One Day It Will Please Us To Remember Even This” features 13 new tracks and was produced by Jack Douglas, who engineered the Dolls’ self-titled debut before going on to work with Aerosmith and John Lennon.

Stipe appears on “Dancing on the Lip of a Volcano,” while Diddley is heard on “Seventeen” and Pop guests on “Gimme Love and Turn on the Light.” Against Me! frontman Tom Gabel contributes to “Punishing World.”

Surviving original members David Johansen and Sylvain Sylvain are backed on the set by guitarist Steve Conte, bassist Sami Yaffa, drummer Brian Delaney and keyboardist Brian Koonin.

“Playing music is the best thing in the world,” Johansen says. “It makes show business almost bearable.”

The New York Dolls will hit the road in North America and internationally this summer, with dates to be announced.

Source billboard.com.

An embarrassed charter school has discovered it booked the wrong Jon Stewart for its annual gala. The DaVinci Academy thought it had made a deal with comedian Jon Stewart, star of “The Daily Show” and host of this year’s Academy Awards, to appear next week.

It sent out 500 invitations to businesses and planned for 900 people.

But last week, it learned that it had booked Jon A. Stewart, a former motivational speaker, businessman and part-time professional wrestler from Chicago.

School leaders said that earlier in the year they had sent out invitations to a number of celebrities, speakers and authors for the school’s annual benefit dinner.

A Stewart had responded, and through months of discussion there was no indication that they had not booked the Stewart they wanted, officials said.

But last week the Standard-Examiner in Ogden called Jon Stewart’s publicist in Beverly Hills, and found that the only place Stewart was scheduled to be the night of the gala was on “The Daily Show.”

DaVinci leaders were informed of that fact Friday.

“It’s been a whirlwind … but the community has really rallied around with support,” said Debbie Legge, president of the school’s board of directors. “It’s not about celebrities. It’s about kids and helping them get a good education.”

After the school canceled Jon A. Stewart this week, performing groups from Weber State University and the Terrace Playhouse offered to be replacement acts at the event, and DaVinci welcomed them with open arms.

The school is offering refunds to those who had purchased tickets expecting to see the comedian. Some already have received refunds.

Legge said she hopes people still will attend the event, but notices will be sent to patrons about the change.

Source yahoo.com.

Roger Miller has a bit of down time from his busy schedule with Mission Of Burma and will be playing with Club d’Elf tonight in the usual d’Elf Cambridge spot, The Lizard Lounge.

Rounding out the other spots in the ever-rotating cast of characters will be:
8 – 9 pm ( soul low ) : mat maneri ( solo viola ).
9:30 – 10:30 : trace buster (adam sturtevant and brian hamilton duo). drums &laptop.
11 pm – 1:30 am : club d’elf (mat maneri – elec viola, roger miller – keyboards, geoff scott – guitar, mike rivard – bass & sintir & adam sturtevant ( drums ).

the lizard lounge, 1667 mass ave, cambridge, ma. 617-547-0759/1228. 21+. lizardloungeclub.com.

In the great tradition of electric guitar-fueled instrumental rock, Bobby Previte’s “super bar-band” Coalition of the Willing strikes the West Coast this May for their first ever U.S. tour in support of their self-titled debut album on Ropeadope. The visionary New York City-based drummer Previte has enlisted Charlie Hunter on guitars, Marco Benevento on keyboards and Skerik on saxophones. They’ll launch the 15-city tour on May 10th in Bellingham, WA and conclude the run with a record release party and performance in New York City at Tonic on May 25th. Having recently wrapped a string of European dates that took them through five countries and earned rave reviews, the Coalition is primed and ready for what are sure to be some of the most rockin’ and musically mind-blowing shows to hit the West Coast this Spring.

Coalition of the Willing appearances are:

May 10 / The Nightlight Lounge / Bellingham, WA
May 11 / Richards on Richards / Vancouver, Canada
May 12 / Tractor Tavern / Seattle, WA
May 13 / Aladdin / Portland, OR
May 14 / Domino Room / Bend, OR
May 15 / WOW Hall / Eugene, OR
May 16 / Mobius / Ashland, OR
May 17 / Crystal Bay Club / Crystal Bay, NV
May 18 / Harlowes / Sacramento, CA
May 19 / The Mystic Theater / Petaluma, CA
May 20 / Independent / San Francisco, CA
May 22 / Kuumbwa / Santa Cruz, CA
May 23 / Soho / Santa Barbara, CA
May 24 / The Mint / Los Angeles, CA
May 25 / Tonic / New York, NY