2006

Ministry Of Sound proudly presents Sessions – Mark Farina

Grant Lee Phillips will be previewing his latest US tour with a kick-off show at Hollywood’s Largo on Wednesday, June 28 to celebrate the release of his much-anticipated new album,

Iron Maiden will release their new studio album, ‘A Matter Of Live And Death’, on September 5th on Sanctuary Records.

The band started writing songs at the end of 2005 after a short break from their hugely successful festival appearances in Europe and the USA. The songs were completed and rehearsed when the band got together after Christmas to work with producer Kevin ‘Caveman’ Shirley at Sarm West Studios in London to start work on recording the backing tracks.

Kevin Shirley has now co-produced three of the bands studio albums, alongside Steve Harris, as well as two of their recent Live DVD’s and albums. Says Kevin, “The Beast is back!”

He continues, “I feel from the outset we all clicked on this one. We spent two months in the studio – from Nicko’s “tubs up” to final mixes and sequenced master. That’s a tiny gestation period for an album. Producing Iron Maiden is like driving one of those mammoth automatons from Star Wars. There’s nothing that can stop it!”

“I feel incredibly privileged to have been around to see this album born and breathe life. There have been only a couple of occasions in my career when the entire process of recording felt so complete – and it is on display here.”

As on previous projects, all of the tracks were performed live and together in one room. No click tracks, computer tightening or manipulation has happened at any stage of the recording ‘A Matter Of Life And Death’.

Says Steve Harris,” I think in many ways this has been the easiest album, in terms of recording, that we’ve ever done. The whole process of writing through to recording was very natural. I also think in terms of the material, we’ve pushed our boundaries yet again, which I think will please our fans, but also really surprise a lot of people as well. The sound we’ve managed to get is very powerful for a Maiden record and all of us have pushed ourselves in our own ways to create something that we’re all immensely proud of. I think working as quickly as we did with Kevin was part of that process. We simply can’t wait to take this out on the road. We’ve played some great shows and had a lot fun introducing some of our older songs to a new generation of fans. However for us, personally, we’re incredibly excited about getting out and performing these new tracks.”

Says Bruce Dickinson, “This album has to be our best one since we began working with Kevin. There is such a wide scope of musicianship, and in parts this album is truly epic. I thought with the likes of Paschendale, from the last studio album, that we could only hope to surpass that. Having now heard the album back, as well as sitting with a few select people and hearing their reactions, I truly believe we have managed it. Every one of us has put everything into this record and it has really paid off. We’ve had such fun making it that it’s almost difficult to believe what we’ve managed to achieve in the time it took.”

The glacial pace of Portishead’s third album appearsto be moving a bit quicker. Group member Geoff Barrow wrote last week on the group’s Myspace.com page that its new tracks “are in a right mess but sounding like [an] album for the first time in years.” He added, “It [is] nice to think us old gits have a few tunes in us without sounding like coffee table Zero 7 / Moby chill out sh*t!!”

Portishead has not released a studio album since a self-titled 1997 effort. In the time since, vocalist Beth Gibbons released a 2002 collobration with Rustin Man, “Out of Season.”

Source billboard.com.

If the fifth annual Bonnaroo initially raised eyebrows for booking Tom Petty and Radiohead, two mainstage headliners that have nothing to do with the current jam scene, the festival returned to its roots last night (June 18) during a set from ex-Grateful Dead bassist Phil Lesh and his latest group of musical Friends.

Flanked by celebrated guitarists John Scofield and Larry Campbell and chart-topper turned earthy soul sister Joan Osborne, Lesh (who closed out the very first Bonnaroo in 2002) and company opened Bonnaroo 5.0’s swan song with an epic rendering of the Dead favorite “Uncle John’s Band” before spilling into “Fire on the Mountain” and an Osborne-sung take on Bob Dylan’s “All Along the Watchtower.”

Fueled by incendiary wailing on both guitar and keys, courtesy of frequent collaborator Rob Barraco, Phil & Friends returned after a break with the later-era Dead swinger “Shakedown Street” and ran through a soulful reading of the Rolling Stones’ “Gimme Shelter,” before closing out the event with Lesh’s signature Dead tune, “Box of Rain.”

Appropriately, Lesh’s set was the only to be rained on this year, a rarity for the young, successful festival. In years past, Bonnaroo has been pummeled with showers that delayed sets and turned the Manchester, Tenn., farm into a mud pit. While baked in the sticky heat, this year’s sold-out throng of 80,000 escaped without the hassles of years past. Instead, the biggest problem for the audience was picking which bands to watch.

It was a sentiment echoed even by the Roo’s major league talent. “There’s so many great bands, you can’t see them all,” Bonnie Raitt said from the stage yesterday, before sending out a cover of John Prine’s “Angel of Montgomey” to Steve Earle, who was performing in a tent a couple hundred yards away.

The larger lineup made the beautiful collisions of sounds that mark Bonnaroo all the more eclectic. At one point yesterday, singer/songwriter Andrew Bird plucked a mandolin on the Sonic Stage as jam newcomers Brothers Past, Colonel Bruce Hampton and the Codetalkers, former Soul Coughing frontman Mike Doughty and his band and Americana royalty Shooter Jennings rocked in the distance.

Later, while Hasidic reggae phenom Matisyahu and jam giants moe. split the majority of the audience between the two main stages, British MC the Streets (aka Mike Skinner), Son Volt and Stephen Malkmus filled the tents.

In a nod to Father’s Day, Matisyahu took the opportunity to bring out his 10-month-old son during a set that reflected the heights he’s soared since his pivotal performance at last year’s Bonnaroo. Thousands swarmed the performance, during which he scaled speaker cabinets and ignited devoted fans and curious newcomers alike.

The Refugee Allstars of Sierra Leone, a recent signing to the Anti- label, injected the bill with an international flair, sending scores dancing with a gleeful, soul-stirring mix of Afro-pop, dance and group harmonies. Comprised of Sierra Leonean musicians who fled the country to the West African nation of Guinea during a rebel war in 1999, the group’s members rotated lead vocals and solo dancing duties, leaving the crowd wanting more.

During a hit-laced set (“Thing Called Love,” “Something To Talk About”), Raitt offered up guest turns from Jerry Douglas and Jon Cleary. Across the great field, the jam world collided with New York noise, as Sonic Youth was greeted like a rock god. In a set dominated by material from its brand-new “Rather Ripped,” the group also dusted off “Pattern Recognition” and “100%.” Stephen Malkmus joined the group for an encore performance of “Expressway to Yr. Skull,” reuniting with his former Pavement bandmate Mark Ibold, who is now touring as Sonic Youth’s bassist.

As fans made their way through the Centeroo shopping and food court area, music was all around them: from the Grammy-decorated sounds of Bela Fleck and the Flecktones and jazzy jammers Soulive to the obscure hip-hop troupe Atmosphere and up-and-coming rock acts Be Your Own Pet and Deadboy and the Elephantman. Comedian Lewis Black made encore performances with others in the comedy tent, while the NBA Finals and “Star Wars: Episode III” played in smaller, chillout tents.

Source billboard.com.

This summer, Mickey Hart will keep busy with projects new and old. On July 5th, Mickey will play a special one time only set at Milwaukee’s Summerfest billed as ‘Mickey Hart & Friends’ which will include special guests from Particle & The Mutaytor. He’ll also be participating in a special drumming presentation at The Kipaulu Center for the Arts in the Berkshires in mid July. After reforming at this years Jammys, The ‘Rhythm Devils’ with Mickey Hart & Bill Kreutzmann are returning to the road this August with a special appearance at The Gathering of the Vibes. In September, Mickey will reunite with longtime friend and collaborator Zakir Hussain for a 10 day run of west coast Planet Drum dates. Planet Drum will also feature original members Sikiru Adepoju and Giovanni Hidalgo among others.

For more information visit mickeyhart.net