+news+
+pics+
+news archives+
+links+
+the
rock dirt+ +reviews/features+
+contact+
+pet project+ +bio+ +wzlx+
+rising
tide series+
+musings+
+on
the town radio show+ +tales of a misspent
youth+ +gussy
and pudgie willis+
+rock
and roll social+ +anngelle
on myspace+
The Rock Dirt Archives
MARCH 2006
The Rock Dirt
week of March 29, 2006
Nirvana's Virgin Territory, Zakk packs Black Label, Rollins non-stop talkSells like Teen Spirit. As has been rumored for months, Courtney Love has indeed sold a percentage of the Nirvana catalogue. The proud owner of 25% of the legacy: former Virgin Records COO/GM Larry Mestel, now with Primary Wave Music Publishing, for a reported $50 million price tag. Courtney shared her reasons for taking on what she called a strategic partner to Rolling Stone magazine stating she needed help managing the estate as it’s “overwhelming.” Other potentials in the game included domestic diva Martha Stewart as well as U2’s Bono. A UK newspaper reported last week that Elevation Partners - private equity company that includes Bono as a partner, was a front-runner in the deal to acquire a stake in the Nirvana catalogue. The new deal no longer makes Courtney Love the sole owner of all publishing rights to the songs as Mestel now has both decision making power in usage of the songs as well as a cut of the royalties every time a Nirvana song is played. I smell a commercial.
Seven Nation Shelving. To the dismay of some White Stripes fans, Jack White has placed the band tidily on the shelf to focus his attention for the next year on his other band, the Raconteurs, which also features singer-songwriter Brendan Benson (with whom Jack has worked with in the past) and members of garage band the Greenhornes. After a series of well-received UK shows, the Raconteurs return for stateside dates, the first of which is slated for April 7 at NYC’s Irving Plaza in support of debut, “Broken Boy Soldiers,” due in May.
www.theraconteurs.comAudioSoul. Audioslave wasted no time on making record #3, “Revelations” – a process Chris Cornell says allowed the band to tap into its soul side. All will be reveled in June.
www.audioslave.comPacking it in. Zakk Wylde and his band, Black Label Society, will call Roadrunner Records home as the label announced its recent signing of the band. Black, Label is currently working its Roadrunner debut, “Shot To Hell,” with producer Michael Beinhorn (Soundgarden, Ozzy, Chilis) in time for a July 3 release to coincide with the upcoming Ozzfest tour.
www.zakkwylde.comEndless Summer. The Pixies must be making up for lost time as the reunion tour seems never ending. The band has added seven European dates to its already enormous itinerary; those dates are scheduled for July. There’s also a new documentary on the seminal alterna-rock band, “loudQUIETloud,” made its debut at SXSW last month.
Strong enough. Sheryl Crow has recouped from her recent surgery and is ready to hit the road again. Sheryl’s rescheduled the first round of dates and added a few with the Dave Matthews Band at its two Fenway Park shows on July 7 and 8. Can’t keep a good woman down.
www.sherylcrow.comRockie Talkie. Henry Rollins’ new show, creatively entitled “The Henry Rollins Show,” makes its debut this week (Sat, April 1) on the Independent Film Channel or IFC, as its known. Scheduled guests for the maiden season include Sleater-Kinney, director Oliver Stone and Ozzy Osbourne.
www.ifc.comReplacements getting the band back together?
The Rock Dirt
week of march 22, 2006
The Smiths' split decision, Superdud of rock, Steven Tyler's temporary vacationThe Eternal Gaze. Fans of 80s melancholy gods, The Smiths, will have to wait indefinitely for a band reunion. It was revealed this week that the band turned down a figure in the $5 million range to regroup for the left coast festival Coachella. Morrissey did, of course, have an explanation while shillings his new solo joint, “Ringleader of the Tormentors” (due April 4) at the South by Southwest Festival in Austin, TX, saying "it was a fantastic journey," he said of his band, "and then it ended." The rest is that Morrissey wanted the band to go on, it's Johnny Marr who wanted it to be down with.
www.billboard.comSuper-wha? In what has become the most anti-climactic revelation in recent history, Supernova will be the next “RockStar” reality band. Supernova. Yup.
The newly-formed “supergroup” will feature former Metallica bass player Jason Newsted, one-time Guns n’ Roses guitarist Gilby Clarke and super flake, Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee this summer to audition and ultimately choose a singer for its new endeavor Post-show, the band is expected to record a record and hit the road. Jane’s Addiction guitarist Dave Navarro returns as the show's co-host, while a crop of guests the likes of Slash, Rob Zombie and Moby will stop by to offer critiques. Hopefully not all at the same time.Look out. Pearl Jam is coming. Get tickets while the getting’ is good for the May 24 show at the TD Banknorth Garden, Boston this Saturday, March 25 at 10am.
www.ticketmaster.comTemporary vacation. Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler has fallen victim to a forced hiatus after an undisclosed illness has sidelined the band for the next several months. Aerosmith’s people announced this week that Steven will undergo an throat operation this week, forcing the band to cancel the remainder of its current North American tour with Cheap Trick. Steven’s post-op recovery will force him to refrain from singing for at least two months. Get well.
Modest no more. What happens when you come out of nowhere and land a top 10 record? You fire your managers. Hasidic Reggae rapper Matisyahu has reportedly done just that in dumping his longtime managers, Aaron Bisman and Jacob Harris (also of Jdub Records) for a deal with music biz veteran Gary Gersh. According to a report in the New York Times, Matisyahu told Bisman and Harris, “I don't know if you guys are old enough or have enough experience." Matisyahu’s debut “Youth” debuted at #4 on the coveted Billboard 200 album chart. Mazel tov!
Solo go. Garbage voice Shirley Manson adamantly denies that beginning work on her solo debut indicates that the band is over. Garbage has been in “hiatus” since wrapping its tour last year but Shirley insists the band is still together. As to when we’ll hear any new solo Shirley, that remains to be seen. She’ll take her sweet time.
Two times the fun. Two generations of southern rock will come together when Lynyrd Skynyrd and 3 Doors Down team for a co-headlining summer. The “Double Trouble” Tour will cover 15 dates beginning June 25 in Cincinnati through a July 22 stop at 3DD’s home town of Biloxi, Miss. VH1’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 2006 Special debuts this week highlighting this year’s induction ceremony featuring Lynyrd Skynyrd, Blondie, and Black Sabbath.
www.vh1.comSoul Stages. Sting is in the process of his most interesting venture yet – burlesque. Word comes via the New York Post that Sting is working on a Manhattan location that would bring the famous Hollywood burlesque bar Forty Deuce to West 21st and 10th. High profile friends and backers certainly helps, one of which happens to be David Bowie. No surprise in Sting’s interest as he is known to frequent “gentleman’s clubs.”
www.nypost.comUniversally reaching. Red Hot Chili Peppers’ entire back catalog – covering their 1984 self-titled debut through 2002's “By the Way” – is available for digital download via iTunes this week. Chili’s ninth studio record, “Stadium Arcadium,” is due on May 9.
www.itunes.comJack White shelves the Stripes?
The Rock Dirt
week of March 13, 2006
Lollapalooza’s Big Three, Heart Meets Pantera, Rivers solo no mo.In what could be the show of the summer, Lollapalooza returns with a three day format this Aug 4-6 at Chicago’s Grant Park. As previously announced, Red Hot Chili Peppers will headline with additions to the festivities that include Queens of the Stone Age, Kanye West, Ryan Adams, Panic! At The Disco, Matisyahu, She Wants Revenge, Living Things, the Raconteurs (featuring Jack White), Death Cab for Cutie, Coheed and Cambria, Flaming Lips, Sparta, Wilco, Ween, The Shins, Sonic Youth, Iron & Wine, Dresden Dolls, and Cursive.
www.lollapalooza.comNine Inch Summer. Nine Inch Nails has extended its already lengthy “With Teeth” tour into the summer. The trek, currently ringing in near the year mark, takes on a 30 date leg kicking off May 27 in Ridgefield, Wash with a stop at the Tweeter Center in Mansfield on June 23 (tickets on sale for Tweeter show on April 1). The postponed Cumberland County Civic Center, Portland show has been rescheduled for June 21. Goth pioneers Bauhaus will open the entire tour while newbies TV On The Radio do the first half of dates.
Heart-Felt. The much-publicized Alice In Chains reunion during last week’s “Decades Rock Live” Heart tribute show was nothing less than “mind-blowing” so says one of the night’s other participants, Dave Navarro. As previously announced, guest vocalist William DuVall of Comes With the Fall sang a few AIC numbers while Duff McKagan of GNR/Velvet Revolver played rhythm guitar. It was the surprise appearance on two songs by Pantera/Superjoint Ritual frontman Phil Anselmo that left everyone slack jawed. The show premieres May 5 on VH1 Classic.
The Other King. Next up for the “Decades Rock Live” series: Elvis Costello. Homage to Elvis will be paid by the likes of Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day, Fiona Apple and Death Cab for Cutie on May 19 at Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City.
www.decadesrocklive.comLiving Loving Courtney. Courtney Love is in fact considering selling off a piece of the Nirvana catalog (one report states that would be “25 percent of the catalog for quite a lot of money"). According to NME.com, Courtney has decided that she needs some help in managing “such a huge responsibility,” adding, “this is the right thing to do for my family...whoever I do this deal with, I really have to like." (like Martha Stewart?) Meanwhile, the Love’d one is currently working on a set of demos for her second solo record with the help of Linda Perry. Her muse these days - Bob Dylan. Who knew?
Frank Black releases two records worth of solo material to be known as “Fastman/Raiderman” on June 20. Guests included Levon Helm of The Band and Cheap Trick’s Tom Petersson.
Snow Patrol returns with "Eyes Open" on May 9. The band makes a stop at the Paradise Rock Club, Boston on March 25.
www.thedise.comCelibation. The oft-troubled Rivers Cuomo will reportedly marry fiancée Kyoko Ito with whom he's apparently been involved since the two met at a solo show he did in 1997 at Cambridge's Middle East Club. The wedding is planned for this summer after Rivers wraps his final semester at Harvard, something he's been trying to do for 9 years. Rivers has somehow become as famous for announcing his celibacy some two years ago than for fronting Weezer. Here's to the honeymoon.
And the next "Rockstar" band is....
The Rock Dirt
week of March 6, 2006
Springtime of metal, Alice in Chains makes it up, new Tool in 10,000 DaysNothing says spring like a metal festival, more importantly, New England Metal and Hardcore Festival! This year marks the 8th annual three-day metal extravaganza rolling in Fri, April 28 thru Sun, April 30 at the Palladium in Worcester. The “what’s-what” of rock festivals locally is known as one of the best heavy music festivals on the national scale. And, depending on who you ask, is THE festival to see. Over the three days, the lineup will include the likes of Lacuna Coil, Exodus, Chimaira, Arch Enemy, Ramallah, Hypersolid, The Black Dahlia Murder, A Perfect Murder and DragonForce in its American debut. Tickets on sale in single day and three-day form. Horns up.
www.metalandhardcorefestival.comThe upcoming Alice in Chains reunion will be full of surprises – for both fans and the surviving members. It’s been established that the band will regroup for Heart’s “Decades Rock Live” show this Friday in Atlantic City but after that they’re just winging it. Other AIC shows will come, with the possibility of different singers, one of which is William DuVall of Comes With The Fall (with whom Jerry Cantrell toured a few years ago). According to drummer Sean Kinney (for MTV.com), the band plans surprise gigs in clubs and small theaters around the country, then head to Europe for festival dates. The future for Sean Kinney, Jerry Cantrell and Mike Inez could be a brand new band complete with permanent singer, separate from the Alice in Chains legacy. I can say with confidence that the band will not, I repeat, will not take part in the upcoming “reality-singer-search” show, “Rock Star.” AiC turned it down. That is a joy reserved for Van Halen (something that is rumored by remains unconfirmed).
www.aliceinchains.comSeems odd that after 40 years of playing rock, the Rolling Stones have never done so China. The first-ever Stone’s show before 8,000 Shanghai fans is set for April 8. Not for not trying; the band did attempt a gig three years ago but bagged for concerns over the SARS outbreak.
Tool has put together an extensive European spring tour in support of the upcoming “10,000 Days” record. The trip, consisting primarily of festival appearances, will cover 28 dates beginning in Lisbon, Portugal on May 26 through July 9 at Finland’s Turku Festival. Tool will headline night two of Coachella in Indio, CA on April 30. Our sights are set on May for “10,000 Days”, by the way.
R.E.M.’s Michael Stipe will lead the charge at the upcoming "Bring 'Em Home Now” charity event scheduled for March 20 at New York’s Hammerstein. The date is significant as it also marks the three-year anniversary of the day the U.S. went into Iraq. Bright Eyes, Rufus Wainwright, Fischerspooner, Peaches, Devendra Banhart and Steve Earle will perform while Chuck D of Public Enemy and mom-turned-peace activist Cindy Sheehan will appear as special guest speakers. Proceeds will benefit Iraq Veterans Against the War and Veterans for Peace.Good bye, cruel world. Cold has been put out of its misery.
The Rock Dirt written by Anngelle Wood
copyright © 2005-2006 the rock dirt/anngelle wood productions