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The Rock Dirt Archives

SEPTEMBER 2005

The Rock Dirt
Sept 28, 05
For those who used to rock, we salute you

Roll call for the 21st annual Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame includes new entries Blondie, former folkie Cat Stevens, and blues icon Miles Davis. Among those previously eligible (and still not inducted): Black Sabbath for eight years running, Lynyrd Skynyrd go for six, the Sex Pistols and the Stooges are at five years each, and holding for two years a piece are Grand Master Flash and the Furious Five, The Patti Smith Group, Chic, J. Geils Band, and John (hold the Cougar) Mellencamp. The 2006 inductees will be selected by a panel of musicians, journalists and other music industry types by the end of the year with the induction ceremony taking place in New York City in March.

Meanwhile, Lynyrd Skynyrd fans continue to appeal for the induction of the band in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s Class of 2006. Get your petition on at www.rockthehall.com.

They are and they will. Queens of the Stoneage’s Josh Homme and his lovely lady Brody Dalle, singer of the Distillers (and ex to one Tim Armstrong of Rancid), are expecting a baby girl early next year and recently became engaged.

Capitol records will commemorate what would have been John Lennon’s 65th birthday (his actual date of birth is Oct 9) on Tues, Oct 4 by releasing “Working Class Hero - The Definitive Lennon.” The double disc collection, executive produced by Yoko Ono, features a total of 38 songs from John’s solo work to include "Imagine" and "Give Peace a Chance."

From one Yoko to another. Courtney Love has evidently okayed the release of a Nirvana rarities disc, “Sliver: The Best Of The Box,” due to drop Nov 1. The disc will feature 22 songs, three of which have never seen official release. The other 19 were included in last year’s “With The Lights Out” box set. The compilation was made with input from Kurt Cobain's daughter, Frances Bean, who helped choose the title and cover art.

UK’s NME reports The Strokes will call their upcoming third record “First Impressions Of Earth.” It’s due to drop in early 2006.

The Mars Volta will release live record, “Scabdates” on Nov 8 to feature songs from both “De-Loused In The Comatorium” and “Frances The Mute.”

Certainly not the first to have gotten a gig by winning a contest, Canadian singer/former Elvis impersonator J.D. Fortune was chosen to front INXS. The show “Rockstar: INXS” wrapped with much televised fanfare showing that contender and only Aussie, Mig Ayesa, was not the ipso facto winner despite all the chatter that had him pegged the ringer. Runner up Marty Casey and his band the Lovehammers could be invited to support when INXS tours early next year. If not, someone please call Flickerstick.

The Rock Dirt
Sept 21, 05
3 Doors Down get personal

3 Doors Down took the devastation to the Gulf Coast very personally; after all, they are from and still live in Southern Mississippi. The band was back home last week to deliver more than $100,000 in products raised through its Better Life Foundation for Hurricane Katrina relief.
www.thebetterlifefoundation.org

Tenacious D will get its charity on through a fundraiser at Los Angeles’ Wiltern Theater on Sept. 22. The comedic rock duo of all duos will be joined by the likes of Fiona Apple, Dave Grohl, Josh Homme and comics David Cross and Sarah Silverman. All proceeds will benefit the Red Cross for victims of Hurricane Katrina.
www.redcross.org

Weezer coming undone? The forefathers of geek rock may be calling it a day after the current tour in support of latest record “Make Believe” wraps. We could very well be reading too much into this, but the message may be in the liner notes. They include a quote from Shakespeare’s “The Tempest,” in which the character Prospero bids farewell. Can it get any more vague than that?

History was made when Audioslave performed before 50,000 Cuban rock fans this summer. Relive the moment again and again by way of the creatively titled DVD, “Audioslave Live in Cuba.” It lands at your favorite mom n’ pop record shop on Oct. 11. The special version features 17 songs, including Soundgarden classic “Outshined” and two additional discs of bonus material with obligatory documentary footage.

Avenged Sevenfold launches what’s being called its “biggest live production yet” in the “Cities Of Evil” tour on Oct. 7 in San Diego. A7X rocks the Worcester Palladium on Oct. 25.
thepalladium.net

Make it a double. “Ozzfest Xth Anniversary,” the two-disc DVD marking the 10th anniversary of Ozzfest, drops at the eve of the almighty holiday shopping season, Nov 22. I’m hoping for some egging Iron Maiden drama caught on tape!

Tom Petty will reprise the role of Lucky, boyfriend to Luanne, on the animated Fox TV show “King of the Hill,” whose tenth season premiered on Sunday. Tom’s episode, “Ed-jamicating Lucky,” is set to air in May.

Ian Brown, formerly of the Stone Roses, will chronicle his solo career with retrospective called “The Greatest” due Oct. 8. The disc includes work from all of his four solo efforts.

Wilco makes history with its first-ever live record, “Kicking Television – Live In Chicago.” The double disc – recorded over four nights in the band’s hometown – comes out Nov. 1.

Who will be right for their band: INXS? If you are one of the 29 or so other people who’ve been following “Rockstar: INXS,” the “reality” show with 15 singers vying for the title as new singer, you’ll likely know who is. Mig? JD? Marty? (I want Marty, but talk since the beginning has the lackluster Mig as the ringer.) Whatever the case, the new guy is being whisked off to the studio to power record the new record already called “Switch” and set for release Nov. 29 on Epic Records.
www.rockstar.msn.com

The Rock Dirt
Sept 14, 05
Three for Three, Cream's brief reunion

The legendary Cream is putting the rumors to rest and getting the band back together! This comes after months of speculation about a stateside reunion of original members Eric Clapton, Ginger Baker and Jack Bruce. The trio will play three nights at New York’s Madison Square Garden on Oct. 24, 25 and 26 – the band’s only U.S. appearance. Road trip, anyone?

Death Cab for Cutie will play a special show to benefit Gulf Coast survivors in Seattle on Sept. 21. This announcement comes just as the band is experiencing an all-time career high with its huge major label debut, “Plans,” landing at the high end of the Billboard 200, entering at #4 with a first week sales tally nearing 90,000. Death Cab plays the Orpheum Theater in Boston on Oct. 17.

Free at last! Fiona Apple’s long-awaited, long-withheld (six years in fact) record “Extraordinary Machine,” will be released Oct. 4. Get it in both CD and DualDisc format. The latter includes an enhanced LPMC Stereo mix, videos, five live performances and that all-important DVD staple – the behind-the-scenes studio footage.

Aerosmith captured a rare Vegas club gig and will release the title, “Rockin’ the Joint,” on Oct. 25. Recorded at the Joint on Jan. 11, 2002, it’ll feature lots of classics, including my personal favorite, “Toys in the Attic.” It, too, will be released in both disc and DualDisc format. There’s also word that the band will tour this fall.

The UK’s Gorillaz, the brainchild of Blur’s Damon Albarn, will take its animated band on the road. Before you get too excited, with all the expected planning involved, it may not happen until 2007. Britain’s NME reports that state-of-the-art holographic technology may be used to bring the caricatures to life. It remains to be seen whether the shows will include live musicians or pre-recorded music. I’ve heard of this before, it’s called an animated movie.

A definite highlight of the summer of ’05 was the Live 8 charity concerts. Own it Nov. 8 in a four-DVD set to include the stellar Pink Floyd reunion performance, as well as others by Linkin Park, U2, Velvet Revolver, Green Day, Coldplay and more.

There would not be a Tori Amos had it not been for Kate Bush. The ever-captivating Ms. Bush returns with a self-produced double-disc called “Aerial” on Nov. 8. It’s her first release in more than 12 years.

Slipknot will be joined by As I Lay Dying and Unearth for what’s being called the “Subliminal Verses Tour: The Final Volume.” It’s the last hoorah in a year of touring for numbers zero through eight and begins in Cincinnati, Ohio, on Oct. 14. Three New England stops: Lewiston, Maine – Nov. 3; Worcester Palladium – Nov. 7-8.

Corrosion of Conformity will support Disturbed on the first leg of its upcoming Jagermeister Music Tour this fall. Before then, catch Disturbed as the Locobazooka headliner Sept. 18 in Fitchburg, Mass.
www.locobazooka.com

Bloodhound Gang, the band that brought us “Hooray for Boobies,” returns with “Hefty Fine” on Sept 27.

The Rock Dirt
Sept 7, 05
Our award is the music

What could Godsmack, Staind, Andrea Gillis, The Information, Seemless, Emily Grogan, Waltham, Darkbuster and Dresden Dolls possibly have in common? All are among the nominees for the 18th annual Boston Music Awards to be handed out on Sept. 28 at Avalon (like last year the event is invite only). See and vote at nemoboston.com.

Night after night, Bruce Springsteen has pulled out career spanning gems on his current solo, acoustic North American tour. Rarities like “Open All Night” and “Used Cars” have been dusted off – the first time they’ve been played live in nearly 10 years! To be sure fans get to take part, Bruce has just added 17 new dates, including three New England shows: DCU Center, Worcester, Oct. 20; Dunkin’ Donuts Center, Providence, Oct. 21; TD BankNorth Garden, Boston, Oct. 28; all of which go on sale Friday, Sept. 9, at 10 a.m. and will run you $55-$85.

U2 has invited Keane and Dashboard Confessional for support on the fall leg of the Vertigo tour to cover 27 cities by the end of the year. Dashboard opens the first eight shows beginning Sept. 12 in Toronto, then hands the reins to Keane starting Oct. 3 in Boston.

Cheers to Dropkick Murphys who’ll support what’s fast becoming Irish band The Pogues’ annual Christmas tour. All original Pogues are set to reunite for a third time this December and do six UK dates.

Deftones plan to release CD/DVD package, “B-Sides and Rarities,” on Oct. 4. Look forward to acoustic versions of Deftones tunes as well as Cure and Sade covers (Chino’s a new wave fan, but Sade?).

Tool has headed into the studio to work on the follow-up to 2001’s “Lateralus.” Guitarist Adam Jones posted that the band has been paid a studio visit by Josh Homme of Queens of the Stone Age, as well as King Buzzo from the Melvins.

Audioslave plays the Tsongas Arena in Lowell on Oct. 31.

The cancellation of Garbage’s fall European tour has sparked new break-up rumors. The band’s only explanation for the tour’s demise is feeling as “they have somewhat overextended themselves,” so says a post on Garbage.com.

Director Cameron Crowe has put the finishing touches on the soundtrack to upcoming movie “Elizabethtown.” The soundtrack, due Sept. 13, will feature songs from Boston’s Wheat (who’ve since suffered a very low-key breakup), Tom Petty, Lindsey Buckingham of Fleetwood Mac, My Morning Jacket and Ryan Adams. Members of My Morning Jacket make a cameo as Ruckus, the band that performs Skynyrd’s “Freebird” with reportedly disastrous results in the flick. The movie opens nationwide on Oct. 14.

We’ve all seen the massive devastation in the Gulf Coast. Some of the biggest names in rock, pop and country will join forces on Sept. 10 for a special live multi-artist, multi-genre concert to benefit the survivors of Hurricane Katrina. Green Day, John Mellencamp, Chester Bennington of Linkin Park, Gretchen Wilson, Alicia Keys and Dave Matthews Band are among the performers who’ll take part in the event to air on MTV, MTV2, VH1, VH1 Classic and CMT. Donations can be made at that, or any time, through the American Red Cross.
www.redcross.com