Joe Satriani and Coldplay have settled their
copyright
lawsuit over the melody to the band's hit "Viva La Vida" and the
guitarist's "If I Could Fly." Details of the settlement
remain sealed and Satriani's motion to dismiss the case has been
accepted. No word on a financial settlement but it is
expected that Coldplay will not be required to admit to copyright
infringement.
Michael and Jay Aston have reached an agreement over the use of the
name Gene Loves Jezebel allowing both versions to co-exist. A
new album by the Jay Aston version is currently in the works.
The Michael Aston version is on the road with their Dead Sexy Tour in
the U.S.
Former Noiseworks and INXS vocalist Jon Stevens is recovering in the
hospital after open-heart surgery on Tuesday in Sydney.
Doctors had discovered a blockage in an artery during his last
check-up. In December, he had two arterial stents
inserted. The operation was reportedly successful.
According to the Los Angeles Times, Burt Reynolds, 73, has checked
himself out of the Hanley Center rehab facility in West Palm
Beach. The actor had sought help as he was becoming reliant
on pain pills after a recent back surgery. Reynolds did have
a charting single in 1980 with "Let's Do Something Cheap And
Superficial" from the Smokey And The Bandit II soundtrack.
Phil Collins, 58, has retired from playing drums. While
speaking at a recent charity event, he said, "After playing drums for
50 years I've had to stop. My vertebrae has been crushing my
spinal cord because of the position I drum in. It comes from
years of playing. I can't even hold the sticks properly
without it being painful." He elaborated further on the
Genesis Web site, "Somehow during the last tour I dislocated some
vertebrae in my upper neck and that affected my hands. After
a successful operation on my neck, my hands still can't function
normally. Maybe in a year or so it will change, but for now
it is impossible for me to play drums or piano. I am not in
any 'distressed' state, stuff happens in life." Collins has
been working recently on an album of classic soul songs.
A probate judge has determined that Katherine Jackson can challenge the
administrators of her son's estate without losing her position as a
beneficiary. She is currently collecting $26,000 a month plus
$60,000 for her taking care of her 3 grandchildren.
Pearl Jam are among the Keeper of the Coast honorees at the Surfrider
Foundation's 25th Anniversary Gala to be held on Oct. 9th.
The mission of the Surfrider Foundation is to protect and preserve our
world's oceans, waves and beaches.
Ozzy Osbourne will be presented with the Legend of Live award at the
2009 Billboard Touring Awards on Nov. 5th in New York.
John Fogerty will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award for
Songwriting at the Americana Music Association's 8th Annual Honors and
Awards ceremony to be held on Sept. 17th in Nashville.
Iggy Pop will be honored with a living legend award at the Marshall
Classic Rock Roll of Honour awards on Nov. 2nd in London.
Whitney Houston's I Look To You fell 2 places to #3 on the Billboard
200 albums chart. George Strait's Twang dropped 2 spots to
#18. Reba McEntire's Keep On Loving You fell 4 places to #21.
Michael Franti & Spearhead featuring Cherine Anderson's "Say
Hey (I Love You)" retains the #21 spot on the Billboard Hot 100.
Chickenfoot's self-titled debut album was been certified gold by the
R.I.A.A. on Sept. 10th.
Vera Lynn's We'll Meet Again: The Very Best Of Vera Lynn climbed a spot
to #1 on the U.K. Albums chart. Michael Jackson's The
Essential fell 6 places to #15. Neil Diamond's Hot August
Night/NYC gained a spot to #23. Prefab Sprout's Let's Change
The World With Music debuted at #39.
U2's "I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy" debuted on the U.K. Singles
chart at #32.
Whitney Houston's I Look To You has taken the #1 spot on the Billboard
European Top 100 Albums chart.
Samantha Fox's new song, "Tomorrow," by Marc Mysterio has been released
exclusively at Beatport.com.
Bon Jovi's new single, "We Weren't Born To Follow," is now available at
digital retailers and is currently the fastest moving single at Hot AC
radio.
Devo have signed a worldwide partnership with their original label
Warner Bros. Records that will see the company service all aspects of
the band's career, including recorded music, touring, merchandising,
web services, promotion, ecommerce, sponsorships, licensing and
endorsements. The first fruits of the deal will be the
reissue of their 1978 debut, Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo!, and
1980's Freedom Of Choice on Nov. 3rd. The band have plans to
release their new studio album next year.
Keel have signed a deal with Frontiers Records for the release of a new
studio album early next year. The deal will also include the
release of The Right To Rock: 25th Anniversary Edition which has been
digitally remastered and includes a newly recorded version of the title
track.
Bananarama's new studio album, Viva, has been released in the
U.K. Those purchasing at iTunes will get an exclusive bonus
track (their cover of Simon and Garfunkel's "The Sound Of Silence.")
Zodiac Mindwarp have just finished recording a new Viking
mythology-inspired album, We Are Volsung, due out in late autumn.
Duran Duran's John Taylor has said in a recent blog post that it's
"probably going to be December by the time we have all the lyrics
written and vocals recorded, and the music mixed, and that's
cool.. Our plan is to put the music out in the Spring of next
year, with shows to follow."
"We've Got A Long Way To Go" has been announced as the first single
from Joe Perry's new solo album, Have Guitar, Will Travel.
Sarah McLachlan will be performing during the 61st annual 2009 Emmy
Awards. The event will broadcast live on Sept. 20th on CBS.
According to Ukrainian government minister Yuriy Pavlenko, Sir Elton
John was denied a request to adopt a 14 month old orphan boy named
Lev. "Foreign citizens who are single have no right to adopt
children...and the age difference between the adopter and the child
cannot be more than 45 years." He also said, "The law is the
same for everybody -- for a president, for a minister, for Elton
John." The country will not recognize John's civil
partnership with David Furnish as a marriage and the performer is
currently 63 years old. Foreign adoption seems to be a
sensitive issue in the country as they are entering election season.
Ozzy Osbourne's new autobiography, I Am Ozzy, will be released in the
U.K. on Oct. 1st and a U.S. date should be announced soon.
The Flaming Lips release their new studio album, Embryonic, on Oct.
13th. Fans can pre-order the deluxe limited edition 2CD/DVD
version at the shop at FlamingLips.com.
Sure REO Speedwagon have been on tour with Styx but during breaks and
vacations since February they have been heading into the Blue Moon
Studio to record here and there. The band will be releasing
their first Christmas album, Not So Silent Night...Christmas With REO
Speedwagon, in early November via Sony/Legacy.
W.A.S.P. will release, "Crazy," as the first single from their upcoming
album, Babylon, on Sept. 28th. Babylon is due out on Oct.
12th.
U2's 1984 album, The Unforgettable Fire, will be celebrated with a 25th
anniversary reissue on Oct. 27th via Island/Universal and include
B-sides, rarities, alternate versions and previously-unreleased
songs. "Disappearing Act," one of the previously-unreleased
tracks, originally started in 1983 was just recently finished by the
band in France for the release.
Emmy-winning Toto founding member David Paich will conduct a group of
musicians (including Ray Parker Jr.) during the 61st Primetime Emmys
set to air on Sunday on CBS.
Former Clash members Mick Jones and Topper Headon have paired up with
Billy Bragg in the studio to re-record the 1978 Clash song, "Jail
Guitar Doors," for use in the similarly titled project led by Bragg
which supplies musical instruments to prisoners. The
recording session was filmed for a documentary about the Jail Guitar
Doors program entitled Breaking Rocks which will premiere at the
Raindance film festival on Oct. 1st.
The Humans (Toyah and Bill Rieflin) will release a cover of Nancy
Sinatra's "These Boots Are Made For Walking," which features Robert
Fripp on guitar, as a digital single on Sept. 21st. The song
will be included in a new version of their We Are The Humans album due
out in October.
Tommy Lee is making his next Methods Of Mayhem album a bit more
interactive. On Oct. 5th, fans can go to ThePublicRecord.com
and download raw tracks for you to record your own parts over (guitars,
bass, keys, beats, etc.) and upload them for a chance to be credited on
the worldwide release of the album.
Eagles bassist Timothy B. Schmit will release, Expando, his first new
solo album in 8 years via Lost Highway on Oct. 20th. The
11-track release will include guest appearances by Dwight Yoakam,
Graham Nash, the Blind Boys of Alabama, Gary Burton, Greg Leisz and
many others.
Nick Cave's Grinderman project have finished work in the studio on
their second album which is due out next year via Mute/EMI.
According to a blog post by Blondie's Chris Stein, he and the band are
focused on doing another Blondie album. "I am way psyched
about this next one; we are very overdue for a record, there are lots
of extenuating circumstances but still overdue..." He has
also said that in the future he hopes to start doing a recording at
least every so many years.
Pavement have plans to reunite in 2010 for a world tour.
Although they don't plan any new recording or further touring, a
greatest hits compilation will be released by Matador Records to
coincide with the tour.
Duran Duran, the Scorpions, Bob Geldof, Midnight Oil, Yannick Noah,
Paul Shaeffer and Youssou N'dour are among the 55 world celebrities
that have recorded, "Beds'r Burning," a new version of the 1988 hit
single, "Beds Are Burning," by Midnight Oil to draw attention to gobal
warming and greenhouse gas emissions. The song will be a free
download at www.timeforclimatejustice.org/downloads/ later this month a
teaser video trailer for the song can be viewed at the same site.
Peter Hook (of New Order, Joy Division, Freebass, Revenge and Monaco)
will be publishing his new book, The Hacienda: How Not To Run A Club,
in October. The story is his account of the rise and fall of
Manchester's Hacienda nightclub and includes a double-CD of many of the
artists that performed in the club compiled by Hook.
Klymaxx are almost finished with work on their new studio album, Real
Divas Never Die. They plan to post snippets of some of the
new songs at MySpace.com/TheRealKlymaxx and are asking fans to post
their comments to help them choose what songs should go on the album.
The Pet Shop Boys will release "Beautiful People" as a new single in
Germany on Sept. 25th. The song is the third single to come
from their new album, Yes. The single will include two
remixes, the title track and a mix of "Fugitive."
Tori Amos will release her first collection of holiday music, Midwinter
Graces, on Nov. 10th on Universal Republic.
Kiss release their new studio album, Sonic Boom, on CD/DVD exclusively
at Walmart stores on Oct. 6th. The set will include a disc of
the new album, a disc of re-recorded hits and a live DVD filmed earlier
this year in Argentina. Walmart stores will be setting up
Kiss Korners in their electronics departments and Halloween aisles in
time for the release with wigs, makeup, t-shirts and more.
Kristin Hersh has released a bare-bones take on several fan favorites
for the EP, Live At Lime, which is available at the LimeWire Store.
Elton John, Amy Ray (of the Indigo Girls), Benmont Tench (of the
Heartbreakers) and Chad Smith (of the Red Hot Chili Peppers) are among
the guests that have recorded tracks on Brandi Carlile's new album,
Give Up The Ghost, due out Oct. 6th.
The Wolfmen will release a new single, "Jackie, Is It My Birthday?,"
(which features Sinead O'Connor) on Oct. 5th in the U.K.
A new version of the never officially released Waterboys song, "Saints
And Angels," is featured on Sharon Shannon's new album of
collaborations, Saint And Scoundrels, due out on Sept. 28th in the
U.K. Reunited Waterboys members Mike Scott, Steve Wickham and
Anthony Thistlethwaite joined her on the track. The album
also includes an appearance by Shane MacGowan.
According to a recent conference call, E Street Band guitarist Steven
Van Zandt talked about an upcoming hiatus for the band at the end of
their current North American tour backing Bruce Springsteen ending in
late November. "We are gonna take, I don't know how long -- a
year, year and a half, two years."
The Underworld have been working with Brian Eno on new
material. The duo haven't announced how they plan to release
the material but it isn't expected to surface in an album format.
Alice In Chains release their first new full-length studio album in
nearly 14 years, Black Gives Way To Blue, on Sept. 29th. The
disc is also the first with Comes With The Fall frontman William
DuVall, filling in for the late Layne Staley, sharing vocals with Jerry
Cantrell. The first single, "Check My Brain," went to #1 on
the Billboard Rock Songs chart and R&R Rock chart.
A 17-track German version of Wayne Hussey's solo debut album, Bare,
will be released on Oct. 23rd. It includes an additional 4
tracks recorded during his recent solo tour and includes versions of
songs by The Mission as well as covers of songs by The Cure, David
Bowie and U2.
Patty Loveless wasn't exactly enthusiastic when approached about
recording a sequel to 2001's bluegrass album Mountain Soul but warmed
up to the idea. Not strictly a bluegrass album, Mountain Soul
II heads to stores on Sept. 29th.
Just in time for the start of the new NFL season, Boys Don't Cry have
released a new version of their classic single "I Wanna Be A Cowboy"
entitled "I Wanna Be A Dallas Cowboy (Dallas Mix 2009)."
Dokken have filmed a new commercial for Norton Internet Security 2010
that can be seen at:
http://www.everyclickmatters.com/dangers/dokken.html There
are 3 endings (2 Accept and 1 Deny) and well worth watching.
A new DVD, Marty Balin - Live At The Boston Esplanade, will be released
on Nov. 17th via MVD Entertainment Group. The 9-song set was
recorded on June 14, 2008 and also includes practice footage and a 50
minute interview with Balin from 1995.
According to Classic Rock Magazine, Def Leppard vocalist Joe Elliott
will front a one-off band with the Quireboys that will support Mott The
Hoople during the last night of their reunion shows at the Hammersmith
Apollo marking their 40th anniversary.
The Brand New Heavies will release their new live album, Live In
London, on Oct. 5th and have announced an extensive U.K. tour starting
in November.
Canadian act Handful Of Snowdrops have seen their debut album, Land Of
The Damned, reissued in an expanded and remastered version marking
their 20th anniversary. The album is available exclusively at
their www.handfulofsnowdrops.com Web site and includes a new version of
their hit "Gabrielle" entitled "Gabrielle MMIX."
Patrick Swayze, 57, lost his long battle with pancreatic cancer on
Monday in Los Angeles surrounded by his family. The cancer
was discovered two weeks after wrapping the pilot for the new
A&E series "The Beast." He had been taking an
experimental drug to target the tumors and was undergoing chemotherapy
for what was diagnosed as a controlled form of the disease.
He came down with pneumonia earlier this year days before the series
debuted. Swayze starred in classic 80s films: The Outsiders,
Red Dawn, Dirty Dancing and Road House. As a vocalist, he
recorded songs for the Road House ("Raising Heaven (In Hell Tonight)"
and "Cliff's Edge") and Dirty Dancing (the 1987 #3 hit he co-wrote,
"She's Like The Wind,") soundtracks and in 1998 sang background vocals
on Randy Travis' You And You Alone album.
Punk artist, poet and writer Jim Carroll, 60, died on Friday in his
Manhattan home from a heart attack. Carroll is best known for
his 1978 autobiography, The Basketball Diaries, which became a film in
1995 starring Leonardo DiCaprio. He formed The Jim Carroll
Band in 1978 in the San Francisco Bay area. They released 3
albums during the decade (1980's Catholic Boy, 1982's Dry Dreams and
1983's I Write Your Name) and would release Pools Of Mercury in 1998
and the Runaway EP in 2000. Carroll would also appear on
albums by Blue Oyster Cult, Bozz Scaggs, Lou Reed, Rancid and the Tuff
Turf Soundtrack. His most notable single was the classic
"People Who Died" which appeared in several films and compilations.