Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Music News & Notes

San Carlos fire causes $1.1 million in damage to warehouse rented by rocker Neil Young


A San Carlos warehouse filled with rock legend Neil Young's music equipment, vintage cars and other memorabilia burned in a three-alarm blaze early Tuesday, causing an estimated $1.1 million in damage.

Workers and friends of the longtime Peninsula resident spent the day moving guitars, canisters of film, framed photos and other items that had been in the warehouse at 593 Quarry Road. Young, who lives in a home near La Honda, arrived at the site late in the day and surveyed the destruction.

Investigators have ruled out arson but didn't say Tuesday what caused the fire.

The roughly 10,000-square-foot building sustained $300,000 in damage, and Young's possessions that burned were worth about $800,000, said

View larger map Belmont-San Carlos Fire Marshal Jim Palisi. No one was injured in the fire.

"A lot of it is musical instruments and electronic equipment," he said. "It's very

Read the rest of the story here: www.mercurynews.com

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Bruce Springsteen: In 'Darkness' reissue, the CD that might have been

In between the game-changing albums “Born to Run” and “Darkness on the Edge of Town,” Bruce Springsteen’s career was derailed by legal turmoil and artistic indecisiveness.

The struggle is documented on a six-disc box set, “The Promise: The Darkness on the Edge of Town Story” (Columbia), which presents the original 1978 album in remastered form and supplements it with dozens of outtakes and three DVDs containing live performances and a documentary.

“Darkness” was not Springsteen’s most popular album, yielding only one minor top-40 hit (it was far outsold by Springsteen’s 1984 blockbuster “Born in the U.S.A.” and the 1975 “Born to Run”). But “Darkness” stands as his leanest, hardest-hitting album with the E Street Band, and – at least for this listener -- his best. The tour that followed, as captured on a DVD of a typically galvanizing Houston concert, was even better. Springsteen’s ascent to stadium-rock icon hit over-drive.

What’s less appreciated about the era chronicled on “Promise” is the large volume of exceptional music that didn’t make the final cut, left to languish unheard except for a few live performances and covers by other artists -- until now. The box set’s most crucial addition to the Springsteen canon is the album that might have been (available separately as a two-CD set, “The Promise”); one completely different in tone and intent than “Darkness” but well worth hearing.

Read the rest of the story here: leisureblogs.chicagotribune.com

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STRATOVARIUS To Release New Full-Length This January

Finnish melodic metal troupe STRATOVARIUS are readying to unleash their thirteenth studio album, Elysium, this winter. Recorded at 5-By-5 studios in Pitäjänmäki, Helsinki, Finland, the nine-track full-length will be released in the US and Canada January 18, 2011 through Armoury Records and features cover art by Gyula Havancsák.

Elysium will mark the debut of newest addition: 27-year-old Finnish guitarist Matias Kupiainen. Said drummer Jörg Michael of the band's newest recruit: "In Matias we found a new character who fits perfectly with his way of melodic guitar shredding. He is a killer player, a 'wunderkind' from Finland!"

Polaris, STRATOVARIUS' 2009 "come back" offering and first since the departure or guitarist/main composer Timo Tolkki, was reissued as a two-CD digipak earlier this year via Armoury Records. In addition to the original album, the package includes a bonus disc containing 75 minutes of live material recorded during the Polaris tour spanning the band's entire history.

Awesome album cover art!





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Nashville Musician Re-Uses Vinyl Records as Roof Shingles

People find interesting ways to recycle and use old, unplayable vinyl for a variety of things (clocks, purses, art), but this takes the cake:

According to Jazz.com, Nashville-based musician Matt Glassmeyer has fashioned a roof for his porch using 350 damaged records. In lieu of traditional shingles, this newly fashioned roof features a set of records aligned in a uniform, overlapping pattern. Matt’s design is a great homegrown project that gives dumpster-destined materials a second life while touching on the rich musical culture of Nashville.

What happens when the area gets a 'record' heat wave?







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Drive-By Truckers Announce New Album

Southern rock institution Drive-By Truckers released their last album, The Big To-Do, earlier this year, and they've already got another one all loaded up and ready to go. ATO will release the new one, Go-Go Boots, on February 15. The band once again worked with longtime producer David Barbe, and in a press release, frontman Patterson Hood "semi-jokingly" calls the LP "our country, soul, and murder ballad album."








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Thom Yorke-Featuring 'Two Minutes Silence' Storms UK Singles Chart

A two minute song which actually features nothing but silence is on course to debut inside the top-20 on the UK singles chart this weekend. The track has released by the British Legion's Poppy Appeal.  It includes a video that features Radiohead's Thom Yorke, Plan B, The Saturdays and prime minister David Cameron.

All proceeds from the sales of 'Two Minute Silence' will go towards helping members of the armed forces and their families.

What a concept...only in the UK....

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