Monday, September 19, 2011

Vinyl Record News & Music Notes


Paper + Plastick To Release All Female Fronted Pop-Punk Band Compilation

Gainesville’s Paper + Plastick Records have recently announced that they are set to release a new, 17-song compilation on October 4th. The compilation is called 'Are You With The Band?,' and is being organized by Lauren Denitzio - the former vocalist/guitarist of The Measure and will bevailable digitally and on 12” vinyl. The 17 tracks will be accompanied by a large full-color booklet with artwork done for each band by other women in the scene. All proceeds from the sale of the compilation will be donated to Planned Parenthood.

Denitzio explained the reasoning behind the album:

“The title comes from the still, unfortunately, common situation of women being asked if they’re IN the band or WITH the band when trying to load in for shows. Being the only woman in the band, I still get asked this sometimes, whereas the other guys hardly get asked that, if at all. It’s assumed you must be the roadie or merch girl or girlfriend or something, which is incredibly frustrating.

I still get comments on a regular basis about how cool it is to see a girl singing and we still get compared to the same two or three groups solely because they have female vocals, not because our music or my voice sound anything like them."

Apparently, Denitzio is introducing the population to seventeen new female-fronted pop-punk band, with a dozen of the seventeen tracks previously unreleased. I say cheers! and I hope it does well!

Tracklist

SIDE A
1. Aye Nako – Bent Out Of Shape *
2. Cheeky – Two Face
3. Black Rainbow – Make Amends *
4. Dead Dog – Couch *
5. Sourpatch – Things You Say *
6. Little Lungs – Things Fall Apart
7. Slingshot Dakota – Michael Jordan Saved My Life
8. The Measure – Stop Calling *
9. The New Dress – Hey Kid *

SIDE B
1. No More – Flatland *
2. Noun – TV Shows *
3. The Two Funerals – Too Late *
4. Shellshag – Crybaby *
5. The Homewreckers – Uncontrolable Decay *
6. P.S. Eliot – Entendre *
7. WITCHES – Grey
8. Full of Fancy – The Needle and the Damage Done *

*un-released recording

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my kids love this stuff (anime) and so do the japanese!

Animetal-USA To Release Debut LP In Japan


Animetal-USA, a metal super-group comprised of Obsession vocalist Mike Vescera (Obsession, Ex-Loudness, Ex-Yngwie Malmsteen, MVP), bassist Rudy Sarzo (Whitesnake, Ex-OZZY OSBOURNE, Quiet Riot), drummer Scott Travis (Judas Priest) and guitarist Chris Impellitteri (Impellitteri) will release its debut self-titled LP in Japan on October 12, 2011.

Animetal-USA is a concept similar to Powerglove. The band will cover theme songs from Japanese anime series. The original Animetal was a Japanese band fronted by Anthem singer Eizo Sakamoto, but split up in 2006.













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love this album cover

NIGHTWISH: 'Imaginaerum' U.S. Release Date Announced


Finnish/Swedish symphonic metallers NIGHTWISH will release their new album, "Imaginaerum", in the U.S. on Tuesday, January 10, 2012 via Roadrunner Records; in Finland on Wednesday, November 30 and the rest of Europe on Friday, December 2 via Nuclear Blast Records

Read more at our friends at Blabbermouth
















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Caveman Vinyl Record Release

Caveman recently released their debut album 'CoCo Beware' via their own Magic Man! Records. The digital release will be followed by the physical CD and vinyl release on November 15th.

Tracklist

1. A Country's King of Dreams
2. Decide
3. My Time
4. Vampirer
5. Old Friend
6. Great Life
7. December 28th
8. Easy Water
9. Thankful
10. My Room

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DAMIAN WILSON Retrospective Artwork, Track Listing Revealed


British singer Damian Wilson (THRESHOLD, LANDMARQ, AYREON) has revealed the artwork and track listing for his upcoming compilation album, "I Thought The World Was Listening. 1997-2011", to be released on October 28. The 31-track, two-disc set features remastered tracks from throughout Wilson's solo career, re-recorded versions of important songs and previously unreleased new material.

Read more at our friends at Blabbermouth















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Mastercastle To Release New LP "Dangerous Diamonds" In November

Italian symphonic metal band Mastercastle announced that its third release 'Dangerous Diamonds' will be released on November 18, 2011. This is the follow up to the 2010 release 'Last Desire.'

Press Release:

"After two critically acclaimed releases, Italian metal masters Mastercastle return with their glittering new album ‘Dangerous Diamonds’, their third album in as many years. Once again the band has conjured up another batch of powerful and infectious metal tracks which mark their most accomplished work to date.

"Sitting somewhere between the timbres of the neo-classically tinted 2009 debut ‘The Phoenix’ and the straighter classic metal approach of last years ‘Last Desire’, ‘Dangerous Diamonds’ draws on the best aspects of its predecessors to further hone the bands trademark sound – powerful, melodic, epic and dynamic. Fans of its predecessors will revel in the 11 tracks on offer in the new release.

"Musically the band is driven by the trio of gifted guitarist Pier Gonella, bassist Steve Vawamas and drummer Alessandro Bissa. Musically adept and incredibly powerful in their performances its little wonder the band are picking up a solid fan base worldwide. This solid musical background is the right place for the soaring voice of Giorgia Gueglio to work her magic over. A female vocalist who has her own distinctive style, Giorgia’s vocals are powerful yet clean and deliver an excellent performance over the various moods of music on offer.

"Once again Giorgia draws on a wide range of topics for lyrical influence with the title track covering the hot topic of diamonds and the deeper meaning and evils of the precious stones. 'Icy Moon' tells the tale of fishermen and their life in unforgiving seas. 'Sixth Sun' gives the bands viewpoint on the Mayan 2012 prophecy whilst the ballad 'Loving Me' tells the importance of loving ourselves and the child we have been. 'Time For Lovers' tell the romantic tale of sweet but all too short romance that blossoms on a train between Paris and Berlin whilst “Au Premiere Coup” pays homage to Italian painter Bruno Galbiati (1932-1992) with his instinctive style also reflecting the way the track was composed. 'Bitter & Sweet' tells a tale about New York, a world of concrete, lights and little views of sky and freedom, yet a city that offers up sweetness as well.

"The seeds of ‘Dangerous Diamonds’ were sown when the band started composing the tracks in the summer 2010, just a few months after the release of 'Last Desire' album. By December 2010, 8 songs were written and recordings commenced in March 2011 at Pier Gonella’s studio (Music Art studio). The album was mixed in May by Pier and Giorgia. Finally Pier mastered the album with Simone Mularoni at his 'Domination Studio' over the summer of 2011.

"The final sound of ‘Dangerous Diamonds' is the best yet from Mastercastle being big, open, warm and clear in sound, free of gimmicks with a no-nonsense approach. This is an album that will beg to be played loud when released on 18th November 2011."

Tracklist

1. Another Flower
2. Alone
3. Time 4 Lovers
4. Icy Moon
5. Au Premiere Coup
6. Dangerous Diamonds
7. Take Off
8. Blue Diamond (instrumental)
9. Lovin’ Me
10. Sixth Sun
11. Bitter & Sweet

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Surfer Blood Set To Release The 4 Track Tarot Classics EP

On October 24, West Palm Beach based quartet Surfer Blood are scheduled to release the 4 track Tarot Classics EP via Kanine Records. It will be their first extended release since their breakout debut LP 'Astro Coast,' released in 2010 to widespread critical acclaim.

In amidst a hectic year spent touring nonstop with the likes of The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, Interpol, The Drums and others, Surfer Blood have put together a tantalising 4 track teaser of things to come, expanding their sonic palette while also, in frontman JP Pitts' own estimation, tightening up their sound considerably. So while the rousing, muscular pop of "I'm Not Ready" - which fans might already recognize as a singalong live favourite - kicks things off in admirably anthemic fashion, the rest of the EP also sees the band darting off in exciting new directions. "Voyager Reprise" and "Miranda" push the band's breezily beautiful and effortlessly tuneful aesthetic to ambitious, dizzying new heights (complete with horns and samples), but it is the closer "Drinking Problem" which sees the band at their most playful and experimental yet, with the song borne aloft primarily by synths and drum machines, as Pitts sings, "you don't know I can't believe you/ but it's not like I don't want to/ anyone can make excuses/ at least I don't mind".

The Tarot Classics EP will be released on vinyl, digital and CD formats, and will include bonus remixes by Totally Sincere (aka Connor Hanwick of the Drums and Peggy Wang of The Pains of Being Pure at Heart), San Francisco based Speculator, School Of Seven Bells and Allen Blickle. In addition, the band will be heading out on tour stateside with the Pixies this autumn, before heading over to the UK for shows with The Vaccines and at ATP's Nightmare Before Christmas in December.

Tracklist

1. I'm Not Ready
2. Miranda
3. Voyager Reprise
4. Drinking Problem

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don't normally cover dvd releases, however, these shows were a big thing when i was a kid and are some of the best comedy bits of the day:

The Monkees, Eagle Rock Releasing TV Series Box Set

Next Tuesday, September 27, Eagle Rock will release both television seasons of The Monkees in two separate boxed sets. This is the first time in over 10 years that both seasons have become available on DVD, since their original Rhino Records release.

The 32 half-hour episodes of Season #1, contained on six discs, originally aired in 1966. It was the first time on American television that a situation comedy keyed in on the zany escapades of a Beatles-styled rock band. The type of stylized new-age cinematic techniques (ala A Hard Day's Night) were coupled with music from some of finest songwriters in America (Gerry Goffin/Carole King, David Gates, Neil Diamond, Barry Mann/Cynthia Weil). The terminally cute vocalist Davy Jones, guitarist Mike Nesmith, bassist Peter Tork and drummer Micky Dolenz catapulted songs such as "I'm A Believer," "(I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone," "Daydream Believer," "Last Train To Clarksville" and "Pleasant Valley Sunday" into huge hits. Bonus features for the first season include commentary from the band and the show's directors, trivia for each episode, a 16mm version of the original pilot, discography and vintage Monkees Kelloggs commercials.

The 26 episodes of 1967's Emmy Award-winning Season #2, spread out over five discs, contains bonus commentary, trivia and discography. One can see a maturation in musical style between the two seasons as Jones, Nesmith, Tork and Dolenz actually transform themselves into that which they, at first, portrayed as actors. Their innate comedic talents, coupled with their obvious musical ingenuity, makes both seasons a fascinating time capsule of the 1960s.

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Review: Winterland - Jimi Hendrix Experience

Jimi Hendrix Experience Winterland (available as 4 CD Deluxe Box Set, an 8 12" 180 gram Vinyl Audiophile LP Deluxe Box Set or 1 CD Winterland Highlights)

Winterland is drawn from six stellar shows recorded over three days (October 10, 11 & 12, 1968) at San Francisco's historic Winterland Ballroom. These special performances celebrated the two year anniversary of the Jimi Hendrix Experience and came just as the groundbreaking album Electric Ladyland was released.

Read more at our friends at vintagevinylnews.com



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a new record store in nevada, i love it!

Clocktower Records coming to downtown Grass Valley

By Trina Kleist/Staff Writer

Husband-and-wife team Kurt Smith and Debra Kiva-Smith are passing on the reins of their Eco-Community Thrift, in Grass Valley, as they pursue plans to open new businesses downtown.

After building up Eco-Community Thrift's reputation as both a business that supports local nonprofits and a great place to find used records, Kurt Smith plans to dive into his passion: Vinyl.

Debra Kiva-Smith, who has studied astrology for 20 years, is excited about offering readings to the public.

Smith will open Clocktower Records Oct. 1 at 130 W. Main St., where This N That recently closed; Kiva-Smith will work upstairs. He plans a grand opening Oct. 6, he said.

Smith envisions the space as a retro music store, selling used records (33 rpm and 45 rpm) from his collection of about 50,000 items, plus posters from the 1960s and 1970s. He'll also sell record players, used musical instruments and offer services to repair both; music lessons will be offered in the upstairs space, he added.

Read the rest at theunion.com

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more great news, another record store in the news!

Records, turntables come back to North Fulton

Mojo Vinyl opens in Roswell

by Jonathan Copsey/Editor, Milton Herald

ROSWELL, Ga. - North Fulton might be surprised, but a record store just opened up in Roswell.

For the younger generation reading this, a "record" is a sound impression on a disc of "vinyl." It's like a large, two-sided CD. But then, the youth of today might actually be well versed in records. According to Rand Cabus, owner of the Mojo Vinyl record store in Roswell, LPs are seeing a renaissance.

"The only segment of the music industry that has grown in the past three years is vinyl," Cabus said. "MP3 sales are flat, CDs are falling. But vinyl has grown. It's still small, but it's growing."

Read the rest at northfulton.com

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"The Colbert Report" Makes Show History by Expanding to a Full Hour for the First Time Ever and Featuring Music Icon Radiohead on Monday, September 26 From 11:30 p.m.-12:30 a.m. ET/PT

Legendary Band To Perform Songs From Their 2011 Release "King Of Limbs" Including The New And Previously Unreleased Track "The Daily Mail"

One Song To Be Exclusively Available Only At www.ColbertNation.com


NEW YORK, Sept. 19, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Stephen Colbert rocks out with a special one-hour episode of "The Colbert Report" for the first time ever! The super-sized show will feature interviews and performances by Radiohead intertwined with regular series segments. The band is set to perform songs from their recent release "King of Limbs" including the new and previously unreleased track "The Daily Mail." One song will be exclusively available at www.ColbertNation.com. Tune in to "The Colbert Report" on Monday, September 26 from 11:30 p.m.-12:30 a.m. ET/PT to watch this epic episode.

"I look forward to meeting the Radioheads and leveraging their anti-corporate indie cred to raise brand awareness for my sponsors," said Colbert.

Musicians who have previously appeared on the show include The Black Belles, Talib Kweli, Florence & The Machine, Bon Iver, LCD Soundsystem, Steve Martin and The Steep Canyon Rangers, Gorillaz, Cee Lo Green, Alicia Keys, Paul Simon, Neil Young, Tony Bennett, Willie Nelson, R.E.M., The Roots, John Legend, Barry Manilow, John Mellencamp, NAS, Toby Keith, Feist, Rush, Peter Frampton, Carole King, Elvis Costello, among many others.

"The Colbert Report" airs Monday-Thursday at 11:30 p.m. and repeats at 2:30 a.m. the same night and at 10:00 a.m., 1:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. the following day (all times ET/PT). Full episodes, as well as clips, are posted for viewing the following day at www.ColbertNation.com with URL and embed links.

"The Colbert Report" is produced by Jon Stewart's Busboy Productions, Inc. in association with Colbert's Spartina Productions, Inc. Stewart, Colbert and Tom Purcell are the executive producers with Meredith Bennett and Richard Dahm as co-executive producers. Jim Hoskinson is the director. Lisa Leingang is the executive in charge of production for COMEDY CENTRAL.

SOURCE COMEDY CENTRAL Corporate Communications

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Journey's GREATEST HITS VOL. 2 Spans Hit Singles, Album Tracks and Rarities From 1978 to 1996


Journey's Enduring Appeal Is Affirmed Everywhere From Rock Band To The Sopranos, from Broadway's Rock Of Ages to Television's Glee

CD and gatefold double 180-gram virgin vinyl edition of GREATEST HITS VOL. 2 -- AND gatefold double 180-gram virgin vinyl edition of original GREATEST HITS -- available everywhere starting November 1, 2011


NEW YORK, Sept. 19, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- GREATEST HITS VOL. 2, a brand-new collection of original recordings by the mega-platinum band Journey will be available as a single CD, digital download, and special gatefold double-vinyl edition (which includes a code for a free digital download of the vinyl remastered album), available starting November 1, 2011. This new package from Columbia/Legacy, a division of SONY MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT, spans singles and album tracks recorded between 1978 and 1996.

Journey's original Greatest Hits collection is one of the top-selling American rock albums of all time with worldwide sales in excess of 25 million. In conjunction with the double-LP version of GREATEST HITS VOL. 2, the original Greatest Hits will also be issued as a gatefold double-vinyl edition on the same date, November 1 (which also includes a code for a free digital download of the vinyl remastered album).

Journey, founded by guitar virtuoso Neal Schon in 1973, has achieved iconic pop culture status that has earned the band cumulative sales of more than 62 million albums, singles, and digital tracks in the U.S. alone. Their enduring appeal is affirmed everywhere from Rock Band to Tony Soprano's musical daydreams on HBO's The Sopranos, from Broadway's Rock Of Ages to FOX's Family Guy. Most notably, the cast of Glee celebrated Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'" on the series premiere episode of 2009. The kids later paid homage with three songs on 2010's Journey to Regionals ("Faithfully," the medley of "Any Way You Want It / Lovin' Touchin' Squeezin'," and the new Regionals version of "Don't Stop Believin'").

When asked about his experience in the remastering back to vinyl of the original recordings of the Journey Greatest Hits and the new GREATEST HITS VOL. 2, Steve Perry replied, "I truly forgot how sonically exciting and just plain better these Journey tracks sound back where they originally lived...on Vinyl. The stereo separation, the center imaging and the sonic depth of the tracks themselves is more true to what we all loved about these original final mixes. All the instruments and voices, to me personally, sound so damn good that all I want to do is reach for the volume and turn it up!"

"I'm very excited to be releasing this compilation," said Neal Schon. "Many of these songs were written in our earlier days by Steve Perry and myself, and hearing them again brings back great memories. 'Little Girl' has an extra special meaning for me because it's one of the songs my father, who worked with us for many years, worked on with us. All our songs have stood the test of time, and I hope our fans will enjoy this collection."

Jonathan Cain added, "Escape was my first album with Journey in 1981 and I never looked back. A lot of the songs in those days were in pieces -- like a puzzle to figure out. The connection we had was magic -- and like a Super Bowl team -- we always found a way to get it right."

Covering 18 central years in the Journey saga, GREATEST HITS VOL. 2 includes tracks from the band's fourth album, Infinity (1978), produced by Roy Thomas Baker, which marked the entry of Steve Perry's distinctive lead vocals into the lineup ("Feeling That Way," "Anytime," "Patiently").

Their next album, Evolution (1979) was also produced by Baker and features "Just The Same Way". Departure (1980) was the first of seven consecutive studio albums by Journey to reach the Top 10, and platinum or multi-platinum, over the next 16 years ("Walks Like A Lady," "Good Morning Girl," "Stay Awhile").

One of the cornerstone bands in radio's new Album Rock format, Journey's popularity was so overwhelming that they were able to release a single from their double-LP concert set, Captured (1981). "The Party's Over (Hopelessly In Love)" broke inside the Top 40, and was the #2 song on Billboard's Mainstream Rock chart.

Journey's hold on the charts continued with Escape (1981), the band's first #1 album. Escape spent nearly three years on Billboard's Top 200 chart and produced four hit singles -- "Who's Crying Now," "Don't Stop Believin'," "Open Arms" (all on Greatest Hits) and "Still They Ride" along with the rock staples, "Stone In Love," "Mother, Father" and the title track "Escape" (all on GREATEST HITS VOL. 2).

Escape was produced by Mike Stone (Queen, Kiss, America and others) and Kevin Elson, who went on to produce the next album, Frontiers (1983). Frontiers ("After The Fall," "Chain Reaction") debuted the week before Michael Jackson's Thriller hit #1 -- thus the LP had the distinction of being one of many albums to occupy the #2 spot (for nine weeks) during Thriller's reign at the top.

Raised On Radio was released in 1986, featuring an assortment of top studio musicians including noted jazz-funk-R&B bassist Randy Jackson (of American Idol) who went on to tour with Journey through 1987. Raised On Radio was another double-platinum album for Journey, spending 67 weeks on the album chart, and spinning off the Top 20 hit "Suzanne."

In 1992, Journey became one of the first American rock bands to release a deluxe multi-CD box set, Time(3). Comprised mostly of hit singles and key album tracks from the band's first dozen albums, Time(3) also contained a number of previously unreleased tracks and rarities. Among these was "Little Girl," from the original motion picture soundtrack of Dream After Dream, an obscure foreign film whose entire score was performed by Journey, issued by Columbia in 1980.

A Journey reunion took place in the '90s, and the recording of Trial By Fire (1996) was the result, with Steve Perry, Neal Schon, Jonathan Cain, Ross Valory, and Steve Smith all on-board for their first album together since Frontiers. Featuring "When I Think Of You," Trial By Fire rose to #3 and continued Journey's platinum streak.

GREATEST HITS VOL. 2 wraps up with a live concert version of "Mother, Father" -- a highlight of Live In Houston 1981 - Escape Tour, a Columbia/Legacy archive release in 2005 which featured both video and audio versions of the same 75-minute program.

As Rolling Stone contributing editor David Wild wrote, "Whether on the radio or on some stage, these well-built tunes remain sturdy crowd pleasers to this very day, in their second century of airplay. Some DJ is playing a Journey song somewhere right now and many more are out there singing along -- you can bet on it."

GREATEST HITS VOL. 2 by JOURNEY (Columbia/Legacy 88697 77986 2) Selections: 1. Stone In Love - 2. After The Fall - 3. Chain Reaction - 4. The Party's Over (Hopelessly In Love) - 5. Escape - 6. Still They Ride - 7. Good Morning Girl - 8. Stay Awhile - 9. Suzanne - 10. Feeling That Way - 11. Anytime - 12. Walks Like A Lady - 13. Little Girl - 14. Just The Same Way - 15. Patiently - 16. When I Think Of You - 17. Mother, Father (Live In Houston, 1981).

Greatest Hits Vol. 2 vinyl and CD meticulously remastered to vinyl by Robert Hadley and Steve Perry at The Mastering Lab in Ojai, CA.

Greatest Hits Vol. 1 vinyl meticulously remastered to vinyl by Doug Sax, Robert Hadley and Steve Perry at The Mastering Lab in Ojai, CA.

www.LegacyRecordings.com

SOURCE Legacy Recordings

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Note of Hope Out September 27th

Woody Guthrie's Words Inspire Contributors Jackson Browne, Ani DiFranco, Kurt Elling, Michael Franti, Nellie McKay, Tom Morello, Van Dyke Parks, Madeleine Peyroux, Lou Reed, Pete Seeger, Studs Terkel, Tony Trischka, Rob Wasserman And Chris Whitley

Collection Will Be Amazon.com's "Daily Deal" On September 26th


SANTA MONICA, Calif., Sept. 19, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- As the centennial of his birth approaches, the words of Woody Guthrie – America's greatest folksinger – seem more relevant than ever on the forthcoming album Note of Hope (429 Records). The Amazon.com Mp3 Store (www.Amazonmp3.com) will make Note of Hope the "Daily Deal" on September 26th, and MSN.com will host a listening party on September 27th, the day of its release and Jackson Browne's radio single from the album 'You Know the Night' is already topping AAA radio charts across the US.

"I was startled by how down to earth, funny and sophisticated Woody's lyrics were. Urban. They could have been written yesterday," says Lou Reed, who hits a nerve with a first-person tale of a man wandering Coney Island and contemplating "The Debt I Owe."

Reed is one of a stellar group of artists who collaborated with GRAMMY®-winning bassist Rob Wasserman to create Note of Hope's 12 tracks, which are based on primarily unpublished words and writings penned by Guthrie between 1942 and 1954 while he was living in New York City and Brooklyn.

Jackson Browne recently explained to Rolling Stone how Guthrie's 30-page notebook entry about the evening he met Marjorie Mazia, his second wife, became the nearly 15-minute "You Know the Night." You can get the details and hear both the album version and the 4-minute radio edit at rollingstone.com .

"Woody Guthrie has been hugely inspirational to my solo Nightwatchman work," notes Tom Morello. "'Revolutionary Mind' is a great lyric combining fury and humor, a story of love and longing in the midst of a class war throwdown."

Michael Franti brings to light another side of Guthrie with the earthy "Union Love Juice." "Woody is known for his story telling, and his socially conscious lyrics, but this song came from a poem which is about him expressing his sexual freedom," observes Franti.

"I love 'Old Folks' because it's beautiful and noble, in a way only the very old and nature can be. It's about the essence of life - so many otherwise perceptive people fall into the facile trap of youth worship. Woody's song is an honest breeze blowing through," says Nellie McKay, who confesses that, as she wrote the song: "I kept wanting to ask his advice."

"It was in deep Brooklyn that I heard my father tear up and crackle while singing (or song-speaking) the lyrics to 'This Land Is Your Land.' 'As far as I'm concerned, that is the American national anthem,' he said," recalls Madeleine Peyroux, who contributes the sultry, politically charged "Wild Card in the Hole." "At this later time in life, I feel as close to the new songs of Woody as I did to my father's wet cheeks."

The collection kicks off with the evocative Van Dyke Parks' instrumental arrangement "The Note of Hope." Parks observes: "Guthrie fueled the counter-culture of the '60s. If it weren't for his prime example of unbartered love, courageous songsmiths like Phil Ochs et al would not have had a template to contemplate."

Ani DiFranco, Kurt Elling, Pete Seeger, Studs Terkel, Tony Trischka and Chris Whitley also contributed to Note of Hope, which The Australian hailed as "an extraordinary achievement that defies generic pigeonholing." The release is the first of a series of events leading up to the 2012 centennial celebration of Guthrie's birth. Note of Hope was conceived by Nora Guthrie, Woody's daughter, who asked Rob Wasserman to lead the project. You can check out their interviews with American Songwriter at:

www.americansongwriter.com

Woody Guthrie was born on July 14th, 1912 in Okemah, Oklahoma, and wrote over 3,000 songs in his lifetime. In February 2012, The GRAMMY Museum, in conjunction with Woody Guthrie Publications, Inc. and the Woody Guthrie Archives, will kick off a yearlong celebration that will include tribute concerts at the Brady Theater in Tulsa, OK (March 10, 2012) and at L.A. Live in Los Angeles (April 14, 2012). Details on these and other centennial events can be found at www.woody100.com.

For more information on Note of Hope, visit: www.429records.com

SOURCE 429 Records

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Ditch the Day Job - Become a Rock Star!

QUEEN DRUMMER ROGER TAYLOR TO LAUNCH NORTH AMERICAN TALENT SEARCH

VEVO TO UNVEIL EXCLUSIVE FOOTAGE FROM EACH AUDITION ROUND AND FINALS

WINNERS WILL BE PART OF THE QUEEN EXTRAVAGANZA LIVE TOUR LAUNCHING IN 2012

AUDITIONS BEGIN SEPTEMBER 19


BURBANK, Calif., Sept. 19, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- As part of this year's celebration of Queen's 40th anniversary, Queen drummer/songwriter/singer Roger Taylor is launching a North American talent search that will offer "s**t hot vocalists and musicians" the opportunity to star in the Queen Extravaganza Live Tour. Taylor will endeavour to assemble the most talented band to perform Queen's music, outside of Queen themselves, of course, to carry on the celebration. Auditions begin September 19th at www.queenextravaganza.com  and the tour, booked by powerhouse agency CAA, launches in 2012.

Auditions are open to vocalists, guitarists, drummers, bass players and keyboard players.

"The Queen Extravaganza will not be a traditional tribute show," says Taylor. "It's a brand-new show specially designed to enable fans to celebrate the music of Queen in a heart-stopping event."

The Queen Extravaganza will bring the glorious music and live experience of Queen to a new generation of fans in cities across the US in 2012.

"It's going to be spectacular," says Taylor. "It's going to be very visual, there are going to be some shocks and some tremendous surprises. It will be a rock celebration in the royal tradition."

Beginning September 19, Taylor will launch a North American talent search via www.queenextravaganza.com to find players for a 5-piece band and three vocalists who will carry the tour. Taylor is fully hands-on in the creation of The Extravaganza, taking the role of producer and music director.

Coming on board to ensure the touring show will match the design and excitement of Queen at its best will be such rock tour heavyweights as stage designer Mark Fisher (U2, AC/DC, Muse, The Rolling Stones, Cirque de Soleil) and lighting designer Rob Sinclair (Adele, Vampire Weekend, Goldfrapp, Peter Gabriel), and for the auditions, Roger Taylor and a panel of renowned musicians.

The audition process involves two video audition rounds to be judged by both a panel of appointed judges and the public. Taylor will be present to judge the final audition round, which will be held live in Los Angeles in early December. In addition, VEVO, the world's leading music video and entertainment platform, will unveil exclusive content from each audition round as well as and The Queen Extravaganza finals.

In a special tribute, VEVO will also showcase classic Queen videos including "Bohemian Rhapsody," "Another One Bites The Dust," "We Will Rock You," "Under Pressure," "We Are The Champions," "Fat Bottomed Girls," "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" and "You're My Best Friend" across their platform over the next few weeks.

Taylor, a man whose drum skills and songwriting talents have contributed to over 300 million record sales and over 700 live concerts in every part of the world, says: "There are great musicians everywhere, and this is a really exciting challenge for us to try and unearth some of those musicians from the US."

The Queen Extravaganza audition launch goes live September 19 at WWW.QUEENEXTRAVAGANZA.COM  

http://vevo.ly/ikx6sN  - embed link "I Want To Break Free"

http://vevo.ly/dO5yRU  - embed link "Bohemian Rhapsody"

http://vevo.ly/gtragt  - embed link "Under Pressure"

http://vevo.ly/dYwcWr  - embed link "Tie Your Mother Down"

http://vevo.ly/h64JA7  - embed link "We Are The Champions"

ABOUT ROGER TAYLOR AND QUEEN

Together with band mates Brian May, John Deacon and the unforgettable Freddie Mercury, Roger Taylor brought a new dimension to live music. The band has released a total of 18 chart-topping albums and 18 #1 singles, while selling more than 300 million albums worldwide, making them one of the biggest rock acts of all time. They've received seven Ivor Novello awards in the U.K., were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001, the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2003, the UK Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004, and even received their own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, in October 2002.

As the centerpiece in the 40th anniversary celebration, Queen's entire 15-album studio catalog is being reissued in a series of deluxe editions. Every note is being tweaked, every piece of artwork is being cleaned, freshened up and resourced, wherever necessary, with the legendary Bob Ludwig doing the remastering, working from the original source material. The first installment, comprised of the first five LPs (QUEEN, QUEEN II, SHEER HEART ATTACK, A NIGHT AT THE OPERA, A DAY AT THE RACES) was released May 17, the second installment (NEWS OF THE WORLD, JAZZ, THE GAME, FLASH GORDON, HOT SPACE) was just released on September 13 and the final installment is set to come out later this year.

September 5th would have been legendary Queen frontman Freddie Mercury's 65th birthday. To mark the occasion, Queen streamed their historic 1986 concert Queen Live At Wembley Stadium for 48 hours on YouTube. Stars such as Katy Perry, members of Foo Fighters and My Chemical Romance took to YouTube to present video tribute to Mercury. The entire two day celebration garnered over 4 million views.

Google also paid tribute by posting worldwide a rare and extraordinary tribute to Freddie Mercury with a very special Google doodle on its homepage. The animated Google doodle was created to celebrate the life and talents of the legendary Queen frontman. The worldwide tribute from Google is something that doesn't happen very often. Google has previously run video doodles for other legendary entertainers including John Lennon.

SOURCE Hollywood Records

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Paul Simon Hand-Picks Songs & Performances for Songwriter, a New Collection Chronicling Five Decades of Music

2 Disc Set Illuminates Artist's Evolution From 1960s to Present

Worldwide Release on Monday, October 24, 2011


NEW YORK, Sept. 16, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Songwriter is a selection of songs, chosen by the composer, as the best of his decades-long creative output. Some of these are well-known hits and others more obscure works, but all bear the distinct lyrical, melodic and rhythmic signature of Paul Simon, one of the great composers of popular song in the last 50 years. As Simon has said, "I think of myself as a songwriter first, the recording artist and performer in me follow in the writer's footsteps."

Simon brought his own unique perspective on the nuances of his catalog in the assemblage of Songwriter. The album includes an emotionally resonant rendition of "The Sound of Silence," from Simon's 2011 concert at New York's Webster Hall, Aretha Franklin's transcendent studio take on "Bridge Over Trouble Water" and other selections from the artist's critically-acclaimed catalog of songs.

Selecting the individual songs for Songwriter, from the hundreds he's written and recorded, presented Paul Simon an opportunity to reflect over the entirety of his career. The collection showcases the individual songs best-exemplifying the high-points in his conversations with the muses, from his early work with Simon & Garfunkel to his ruminations on 2011's So Beautiful or So What.

Songwriter includes liner notes by music journalist Tom Moon, who notes that the collection, "....features commercial landmarks alongside ambitious and often criminally under-appreciated compositions. This structure makes the case that hit-single success is just one (often over-emphasized) measure; inevitably, with an artist who has contributed as much as Simon has, some of the 'smaller' pieces get overlooked.... What you learn, listening to this 'director's cut' sampler from a long career, is that there have always been conversations bubbling inside of Simon's tunes, and those conversations take many forms...."

The release of Songwriter signals a banner year for Simon, who turns 70 on October 13.

Paul Simon - Songwriter

Disc 1

1. The Sound Of Silence (Live at Webster Hall 2011) - new unreleased 2. The Boxer - Paul Simon - Live Central Park 3. Bridge Over Troubled Water - Aretha Franklin - studio version 4. Mother And Child Reunion 5. Tenderness 6. Peace Like A River 7. American Tune 8. Kodachrome 9. Something So Right 10. Late In The Evening 11. Train In The Distance 12. Hearts And Bones 13. Rene And Georgette Magritte With Their Dog After The War 14. Still Crazy After All These Years 15. Diamonds On The Soles Of Her Shoes 16. The Boy In The Bubble 17. Graceland

Disc 2

1. Obvious Child 2. Further To Fly 3. The Cool, Cool River 4. Spirit Voices 5. Born In Puerto Rico 6. Quality 7. Darling Lorraine 8. Look At That 9. Senorita With A Necklace Of Tears 10. That's Me 11. Another Galaxy 12. Father And Daughter 13. Rewrite 14. Love And Hard Times 15. So Beautiful Or So What

SOURCE Legacy Recordings

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for shits and giggles, found this on youtube



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and in music history for today:

In 1955, Pat Boone has his first US #1 hit with a cover version of Fats Domino's "Ain't It A Shame", re-named "Ain't That A Shame". Boone would continue recording cleaned-up versions of R&B hits and would enjoy a string of five US chart toppers over the next two years.

In 1960, former chicken plucker Chubby Checker went to #1 on the U.S. singles chart with “The Twist.” The same record would make a return to number one in January, 1962, becoming the first single in history to accomplish that feat.

Also in 1960, Hank Ballard & the Midnighters became the first group to have three songs in the Billboard Hot 100 at the same time ("Finger Poppin' Time," "Let's Go Let's Go Let's Go," "The Twist").

The Who appeared at the Oldfield Hotel, Greenford, England in 1963.

In 1964, "A Summer Song" by the British duo of Chad and Jeremy enters the Billboard chart, on its way to #7. Although they would place a total of seven hits in the US Top 40, this will be their only Top 10 entry.

In 1968, Steppenwolf received their first gold record for the cut "Born to be Wild." Although the song is often used in films about biker gangs, it was originally written by Mars Bonfire as a slow ballad. It is sometimes described as the first heavy metal song, and the second verse lyric "heavy metal thunder," marks the first use of this term in rock music

Born to be Wild" was the band's third single off their debut album and became the most successful single, reaching #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles charts. In 2004, Rolling Stone magazine placed "Born to be Wild" at #129 on the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time list. In 2009, it was named the 53rd best hard rock song of all time by VH1.

With the line "Heavy Metal Thunder," this became the first popular song to use the phrase "Heavy Metal," which became a term for hard rock. William Burroughs is credited with coining the phrase, as he used it in his 1962 novel The Soft Machine, describing his character Uranian Willy as "the Heavy Metal Kid." Burroughs told The Paris Review: "I felt that heavy metal was sort of the ultimate expression of addiction, that there's something actually metallic in addiction, that the final stage reached is not so much vegetable as mineral."

This was written by Mars Bonfire, which is the stage name of Dennis Edmonton. He wasn't a member of Steppenwolf, but his brother Jerry was the band's drummer. Bonfire wrote a few other songs for Steppenwolf as well, including "Ride With Me" and "Tenderness."

Explaining how he came up with the song, Bonfire said: "I was walking down Hollywood Boulevard one day and saw a poster in a window saying 'Born to Ride' with a picture of a motorcycle erupting out of the earth like a volcano with all this fire around it. Around this time I had just purchased my first car, a little secondhand Ford Falcon. So all this came together lyrically: the idea of the motorcycle coming out along with the freedom and joy I felt in having my first car and being able to drive myself around whenever I wanted. 'Born To Be Wild' didn't stand out initially. Even the publishers at Leeds Music didn't take it as the first or second song I gave them. They got it only because I signed as a staff writer. Luckily, it stood out for Steppenwolf. It's like a fluke rather than an achievement, though."

The song was initially released in 1968, but it was subsequently included in many compilation albums and soundtracks. The first of these was the soundtrack for the movie Easy Rider (1969). Unlike the album or single version, the song on this soundtrack is accompanied by the sounds of motorcycles as an introduction. (Another Steppenwolf song from their first album, "The Pusher", was also used in the film.) When the movie was in production, Born to Be Wild was used simply as a placeholder, since Peter Fonda had wanted Crosby, Stills and Nash to do the movie's soundtrack. Eventually, it became clear that the song was well suited for the movie.

Other movies that have used the Steppenwolf version of Born to Be Wild include Problem Child, Coming Home, One Crazy Summer, Opportunity Knocks, Dr. Dolittle 2, Speechless, Armed and Dangerous, Mr Bean's Holiday, Wild America, and many others.



In 1969, Creedence Clearwater Revival scored their only UK #1 single with “Bad Moon Rising” a U.S. #2 hit. Also on this day, the group started a four-week run at #1 on the U.S. album chart with Green River.

'Get Yer Ya Ya's Out' was released by the Rolling Stones in 1970.

In 1971, the Jackson 5's Goin' Back To Indiana TV special aired on ABC-TV. With guests Bill Cosby, Tommy Smothers, Bobby Darin and Diana Ross, the show also produced a 'live' soundtrack album that featured the hit single "I Want You Back".

In 1973, country-rock singer- songwriter 26-year-old Gram Parsons, formerly of The Byrds and The Flying Burrito Brothers, died under mysterious conditions in Joshua Tree, California. His death was attributed to heart failure but later was officially announced as a drug overdose. His coffin was stolen by two of his associates, manager Phil Kaufman and Michael Martin, a former roadie for The Byrds, and was taken to Cap Rock in the California desert, where it was set alight, in accordance to Parson's wishes. The two were later arrested by police.

In 1974, Max Weinberg made his debut as the drummer for Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band.

Also in 1974, Bad Company's debut album (self titled) goes gold.

In 1975, Eric Clapton got a gold record for "I Shot The Sheriff."

In 1979, the No Nukes concert was held at New York’s Madison Square Garden. Performers included Stephen Stills, David Crosby, Jackson Browne, Bonnie Raitt, The Doobie Brothers, Poco, Tom Petty, Carly Simon, James Taylor and Bruce Springsteen.

Also in 1979, the New York Post runs a front-page headline reading "The Beatles Are Back!" and reports that the Fab Four will play a benefit concert for the Kampuchean boat people. Paul McCartney was reported as saying that "if the Beatles ever did reform, we'd have to rehearse for six months." The reunion of course, never takes place.

In 1981, Simon and Garfunkel reunited for a concert in New York’s Central Park. Over 400,000 fans attend the show. The performance was recorded for a record and video release.

In 1981, on the strength of the single "Start Me Up", The Rolling Stones album "Tattoo You" started a nine week run at #1 on the Billboard album chart. Primarily composed of outtakes from previous recording sessions, some dating back a decade, it is the last Rolling Stones album to reach the top position of the US charts.

In 1985, a US Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation convenes to discuss the "contents of music and the lyrics of records" following pressure from the Parents Music Resource Center. Despite passionate pleas from John Denver, Frank Zappa and many others, the recording industry will eventually agree to implement parent advisory stickers on certain records.

In 1987, Farm Aid III was held in Lincoln, NB with Alex Harvey, Emmylou Harris, Steppenwolf, Vince Gill, Lyle Lovett, John Denver, Lou Reed, John Mellencamp, Neil Young, Bandaloo Doctors, Joe Walsh, Willie Nelson, The Unforgiven and Dr. Starr

In 1997, VH1 aired "Storytellers" live for the first time. The show was a 90 minute special featuring Elton John from the House of Blues in New Orleans, LA.

In 1999, Ed Cobb of The Four Preps died of leukemia at the age of 61. The group placed seven songs on the Billboard Top 40 between 1958 and 1961, including "26 Miles (Santa Catalina)", "Down By The Station" and "Big Man".

In 2004, The Guinness World Records released figures that showed that Status Quo have had more hit singles on the UK chart than any other band history. The group made the chart 61 times, dating from "Pictures of Matchstick Men" in 1968 to "You'll Come Around" in 2004. Queen was second with 52 hits, while The Rolling Stones and UB40 had 51 hits each.

In 2006, Danny Flores, who played saxophone on The Champs' 1958, number one hit, "Tequila" passed away at the age of 77.

In 2010, John Lennon's son Julian told the press that he has ended his long-running feud with his half-brother Sean and his step-mother Yoko Ono, which started after the former Beatle was murdered in December, 1980. The trio battled in court for a share of the singer's estate, but Julian now says "Things are good between us. Whenever I'm in New York, we all get together."

birthdays today (among others) Trisha Yearwood (47), Jarvis Cocker (Pulp) (48), Sylvia Tyson (Ian & Sylvia) (71), Ryan Dusick (Maroon 5) (34), Bill Medley (Righteous Brothers) (71), Freda Payne (69), John Coghlan (Status Quo) (65) and Lol Creme (10cc) (64)

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