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6/30/08
AEROSMITH'S STEVEN TYLER ADMITS HE WENT TO REHAB FOR PILLS

Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler admitted to the Associated Press on Friday (June 27th) that he checked into a California rehab facility last month to fight off a dependency on pain and sleep medication. Tyler initially stated that he had gone into the facility to speed his recovery from foot surgery. But as he explained on Friday, "To have your feet done, to have your leg done, you have to be on narcotics. You have to be on sleep aids at night...I was off and running and I didn't like the me that was me." Tyler added, "This was a month ago, so I just put the brakes on and checked into detox and just pulled the plug on all of it."

• Tyler first said in late May that he had checked into the rehab center to find a "safe environment" in which to recuperate from several foot surgeries and physical therapy. The procedures were meant to correct longstanding injuries resulting from his more than three decades of performing onstage.
• The 60-year-old Tyler was a poster child for drug and alcohol abuse in the '70s, but got clean and sober more than 20 years ago as Aerosmith experienced a career renaissance.
• Tyler made his latest remarks during a press conference at the Hard Rock Cafe in New York City on Friday, where the band offered a sneak preview of the new video game Guitar Hero: Aerosmith.
• According to Billboard.com, all five members of the group were on hand to answer questions, while fans got a chance to try the game out ahead of its release this week.
• The game allows players to progress through the band's entire career, which spans nearly 40 years, playing a number of Aerosmith classics as well as songs by associated artists like Run DMC and Joan Jett.
• Guitar Hero: Aerosmith is available on all three major game platforms, Wii, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 2 and 3.
• The game is the fourth in the phenomenally successful Guitar Hero series, but the first to be based around a specific act. Following the arrival of Guitar Hero: World Tour this fall, a new edition centered around Metallica is rumored to be on tap for early next year.

TED NUGENT RESPONDS TO SUPREME COURT RULING ON THE RIGHT TO OWN GUNS

Outspoken guitar legend Ted Nugent reacted to Thursday's (June 26th) Supreme Court 5-4 ruling that individual Americans have the right to own guns for personal use by stating in a release, "...not only does a lunatic fringe of anti-freedom Americans dismiss our founding fathers' clear declaration of independence and succinct enumeration of our God-given individual rights, but some Americans have the arrogance and audacity to question whether the right to self-defense is indeed one of these individual rights." He then goes on to claim that four out of the nine "so-called Supreme justices" are among those "soulless" people.

As a fifth-term member of the Board of Directors of the NRA and an avid hunter and gun collector, Nugent has strong feelings about the right to keep, bear and own guns and was clearly outraged that the decision handed down was not unanimous. He further said that keeping a gun "means the gun is mine and you can't have it. This does not mean I will register it with a government agency. The goverment works for 'we the people,' not the other way around, regardless of what Hillary Clinton, Ted Kennedy, Hitler, MaoTse Tung, Pol Pot, Saddam Hussein or Barack Hussein Obama or four supreme justices may try to tell you."

• He also stated that his definition of "bearing arms" means, "I've got it right here, on me, either in my grasp or damn near. This does not mean locked away in a safe, trigger-locked or stored at the local sporting club."
• Nugent signed off by saying, "Now is the time to fortify America, and we better inform the Supreme Court just who truly is the 'Supreme' Court of America -- We the people. Individual people with individual, God given rights. The real America. Live free or die."

QUEEN, AMY WINEHOUSE, LEONA LEWIS AND OTHERS COME OUT FOR NELSON MANDELA BIRTHDAY CONCERT

A wide range of musicians came out for Nelson Mandela's 90th birthday concert in London over the weekend. Will Smith hosted the event for Mandela, whose 90th birthday is actually next month. Nearly 50,000 fans packed the show, which featured performances by Amy Winehouse, Queen, Simple Minds, Leona Lewis, Annie Lennox and Razorlight.

According to the Associated Press, Winehouse performed at the event despite her recent hospitalization. Organizers were worried she wouldn't make it after she was a no-show at rehearsal a couple of days earlier. The 24-year-old singer sang "Rehab," as well as a rendition of the Special AKA's song "Free Nelson Mandela" with Jerry Dammers and the Soweto Gospel Choir. She dedicated the song to her jailed husband, Blake Fielder-Civil, changing the words of one verse to add in "Free Blakey my fella."

• Lewis personally wished Mandela a happy birthday, adding, "When I was younger, I remember my aunty and grandmother used to tell me stories about this incredible, wonderful, great man, Nelson Mandela."
• Queen, featuring Paul Rodgers, Brian May and Roger Taylor, wrapped the night with five songs, including "We Are The Champions."
• Several celebrities appeared on video to wish Mandela a happy birthday, including Gordon Ramsay, Sharon Osbourne, Sheryl Crow, Morgan Freeman, and Susan Sarandon. A celebratory message from Victoria Beckham was met with boos from the crowd.
• The event helped raise money to support Mandela's HIV/AIDS charity "46664," named after his prison number.
• Twenty years ago, stars showed their support for Mandela with a massive concert in London for Mandela's 70th birthday, when he was still behind bars for his stand against apartheid. This past weekend, Mandela told the crowd, "Twenty years ago, London hosted a historic concert which called for our freedom. Your voices carried across the water and inspired us in our prison cells far away. As we celebrate, let us remind ourselves that our work is far from complete. Where there is poverty and sickness, including AIDS, where human beings are being oppressed, there is more work to be done."

QUICK HITS

• Paul McCartney, Bob Dylan and Brian Wilson are reportedly a few of the artists who could appear on a new charity album. According to London's The Sun, their work will be part of a new Warchild covers project, which finds musicians covering contemporary songs, including one from Beck. The upcoming set comes on the heels of the 1995 charity set, Help Album, which featured Noel Gallagher, Paul Weller and Sinead O'Connor.
• Paul McCartney's younger brother, photographer Mike McCartney, now has an exhibit at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland, featuring black-and-white photos of the origins of the British Invasion. Called Liverpool Live, the exhibit features pictures from the Beatles' native Liverpool from the 1960s. Mike said, "It's the story behind the story of that magical era." Over the years, Mike has photographed Jerry Lee Lewis, Jeff Beck and the Hollies. The display runs through September.
• Ringo Starr has put his own artwork up for sale to benefit the Lotus foundation, which offers financial help to families in need. According to RollingStone.com, Starr has autographed each piece, which is on display at the Hard Rock Hotel in Hollywood, Florida. Ringo and his All-Starr band will perform at the Hard Rock on July 3rd, and anyone who buys more than $2,950 worth of artwork will get a free ticket to the show and a meet-and-greet with Starr.

JOHN OATES PLANS MOUSTACHE-THEMED CARTOON

John Oates is shopping around a TV pilot for a moustache-themed TV cartoon series, called J-Stache. According to Billboard.com, it stars Oates as a modern-day family man who's itching to return to the rock star scene because of his mustache, which is personified and voiced by comedian Dave Attell. Oates said, "In a cartoon setting, the mustache has its own personality. Just as I'm represented as the John Oates of today, the moustache is the John Oates of yesterday. The focus of the music will be on the back catalog, but it's an open-ended situation. There's even talk of the moustache trying to bring new bands into the picture."

• Independent publisher Primary Wave Music Publishing is behind the project and plans to come up with a pilot in the next two months. The first episode finds Oates opening a new wing of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, which will feature musicians with moustaches. The animated plot will also star a David Crosby character, who warns Oates about a secret group trying to kill off people with moustaches. As actor Tom Selleck tries to leave the latest murder scene, Oates and his moustache try to save the day.
• Primary Waves plans to shop it to networks or the web soon.

6/27/08

AXL ROSE WRITING AUTOBIOGRAPHY; SLASH WORKING WITH SEBASTIAN BACH?

Guns N' Roses frontman Axl Rose is writing his autobiography, according to his close friend and former Skid Row singer Sebastian Bach. The latter told RollingStone.com that the project came up in conversation one day, explaining, "I was saying to Axl one day, 'I'm going to write a book.' He was like, 'Cool. How many pages you got?' I go, 'I've got six pages.' He starts laughing and goes, 'Yeah, I started my book a while back. I'm up to 12,000 words at this point.'" Bach added, 'He's very prolific. He's just not motivated by fame at all. He's had enough of it."

• Bach also said that he's heard "at least four albums' worth" of finished Guns n' Roses songs, presumably all recorded during the last 13 years that Rose has been working on the band's long-delayed Chinese Democracy album.
• In other news, Bach says that Velvet Revolver guitarist Slash has contacted him about working on a secret "mind-blowing" new project, but insisted it was not an offer to replace Scott Weiland in Velvet Revolver.
• Bach said that joining Velvet Revolver, which features three former members of Guns N' Roses, would be "awkward" because of his friendship with Rose.
• The project Bach mentioned could be Slash's first solo album, which he told us about a while back: "I really want to do a solo record and play with a lot of different people that I've worked with before, maybe some people I haven't worked with, and just do something really, really sort of interesting. 'Cause I've played on so many other people's records, you know, and I want to write material for, like, different individuals to sing on and whatnot."

AC/DC ALBUM COMING IN OCTOBER?

AC/DC's first album in eight years is apparently slated to arrive in October, according to a post at the web site of the band's label, Sony BMG Music. The news is part of a contest announcement that reads in part, "AC/DC are coming back with their new album this October and we're giving one lucky fan the chance to win a prized copy of this seminal record plus a copy of every album in their back catalogue..." No further information, such as an exact release date or title, is given.

• The yet-to-be-titled disc will be the first from AC/DC since 2000's Stiff Upper Lip and is expected to be followed by a world tour.
• Sony BMG recently revealed that the disc will be sold exclusively through Wal-Mart stores, which has caused controversy with critics and fans.

MOTLEY CRUE 'NOT MAD' AT MTV OVER MOVIE DELAY

Motley Crue recently revealed that they are trying to extricate themselves from a deal with MTV Films, a division of Paramount Pictures, to make a movie out of the band's best-selling 2001 memoir, The Dirt. Although bassist Nikki Sixx said in an interview with Reuters that MTV has become "bogged down," Sixx told us that he's not bitter about the situation: "I'm not mad at MTV, I don't think the band's mad at MTV, we just need a partner, you know. And after 2005 and 2006 and how successful that was, and we have a brand new album out, it's just a bit ridiculous to not have partners that are pushing -- that movie should be on the street today."

• A deal was first announced for the film version in 2006 but has since gone nowhere. Sixx told Reuters that MTV was "a channel that used to be hip and has now actually become unhip...They are not the right partner."
• Neither MTV Films nor Paramount Pictures had any comment on the matter.
• According to Hits Daily Double, Motley Crue's new album, Saints of Los Angeles, is likely to debut in the Top Four on the Billboard album chart, with first-week sales expected in the range of 90,000 copies.
• The disc was issued this past Tuesday (June 24th) and is the first all-new collection from the Crue since 2000's New Tattoo.
• The band's summer tour, Crue Fest, which also features Buckcherry, Papa Roach and others, kicks off on July 1st in West Palm Beach, Florida.

VAN HALEN CONCERT IN CANADA SCRAPPED OVER COSTS

A possible Van Halen concert in Charlottetown, capital of tiny Canadian province Prince Edward Island, has been scrapped due to rising costs that would be subsidized by the provincial government, according to CBCNews.ca. Tourism Minister Valerie Docherty said that the initial government investment in the event rapidly climbed from $1.6 million to $4 million, at which point negotiations were cut off. Docherty explained, "They started off around $1.6 million, and so that was a doable figure for us. Unfortunately, for some reason, and possibly because of what the Eagles are getting paid for through New Brunswick, I don't know if that's what jacked it up, but we didn't believe Van Halen was at the same level."

• Docherty and other residents agreed that spending $4 million on a Van Halen concert was not "the best use of taxpayers' money."
• The show as planned would have taken place over the Labor Day holiday.
• Van Halen completed its reunion tour with singer David Lee Roth earlier this month, with the trek's final box office haul reported as more than $93 million.

SQUEEZE ANNOUNCE ADDITIONAL TOUR DATES

Squeeze has added several more dates to their upcoming North American tour, which kicks off on August 21st in Washington, D.C. and wraps up on September 16th in Seattle, Washington.

The band's current lineup features original members Glenn Tilbrook and Chris Difford, who wrote all of Squeeze's best-known hits.

• Squeeze's updated North American tour dates (subject to change):
  August 21 - Washington, DC - 9:30 Club
  August 22 - Glenside, PA - Keswick Theatre
  August 24 - Farmingville, NY - Brookhaven Amphitheatre
  August 25 - Torrington, CT - Warner Theatre
  August 26 - Foxborough, MA - Showcase Live!
  August 28 - Toronto, ONT - Kool Haus
  August 29 - Royal Oak, MI - Royal Oak Music Theatre
  August 30 - Cleveland, OH - Time Warner Cable Amphitheatre at Tower City
  August 31 - Highland Park, IL - Ravinia Festival At Ravinia Park
  September 2 - Saint Louis, MO - The Pageant
  September 3 - Nashville, TN - Ryman Auditorium
  September 5 - Austin, TX - La Zona Rosa
  September 6 - Dallas, TX - House Of Blue
  September 9 - Tucson, AZ - Rialto Theatre
  September 10 - Los Angeles, CA - Orpheum Theatre
  September 12 - San Francisco, CA - Grand Ballroom At Regency Center
  September 13 - Saratoga, CA - The Mountain Winery
  September 15 - Portland, OR - Wonder Ballroom
  September 16 - Seattle, WA - Showbox At The Market
• Glenn Tilbrook says that the years of being estranged from songwriting partner Chris Difford has only made him enjoy and respect their partnership more: "Not working together has enabled us to appreciate each other for what we are. And not having the responsibility of going up each other's noses all the time has enabled us to get back our relationship, which was lost, really, when we started making records. I would rather have the relationship with Chris, and friendship, rather than the professional relationship -- that's more important to me. And we get on better now than we have done at, you know, any point since 1976, which is great."
• During their 1980s heyday, the British rock press dubbed Difford and Tilbrook the "new Lennon and McCartney." Difford provided the lyrics for the Squeeze songs, with Tilbrook writing the music.

PAUL McCARTNEY SAID TO BE PLANNING FIRST-EVER CONCERT IN ISRAEL

Paul McCartney is planning to perform his first-ever concert in Israel in September, according to ynetnews.com.

Details are yet to be finalized for the concert, which will be held on September 18th or 25th in Tel Aviv at either Hayarkon Park or the Ramat Gan Stadium. According to the report, the show is being considered as part of McCartney's upcoming tour, which suggests that other overseas dates may be penciled in around that time.

McCartney reportedly has extensive demands for the Israeli show, including "heightened security, a special sound system, a huge stage and two vegetarian kitchens at the venue."

• In January Israel lifted its 43-year ban on the Beatles performing in the country. Israel had instated the ban in 1965 fearing that the group would corrupt Israeli youth. Earlier this year, Israel invited McCartney, Ringo Starr, along with John Lennon and George Harrison's relatives, to come to the country in May to celebrate Israel's 60th anniversary.
• In McCartney's recent concerts in Liverpool and Kiev, Ukraine, he's dipped into his catalogue to perform live premieres of the Beatles' "A Day In The Life," Wings' "Mrs. Vanderbilt," and the unreleased song "In Liverpool."
• McCartney says that including rarely and never-before performed songs in his setlist keeps him on his toes: "I just like doing it, and whenever I go out on tour it's exciting to stick a few things in that I haven't done before, just 'cause then it's sort of like there's a bit of a nervous edge to it, which is quite cool -- except on the first night when you think 'Why did I do this? Why didn't I stay safe?'"

ARTISTS COME OUT FOR NELSON MANDELA'S 90TH BIRTHDAY

Queen, Annie Lennox, Amy Winehouse and Leona Lewis are among the artists who'll perform at a special London concert celebrating the 90th birthday of former South African president Nelson Mandela today (Friday, June 27th). Also expected to play is Razorlight. Will Smith will host the show, and Mandela himself is expected to attend. Proceeds will go to his 46664 charity, which aims to raise awareness of HIV and AIDS around the world.

• Former U.S. president Bill Clinton, Oprah Winfrey, Robert De Niro, Forest Whitaker are also scheduled to attend.
• In keeping with the Mandela theme, attendance for the event will reportedly be limited to 46,664. That was Mandela's inmate number while imprisoned during the apartheid rule in South Africa.
• Despite her recent health troubles, Amy Winehouse is still expected to attend the event. Her rep said, "Amy is determined to go ahead with both shows. This is her second rehearsal of the week and she has every intention of performing. Unfortunately she couldn't attend the photo call with Mr. Mandela because she had other commitments."

QUICK TAKES

• Elton John will serenade former South African president Nelson Mandela on Wednesday (July 2nd) by singing him "Happy Birthday" at his 90th birthday party, according to telegraph.co.uk. The party will also serve as an exclusive charity dinner and will take place in London's Hyde Park to raise money and awareness for AIDS care and research.
• Bruce Springsteen's 2005 live cover of Suicide's "Dream Baby Dream" will be included on the first of 12 limited-edition vinyl EPs released starting July 28th. Rolling Stone reported that the EP's are being issued in celebration of bandleader Alan Vega's 60th birthday with a limited run of only 4,000. The EP's, which are being released monthly, will also be released digitally.
• Springsteen closed all of his 2005 Devils And Dust concert dates with a 10-minute pump organ rendition of the band's 1980 song. There's been no word as to which Springsteen show the EP's version will be taken from.
• Britain's The Telegraph reported that Bob Dylan has completed the followup to his 2007 album Modern Times and that his management and record company executives are in discussions on "what to do with it."
• The still-untitled set marks the first time since 1990 that Dylan has recorded an original album within two years of its predecessor.
• Bob Dylan kicks off his U.S. tour on August 10th in Pittsburgh, at the New American Music Union, South Side Works.
• John Fogerty has announced that he'll perform on August 5th in Sturgis, South Dakota at Rock'n The Rally at Glencoe Camp Resort.

DEVO SUES McDONALD'S OVER HAPPY MEAL 'AMERICAN IDOL' FIGURE

New wave group Devo has filed a lawsuit against McDonald's over a Happy Meal toy. According to the Associated Press, Devo says the fast-food joint didn't ask permission to use its likeness in an American Idol-themed toy representing different music genres McDonald's had issued "New Wave Nigel," a toy figure sporting a red cap that looks like an inverted flowerpot, similar to what Devo had dubbed "energy domes" in the 1980s and wore in their "Whip It" video.

• Devo bassist Gerald Casale said, "This New Wave Nigel doll that they've created is just a complete Devo rip-off, and the red hat is exactly the red hat that I designed, and it's copyrighted and trademarked. They didn't ask us anything." Members of Devo are also angry that the toy figure has an orange jumpsuit and sunglasses they say resemble the band's wardrobe, as well as a song that sounds like their own music.
• Devo has a batch of tour dates lined up. The group performed in Brooklyn, New York last night (Thursday, June 26th).

CALIFORNIA SUPREME COURT TURNS DOWN PHIL SPECTOR'S REQUEST TO DISQUALIFY JUDGE

The California Supreme Court has turned down legendary producer Phil Spector's petition for the court to look into disqualifying Superior Court Judge Larry Paul Fidler from presiding over his murder trial again. The Associated Press reported that the notice on the Supreme Court Web site said: "Petition for review denied."

Fidler presided over Spector's first trial for the 2003 shooting death of Lana Clarkson, which ended last September with a deadlocked jury. Earlier this year Fidler rejected claims by Spector's defense team that he was biased against Spector and signed a declaration "that he was not biased or prejudiced against any party in the case."

In the defense team's claim to have Fidler removed from the retrial they stated, "Fidler's rulings toward the end of the first trial were designed to ensure Spector's conviction, in part to counter media reports that a celebrity could not be convicted in a Los Angeles court."

• As it stands now, Judge Fidler will preside over Spector's retrial which is scheduled to begin on September 29th, with a pretrial hearing set for July 29th.

6/26/08

RON WOOD HAVING TROUBLE SELLING HIS ARTWORK ON eBAY

Ron Wood is having trouble selling his artwork, and has taken to hawking his work on eBay, according to independent.co.uk -- with disappointing results.

When one of Wood's limited-edition portraits of the Faces was put on line for sale, Wood plugged the painting on his personal My Space page to help drum up interest in the painting, which featured himself, Ronnie Lane, Rod Stewart, Ian MacLagen, and Kenney Jones, by posting, "We had such a great reaction from the last listing but it ended too quickly! So here it is again: your chance to snap up a real Ronnie print framed and ready to be hung, featuring your favorite rocker and his pal Rod."

• The painting, which had a reserve price of $2,567, sold for just over $1,000.

BARACK OBAMA NAMES STEVIE WONDER, BOB DYLAN, AND MORE AS MUSICAL FAVES

Barack Obama has singled out Stevie Wonder as his primary musical inspiration. Obama is featured on the cover of the current issue of Rolling Stone, which features him being interviewed by publisher Jann Wenner.

Obama discusses his musical passions as a teen, listing Earth, Wind and Fire, Elton John, and the Rolling Stones, but says that at heart he's primarily a Wonder fan, saying, "If I had one musical hero, it would have to be Stevie Wonder. When I was at that point where you start getting involved in music, Stevie had that run with Music Of My Mind, Talking Book, Fulfillingness' First Finale and Innervisions, and then Songs In The Key Of Life. Those are as brilliant a set of five albums as we've ever seen."

When asked about what kind of artists are featured on his iPod, Obama revealed that he has jazz legends Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Charlie Parker and "everything from Howlin' Wolf to Yo-Yo Ma to Sheryl Crow. And I have probably 30 (Bob) Dylan songs on my iPod."

• Obama said that his favorite Dylan album is 1975's Blood On The Tracks, but that these days he's relating strongly to "Maggie's Farm" from Dylan's 1965 album Bringing It All Back Home: "It speaks to me as I listen to some of the political rhetoric."
• Obama said that he was flattered by Dylan and Bruce Springsteen's recent endorsements, saying, "I've got to say, having both Dylan and Bruce Springsteen say kind words about you is pretty remarkable. Those guys are icons."
• He explained that although he and Springsteen have yet to meet in person, they have spoken over the phone: "Not only do I love Bruce's music, but I just love him as a person. He is a guy who has never lost track of his roots, who knows who he is, who has never put on a front." Obama was asked if he addressed Springsteen as "Boss," to which Obama joked: "You've got to."
• Obama spoke frankly about hip hop and said that he's concerned with his daughters, nine-year-old Malia, and seven-year-old Sasha, listening to it, saying, "I am troubled sometimes by the misogyny and materialism of a lot of rap lyrics, but I think the genius of the art form has shifted the culture and helped to desegregate music... It would be nice if I could have my daughters listen to their music without me worrying that they were getting bad images of themselves."
• He went on to cite music mogul Russell Simmons and rappers Jay-Z and Ludacris as "great talents and great businessmen."

RAY DAVIES ANNOUNCES ACOUSTIC MINI-TOUR

Ray Davies has announced a handful of North American acoustic dates kicking off on July 11th in Ottawa, Ontario.

Davies will be performing with a guest guitarist, and featuring songs from his latest solo album Working Man's Cafe, along with other Kinks classics.

• Ray Davies Tour Dates (subject to change):
  July 11 - Ottawa, ONT - Cisco Ottawa Bluesfest
  July 13 - Winnipeg, MAN - Winnipeg Folk Festival
  July 14 - Calgary, ALB - Jack Singer Hall
  July 15 - Edmonton, ALB - Francis Winspear Centre for Music
  July 18 - Portland, OR - Crystal Ballroom
  July 19 - Seattle, WA - Showbox SoDo
  July 22 - Anaheim, CA - The Grove of Anaheim
• Davies says that although he's known as one of the leading songwriters of his generation, the process of writing songs still remains a mystery to him: "There are no rules to songwriting, and I'd like to think it gets easier because I know more, but the more one does, the more you realize how limitless it is, you know? There's so many different ways of writing things. There are no hard-and-fast rules, and it doesn't get any easier. It does get a little trickier the more you know. You think you know what you're doing -- actually, you don't know what you're doing."

WARRANT CHANGES SUMMER TOUR PLANS

Now that Cinderella won't be joining Warrant on the road this summer, a few changes have been made in the tour schedule. Cinderella was forced to bow out so singer Tom Keifer could recover from a hemorrhaged vocal cord. But Warrant is still confirmed to perform several gigs, including a now headlining slot on Rocklahoma, a newly-added performance with Great White, along with several dates in August, which include shows with Alice Cooper and Billy Idol.

• Warrant wishes Keifer a speedy recovery and hopes to reschedule some dates for another time.
• Warrant will be out with its original line-up for the first time since 1994, which features vocalist Jani Lane, guitarist Joey Allen, bassist Jerry Dixon, guitarist Erik Turner and drummer Steven Sweet. Fans can expect some old favorites, including "Cherry Pie," "Heaven," and "Down Boys."
• Warrant plans to hit the studio this fall to work on a new album.
• Warrant tour dates (subject to change):
  July 5 - Henderson, NV - Sunset Station Hotel & Casino
  July 12 - Pryor OK - Rocklahoma
  August 16 - Winter Park CO - Hawgfest
  August 17 - Tower MN - Fortune Bay Casino
  August 30 - Virginia Beach, VA - American Music Festival
  August 31 - Richmond, TX - Rock the Bayou

6/25/08

GUNS N' ROSES LEAKER VISITED BY FBI

A California-based blogger who leaked nine new Guns N' Roses songs online last week was paid a visit by the FBI, according to RollingStone.com. Kevin Skwerl posted the tunes, reportedly finished tracks from the band's still-unreleased Chinese Democracy album, at his AntiQuiet web site after receiving them from what he called "an anonymous online source." He was immediately contacted by representatives for Guns N' Roses demanding that he take the tracks down. But then on Monday (June 23rd), he was also paid a visit at his workplace by two FBI agents.

• Skwerl, who works as a web designer, said, "When I came back from lunch they were waiting in the lobby for me. It's a little creepy they know where I work." He added that the agents questioned him for 15 minutes about where he got the tracks and made plans to visit him at home on Tuesday (June 24th).
• At his home, the agents wanted to examine the original song files, but Skwerl had already erased them at the request of lawyers for Guns N' Roses.
• Skwerl also described the call he got from the Guns N' Roses camp, saying, "It was a really cool guy...that was a middle man between someone who was very angry and me. He was trying to reach out and see if I'd go without a fight, which is more or less what I did."
• Skwerl says he's not worried about legal action from the band, explaining, "It's a legal gray area since it wasn't for download, it wasn't a finished product. We aren't sure who owns the recordings. I feel like I might survive this."
• Skwerl used to work in the distribution department of Universal Music, the company that will release Chinese Democracy if and when it ever emerges.

U2'S BONO DISAGREES WITH MANAGER ABOUT RADIOHEAD

U2 frontman Bono has sent a letter to British music outlet NME in which he rebukes his longtime manager, Paul McGuinness, for saying in a BBC interview that Radiohead's pay-what-you-want digital release of its latest album "backfired." McGuinness had commented, "Sixty to 70 percent of the people who downloaded the record stole it anyway, even though it was available for free," adding that U2's next album would not be made available in a similar fashion.

In his letter, published on Wednesday (June 25th), Bono says that he disagrees with his manager's comments, calling Radiohead "courageous and imaginative in trying to figure out some new relationship with their audience." The singer adds, "Such imagination and courage are in short supply right now. (Radiohead is) a sacred talent, and we feel blessed to be around at the same time."

• Radiohead issued In Rainbows as a digital release last October, allowing fans to pay whatever they wanted or nothing at all. McGuinness claimed that most fans obtained the set through illegal file-sharing despite Radiohead's efforts. The record was released as a standard CD in January.
• U2 has been working on its new CD with producers Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois. The album is tentatively due out in October.
• In other news, Radiohead has released 10 songs from the band's In Rainbows: From the Basement broadcast through iTunes. The performance was broadcast live on New Year's Eve through cable channel Current TV.

RINGO STARR TRIES TO SPAN MUSICAL CAREER IN ALL STARR BAND SHOWS

Ringo Starr has been stretching out musically on his current All Starr Band tour. During the opening shows of the tour Starr included his 1973 Top Five hit "Oh My My" in his setlists for the first time, and also included four songs from his recent albums in between his Beatles and solo hits, and songs from other All Starr Band members.

Starr says that he has to be very selective of how many songs he performs that aren't well known to the majority of concert-goers: "To go out and do the whole CD, people would be asleep, so that, you know, when I go out, I've gotta do 'Little Help,' I do 'Photograph,' you know, I've got 'Back Off (Boogaloo)' I've got -- you know, I have a long history of music, which I present to the audience every night. The fans come to hear, you know, what they love, and okay, you can get away with a couple of new tracks, but that's about all."

Among the highlights of Starr's recent work included in the shows is his 2003 tribute to George Harrison called "Never Without You." Starr recalled that the song was originally planned as a much broader musical tribute: “When we started to work on it, I thought, 'Oh, wow, great.' The original lines, I was talking about Harry Nilsson, John Lennon, George -- you know, it just got so scatty, and so I thought, 'No, I just want to keep it for George.' And that's why we used George's (lyrical) lines in the actual song. So it was a great way of releasing an emotion of goodbye."

• In addition to his recent single "Liverpool 8" and other recent album cuts, Starr's portion of the show includes his solo hits "It Don't Come Easy," "Back Off Boogaloo," "Oh My My," and "Photograph." Starr also performs such Beatles classics as "Yellow Submarine," "What Goes On," "Act Naturally," "Boys," "I Wanna Be Your Man," and a medley of "With A Little Help From My Friends" with John Lennon's "Give Peace A Chance."
• Joining Starr on his 10th All Starr tour are Colin Hay of Men At Work, Billy Squier, Hamish Stuart of the Average White Band and Paul McCartney's band, Edgar Winter, and Gary Wright. Starr is sharing drum duties with Gregg Bissonette, who has played with Starr in his side band the Roundheads.
• Starr's recent album Liverpool 8 was co-produced by the Eurythmics' Dave Stewart and peaked at Number Seven on the Top Internet Charts.
• Ringo Starr and his All Starr Band perform tonight (June 25th) in Boston, Massachusetts at Bank Of America Pavilion.

THE WHO ANNOUNCE MINI-TOUR OF JAPAN

The Who has announced that they will embark on a mini-tour of Japan in November.

The announcement was made through the band's official website thewho.com, with a notice posted after the dates: "Please note that The Who are not extending their trip East to Australia and New Zealand. The tour will be limited to Japan. More information will be posted as it comes in."

The website labeled the shows as "confirmed dates so far" which may mean that additional Japanese dates will be added to the four-date mini tour.

• The Who's Japanese Tour Dates (subject to change):
  November 13 - Osaka, Japan - Osaka Castle Hall
  November 14 - Yokohama, Japan - Yokohama Arena
  November 16 - Saitama, Japan - Saitama Super Arena
  November 17 - Tokyo, Japan - Budokan Arena

The news of the Who's tour dates follows Pete Townshend's recent posts on thewho.com stating that he and Roger Daltrey were going forward with plans to tour Japan and other "Pacific" territories in the fall as well as heading into the studio, presumably to record an album of R&B standards. Shortly thereafter, Townshend wrote a long post on his blog on the site explaining why he was begging off any future live or studio work with the band.

• Earlier this month fans received a glimmer of hope when the webmaster posted a note on Townshend's fan-interactive blog stating: "Pete's asked me to request that you don't make any more comments until further notice. He is writing and wishes not to be distracted."
• There has been no official word from the band about any future live dates, or any announcement on whether an upcoming Who album is being planned.
• The Who performed their first dates in Japan in July 2004 when they played two shows in Tokyo and Osaka.
• Townshend says that after five decades of working with Daltrey, he's only recently found the proper way to present his new material to him: "And Roger just said to me several times, 'You know, I'll support you in whatever you want to do, let's take some real chances.' And I kind of stamped around the room saying, 'Well that's all very well in words but when it actually comes to it and I deliver him my big ideas, he doesn't want to get behind them, or he doesn't do this or do that ...' And then actually when it came to it, I realized (that) as long as the work I was delivering him was finished, he would simply make the choice of an editor or a performer."
• Out now on DVD is the Who's performance at the 2007 Teenage Cancer Trust benefit is among the many others featured on the new DVD called TCT - The Who And Friends - Live At The Royal Albert Hall. The disc features the band performing "The Seeker," "Baba O'Riley," and "Tea And Theatre."
• The Who's next appearance will be on July 12th in Los Angeles when the band receives the only award at the 2008 VH1 Rock Honors. Also appearing will be Pearl Jam, the Foo Fighters, and the Flaming Lips. The show will be broadcast on VH1 on July 17th.

'ROCK BAND' TO FEATURE ON MOTLEY CRUE TOUR

Motley Crue's upcoming Crue Fest tour will host a Rock Band championship at every stop, according to IGN.com. Each show will feature a "Rock Band Second Stage Experience" that will let fans try out the Rock Band game as a bassist, guitarist, drummer or vocalist. The top scoring players will win a chance to play Rock Band onstage as opening acts for the headliners, a meet-and-greet with artists on the tour, backstage passes to the Rock Band VIP area, and a chance to play Rock Band backstage against Crue Fest artists. All contestants must be 13 years or older.

• The Crue launched a partnership earlier this year with Rock Band when they premiered their single, "Saints of Los Angeles" as a download for the game. According to RollingStone.com, it sold five times more copies through Rock Band as it did on iTunes after a month.
• Crue bassist Nikki Sixx told us he's not very good at the game himself: "My son was playing one of the songs, and it was like, it was a song I wrote, and I went in and he was playing it, and he was like, you know, kicking ass on it. And I said, 'Gimme that!' And I tried and I pretty much, like, sucked. And he's like, 'Dad, dude, you really suck at this, don't you?'"
• The new Motley Crue album, also called Saints of Los Angeles, arrived in stores on Tuesday (June 24th)
• Crue Fest, which also features Buckcherry, Papa Roach, Sixx:A.M. and Trapt, kicks off on July 1st in West Palm Beach, Florida.

BRYAN ADAMS PLOTS TOURS WITH FOREIGNER AND ROD STEWART

Bryan Adams is gearing up to tour with Foreigner and then Rod Stewart this summer. He'll also do a few acoustic shows on the run to support his latest album, called Eleven. Adams will hit the road July 15th in Augusta, Maine with Foreigner. After winding down at the end of July, Adams will join Rod Stewart on tour for a batch of dates starting July 30th in Paso Robles, California. The Canadian rocker plans to perform a mix of classic hits and tracks off his new set.

Adams has come a long way since releasing his self-titled debut in 1980. He's had 21 Top 10 hits throughout his career, but says he remembers the moment when he realized he had made it: "Basically back in about 1984 -- must've been '85, we released Reckless and we were doing our first headlining tour of America. And I walked over to Keith Scott, my guitarist, and I said, 'What's different? You know, we're doing the same songs.' Basically what it was -- was it was our time, and things were just starting to come together. And people started playing the music and they're still playing the music. So, it's really nice."

• Bryan Adams tour dates (subject to change):
  July 15 - Augusta, ME - Civic Center
  July 16 - Mashantucket, CT - MGM Grand at Foxwoods
  July 1 - Norfolk, VA - Telos Wireless Pavilion
  July 19 - Charlotte, NC - Verizon Wireless Theatre
  July 20 - Alpharetta, GA - Verizon Wireless Theatre
  July 22 - Jacksonville, FL - Veteran's Memorial Theatre
  July 24 - Selma, TX - Verizon Wireless Theatre
  July 25 - Woodlands, TX - Mitchell Pavillion
  July 26 - Dallas, TX - Superpages.com Center
  July 30 - Paso Robles, CA - California Mid-State Fair
  August 1 - Irvine, CA - Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
  August 2 - Las Vegas, NV - MGM Grand Garden Arena
  August 3 - Milwaukee, WI - Pabst Theatre
  August 4 - St. Louis, MO - The Sheldon Concert Hall
  August 5 - Chicago, IL - Sears Center Arena
  August 6 - Detroit, MI - DTE Energy Music Theatre
  August 7 - Pittsburgh, PA -The Byham Theatre
  August 8 - Cincinnati, OH - Riverbend Music Center
  August 9 - Cleveland, OH - Blossom Music Center

FLASHBACK: THE BEATLES PERFORM 'ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE' LIVE VIA GLOBAL SATELLITE

It was 41 years ago today (June 25th, 1967) that the Beatles performed "All You Need Is Love," , which was broadcast live via global satellite to an estimated 400 million viewers. The Beatles were representing the U.K. in the Our World TV special, which was the first major televised hookup linking five continents.

The Beatles were riding high on the success of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, which had been released earlier that month. For the broadcast, the four Beatles were surrounded by such high profile guests as Mick Jagger, Marianne Faithful, Keith Richards, Eric Clapton, George Harrison's wife Patti Harrison, Paul McCartney's girlfriend Jane Asher, his brother Mike "McGear" McCartney, Graham Nash, and numerous other assorted friends and family.

The Beatles, who sat on high stools in Abbey Road Studio Number One, were decked out in their finest Swinging London apparel, with John Lennon, who composed the song, sitting center stage without an instrument. Although the Beatles were playing live, over the preceding ten days they had recorded a basic track to play along to, which included Lennon on harpsichord, McCartney on double bass, Harrison's lead guitar solo, and Ringo Starr's drums.

• George Harrison recalled the recording of the song in 1995's The Beatles Anthology: "I don't know how many millions of people but it was supposed to be some phenomenal amount of people and it was probably the very earliest technology that enabled that kind of satellite link. We just thought, 'Well, we'll just sing "All You Need Is Love," because it's a kind of subtle bit of PR for God,' (laughs) basically."
• Paul McCartney also recalled the recording of the song in 1995's The Beatles Anthology, and said that he wasn't sure whether Lennon had written the tune especially for the satellite event: "It was John's song mainly. I don't think it was written especially for (the global broadcast) but it was one of the songs that we had. It was certainly tailored to it once we had it. But I've got a feeling it was just one of John's."
• According to legend, had Lennon not come up with "All You Need Is Love," the Beatles were planning to perform McCartney's "Your Mother Should Know."
• "All You Need Is Love" knocked the Doors' "Light My Fire" out of the Number One spot on August 19th, 1967, becoming the group's 14th Number One song, and topping the charts for one week. Over the years, the song has become associated with 1967's legendary "Summer Of Love."
• "All You Need Is Love", along with the Beatles' other two Number Ones from that year, "Penny Lane" and "Hello Goodbye," was included on the soundtrack album to the group's Magical Mystery Tour album, which was released that December.
• A colorized version of the Beatles performance of "All You Need Is Love" was included in the 1995 Beatles Anthology.
• The Beatles never performed the song live, having given up touring in 1966. In 2002, Paul McCartney, Rod Stewart, Cliff Richard, and many others performed "All You Need Is Love" in London at Queen Elizabeth's Jubilee Concert outside Buckingham Palace.

BOB DYLAN ADDS ASBURY PARK, NEW JERSEY SHOW TO SUMMER ITINERARY

Bob Dylan has just announced an additional East Coast date on his upcoming U.S. tour for August 13th in Asbury Park, New Jersey.

Fans are already speculating online that Bruce Springsteen, who will be on break from his own tour, will appear with Dylan in New Jersey. Springsteen has rehearsed for his recent tours at the Asbury Park Convention Hall, and over the past six years has played warm-up dates there prior to his official opening night shows.

• Dylan and Springsteen last performed together on October 4th, 2003 at Springsteen's concert at New York's Shea Stadium.
• The updated Bob Dylan U.S. tour itinerary (subject to change)
  August 10 - Pittsburgh, PA - New American Music Union, South Side Works
  August 11 - Baltimore, MD - Virgin Festival - Pimlico Race Course
  August 12 - Brooklyn, NY - Prospect Park Bandshell
  August 13 - Asbury Park, NJ - Asbury Park Convention Hall
  August 16 - Mashantucket, CT - MGM Grand Theatre at Foxwoods
  August 17 - Atlantic City, NJ - Borgata Resort Spa & Casino Event Center
  August 18 - Saratoga Springs, NY - Saratoga Music Festival at SPAC
  August 20 - Canandaigua, NY - Constellation Performing Arts Center
  August 23 - Cincinnati, OH - National City Pavilion
  August 24 - Elizabeth, IN - Caesars Indiana
  August 25 - Evansville, IN - Mesker Amphitheatre
  August 27 - Little Rock, AR - Riverfest Amphitheatre
  August 28 - Tulsa, OK - Brady Theater
  August 29 - Kansas City, MO - Uptown Theater
  August 31 - Park City, UT - Deer Valley Resort
  September 4 - Temecula, CA - Pechanga Resort and Casino
  September 6 - San Diego, CA - Concerts on the Green at Qualcomm Park
  September 7 - Santa Barbara, CA - Santa Barbara Bowl
• Bob Dylan is currently on tour in Europe and performs tonight (June 25th) in Pamplona, Spain. He'll kick off the U.S. dates on August 10th in Pittsburgh at South Side Works.

In other Dylan-related news:

Expectingrain.com reported that Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts quoted Bob Dylan on Monday (June 23rd) while handing down an opinion on a case involving lawsuits between collection agencies and consumers.

6/24/08

THE BEATLES SAID TO BE IN TALKS FOR INTERACTIVE VIDEO GAME

Representatives for the Beatles' company Apple Corps are said to be in discussions with the creators of the interactive video games "Rock Band" and "Guitar Hero," according to The Financial Times.

MTV Games said that it was "talking to many rock bands about licensed versions of its 'Rock Band' game." Both 'Guitar Hero' and 'Rock Star' feature digital downloads of various group's music, which can't be transferred to other MP3 players.

• If the Beatles and their label EMI, which owns the copyrights to the group's catalogue, were to strike a deal, it would mark the first time any Beatles songs were to see official digital releases.

In other Beatles-related news:

Paul McCartney is urging people to partake in "meat-free Mondays" in an effort to help cut carbon admissions, according to ecorazzi.com. McCartney said that he had gotten the idea from Australian activists who have focused on the effects cattle rearing has on the environment.

• McCartney, a longtime animal rights activist for the organizations PETA and VIVA!, told the food trade magazine The Grocer, "A lot of people go to the gym on a Monday. With meat-free Mondays, it's a bit like going to the gym but with the added advantage of protecting the planet... One of the most significant conclusions of the recent report on climate change was that we should eat less meat. This is not the Vegetarian Society that said that. It's the United Nations."

Also:

Musicradar.com reported that an eBay auction of a hand-wired Vox AC15H1TV signed by McCartney raised $7,663 for the No More Landmines charity.

EDGAR WINTER EXPLAINS WHY RINGO STARR CONCERT GOT CANCELED

Edgar Winter, who's currently on tour with Ringo Starr and his All Starr Band, explained the circumstances behind the cancellation of Saturday night's show in Bethel, New York.

Fans were notified of the cancellation only hours before the show, when the band's equipment trucks weren't allowed to cross over the Canadian border following their opening night dates in Ontario.

Winter explained that the hold-up was due to governmental red tape: "What I heard was that there was some kind of bond that you're supposed to put up for the equipment going across (the border) and there was some like, new form -- it's just some ridiculous technicality that somebody decided to enforce. They decided to hold up their truck. It's always like, the luck of the draw, you know, when you're going through customs; are they going to be easy, or are they going to be tough?"

• In addition to Edgar Winter, joining Starr on his 10th All Starr tour are Colin Hay of Men At Work, Billy Squier, Hamish Stuart of the Average White Band and Paul McCartney's band, and Gary Wright. Starr is sharing drum duties with Gregg Bissonette, who has played with Starr in his side band the Roundheads.
• Ringo Starr and his All Starr Band rolls into New York City tonight (June 24th) and performs at Radio City Music Hall.

MOTLEY CRUE RELEASES 'SAINTS OF LOS ANGELES'

Motley Crue releases its ninth studio album, titled Saints of Los Angeles, on Tuesday (June 24th). Not only is the record the first by the original lineup since 1997's Generation Swine, but it arrives 11 years to the day since that CD came out. Bassist Nikki Sixx told us that the band was motivated to make a new album after seeing the response it got on its 2005 reunion tour: "Being out on the road, playing in front of so many people, there's such a crazy range of fans, from Hot Topic teenagers all the way to, like, classic rock fans, in the same building. And seeing such a wide variety of fans, we're a rock band that transcends time, and there's no reason to only be a nostalgia act."

• The title track is the first single from Saints of Los Angeles.
• The album is loosely based on the Crue's 2001 memoir, The Dirt.
• The band revealed last week that it is looking for a new studio partner with which to make a movie of The Dirt, after the project has failed to come together at MTV Films/Paramount Pictures.
• Motley Crue played its first show in a year on Sunday night (June 22nd), when it headlined the second day of the Heavy MTL festival in Montreal.
• The group's Crue Fest tour, also featuring Papa Roach, Buckcherry and others, kicks off on July 1st in West Palm Beach, Florida.

FLASHBACK: THE BEATLES BEGIN THEIR FINAL TOUR

It was 42 years ago tonight (June 24th, 1966) that the Beatles kicked off their final tour, in Munich, West Germany. The tour, which saw the group performing in Germany, Japan, the Philippines, and the U.S., was plagued with controversy. In the Philippines, the Beatles, who had politely declined an invitation to attend a banquet with then-President Ferdinand Marcos, were virtually run out of the country for what the Filipinos believed to be a snub towards the first family.

Meanwhile, in the U.S., trouble was brewing after a statement John Lennon had made the previous spring in an interview with The London Evening Standard, during a philosophical discussion about religion, was taken out of context and printed in the U.S. teen magazine Datebook. The magazine, which printed Lennon's quote that "Christianity will go it will vanish and shrink... Jesus was alright, but his disciples were thick and ordinary... We're more popular than Jesus now," ignited protests, including record burnings all over the "bible belt" and southern U.S. states.

The Beatles held a press conference on August 11th in Chicago, the night before they started the U.S. leg, where, after trying to explain exactly what he meant in the interview, Lennon essentially apologized -- not for the statement itself, but for how it may have been interpreted. Death threats plagued the Beatles throughout the 14-date tour. Prior to the group's August 19th show in Memphis -- their only show in the south -- Lennon and the Beatles' manager Brian Epstein went to Elvis Presley's Graceland mansion seeking advice from Presley as to how to resolve the "bigger than Jesus" crisis. Presley, however, wasn't home -- he was in Los Angeles shooting a movie.

• The tour dragged on through the States to less-than-sellout crowds, where the group, already long bored with performing for screaming fans, lazily ran through a set which showed no sign of the experimentation heard on their Revolver album, which was released days before the tour began. The group performed approximately a 30-minute set every night, featuring 11 songs: "Rock And Roll Music," "She's A Woman," "If I Needed Someone," "Day Tripper," "Baby's In Black," "I Feel Fine," "Yesterday," "I Wanna Be Your Man," "Nowhere Man," "Paperback Writer," and "I'm Down."
• The Beatles did their last public performance on August 29th, 1966 at San Francisco's Candlestick Park. Paul McCartney, knowing that the show was to be the Beatles' last, captured the show on a portable tape recorder, which eventually has made the rounds of bootleg collectors. 
• Paul McCartney says that the Beatles always felt that quitting the road would be major turning point for the group: "I remember thinking a bit like Army buddies. One of the songs we used to love was 'Wedding Bells.' (sings song) And this idea that you'd been army buddies but one day you'd have to kiss the army goodbye and get married and act like normal people -- it was a bit like that. We knew that day would come."

TOBY KEITH SHARES TED NUGENT TALES FROM MOVIE SET

Toby Keith hand-picked his buddy and fellow musician, Ted Nugent, to co-star with him in his new movie, called Beer For My Horses. Keith said that filming with Nugent was never predictable, especially one day when a bunch of Hollywood executives had gathered around the set in Santa Fe, New Mexico. "I knew that Hollywood was gonna be there and they get shocked really, really easy, so I was trying to buffer that. Ted had a scene where he shoots a guy with a bow and arrow, so he's leaving the set, and we're out in the middle of the desert and all of Hollywood's standing around and a cotton tail (rabbit) jumps up and crosses the set -- pow! He guts him a rabbit right in front of everybody."

Keith added that Nugent left an unforgettable impression on him during a long scene where they were forced to sit in a truck together. "(There were) lots of hours of sitting inside trucks. All of the inside shots you're sitting on a trailer inside the truck on a camera trailer, so you're locked in a truck. You can't get out for hours sometimes, and Ted had a sour stomach. That's all I'll say."

• Beer For My Horses makes its way to theaters on August 8th.
• The movie's soundtrack, which features songs from Keith, Nugent, Willie Nelson, Mac Davis, Mel Tillis and David Allan Coe, will be in stores on August 5th.

BRIAN WILSON TO HEADLINE OPENING NIGHT OF NEWPORT FOLK FESTIVAL

Brian Wilson has signed on to appear at this summer's Newport Folk Festival, according to The Associated Press. Wilson will headline the first day of the three-day festival, playing at Rhode Island's International Tennis Hall of Fame on August 1st.

Other acts set to play over August 1st through 3rd at Rhode Island's Fort Adams State Park include Jimmy Buffett, Trey Anastasio, the Black Crowes, and reggae artists Stephen and Damian Marley.

• This year marks the Newport Folk Festival's 49th anniversary.
• Brian Wilson will release his latest album called That Lucky Old Sun on September 2nd.
• Brian Wilson kicks off his North American dates on July 8th in Niagara Falls, Ontario at the Fallsview Casino Resort.

LEE LOUGHNANE SAYS CHICAGO'S 'STONE OF SISYPHUS' ALBUM RECALLS EARLY IMPROV MUSIC

Chicago is proud to finally be able to give their fans an official version of their unreleased 1993 album Stone Of Sisyphus XXXII (22).

The album, which hearkens back to Chicago's more experimental early '70s albums, was deemed uncommercial by the band's label at the time, and went unreleased. Chicago went on to record a big band album called Night And Day, while bootleg copies of Stone Of Sisyphus were sold and traded on the underground market.

Trumpeter Lee Loughnane says that even fans who have heard the unreleased bootleg dub will still be impressed with the officially released version: "You know longtime Chicago fans have heard it many times, but maybe not the same quality that they're going to be hearing it (in) now. 'Cause it's coming out of an actual record company and its remastered -- I think mastered for the first time (laughs) -- and released in the quality that we would normally release a project."

• The album takes its title from the G