February 1 - 10, 2009
These are the scripts Joe Benson used on the air at 95.5 KLOS in Los Angeles. They all received final editing by Jan Benson, without whom the task would have been far too daunting. Remember to give credit where credit is due, and enjoy!
February 1, 2009
Guitarist Mike Campbell of Tom Petty's Heartbreakers is 59.
On this day in 1963, Neil Young, at age 17, performed his first professional date at a country club in Winnipeg, Canada.
On this day in 1964, the British Invasion of America officially began as The Beatles' "I Want To Hold Your Hand" hit #1.
On this day in 1964, Bob Dylan released his classic "The Times They Are A Changin'" album.
On this day in 1965, The Rolling Stones released their legendary "The Rolling Stones Now" album.
On this day in 1967, The Beatles began their official sessions for "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band," laying down the rhythm tracks for the title cut.
On this day in 1969, The Beatles soundtrack album "Yellow Submarine" was released.
On this day in 1970, Van Morrison released his "Moondance" album.
On this day in 1986, John Mellencamp's "R.O.C.K. In The U.S.A." entered the Top 40.
On this day in 1988, The Cars officially broke up.
February 2, 2009
Singer extraordinaire Graham Nash is 67.
Bassist Ross Valory of Journey is 60.
On this day in 1978, after four years of playing virtually every club and backyard in Southern California, Van Halen signed their first recording contract. It was at that time that publicists subtracted a couple years from each member's age to make them seem even more astounding.
On this day in 1979, 21-year-old Sex Pistols bassist Sid Vicious died in New York of a heroin overdose. He was not a hero.
On this day in 1980, the Eagles' song "The Long Run" peaked at #8 on the charts.
Bruce Does The Bowl
Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band's halftime performance last night at Super Bowl XLIII in Tampa was definitely the "12-minute party" the Boss had promised. After commanding "I want you to put the chicken fingers down and turn your television all the way up," Bruce cranked through a four-song set that included "Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out," "Born To Run," the title track to his just-released "Working On A Dream" album and "Glory Days." By the way, Faith Hill and Jennifer Hudson were both truly fantastic in the opening ceremony and the Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Arizona Cardinals 27-23 with just seconds to spare.
Macca/Coachella
Even though the "L.A. Times" can't figure out why, Paul McCartney will headline the first night (April 17th) of the 2009 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio. Considering Macca's price tag, do you think any other classic rockers will be booked for the legendary event? Stay tuned!
More Allmans
If you, like me, were unable to get tickets to see any of the 10 Allman Brothers Band shows at the legendary Beacon Theatre in New York City in March, you are still in luck! After the first 10 shows sold out in record time, the band is adding five more — March 23, 24, 26, 27 and 28th will be on sale shortly. Do you think they'll try for 20?
Lil Wayne Pays The Stones
Lil Wayne has settled his copyright lawsuit with The Rolling Stones for an undisclosed amount of cash. Abkco Music Inc. — which owns the rights to The Stones' early catalog — claimed that the rapper's song "Playing With Fire" borrowed heavily from The Stones' 1965 hit "Play With Fire." Prior to last week's "amicable settlement," the song was taken off Wayne's album "Tha Carter III" and all download providers. And the beat goes on.
Plant Be Busy
Yes, Robert Plant has begun recording with his Raising Sand collaborator Alison Krauss again. But he and Alison will be in town next weekend for the GRAMMY Awards, which will mark both his first trip to the awards and his first performance there. In a very prim and proper voice, he said: "I'm looking forward to being in Los Angeles, but musically — and spiritually — I expect we'll be somewhere halfway between the Mississippi Delta and the Clinch Mountains." In addition, Robert mentioned his reluctance to reunite with Led Zeppelin: "To visit... something that was basically fired by youth and a different kind of exuberance to now, it's very hard to go back and meet that head on." Does that mean maybe next year?
It was Malcolm Forbes who said: "When in doubt, duck."
It was Granville Hicks who said: "A censor is a man who knows more than he thinks you ought to."
Groundhog Heaven
Today (February 2nd) is Groundhog Day, and over 15,000 spectators are expected to gather at "Gobbler's Knob" tomorrow morning to see the large rodent named Punxsutawney Phil emerge from his/her lair to see its shadow. Legend has it that if P-Phil can see its own shadow on February 2nd, winter will last another six weeks. Expect an early Spring if P-Phil does not see its shadow! Since 1886, P-Phil has seen its shadow 97 times, hasn't seen it 16 times and there are no records for nine years, according to the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club. The whole event, as well as Punxsutawney (a rural community 90 miles northwest of Pittsburgh), were made even more famous worldwide in the movie "Groundhog Day," which starred Bill Murray. Strangely enough, no one has seen Murray's shadow since 1999... but that's another story for another time.
February 3, 2009
Dave Davies, the fist swinging, guitar playing younger brother in The Kinks, is 62.
On this day in 1959, Buddy Holly, the Big Bopper and Ritchie Valens were killed when their small plane crashed in bad weather shortly after take-off from the Mason City, Iowa airfield. They had decided to pay for plane tickets rather than travel by bus to Fargo, North Dakota. At the last minute, Holly's bass player, Waylon Jennings, gave up his seat so that the Big Bopper could make the flight.
On this day in 1968, The Beatles recorded "Lady Madonna" in three takes at Abbey Road Studios in London.
On this day in 2004, saxophonist Cornelius Bumpus, who played with the The Doobie Brothers and Steely Dan among many others, died from a heart attack on a commercial flight from New York to California. He was 58.
All Hail AC/DC & Plant & Krauss
AC/DC earned themselves the Major Tour Of The Year award at the 20th Annual Pollstar Concert Industry Awards. Occasional Led Zeppelin singer Robert Plant and his collaborator, the amazing Alison Krauss, received the Most Creative Tour Package award for their "Raising Sand" trek. The awards ceremony took place at the Club Nokia L.A. Live last Friday night.
Edward's Talking
Eddie Van Halen has been talking a lot recently, and he says that work on a new Van Halen album with David Lee Roth could begin later this year. "I hope that after [my fiancée] Janie and I get married [this June], and [my son, VH bassist Wolfgang,] graduates [high school], that we sit down and discuss recording new music, which I have tons of." By the way, Halen drummer Alex Van Halen (Eddie's brother) is an ordained minister and will preside over his sibling's wedding. No word if Mr. Roth will attend, but you gotta wonder.
Giving Moonie A Plaque
Keith Moon, The Who's late drummer, will be honored with a special plaque at the site of London's Marquee Club on March 8th. The Who made their debut at the Marquee Club on November 24, 1964, and went on to play at the venue 29 times — literally destroying many of their instruments in the process. Moon, whose wild drumming and wilder lifestyle became legendary, died of an accidental drug overdose in 1978. Surviving Who members Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend will attend the plaque's unveiling.
KISS' Buffet
An update just rolled in from the guys of KISS: Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley are hard at work on their 42nd record. Paul says, "It's a KISS album in the most true and classic sense — we're recording it in analog, not digital, and writing it ourselves." While the singer is expecting a baby with his wife any day, the New York press weasels had to ask him about his groupie situation. With a straight face Stanley replied, "They are there in abundance. The only thing that changes is whether you choose to indulge. But the buffet is always there." Which is really kinda scary, wouldn't you say?
No Lennons For U.N.
Turns out that John Lennon's sons won't be performing together later this month. Julian Lennon has denied a report that he and his brother Sean Lennon will team up for their first collaborative performance at the U.N. Millennium Goal Awards, and that the gig was part of a reconciliation for the half-siblings. Julian says that it's a complete fabrication, and that Fox News "didn't even attempt to get in touch with either of our reps or the producers of the U.N. event to find out whether this story was true or not." Regarding his relationship with Sean, Julian says they "do not have any disputes and have NEVER had any." He also pointedly said that they have performed together before. And that's the end of that.
It was A.H. Weiler who said: "Nothing is impossible for the man who doesn't have to do it himself."
It was Kin Hubbard who said: "Nobody ever forgets where he buried the hatchet."
Python-Like Funerals
The Brit tabloid "Daily Telegraph" says that Monty Python's "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life" is the most popular alternative funeral song in all of the United Kingdom. Britain's Children's Society commissioned the survey in which the Monty Python track garnered 20% of the vote. Other songs receiving consideration included The Animal's "We Gotta Get Out of this Place." A spokeswoman explained the appeal of alternative funeral songs saying, "Funerals have changed a lot in the past few years — more people are planning ahead to make their funerals personal and reflective of themselves."
February 4, 2009
Alice Cooper is a semi-shocking 61.
On this day in 1970, John Lennon and Yoko Ono traded a bag of their cut hair in return for a pair of genuine Muhammad Ali boxing shorts. And you thought the Seventies were boring!
On this day in 1974, John Lennon and Yoko Ono began an ill-fated trial separation. The two eventually reunited, perhaps because of Muhammad Ali's boxing shorts. Then again, maybe not.
On this day in 1978, Queen's "We Are The Champions" peaked at #4, E.L.O.'s "Turn To Stone" hit #13 and Heart's "Crazy On You" topped out at #62.
On this day in 2001, Jimmy Buffett was kicked out of his courtside seats at a Miami Heat/New York Knicks game due to his use of profanity. Unfortunately for Jimmy, that burst of rebellious Rock & Roll-ish behavior didn't help his record sales in the least.
This Sunday night at 9 on 95.5 KLOS, OFF THE RECORD with Joe Benson will feature the music of the Scorpions as well as more of Joe's conversation with the entire band.
Bruce For Bonnaroo
Are you ready to do the Bonnaroo Bounce with The Boss? Last year it was Metallica closing out the Fest on the big stage. This year it will be Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band who'll headline the closing night of the four-day Bonnaroo Music Festival in Manchester, Tennessee. The massive June 11th through the 14th festival will see 120 bands play, including the reunited Phish, former Talking Heads frontman David Byrne and Gov't Mule, the group led by Allman Brothers Band guitarist/singer Warren Haynes. Just remember your sun screen along with your mosquito and tick repellent!
Duff Writes It Right
Former Gun N' Roses bassist Duff McKagan — who has a degree in finance — has signed on to be a financial columnist for "Playboy" magazine. The talented musician says the column will be "just some no-nonsense plain talk about things that can usually get real confusing." And friends, I can't think of anyone better qualified to discuss making sense of finances and survival!
Elty's Checking Out Of His room
It's official. Elton John will finally wrap up his series of Red Piano shows in Las Vegas on April 22nd. But to tide you over, he has introduced a limited-edition line of iPod Nanos encrusted with Swarovski crystals packaged with a copy of his "Rocket Man: The Definitive Hits" CD. Some of the proceeds from that project will go toward the Elton John AIDS Foundation.
Geils Again
Something rare is going to take place in Boston later this month. The J. Geils Band will reunite to celebrate the opening of a House Of Blues in Boston on February 19th. This will mark the first time the group's six members have performed together since bassist Danny Klein's 60th birthday party in 2006. So is this just a one-off, or might it lead to something bigger?
A Delayed Yes Release
No word on why it took seven years, but Yes fans who bought the band's double-DVD set "Symphonic Live" in 2002 will finally be able to pick up the audio-only "Symphonic Live" double-CD on February 24th. The performances with an orchestra were recorded during the group's 2001 tour for their symphonic album "Magnification." The CD-only bonus tracks include "Owner Of A Lonely Heart" and "I've Seen All Good People." Rock & roll!
It was Mark Twain who said: "Often it seems a pity that Noah and his party did not miss the boat."
It was Barry LePatner who said: "Good judgment comes from experience, and experience comes from bad judgment."
February 5, 2009
Legendary session drummer Hal Blaine is 80. As the top Los Angeles studio drummer in the Sixties and early Seventies, he played on more than 8,000 different tracks for hundreds and hundreds of different musicians including the Beach Boys, The Byrds and Simon & Garfunkle. It's almost impossible to listen to an oldies radio station for more than 10 minutes without hearing a song with Hal Blaine's drumming.
Cory Wells of Three Dog Night is 67.
Al Kooper, keyboardist for Dylan and Blood, Sweat & Tears, is 65.
Elton John's longtime drummer, Nigel Olsson, is 60.
Original Guns N' Roses bassist Duff McKagen is 45.
On this day in 1972, Neil Young's "Heart Of Gold" entered the charts.
Bruce #1/Ticketmaster #0
Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band's new album "Working On A Dream" will top next week's Billboard 200 chart — making it Bruce's ninth #1 album. That feat ties him with The Rolling Stones for the third most #1 albums. Only The Beatles with 19 and Elvis Presley and Jay-Z with 10 each have more #1 LPs. That said, Bruce is furious over the handling of tickets sales for his upcoming tour. He's blasted Ticketmaster for redirecting buyers to the higher-priced resale site TicketsNow, apparently while Ticketmaster still had tickets to sell at normal prices. Springsteen also notes that he has nothing to do with Ticketmaster charges, and he don't earn extra profits from tickets sold for more than their face value through sites like TicketsNow. Never one to miss a high profile event, the New Jersey Attorney General has also announced an investigation into the problem.
Robert Explains (Again)
As Robert Plant heads into Sunday night's GRAMMY Awards with five major nominations for his work with Alison Krauss, he's reiterated why he didn't want to perform again with Led Zeppelin. According to Gigwise.com, Robert turned down the reunion tour over fears he might disappoint fans. Plant said to "visit old ground" again with the group would have been "delicate" and he couldn't face the inevitable comparisons to how he sounds now verses how he sounded decades ago. There is some hope though — Plant said, "If my great award is to do this, then I don't want to do anything where we challenge what we did in the first place by just going back and visiting it without having a new, fresh makeover start." Amen!
Joe's Knee Is Better
Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry is finally back at home after his recent emergency knee surgery. According to his publicist, Joe is continuing to fight the infection that suddenly developed after he had an artificial knee installed 10 months ago. As for the expected tour later this year, Joe said, "I am looking forward to playing shows without any pain in my knee for the first time in three years." Right so!
Nash & Crosby & Stills & Sometimes Young
I spoke with birthday boy Graham Nash yesterday just after his return from the Buddy Holly tribute in Clear Lake, Iowa. While re-acclimating to non-Arctic temperatures, he said that Crosby, Stills & Nash recently completed 10 days of rehearsals of cover songs at his home in Hawaii. Graham said, "We'll go see [producer] Rick Rubin and play it all for him. "If he thinks we're ready, we'll probably go into the studio within a week." He also working up an album of recordings from CSNY's legendary 1974 stadium tour as well as a collection of 1993 CSN acoustic performances. Our conversation will be featured in a couple of weeks on OFF THE RECORD with Joe Benson.
Streaming The Allmans
When I last spoke with Allman Brothers drummer Butch Trucks, he was working on a web site project that would stream concerts. Well, he finally got it up and running, and all 15 of the group's three-hour long Beacon Theatre concerts will be streaming on his Web site, Moogis.com. It'll cost fans a hundred bucks to see, but along with all the great music, viewers will also witness the longest continuous concert stream in the history of the Internet. Plus, that subscription fee will give you access to exclusive Allman Brothers content dating back to 2000. The band's residency, which celebrates their 40th anniversary, runs March 9th to the 28th.
It was Red Skelton who said: "All men make mistakes, but married men find out about them sooner."
It was Stephen Covey who said: "If we keep doing what we're doing, we're going to keep getting what we're getting."
NHRA Winternationals
This Saturday & Sunday: You'll find J.B. right in the middle of the first big drag meet of the year — the NHRA Kragen/O'Reilly Auto Parts Winternationals Drag Races at the Auto Club Raceway in Pomona! There'll be Saturday and Sunday Uncle Joe's Meet & Greets with the KLOS Cool Patrol, and Randy Balough will be racing his Uncle Joe's Super Gas Corvette. Save $8 on tickets at Discount Tires and check out what last year's event looked like.
February 6, 2009
Reggae god Bob Marley would have been 64.
Uber-drummer Simon Phillips, who's worked with The Who and Toto, is 52.
Axl Rose of Guns & Roses is a crazy 47.
On this day in 1965, legendary concert promoter Bill Graham presented his first show when he rented out the Fillmore Auditorium in San Francisco for $60. The show, a benefit concert for the city's mime troupe, featured the Grateful Dead and Jefferson Airplane, who were anything but mimes.
On this day in 1965, "All Day And All Of The Night" by The Kinks peaked at #7 on the charts.
On this day in 1968, The Beatles' "Magical Mystery Tour" album hit number #1.
On this day in 1982, Van Halen's cover of Roy Orbison's classic "Pretty Woman" entered the charts as The Rolling Stones' "Waiting on a Friend" peaked at #13 and the J. Geils Band hit #1 with the song "Centerfold."
On this day in 1988, Bruce Springsteen's "Tunnel Of Love" peaked at #9 on the singles chart.
On this day in 1998, Beach Boy Carl Wilson died of cancer in Los Angeles at the age of 51.
This Sunday night at 9 on 95.5 KLOS, OFF THE RECORD with Joe Benson will feature the music of the Scorpions as well as more of Joe's conversation with the entire band.
GRAMMY GRAMMY
Although the 51st Annual GRAMMY Awards will present trophies in 110 categories on Sunday, we'll only see a few of them on the CBS telecast because of all the live performances that take precedence. The feeling around here is that occasional Led Zeppelin frontman Robert Plant and his extraordinary collaborator, singer Alison Krauss, will make the most of their five chances to win. The Eagles have four nominations this year, and Bruce Springsteen has two chances to win. Other veteran stars with more than once shot at a GRAMMY include Paul McCartney, James Taylor and Judas Priest, while AC/DC is up for a GRAMMY for their most recent single, "Rock 'n' Roll Train." Don't be surprised to see U2 open the show performing a song from their forthcoming album, followed by Sir Paul McCartney playing with the Foo Fighters' Dave Grohl on drums. And watch for the magic when Alison Krauss performs with Robert Plant, who is actually doing his first GRAMMY performance ever. Rock on!
Ticketmaster Says Its Sorry
Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band have gotten an apology from Ticketmaster Entertainment CEO Irving Azoff for directing scores of their fans to another, more expensive, website to purchase tickets for their upcoming Meadowlands and Long Island shows. While tickets were still available at face value, those at the TicketsNow site were going for four times their face value, so Ticketmaster has offered to refund the difference. No reply yet from Springsteen, who earlier said, "The abuse of our fans and our trust by Ticketmaster has made us furious as it has made many of you." Right so!
John At The Bowl
Whoa — check out this Independence Day bash! John Fogerty will be doing three special shows at the Hollywood Bowl July 2nd, 3rd and 4th! The Fogerty and Fireworks concerts will feature a full set from John and his ace touring band, plus a few tunes performed with the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Stay tuned for details on ticketing!
Honors To Tedly
The National Bowhunters Hall Of Fame will induct Ted Nugent tomorrow during the National Field Archery Association's World Archery Festival in Las Vegas. They'll be honoring the Nuge for his Excellence in Bowhunting as well as his Literary Excellence, which is a reference to his series of bowhunting books — not his personal reading list.
Dewey Martin Passes On
Buffalo Springfield drummer Dewey Martin died at the age of 68 last Saturday (on January 31st). Before joining Neil Young, Stephen Stills and Richie Furay in the short-lived but highly influential group, Dewey had played with Patsy Cline, Roy Orbison and the Everly Brothers. It was his muffled bass drum that set the mood for the Springfield's Stephen Stills-penned 1967 hit "For What It's Worth (Stop, Hey What's That Sound)." He was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the band in 1997.
Thought For The Weekend
There are only two industries in the world that refer to customers as 'users'. One is the IT industry. The other is the illegal drugs industry.
Special GRAMMY Special
This Saturday night at 7 on 95.5 KLOS, the final two-hour installment of "A Look Back At The GRAMMYS hosted by Joe Benson" will feature interviews, acceptance speeches and stories from artists like The Beatles, The Clash, U2, Genesis, The Rolling Stones and many more. For those outside of Southern California, check your local listings for air times.
February 7, 2009
KISS fan Garth Brooks is 47 and very rich.
Bon Jovi keyboardist David Bryan is also 47 (and not nearly as rich as Garth).
On this day in 1894, Antoine Sax, inventor of the saxophone, died in Paris at the age of 79.
On this day in 1964, The Beatles landed at New York's Kennedy Airport to make their first appearance on "The Ed Sullivan Show." "I Want To Hold Your Hand" was already #1 on the charts, and thousands of screaming fans greeted them at the airport as the first wave of Beatlemania swept across America. Life as we knew it would never be the same.
On this day in 1967, Badfinger's song "Come and Get It" entered the U.S. charts.
On this day in 1970, Joe Cocker's cover of "She Came In Through The Bathroom Window" peaked at #30.
On this day in 1980, Pink Floyd played the first live performance ever of their "Wall" album at the Los Angeles Sport Arena. The extremely ambitious multi-media production actually featured a wall built between the band and audience during the first half. The debut performance was stopped briefly near the halfway point when fireworks set fire to the stage curtains. The entire presentation proved so expensive to stage, it was only performed 29 times in L.A., New York and Europe.
On this day in 1981, The Police's "Don't Stand So Close To Me" entered the U.S. Top 40.
On this day in 2000, Foghat singer/guitarist "Lonesome" Dave Peverett succumbed to cancer at the age of 57 — far too young.
February 8, 2009
James Dean would have been 78.
Vince Neil of Motley Crue is 48.
On this day in 1958, the Quarrymen, featuring John Lennon and Paul McCartney, performed at Wilson Hall in Garston, England. It was there that Paul introduced John to a young guitarist named George Harrison.
On this day in 1975, Queen released the single "Killer Queen."
On this day in 1986, Robert Palmer released his song "Addicted To Love."
On this day in 2005, drummer Keith Knudsen of the Doobie Brothers died of pneumonia at the age of 56.
February 9, 2009
On this day in 1964, in a defining TV moment, The Beatles appeared on "The Ed Sullivan Show." A record audience of 73 million people tuned in to watch the Fab Four's debut American performance. The band performed "All My Loving," "Till There Was You," "She Loves You," "I Saw Her Standing There," and their current #1 single, "I Want to Hold Your Hand." George Harrison played despite suffering from a bad case of the flu. Also on that night's show were singer Georgia Brown and the cast of "Oliver!," which included future-Monkee Davy Jones.
On this day in 1974, Paul McCartney's "Jet" broke into the Top 40 singles chart.
Plant & Krauss Rule!
As an awards show/TV extravaganza... last night's presentation really came off well. But as a live music showcase of some of the biggest groups in the world, the 51st Annual GRAMMY Awards rocked! U2 — the biggest band in the world — kicked off the show, Radiohead with the USC Marching Band was absolutely phenomenal, Jennifer Hudson brought the house down with her incredible performance, Jennifer Nettles of Sugarland was amazing and Paul McCartney rocked with Foo Fighter Dave Grohl on drums. The biggest winners of all were Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, whose live performance was extraordinarily nuanced. Nominated for five GRAMMYs, they won each in style, including Record Of The Year for "Please Read the Letter" and the Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals for "Rich Woman" — the same GRAMMY they won last year for "Gone, Gone, Gone." Their "Killing The Blues" won the Best Country Collaboration With Vocal and their album "Raising Sand" won the Best Contemporary/Folk Americana Album. For Krauss, those wins give her a career total of 26 GRAMMYs, placing her third behind Sir Georg Solti and Quincy Jones as the artist with the most GRAMMY recognition. Plant's only other career GRAMMYs include last year's win with Krauss and a nod in 1997 for a post-Led Zeppelin track he recorded with former bandmate Jimmy Page.
Other awards of interest included Bruce Springsteen's Best Rock Song GRAMMY for "Girls In Their Summer Clothes," the Eagles Best Pop Instrumental Performance for "I Dreamed There Was No War" and Metallica's Best Metal Performance for "My Apocalypse." Metallica's "Death Magnetic" also won the Best Recording Package award. Two of Peter Gabriel's songs from "Wall-E" scored GRAMMYs: "Down to Earth" won the Best Motion Picture, TV, Visual Media award and "Define Dancing" was named the Best Instrumental Arrangement. The Best Long Form Music Video award went to Tom Petty's "Runnin' Down A Dream." The Best Rock Instrumental went to Zappa Plays Zappa (Dweezil Zappa's tribute to his dad) for the classic "Peaches En Regalia," and George Carlin won his fifth Best Comedy Album GRAMMY Award for "It's Bad for Ya," a recording of his last HBO special.
Squier Returns
Whoa! Sounds like Billy Squier has finally committed to his first North American headlining tour since the early Nineties. His initial few dates start on June 23rd in Verona, New York, with more bookings expected into the Fall. In addition, Billy has written and recorded two new songs with Mitchell Davis, whose song "Perfect Timing (This Morning)" was recently featured in one of Apple's iPhone TV commercials. Stay tuned!
Jovi To New Orleans
It's finally official. Bon Jovi will make their first-ever appearance at the annual New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival on May 2nd. The eclectic event, celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, will be spread out over seven days: April 24th - 26th and April 30th - May 3rd.
It was Oscar Wilde who said: "Seriousness is the only refuge of the shallow."
It was Napoleon Bonaparte who said: "Glory is fleeting, but obscurity is forever."
February 10, 2009
Psychedelic folk singer Donovan is 63.
On this day in 1973, Steely Dan's "Do It Again" peaked at #6 on the pop singles chart.
On this day in 1978, Van Halen released their self-titled debut album, which eventually sold over 6 million copies.
On this day in 1979, Dire Straits released the single "Sultans of Swing."
On this day in 1987, Roger Waters dropped his lawsuit against his former Pink Floyd bandmates over the use of the band's name. In return, they agreed to pay him some heavy royalties.
On this day in 1990, Aerosmith's "Janie's Got A Gun" peaked at #4 on the pop singles chart.
On this day in 1997, Sweet's singer, Brian Connolly, died in England of kidney failure at the age of 52.
GRAMMY Ratings Up
Just over 19 million American homes watched the 51st Annual GRAMMY Awards on Sunday night, an 11% increase over last year's audience. No doubt that the boost is due to the unprecedented 24 live performances and a full range of artists covering the musical spectrum. Robert Plant and Alison Krauss — the night's big winners — performed, as did U2, Paul McCartney, Jennifer Hudson, Coldplay and Stevie Wonder. The ceremony also included tributes to the Four Tops and the late Bo Diddley.
Macca Books & Games
On April 19th — just two days after he headlines the opening night of the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival — Paul McCartney will play the Grand Opening of the newly renovated Joint venue at Las Vegas' Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. And when it comes to games, Macca has reviewed the upcoming Beatles-themed Rock Band video game as "very cool." He says, "I like the idea that [Rock Band] introduces kids to music." Now, how about digital downloads of the Fab Four, Sir Paulie?
Pearl Jam/Aerosmith/O'Brien
Pearl Jam is booked into a two-week recording session in L.A. with super producer Brendan O'Brien. Their ninth studio album with O'Brien is targeted for release late this year. Meanwhile, guitarist Joe Perry has revealed that O'Brien is also recording Aerosmith's new studio album, which the boys hope to finish before kicking off a U.S. tour on June 1st.
New Gillan
Deep Purple frontman Ian Gillan's latest solo album, "One Eye to Morocco," will be released on March 31st. The singer recorded the 12-song collection with the same musicians who backed him on his tour for his 2006 solo album, "Gillan's Inn." Of the Arabian-influenced title track, Gillan says "It was a conscious decision to avoid the use of a rock rhythm section and you will notice the complete absence of guitar and keyboard solos."
It was Coach John Wooden who said: "Don't let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do."
It was James Bovard who said: "Democracy must be something more than two wolves and a sheep voting on what to have for dinner."
ULTIMATE RACE FAN CONTEST
Just listen to yer Uncle Joe all week for the ultimate race hook-up for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Auto Club 500 and your chance for the Grand Prize — the Ultimate Race Fan Experience with Speedway Suite Passes, NASCAR Garage Pass Access, get to be an Honorary Pit Crew Member — plus a Meet & Greet with AAA Penske Championship Racing driver Sam Hornish, Jr.!! You can also register to win right now: a pair of tickets to the Auto Club 500 on February 22nd at the Auto Club Speedway. For more information, and special Auto Club race ticket pricing along with a $25 Dollar Gas Card, call 800-944-RACE.