CROSBY STILLS AND NASH TOUR KICKS OFF THIS SPRING IN THE U.S. FOLLOWED BY A JULY ITINERARY IN EUROPE AND A SECOND U.S. LEG IN LATE SUMMER

The legendary trio Crosby, Stills & Nash (CSN)—David Crosby, Stephen Stills, and Graham Nash—will tour the western United States in late spring, followed by concerts across the U.K. and Europe this summer. Additional U.S. dates in late summer, following the group’s return from Europe, will be announced in coming weeks.

The tour’s first leg in the U.S. kicks off with a pair of festival dates in California: May 21 at the Sonoma Jazz Festival in Sonoma, CA, and May 23 at the Doheny State Beach Festival in Dana Point. Other highlights from the spring itinerary include two dates at Humphrey’s in San Diego (May 25-26), Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, CO (June 2) the Dodge Theatre in Phoenix (May 29), Portland OR’s Amphitheater at Clark County (June 11) and the Seattle area’s Chateau Ste. Michelle Winery (June 12).
The tour’s second leg commences in the U.K. on July 1 with a concert at The O2 in Dublin, Ireland. Other European highlights include two dates at London’s Royal Albert Hall (July 3-4), Queen Elizabeth Auditorium in Antwerp, Belgium (July 9), The Olympia in Paris (July 12-13), and the Tollwood SommerFestival in Munich, Germany (July 25). Additional European dates will be announced shortly.

The group’s 2010 touring schedule follows up a twelve-month period marked by a number of high profile performances and projects. Most recently, CSN was a featured part of the all-star tribute to Neil Young – their longtime partner in Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young – at NARAS’ 2010 Person of the Year gala honoring Young that kicked off this year’s GRAMMY® weekend festivities.

In October 2009, CSN played at historic Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 25th Anniversary concerts at Madison Square Garden in New York City. CSN was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997. David Crosby has also been previously inducted for The Byrds, and Stephen Stills with Buffalo Springfield; at this year’s 2010 ceremony, Graham Nash will be dual-honored as well when The Hollies join the fold.

Also in 2009, David Crosby, Stephen Stills, and Graham Nash were inducted into the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame at a June 18 ceremony in New York City. That same month marked Rhino Records’ release of Demos. Featuring 12 previously unreleased tracks recorded between 1968 and 1971, Demos spotlights destined-to-be-classic songs later heard on CSN’s group and solo titles.

CSN’s music immediately became a cornerstone of rock ‘n roll with the group’s self-titled 1969 debut LP, now one of Rolling Stone’s “500 Greatest Albums of All Time.” That same year, they were honored with the GRAMMY award for Best New Artist. 1970’s Deja Vu—another “500 Greatest”—followed, the first album from the group’s four-man line-up with Neil Young (CSN&Y). Ever since—through changing times and various configurations—Crosby, Stills & Nash have continued to tour and record as “three together.”

CROSBY, STILLS & NASH 2010 TOUR DATES

MAY

21
Sonoma Jazz Festival
Sonoma, CA
23
Doheny State Beach Festival
Dana Point, CA
25
Humphrey’s By The Bay
San Diego, CA
26
Humphrey’s By The Bay
San Diego, CA
28
Agua Caliente
Rancho Mirage, CA
29
Dodge Theatre
Phoenix, AZ
31
Sandia Casino
Albuquerque, NM

JUNE

2
Red Rocks Amphitheatre
Morrison, CO
4
The Joint
Las Vegas, NV
6
Ironstone Amphitheatre
Murphys, CA
8
The Mountain Winery
Saratoga, CA
11
Amphitheatre at Clark County
Portland, OR
12
Chateau St. Michelle
Seattle, WA

EUROPE

JULY

1
O2
Dublin, Ireland
3
Royal Albert Hall
London, UK
4
Royal Albert Hall
London, UK
9
Elizabethzaal
Antwerp, Belgium
12
The Olympia
Paris, France
13
The Olympia
Paris, France
15
Hohentwiel Festival
Singen, Germany
24
Burg Esslingen
Esslingen, Germany
25
Tollwood SommerFestival Musik Arena
Munich, Germany

Source: PR Newswire

LOU REED’S METAL MACHINE TRIO UK & EUROPEAN TOUR STARTS APRIL 2010

Lou Reed’s Metal Machine Trio UK & European April 2010 Tour

Coincides with the digitally remastered edition release of Reed’s 1975 seminal album ‘Metal Machine Music’ – released in 5.1 Surround Sound on double vinyl, Blu Ray & DVD Audio.

Lou Reed’s Metal Machine Trio: MM3 will be performing what is being described as “A Night of Deep Noise” that features Lou Reed on processed and unprocessed guitars, Ulrich Krieger on tenor sax and live-electronics, and Sarth Calhoun on continuum and live processing – a collaborative affair that will see all three musicians improvise music and make soundscapes. The Metal Machine Trio originally debuted at the REDCAT Theatre in Los Angeles in October 2008.

Each concert will feature no songs and no vocals. The trio will utilise guitars, saxophones, continuum, plus an array of electronic treatments that will venture into deep acoustic space. The collaboration will draw on new music, free jazz, avant-rock, noise and ambient in a set of intense conceptual pieces and intuitive improvisations.

The Metal Machine Trio concerts will be influenced and inspired by Lou Reed’s seminal 1975 album Metal Machine Music. The concerts won’t duplicate the original album but will instead opt for entirely new unique music, noise and soundscapes.

Lou Reed and Ulrich Krieger originally met each other in 2002 for the premiere of Krieger’s transcription and arrangement of Metal Machine Music – Reed’s seminal guitar feedback epic, performed by the Berlin-based chamber orchestra Zeitkratzer. Reed was so impressed with Ulrich’s transcription, that he flew to Berlin to perform guitar with Zeitkratzer’s live interpretation of the album.

To coincide with the UK and European tour dates, Lou Reed will release a newly re-mastered edition of the original 1975 Metal Machine Music album on 180 gram double gatefold vinyl, Audio DVD and Blu-ray. Each format features a stereo reproduction of the original quadraphonic master, playable on home theatre systems.

The re-mastered edition of the album will be released domestically in the UK first week in April 2010, and will coincide with the UK and European tour dates. Further info about the re-mastered edition of the 1975 album can be found here – www.loureed.com/metalmachinemusic.

Lou Reed on the re-mastered edition of Metal Machine Music:
“The original. The one that started it all. Noise Rock. Industrial Road. Underground for years, it survived on the power of the idea. No key. No Vocals. No set rhythm. Feedback forever. Supervised by Lou Reed and faithfully re-mastered to the last squeal. The out of print “Quad” has been replicated for all formats including a perfect vinyl version playable on your stereo turntable with the original rear sections moved to the centre of the front left speakers. It’s worth getting a turntable to hear this. I myself bought a Linn to celebrate the great sound and am playing it through Wilson Watts and Puppies. Here it as we did on Scott Hull’s Duntechs. Straight from the original Bob Ludwig tapes. An act of love for an act of sound.”

‘Lou Reed’s Metal Machine’ Line-up:

Lou Reed – Electric & Processed Guitars & Mini Continuum
Ulrich Krieger – Saxophone & Electronics
Sarth Calhoun – Live Processing & Continuum Fingerboard

Please visit Lou Reed’s website for further information about MM3’s recent live album Lou Reed’s Metal Machine Trio: The Creation of the Universe, released on MP3, Lossless FLAC and 2-disc CD –

www.loureed.com/metalmachinetrio

The Cambridge Junction
Saturday 17 April
Box Office: 01223 511 511,
Book Online: www.junction.co.uk
Tickets: £25 adv
The Junction, Clifton Way, Cambridge, CB1 7GX

Oxford O2 Academy
Sunday 18 April
Box Office: 0844 477 2000
Book Online: www.o2academyoxford.co.uk
Tickets: £25 adv
O2 Oxford Academy, 190 Cowley Road, Oxford OX4 1UE

London Royal Festival Hall
Ether Festival
Monday 19 April
Box Office: 0844 875 0073
Book Online: www.southbankcentre.co.uk
Tickets: £45, 40, 32.50, 27.50, 25, 22.50
Royal Festival Hall, South Bank Centre, London SE1 8XX

La Cigale, Paris, France
Wednesday 21 April
Box Office: 0892 683622
Book Online: www.lacigale.fr/en
Tickets: €70, 60, 50
La Cigale, 120 Boulevard Rochechouart, Paris 75018

A/B, Ancienne Belgique Brussels, Belgium
Domino Festival
Thursday 22 April
Box Office: (+32) 2 548 24 24
Book Online: www.abconcerts.be/en
www.dominofestival.be/nl
Tickets: €35
A/B – Ancienne Belgique, Anspachlaan 10,Brussels 1000

DR Koncerthuset, Copenhagen, Denmark
Saturday 24 April
Box Office: (+45) 3520 6262
Book Online: www.dr.dk/Koncerthuset
Tickets: DKK300, 425, 500, 575
DR Koncerthuset, Emil Holmes Kanal 20, 0999, Copenhagen

Sentrum Scene, Oslo, Norway
Monday 26 April
Box Office: (+47) 815 33 133
Book Online: www.rockefeller.no/english
Tickets: NOK485
Sentrum, Arbeidersamfunnets Plass 1, Oslo N-0181

Ole Bull Scene, Bergen, Norway
Bergen Festival
Tuesday 27 April
Box Office: Bergen (+47) 55321145
Book Online: www.olebullscene.no
Tickets: NOK520
Ole Bull Scene, Øvre Ole Bullsplass 3, Bergen, 5012

Teatre Principal de Palma, Mallorca, Spain
Festival Alternatilla
Friday 30 April
Box Office: (34) 971 219 700
Book Online: www.teatreprincipal.com
Tickets: TBA not on sale yet
Festival Allternatilla, Teatre Principal de Palma, Palma, Mallorca

LOU REED – BIOGRAPHY

Lou Reed is an American Master, a playwright, a poet, and a photographer whose photos have been exhibited worldwide. His third photography book, Romanticism, will be released in 2009. He is the recipient of the Chevalier Commander of Arts and Letters from the French government and numerous other awards. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996 and is a founding member of the legendary Velvet Underground.

In December of 2006 Lou Reed premiered the live staging of his masterwork Berlin at St. Ann’s Warehouse in New York. The performance was filmed by Academy Award nominated director and artist Julian Schnabel.

Reed released his first suite of electronic mediation music, Hudson River Wind Meditations, on the Sounds True label in 2007. In late 2008 Reed released a new album of live electronic music called Lou Reed’s Metal Machine Trio: The Creation of The Universe, which inspired two extremely well, received performances by the MM3 Trio in New York in April of 2009. The CD is available for sale through his website www.loureed.com.

Currently Reed is working several projects including collaboration with artist Lorenzo Mattioti, who created a graphic novel based on Lou’s album, The Raven. He is also completing a book of essays on Chen Tai Chi called The Art Of The Straight Line, which is slated for release in 2009. Lou Reed also co-hosts a weekly radio show on Sirius XM Satellite Radio with friend and distinguished producer Hal Willner called “The New York Shuffle”.

Reed has acted in and composed music for films and currently lives in the city of his heart, New York.

ULRICH KRIEGER – BIOGRAPHY

Ulrich Krieger is a composer, performer, improviser and experimental rock musician. His main instruments are saxophones, clarinets, didgeridoo and electronics. He calls his style of playing “acoustic electronics”, using sounds that appear to be electronic, but are produced on acoustic instruments and then sometimes electronically treated, blurring the borders between the fields. Krieger transcribed Lou Reed’s (in)famous Metal Machine Music for chamber ensemble and works with groups like Text of Light (with Lee Ranaldo) and zerfall–gebiete (with Thomas Koner) between experimental rock, ambient and contemporary composition.

Born 1962, in Freiburg, Germany, he lived in Berlin 1983–2007 with longer residencies in the USA and Italy 1991–97. In September 2007 he moved to California, where he is professor for composition and experimental sound practice at the California Institute for the Arts. He studied classical saxophone, composition, electronic music and musicology at the Manhattan School of Music (NYC), the Universität der Künste (Berlin) and the Freie Universität (Berlin), as well as pursuing independent studies and research in the didgeridoo and Australian aboriginal music and culture.

Krieger has worked with Lou Reed, Lee Ranaldo, Phill Niblock, David First, Thomas Köner, Alan Licht, Michiko Hirayama, Witold Szalonek, Mario Bertoncini, Miriam Marbe, Seth Josel, Zbigniew Karkowski, Merzbow, performing in Europe, America, Asia and Australia. His works have been performed by California EAR Unit, Zeitkratzer, KontraTrio, Soldier String Quartet, Wandelweiser Ensemble.

Krieger received grants from the German DAAD program, the Darmstadter Summer Courses for New Music, the city of Berlin and many others and was a Composer-In-Residence at Villa Aurora (Los Angeles), Villa Serpentara (Rome), German Research Centre Venice (Italy), University of East Anglia (England), the City of Bologna (Italy) and the Music Centre North Queensland (Australia). He’s released over 50 CDs of original compositions, improvisations, with his groups and as a collaborator with many musicians. www.ulrich-krieger.de

SARTH CALHOUN – BIOGRAPHY

Sarth Calhoun is a studio composer and electronic alchemist operating out of Brooklyn, NY. In live performance he practices improvised audio manipulation, transforming the sounds of the instruments around him.

He is a beta tester for the Symbolic Sound Kyma system. Much of his work focuses on the analogous relationship between pitch and rhythm, and he claims to have invented a new kind of synthesis, which he controls from a Continuum Fingerboard. In addition to performing and recording with Lou Reed, he is the mastermind behind post electronic trio Lucibel Crater.

Official Lou Reed Website:
www.loureed.com

TODD RUNDGREN RELEASES “A WIZARD A TRUE STAR” CONCERTS ON USB STICK

Todd Rundgren, the legendary rock musician and record producer, who has worked with everyone from Patti Smith, Meatloaf and the New York Dolls, today announced that his February 2010 London and Amsterdam “A Wizard A True Star” concerts will be released on USB stick.

The European AWATS concerts will take place at the HMV London Hammersmith Apollo on Friday 6th February, followed by the Paradiso, Amsterdam on Sunday 8th February. Fans who attend the concerts will be able to buy the entire two hour concert on USB stick at the merchandise stand directly after the shows.

Fans can pre-order both concerts on USB stick from
www.toddrundgren.concert-online.com.

The Rundgren “Wizard” USB concert sticks are the brainchild of Cologne-based live recording entertainment company Concert Online whose live recording concert USB stick roster includes KISS, Simply Red, Madness, Foreigner and Simple Minds.

The Rundgren “Wizard” USB concert stick will include two hours of live performance audio, including “Todd Rundgren’s Johnson”; a 45-minute set of Rundgren performing Robert Johnson songs, followed by a 75-minute set of the highly anticipated “A Wizard A True Star” album performed in it’s entirety.

The all-star line-up for the forthcoming European AWATS concerts includes former Utopia band members Ralph Schuckett (keyboards, vocals) and Kasim Sulton (bass, vocals), plus former Cars member Greg Hawkes (keyboards, vocals), Jesse Gress (guitar, vocals), Bobby Strickland (saxophone, vocals) and Tubes founder Prairie Prince (drums, vocals). In addition to his being a multi-talented musician and singer/songwriter and performer, Rundgren is also regarded as one of the best record producers of all time (XTC, Meat Loaf, Patti Smith Group, XTC, Grand Funk Railroad).

A Wizard, A True Star –
Live in London and Amsterdam

HMV London Hammersmith Apollo
Friday 6th February
Box Office: 08700 603 777
Book Online: www.seetickets.com
Official UK AWATS concert press page – www.noblepr.co.uk/Press_Releases

Paradiso, Amsterdam
Sunday 8th February
Box Office: 003120 628 8790
Book Online: www.paradiso.nl
Ticketmaster: www.ticketmaster.nl

Jesse Gress (guitar)
Has toured and recorded with Todd Rundgren and the Grammy-nominated Tony Levin Band. Gress plays guitar on Rundgren’s Liars and Arena albums.

Greg Hawkes (keyboards)
Was a founding member of The Cars (1977-87). He formed the New Cars (2005) with Rundgren replacing Ric Ocasek on lead vocals, and released the album It’s Alive in the same year.

Prairie Prince (drums)
A founding member of art-rock band The Tubes since 1969, Prairie has played with Rundgren for the last several years and appeared on the latter’s Liars and Arena albums, and also played drums for the New Cars.

Ralph Schuckett (keyboards)
Was a founding member of the band Utopia who played with the band from 1972 -75, and appeared on the albums Utopia and Another Live.

Bobby Strickland (saxophone)
Played and toured the Todd Rundgren albums Nearly Human and Second Wind.

Kasim Sulton (bass)
Was a long-standing member of the band Utopia (alongside Rundgren) and has worked with Meat Loaf, Joan Jett, Hall & Oates, and Patti Smith

Although Rundgren’s breakthrough 1972 album, Something/Anything? is considered by many to be his masterpiece, the psychedelic impact and bordering-on-disturbing innovation of the follow-up, AWATS,is arguably Rundgren’s most experimental and influential album. Stand-out tracks include the International Feel, Rock & Roll Pussy, You Don’t Have To Camp Around, Sometimes I Don’t Know What To Feel, Zen Archer and Just Another Onionhead.

The album’s closer, Just One Victory, has been included as an encore favorite in both Rundgren’s and Utopia’s live sets over the decades, but this will be the first time in Britain that he will perform the whole record live onstage, from start to finish. The first half of the concert will feature a selection of Rundgren’s songs throughout his career, while the second half of the show will consist of the entirety of A Wizard, a True Star.

A Wizard, A True Star is hailed as one of the most influential and pioneering progressive rock album recordings of all time. Originally released in 1973 (the longest running album on vinyl, clocking in at nearly one hour of running time: 55:56), much of the album is an extended medley after the fashion of The Beatles’ late recordings. The effect of the songs merging one into another was immediate, infectious and dazzling; the lyrical content was often at once both tongue in cheek and hallucinogenic.

Side One of the album includes a cover version of Never Never Land from the Broadway version of Peter Pan. Side Two features a legendary medley of covers of doo-wop and pop soul hits, including I’m So Proud, Ooh Baby, Baby, La La Means I Love You and Cool Jerk.

Arthur Wood illustrated the psychedelic cover painting that graced the original packaging. First editions of the vinyl LP were die-cut and included a “band aid” poem written by the punk poet Patti Smith, and a short bio about the album, as well as a postcard encouraging purchasers to send their name to be included on a poster in Rundgren’s next album; the eponymous Todd.

PLASTIC ONO BAND REFORM WITH SPECIAL GUESTS ERIC CLAPTON, KLAUS VOORMAN ETC

Launched in 1969 with the single “Give Peace A Chance”, PLASTIC ONO BAND is known for its avant-garde music, film, art, and activism. Revived in 2009, YOKO ONO PLASTIC ONO BAND includes Yoko Ono, Cornelius, Yuka Honda, Haruomi Hosono and Sean Lennon. On February 16, the group performs a very special concert, featuring songs from their new album Between My Head And The Sky , welcoming many special guests, including some original band members.

VIP Tickets (Price Class 1) include premium seating, a signed limited-edition souvenir poster and a copy of the new critically acclaimed YOKO ONO PLASTIC ONO BAND CD Between My Head and the Sky.

BAM Howard Gilman Opera House
$39.90, 79.90, 89.90, 150

CAROL KING AND JAMES TAYLOR ANNOUNCE ‘TROUBADOUR REUNION’ TOUR

Carole King And James Taylor Announce ‘Troubadour Reunion’ World Tour

Hollywood Bowl Tickets Go On Sale Nov 23 With North American And European Dates To Be Announced Soon

Tour Kicks Off In Australia, New Zealand And Japan

Iconic musicians Carole King and James Taylor announced today that they will embark on a “Troubadour Reunion” world tour. The world tour will kick off in Melbourne, Australia on March 27 and will travel to New Zealand and Japan before coming to North America and Europe. This once-in-a-lifetime event brings together two of the most beloved singer/songwriters for a rare concert experience. The set list will include a breadth of material including songs they performed during their 1970 debut show at the Troubadour in Los Angeles, which helped propel them both to the world stage. Tickets for dates in Australia and New Zealand and The Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles go on-sale Nov. 23. Tickets for dates in Japan go on sale Dec. 12. Additional dates in North America and Europe will be announced soon.

The idea for the “Troubadour Reunion” tour came together in 2007 after Taylor and King performed at the famed Los Angeles venue for the first time since 1970 to celebrate the Troubadour’s 50th Anniversary. The shows sold out immediately and garnered rave reviews from fans and critics alike. The Los Angeles Times noted “the sense of occasion [and] weight of history in the evening” and Variety said “Taylor and King reminded us about the intensity of song, that the artistically-rich and commercially-viable are not mutually exclusive and how one tiny club continues to be a birthing room for some of this city’s most memorable music.”

Now fans outside of Los Angeles will be able to experience what was created on that magical evening in 2007. Nearly four decades after helping define the singer-songwriter movement, King and Taylor will tour together with their original bandmates guitarist Danny “Kootch” Kortchmar, drummer Russ Kunkel and bassist Lee Sklar, famous in their own right as “The Section”.

“When James and I first played together in the early seventies, we connected immediately, both musically and personally, with an effortless, comfortable familiarity,” says Carole King. “After we reunited in 2007 with Danny Kortchmar, Lee Sklar, and Russ Kunkel, the original band from our early Troubadour shows, none of us wanted the fun to stop. We can’t wait to bring our Troubadour Reunion tour to Australia.”

“This tour, our Troubadour Reunion, has been waiting to happen for a long time and the years seem to have vanished, where does the time go?” asks Taylor. “When we reunited for the Troubadour’s 50th Anniversary celebration, it felt like yesterday. It was and still is all about the music and the songs that we get to perform together.”

Carole King performed with James Taylor at the Troubadour in November 1970. This historic show marked King’s debut as a solo artist after penning 22 Top 40 hits for artists ranging from Aretha Franklin to the Monkees, while James was supporting his self-titled Apple Records release featuring classics such as “Carolina In My Mind” and “Something In The Way She Moves.” Both have since become multi-platinum-selling artists, GRAMMY® winners, and members of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

In 1971, King gave us the landmark Tapestry. The album received a Diamond Award from the RIAA for sales of more than 10 million units in the U.S., with more than 25 million units sold worldwide. King was the first woman to win four GRAMMY® Awards in one year (Best Album, Best Song, Best Record, and Best Vocal Performance in 1972), a feat unsurpassed for more than 25 years, and was featured on the cover of Time Magazine in 1973. In 1987, King and Gerry Goffin were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame and honored with their Lifetime Achievement Award in 1988. Goffin and King were also inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990 and were honored by The National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences in 2004 with the GRAMMY® Trustees’ Award. To date, more than 400 Carole King compositions have been recorded by more than 1000 artists, resulting in 100 hit singles – many reaching #1. She is arguably the most successful and revered female songwriter in pop music history. Carole King has released 25 solo albums, the most recent being The Living Room Tour double-live CD on her own Rockingale Records label. The companion DVD, entitled Welcome to My Living Room, is now available.

Over the course of his career, James Taylor has sold more than 40 million albums, and won more than 40 gold, platinum and multi-platinum awards as well as five GRAMMY® Awards. Taylor’s first Greatest Hits album earned him the RIAA’s elite Diamond Award, given for sales in excess of 10 million units in the United States. In 2000, Taylor was inducted into both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame. In February 2006, The National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences named Taylor its MUSICARES Person of the Year. Taylor’s CD/DVD One Man Band (2007) was nominated for an Emmy and his most recent album, Covers, was nominated for two GRAMMY® Awards in 2008. He most recently released Other Covers in April 2009.

Tour Routing:
SAT 27-Mar MELBOURNE ROD LAVER ARENA
WED 31-Mar BRISBANE ENTERTAINMENT CENTRE
SAT 3-Apr HUNTER HOPE ESTATE
TUE 6-Apr SYDNEY ENTERTAINMENT CENTRE
SAT 10-Apr AUCKLAND VECTOR ARENA
WED 14-Apr TOKYO NIPPON BUDOKAN
FRI 16-Apr TOKYO NIPPON BUDOKAN

Iconic recording artists Carole King and James Taylor unveiled North American dates for the highly anticipated “Troubadour Reunion” tour today. This once-in-a-lifetime event marks a rare concert experience bringing two of the most beloved singer-songwriters on tour together – intimate and in the round – for the first time in four decades. North American dates begin on May 7 in Portland, OR, and extend through June 19 in Boston, MA. The tour will travel to over 20 major venues and cities nationwide including Madison Square Garden in New York and a three-night stand at The Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles. Tickets for the North American leg of “Troubadour Reunion” go on sale January 23 (unless otherwise noted). King and Taylor will also perform together on The Today Show and The Late Show with David Letterman on January 20.

The idea for the tour was conceived after a series of six performances Taylor and King gave at the Troubadour in Los Angeles in 2007 to celebrate the famed venue’s 50th Anniversary. The shows sold out immediately and garnered rave reviews from fans and critics alike.

Joining King and Taylor on tour will be their original bandmates guitarist Danny “Kootch” Kortchmar, drummer Russ Kunkel and bassist Lee Sklar, famous in their own right as “The Section.” Also joining The Section will be: Rudy Guess, Robbie Kondor, Arnold McCuller, Kate Markowitz, Andrea Zonn.

King and Taylor’s historic performance together at the Troubadour in November 1970 heralded King’s transition to solo stage performer, after penning 22 Top 40 hits for artists ranging from Aretha Franklin’s “(You Make Me Feel Like A) Natural Woman” to the Monkees’ “Pleasant Valley Sunday”, while Taylor was supporting his self-titled Apple Records release featuring classics such as “Carolina In My Mind” and “Something In The Way She Moves.” Both have since become multi-platinum-selling artists, GRAMMY(r) winners, and members of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

The tour opens March 26 in Melbourne, Australia and winds through New Zealand and Japan before returning stateside in May.

For more information on the “Troubadour Reunion” please visit www.jamestaylor.com and www.caroleking.com

Tour Routing:

MAY 7 — PORTLAND, OR* — ROSE GARDEN ARENA
MAY 9 — SEATTLE, WA — KEY ARENA
MAY 11 — SAN JOSE, CA — HP PAVILION
MAY 13, 14, 15 — LOS ANGELES, CA — HOLLYWOOD BOWL
MAY 19 — PHOENIX, AZ — JOBING.COM ARENA
MAY 21 — KANSAS CITY, MO — SPRINT CENTER
MAY 22 — NASHVILLE, TN — SOMMET CENTER
MAY 24 — CHICAGO, IL — ALLSTATE ARENA
MAY 25 — ST. PAUL, MN — XCEL ENERGY CENTER
MAY 27 — DETROIT, MI — THE PALACE OF AUBURN HILLS
MAY 28 — TORONTO, ON — AIR CANADA CENTRE
MAY 30 — COLUMBUS, OH — SCHOTTENSTEIN CENTER
JUN 2 — CHARLOTTE, NC — TIME WARNER CABLE ARENA
JUN 3 — ATLANTA, GA — THE ARENA AT GWINNETT CENTER (DULUTH)
JUN 5 — FT. LAUDERDALE, FL — BANKATLANTIC CENTER
JUN 6 — TAMPA, FL — ST. PETE TIMES FORUM
JUN 8 — WASHINGTON, DC* — VERIZON CENTER
JUN 10 — PHILADELPHIA, PA — WACHOVIA CENTER
JUN 12 — HARTFORD, CT — MOHEGAN SUN ARENA (UNCASVILLE)
JUN 15 — NEW YORK, NY* — MADISON SQUARE GARDEN
JUN 19 — BOSTON, MA — TD GARDEN

*dates subject to change due to sports playoffs
Further dates to be announced

More dates to be announced…

Source: Shorefire

SIMPLE MINDS RELEASE USB STICKS OF LIVE SHOWS

Simple Minds have joined forces with Germany’s leading online music live recording company Concert Online, to release live concert recordings on customized USB sticks directly after their live concerts on their current European and forthcoming highly anticipated Graffiti Soul UK Tour.

The live recording USB sticks were initially soft-launched during the Simple Minds’ Graffiti Soul European tour, in Vienna on 3rd November. The “concert sticks” will roll out during the bands’ UK tour that starts at the Newcastle Metro Arena on Monday 30th November.

Fans who attend any of the dates will be able to purchase the live recording memory sticks directly after the concerts and can download the encores once they install the memory stick into their USB port on their computers. To download the encores, the user can automatically hyperlink to www.concert-online.com and can enter serial code clearly marked on the USB concert sticks.

Minutes after the last cymbal of the evening has been thrashed, fans will be able to pay a visit to the venue merchandise stall, where they can purchase an elegantly packaged box container and tour branded USB stick containing a recording of the show they’ve just experienced.

“But that’s not all,” says Simple Minds lead singer Jim Kerr, “no matter where you are in the world, you can go online and download the songs from that show, or you can have the stick packaged and sent directly to you. It’s amazing.”

Concert Online offers concerts in various downloadable formats or on branded USB sticks (Concert Sticks) in collectible boxes. The company believes that when a music fan experiences a concert that they really enjoy, they’ll probably want a record of the concert, so they can hear it over and over again. Mobile phones record poor quality, so if music fans are looking for spectacular sound quality, the concert sticks make a collectable keepsake and souvenir. The USB concert sticks can be purchased instantly and make CD and DVD burning redundant.

The retail selling price for the live recording sticks on Simple Minds’ current European tour retails for 25 Euros, while the asking approximate selling price on their forthcoming UK dates is expected to retail for £25. The USB stick stores up to 1 gigabyte of storage space.

Concert Online offers the following formats to their end-users – MP3s (usually 320 kbit/s), high-quality DivX AVI files, h.264-encoded MP4s and large-capacity *.iso files that can be easily burnt by the purchaser.

On a recent tour of Italy, Kerr reflects upon the reaction of the memory sticks from the Italian fans as bordering on “quasi ecstatic.”

Christian Reimann, VP of Marketing and Sales for Concert Online says, “The storage capacity of the USB sticks has the potential for bands to expand beyond songs performed during that evening’s particular set. Simple Minds are the kind of band who tends to vary their set by three or four songs each night. If you are a committed Simple Minds fan, you’ll want to collect the memory sticks from the entire tour. In addition to that, we always try to offer priceless extras for the real fans, such as exclusive backstage video or still photo material, interviews etc. It’s a music fan’s wet dream.”

Simple Minds are adamant that as their European tour progresses and the live recording USB sticks stack up, wherever possible they intend to include sound check songs that might not feature in that evening’s set. During the sound checks, Simple Minds quite often tend to perform rarities that usually never get performed during the actual concert.

On a recent USB stick live recording from the band’s Acona, Italy concert, the stick included a recording of the song Light Travels, played for the first time outside of a rehearsal room but not on the actual night. The band road tested the song and eventually held it back so they could debut it at their Rome concert the following night.

What really gets Kerr excited about the instant USB stick live recordings is that the fans get to experience the spontaneity as well as the warts and all of the live performances. “It’s something you don’t tend to get on a conventional studio album,” reflects Kerr.

The USB concert sticks contain up to 2.5 hours of music, however, Kerr already has plans to expand on the content. “We’d love to include poster artwork, interviews and much more information on the USB sticks,” says Kerr. “Should concert sticks prove successful, we’re looking into donating a decent percentage of whatever profits to a Simple Minds affiliated charity. The Mandela charity comes to mind, as does for obvious reasons perhaps a children’s hospital ward in Glasgow – it is the city that gave birth to Simple Minds after all.”

Order Simple Minds “Live Concert” USB Stick

The Concert Online team has taken its mobile audio recording unit and joined Simple Minds’ “Graffiti Soul Tour 2009″ to record every single evening concert live. The resulting live recordings are split into individual tracks on-site, labeled, and converted to high-quality MP3s (320 kBit/s).

Order the audio recordings in MP3 format on a Concert Stick directly after the show right here – www.concert-online.com or order direct from the Simple Minds Concert Store -

http://concert-online.com/en/shop/29377/Simple-Minds.html?X-LT&x-nl=nl-091103

CHERRY RED AND ESOTERIC ACQUIRE LICENSING OF EMERSON LAKE AND PALMER’S MANTICORE LABEL

Cherry Red Records and their imprint Esoteric Recordings are pleased to announce the exclusive licensing acquisition of the entire MANTICORE RECORDS catalogue. This legendary imprint was established by EMERSON, LAKE & PALMER and their management in 1973 to handle not only future albums by ELP, but also to actively sign and promote music by artists admired by the band. In the three years of the label’s active existence the Manticore imprint released four albums by Italian Progressive Rock maestros PFM, two albums by singer songwriter KEITH CHRISTMAS, two by heavy rockers STRAY DOG, US group THEE IMAGE, and individual albums King Crimson and ELP lyricist PETE SINFIELD, HANSON and the Italian band BANCO. The licensing arrangement sees all of Manticore’s non-ELP related material handled by Cherry Red’s imprint Esoteric Recordings. Esoteric label manager Mark Powell commented; “It is a very special thing to be given the opportunity to reissue and remaster these wonderful albums from the original master tapes and to resurrect the legendary Manticore imprint under the Cherry Red umbrella. For many fans of Progressive Rock, the Manticore catalogue is legendary. With access to the Manticore tape vaults we will also be looking at adding previously unreleased bonus material to our reissues”.

The Manticore series of releases will begin in November 2009 with the release of a deluxe various artists compilation which details the history of the Manticore label and will include tracks by EMERSON, LAKE & PALMER, GREG LAKE & KEITH EMERSON, along with selections from the catalogue by PFM, KEITH CHRISTMAS, STRAY DOG, THEE IMAGE, PETE SINFIELD, HANSON and BANCO. Also gaining a newly remastered release in November is the album “STILL” by PETE SINFIELD, which features contributions from GREG LAKE, JOHN WETTON, IAN WALLIS and MEL COLLINS. The remainder of the Manticore catalogue will appear throughout 2010. Further announcements will follow.

GINGER BAKER AND VERY SPECIAL GUESTS PLAY THE JAZZ CAFE IN LONDON

The legendary Ginger Baker takes to the stage at the Jazz Café in London on Wednesday, 4th November with some very special guests. The world’s greatest drummer will be joined by names from his stellar career for a one-off show that promises to be truly unforgettable. Tickets are £60.

His autobiography is due for publication around the same time.

TODD RUNDGREN TO PLAY “A WIZARD, A TRUE STAR” IN ITS ENTIRETY IN LONDON

Rock’n'roll icon, guitar genius, interactive progenitor, consummate singer/songwriter and record producer Todd Rundgren, will perform his paradigm shifting 1973 album, A Wizard, a True Star (known to the cognoscenti as AWATS) in its entirety for the first time ever in Britain on Saturday February 6th 2010 at the London HMV Hammersmith Apollo, which will be Todd’s only UK performance of the seminal album which is hailed as an influential masterpiece by today’s new bands, including Hot Chip.

Tickets for this historic concert will go on sale at 9am on Wednesday May 27th. Tickets are priced£48.50, £45.00, £40.00, £32.00 (Agency and credit card bookings subject to a fee).

Date:Saturday 6th February 2010
Venue: London HMV Hammersmith Apollo
Tickets: £48.50, £45.00, £40.00, £32.00
Ticket Hotline: 08700 603 777
Online Booking: www.seetickets.com
Venue Box Office: 08448 44 47 48
Venue Website: www.hammersmithapollo.net
Venue Address: 45 Queen Caroline Street, London, W6 9QH

This rare British premiere will be Rundgren’s first and only UK concert since last year’s Arenaalbum tour. In addition to his being a multi-talented musician and singer/songwriter and performer, Rundgren is also regarded as one of the best record producers of all time (XTC, Meat Loaf, Patti Smith Group, XTC, Grand Funk Railroad). His most recent critically acclaimed album production, ‘Cause I Sez So, reunited him for the first time in 36 years with the legendary New York Dolls.
Although Rundgren’s breakthrough 1972 album, Something/Anything? is considered by many to be his masterpiece, the psychedelic impact and bordering-on-disturbing innovation of the follow-up, AWATS,is arguably Rundgren’s most experimental and influential album. Stand-out tracks include the International Feel, Rock & Roll Pussy, You Don’t Have To Camp Around, Sometimes I Don’t Know What To Feel, Zen Archer and Just Another Onionhead.

About the album A Wizard, A True Star -

The album’s closer, Just One Victory, has been included as an encore favorite in both Rundgren’s and Utopia’s live sets over the decades, but this will be the first time in Britain that he will perform the whole record live onstage, from start to finish. The first half of the concert will feature a selection of Rundgren’s songs throughout his career, while the second half of the show will consist of the entirety of A Wizard, a True Star.

A Wizard, A True Star is hailed as one of the most influential and pioneering progressive rock album recordings of all time. Originally released in 1973 (the longest running album on vinyl, clocking in at nearly one hour of running time: 55:56), much of the album is an extended medley after the fashion of The Beatles’ late recordings. The effect of the songs merging one into another was immediate, infectious and dazzling; the lyrical content was often at once both tongue in cheek and hallucinogenic.

Side One of the album includes a cover version of Never Never Land from the Broadway version of Peter Pan. Side Two features a legendary medley of covers of doo-wop and pop soul hits, including I’m So Proud, Ooh Baby, Baby, La La Means I Love You and Cool Jerk. Arthur Wood illustrated the psychedelic cover painting that graced the original packaging.

First editions of the vinyl LP were die-cut and included a “band aid” poem written by the punk poet Pattie Smith, and a short bio about the album, as well as a postcard encouraging purchasers to send their name to be included on a poster in Rundgren’s next album; the eponymous Todd.
Todd Rundgren – Biography

A Wizard, A True Star. The title of Todd Rundgren’s 1973 solo album aptly sums up the contributions of this multi-faceted artist to state-of-the-art music. As a songwriter, video pioneer, producer, recording artist, computer software developer, conceptualist, and, most recently, interactive artist (re-designated TR-i), Rundgren has made a lasting impact on both the form and content of popular music.

Born and raised in Philadelphia, Rundgren began playing guitar as a teenager, going on to found and front The Nazz, the quintessential ’60’s cult group. In 1969, he left the band to pursue a solo career, recording his debut offering, the legendary Runt. But it was 1972’s seminal Something/Anything?, on which he played all the instruments, sang all the vocal parts, and acted as his own producer, that catapulted Todd into the superstar limelight, prompting the press to unanimously dub him ‘Rock’s New Wunderkind’.

It was followed by such landmark LPs as The Hermit of Mink Hollow A Wizard, A True Star, and the hit singles as I Saw The Light, Hello It’s Me, Can We Still Be Friends, and Bang The Drum.

In 1974, Todd formed Utopia, an entirely new approach to the concept of interactive musicianship, and embarked on an extensive round of touring and recording. Standout Utopia offerings included Oops! Wrong Planet, Adventures in Utopia, and Oblivion. Along the way, Utopia combined technical virtuosity and creative passion to create music that, for millions, defined the term “progressive rock.”

Rundgren’s myriad production projects include albums by Patti Smith, Cheap Trick, Psychedelic Furs, Meatloaf, XTC, Grand Funk Railroad, and Hall and Oates. Rounding out his reputation as rock’s Renaissance Man, Rundgren composed all the music and lyrics for Joe Papp’s 1989 Off-Broadway production of Joe Orton’s Up Against It (the screenplay commissioned by The Beatles for what was meant to have been their third motion picture). He also has composed the music for a number of television series, including Pee Wee’s Playhouse and Crime Story.

His first studio CD of all new music in more than 10 years, Liars, was released in 2004, followed by last year’s universally acclaimed Arena.

In 1998 Todd debuted his new PatroNet technology which for the first time allows fans of a musical artist to subscribe directly to the artist’s musical output via the Internet. This caps a long history of groundbreaking early multimedia “firsts”, including:

• 1978: The first interactive television concert, broadcast live over the Warner/QUBE system in Columbus, Ohio (the home audience chose each song in real time during the concert by voting via QUBE’s 2-way operating system).

• 1978: The first live nationally broadcast stereo radio concert (by microwave), linking 40 cities across North America.

• 1979: The opening of Utopia Video Studios, a multi-million dollar state-of-the-art facility. The first project produced by Todd there is Gustav Holst’s The Planet, commissioned by RCA SelectaVision as the first demonstration software for their new videodisc format.

• 1980: Creation of the first color graphics tablet, which was licensed to Apple and released as The Utopia Graphics Tablet.

• 1981: Time Heals, the first music video to utilize state-of-the-art compositing of live action and computer graphics (produced and directed by Todd), becomes the second video to be played on MTV (after Video Killed the Radio Star).

• 1982: The first live national North American cablecast of a rock concert (on the USA Network), simulcast in stereo to over 120 radio stations.

• 1982: The first two commercially released music videos, one of which was nominated for the first-ever Grammy awarded for “Best Short Form Video” in 1983.

• 1992: The release of “No World Order”, the world’s first interactive record album on CD-i. Also the first commercially available music downloads via CompuServe.

• 1994: The release of “The Individualist”, the world’s first full-length Enhanced CD.

• 1995: The world’s first interactive concert tour. The London Forum shows were filmed and released on DVD.

• 1998: Launches PatroNet, the world’s first direct artist subscription service

TODD RUNDGREN – ALBUM PRODUCTION DISCOGRAPHY

ARTIST ALBUM TITLEYEAR

The American Dream”The American Dream” 1969
Great Speckled Bird “Great Speckled Bird” 1969
The Band “Stage Fright” 1970
The Butterfield Blues Band “Live” 1970
The Butterfield Blues Band “Sometimes I Feel Like Smiling” 1971
Jericho “Jericho” 1971
Half Nelson “Half Nelson” 1971
James Cotton Blues Band “Taking Care of Business” 1971
Jesse Winchester “Third Down, 110 To Go” 1972
Mark Moogy Klingman “Moogy” 1972
Badfinger “Straight Up” 1972
New York Dolls “New York Dolls” 1973
Grand Funk “We’re An American Band” 1973
Fanny “Mother’s Pride” 1973
Grand Funk “Shinin’ On” 1974
Felix Cavaliere “Felix Cavaliere” 1974
Daryl Hall & John Oates “War Babies” 1974
Hello People “The Handsome Devils” 1974
Hello People “Brick” 1975
Steve Hillage “L” 1976
Meat Loaf “Bat Out Of Hell” 1977
Mark “Moogy” Klingman “Moogy II” 1978
Tom Robinson Band “TRB2″ 1979
Rick Derringer “Guitars and Women” 1979
The Tubes “Remote Control” 1979
Patti Smith Group “Wave” 1979
Shaun Cassidy “Wasp” 1980
New England “Walking Wild” 1981
Jim Steinman “Bad For Good” 1981
Psychedelic Furs “Forever Now” 1982
The Rubinoos “Party of Two” 1983
Cheap Trick “Next Position Please” 1983
Jules Shear “Watch Dog” 1983
Will Powers “Dancing For Mental Health” 1983
The Lords of the New Church “Live For Today” 1983
Zerra “Zerra I” 1984
The Tubes “Love Bomb” 1985
What Is This “What Is This” 1985
XTC “Skylarking” 1986
Hunter “Dreams Of Ordinary Men” 1987
Bourgeois Tagg “Yoyo” 1987
The Pursuit of Happiness “Love Junk” 1988
La Ppisch “Karakuri House” 1989
Jill Sobule “Things Here Are Different” 1990
Hiroshi Takano “Cue” 1990
The Pursuit of Happiness “One Sided Story” 1990
Hiroshi Takano “Awakening” 1992
Paul Shaffer “The World’s Most Dangerous Party” 1993
Splender “Splender” 1998
12 Rods “Separation Anxiety” 2000
Bad Religion “The New America” 2000
New York Dolls “Cause I Sez So” 2009

Todd Rundgren – Official MySpace Page

http://www.myspace.com/toddrundgrenmusic

Todd Rundgren Official Site

http://www.tr-i.com/

ORNETTE COLEMAN IS THIS YEAR’S MELTDOWN FESTIVAL DIRECTOR FOR JUNE 2009

Ornette Coleman, saxophonist, violinist, metaphysician has been announced as director of this year’s Meltdown festival.

Coleman pioneered the idea of improvising without chord changes in the late-1950s, giving birth to the free jazz revolution and forever changing the musical landscape. From landmark releases in his early career including The Shape of Jazz to Come, Free Jazz and This Is Our Music to the award-winning Sound Grammar in 2006, he has innovated and challenged convention throughout his entire career.

His radical, uncompromising approach to his art has made him a hero to generations of avant-garde artists from John Coltrane, John Zorn and Pat Metheny to Leonard Bernstein, Frank Zappa, Mike Patton, Patti Smith, Yo La Tengo, Sonic Youth, Spiritualized and Lou Reed.

One of the most anticipated music events of the year, Meltdown offers a guest director the chance to curate their own personal festival, revealing their interests and influences.

The festival’s eclectic mix of music, art, performance and film brings together a diverse range of artists, resulting in unique collaborations and historic one-off events. Now in its 16th year, the illustrious list of Meltdown directors includes David Bowie, Patti Smith, Morrissey, Jarvis Cocker, Nick Cave, John Peel and Massive Attack.

The line-up is to be announced in the coming weeks.

source:  www.southbankcentre.co.uk/meltdown

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