When guitarist Newton Faulkner woke up on Boxing Day 2008 in the French Alps, he felt on top of the world. His debut album Hand Built By Robots had topped the charts and he had been nominated for a Brit Award.

But hours later, the 25-year-old songwriter, who was working on his second album in the ski resort of Megeve, feared his career was in jeopardy after he fractured his right wrist in a freak accident ten feet from the front door of his chalet.

Doctors at the clinic, at the foot of the slopes, wanted to set his wrist in a traditional plaster cast - a move that may have later restricted the movement in his hand and stopped him playing his guitar.

But Newton opted to fly back to Britain for a pioneering operation with University College of London consultant orthopaedic surgeon Elliot Sorene, who inserted a titanium plate into his wrist - instead of using plaster - to make it stable.

In a witty tribute to surgeons, Newton has now named his second album Rebuilt By Humans. The cover of the album, which debuted at No3 in the charts, shows the X-ray of Newton's wrist.

'My dad was bombarding me with messages of support,' says Faulkner. 'One said, "Your first album was called Hand Built By Robots. Your new one should be Rebuilt By Humans." I thought, "He's right."'

Faulkner, who has been described as the pin-up boy for surfers, was spending Christmas in the Alps with his family and friends when his accident happened.

'I was trying to walk about 10ft from the front door to a car and it was very icy. I slipped over and landed on my wrist really badly. I fractured my radius - the bone in the forearm that extends from the elbow to the thumb - and chipped the end of it and dislocated my hand.

'It was a nasty injury and I was in pain for quite a long time. But I thought I had just battered it. Only when it swelled up massively did it occur to me to get it looked at. I went to see the doctor and he took one look at it and said, "It's broken."

'It was then I realised that I would have to make a lot of decisions in a very short space of time that were going to have a huge impact on the rest of my life.'

After finding out that he may lose some movement in his hand if it were put in a plaster cast, Newton's family began making enquiries with specialists in the UK and discovered the revolutionary new treatment.

'The French doctors were all experts on skiing accidents, but I needed to be seen by a hand specialist,' says Faulkner. 'They wanted to put it in a cast for months and would have cast me there.

'But I would have lost a huge amount of movement. I tried to explain that my whole life is based on these bones, but they were going to set my wrist with my hand pointing at my face, which seemed a bit odd.'
The scar where a titanium plate was inserted in Newton Faulkner's wrist

On the mend: The scar where a titanium plate was inserted in Newton Faulkner's wrist

Faulkner flew back to Heathrow from Geneva with his sister Lottie and his former girlfriend and booked into a hotel near the Hospital of St John & Elizabeth, in St John's Wood, where he had the operation privately the following day.

Faulkner says: 'The surgeon was amazing. He was the most confident man I have ever met in terms of what he does, which was incredibly reassuring. It was a really complicated piece of metal work involving nearly 20 screws and pins. It was pretty cool.'

Designed by Miami surgeon Jorge Orbay, and marketed by DePuy, the contoured locking plate with smooth pegs fixes all the bones in place in order for them to heal.

'Newton had a possibly career-ending injury,' says Mr Sorene.

'Many surgeons are wary of operating on musicians. But this is now my standard care for complex wrist fractures. It has become popular over the past few years because it stabilises the fracture fragments so well.

'Because he is a musician, it was very important for him to be able to get mobile after the operation. This reconstructs the architecture of the joint, which means that he could start moving it and playing the guitar immediately.

'The plate is anatomically designed to fit the wrist so it doesn't interfere with the tendons and muscles, so there is no need to remove it.'

Newton spent a week recuperating at the family home in Reigate, Surrey, with his arm in a plaster splint. He then had the splint removed, revealing a 5in scar, underwent physiotherapy and was soon playing the guitar again.

'I was playing when I was in a splint,' he said. 'I couldn't move my wrist but I realised I could move my fingers and I found a way of playing which didn't involve my wrist at all.

'Everybody was telling me not to but, because I wasn't taking painkillers, I could feel exactly what I was doing. If it didn't feel right, I stopped immediately. There are still things I can't do. I can't move my thumb independently of my finger yet - I think the scar tissue is glueing the tendons together - but luckily it doesn't make a difference to my playing.'

Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/

U2 raked in more money than any other music act in the US in 2009, according to Billboard magazine.

The music journal said U2 made USD109m (GBP71m) from touring, record sales and other royalties - almost twice as much as the second best, Bruce Springsteen.

Springsteen took home USD58m (GBP38m), followed by Madonna with USD47m (GBP31m) and rockers AC/DC with USD44m (GBP29m).

U2 are in the middle of a mammoth world tour and touring is the most lucrative activity for artists, Billboard said.

The 360 Degree tour is the most expensive ever staged, but is also playing to larger crowds because they are performing in the round.

A string of younger pop stars - Britney Spears, Pink and the Jonas Brothers - came next on the list.

Coldplay were the most successful British group, at number eight, with takings of USD27m (GBP18m).

Michael Jackson was the top earner from CD and ringtone royalties in 2009, but only made it to number 20 on the overall list, highlighting the importance of touring to a star's pay packet.

Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/

A new Prince song called "Cause and Effect" debuted this morning on Minnesota public radio, with Prince personally offering the Twin Cities' the Current 89.3 the world premiere of the song as a gesture in support of independent radio. Stylistically, "Cause and Effect" seems to find the middle ground between Prince's guitar rock album Lotusflow3r and its funked-up companion disc MPLSound, but with some elements of surf rock and his old school rave-ups like "It's Gonna Be a Beautiful Night."

This is the second time in as many months Prince has unveiled a Minnesota-centric track: As Rolling Stone previously reported, during the Minnesota Vikings' NFL run, the Paisley Park native, who was seen in the luxury box at the Vikes' victory over the Dallas Cowboys, penned a fight song called "Purple and Gold" for the Brett Favre-led team. This isn't Prince's first time using radio airwaves to debut new material either, as Indie 103 premiered four songs from Prince's Lotusflow3r box set back in December 2008.

Source: http://www.rollingstone.com/

A forthcoming reissue of the Rolling Stones' Exile On Main St will reportedly include 10 previously unheard songs. The tracks, produced by Jimmy Miller, the Glimmer Twins and Don Was, are from the same sessions as the band's 1972 double album.

"I went back in the archives," Jagger told Rolling Stone magazine. Although the singer didn't remember there had been unused material, he "dug out a load of things". These unearthed songs include Plundered My Soul, Dancing in the Light, Following the River, and Pass the Wine. Jagger added new lyrics to Following the River and "some percussion and vocals" to other tracks. Keith Richards also "put guitar on one or two".

Despite these revisions, the Stones "really wanted to leave [the songs] pretty much as they were", Richards said. "I didn't want to interfere with the Bible, you know? They still had that great basement sound."

The unreleased songs will only be included on the "deluxe" CD version of the reissue, together with alternate versions of Soul Survivor and Loving Cup. A "super deluxe" package will also be available, including vinyl, a 50-page book, and a new documentary directed by Stephen Kijak. "I was amazed at how much footage they actually found," Richards said. "I must not have noticed all the cameramen while I was making the record."

The revamped Exile On Main St is due out 17 May.

Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/

Ray Davies's forthcoming album of duets will feature Bruce Springsteen and Jon Bon Jovi. The Kinks singer is recording new versions of old songs, replacing his recent choral obsession with celebrity cameos.

Davies works fast. It was only in October, at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 25th anniversary concert, that he began putting the idea into motion – name-dropping Metallica and telling the press he had "chatted" with the Boss. A few months later, at least two songs have already been recorded: a new version of the Kinks' Better Things, featuring Springsteen, and a rendition of the 1972 single Celluloid Heroes, with Jon Bon Jovi.

Both were recorded in January, at a studio in New York City. "Bruce took about two or three hours and Jon about the same," Davies told the New Jersey Star-Ledger (via TwentyFourBit). "They were well-prepped and I was very impressed. I'm thrilled to have done the tracks with those two guys."

Besides the two Jersey boys, Davies has cited possible collaborations with the Killers, Metallica and Lucinda Williams. "I want it to be diverse and interesting," he told the Republican newspaper. "Not the obvious things. [I want to] hopefully stretch the artists and get them to do things that either that they wouldn't have thought of, or that I wouldn't have thought of. I'd like it to be truly collaborative."

Despite this talk of novel collaborations and unexpected synergy, our own duets idea is a lot more old-fashioned. Why doesn't Ray Davies record an album with his brother, Dave Davies? They could call it ... the Kinks!

Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/

Gibson have announced three variations of Gibson Custom 50th Anniversary 1960 Les Paul to commemorate the last original production year for the Les Paul "Burst" guitar.

The Gibson 1960 Les Paul guitar has been played by many famous musicians—John Fogerty (Creedence Clearwater Revival), Howard Leese (Heart/Bad Company), Paul McCartney (Beatles), and Paul Kossoff on the rock classic "All Right Now" among them—and has secured its spot as a well-loved mainstay in many artists’ collections.

Appealing sunburst finishes, top-hat control knobs, and characteristic neck profiles are part of the package; and the subtle differences among the three variations narrate how the specs evolved over the course of 1960.

Gibson Custom Les Paul - Version 1
At the start of 1960, the Gibson Les Paul retained the same specs as its predecessor from 1959, although it did receive the official "Les Paul Standard" designation in place of the former "Les Paul Model" (a name that its headstock nonetheless still retained). So the first version of the 50th Anniversary 1960 Les Paul Standard Electric Guitar might be confused for a 1959 Les Paul Model if not for the 1960 serial number stamped into the back of the guitar's headstock at the dawn of the decade, and the R0 serial number of this 50th Anniversary model. It’s available in Heritage Cherry Sunburst and Heritage Dark Burst finishes.

Gibson Custom Les Paul - Version 2
The Gibson Custom 50th Anniversary Les Paul Standard Guitar represents the neck's transition from full to slim. This progression was gradual, rather than sudden—in the form of a Custom Shop 50th Anniversary Gibson Les Paul with thinner, yet still somewhat rounded and "elliptical" neck profile, based on painstaking research and detailed scans of several transitional '60s Les Paul electric guitars that were studied by the Custom Historic and Engineering team. To represent this alteration visibly, Version 2 of the 1960 Gibson Les Paul is offered in two classic "faded" Burst colors: Light Iced Tea Burst and Sunset Tea Burst.

Gibson Custom Les Paul - Version 3
The third variation of Gibson Custom 50th Anniversary 1960 Les Paul Electric Guitar Regular ’60s Cherryburst is represented by a guitar with the slim-taper neck for which late-'60 Les Pauls have become famous, along with the double-band tuners and gold top-hat control knobs with the "new" silver inserts that were fitted to these guitars. Furthermore, Version 3 accurately represents the changes in the finishing process at Gibson in the latter part of 1960—in its more vibrant, colorfast Cherry Sunburst, a finish that stood the test of time somewhat better than many of the sunbursts that preceded it.

These Gibson guitars all come with a Custom Shop hardshell case and a 50th Anniversary Certificate of Authenticity.

Source: http://www.prweb.com/

In tune with Martin Guitar’s environmental philosophy, C.F. Martin & Co. has donated a rare 000 12-fret Peter Cree Certified Wood Guitar to Christie’s International, the world’s leading art business, for their upcoming “A Bid to Save the Earth” Green Auction. This first-of-its-kind charity auction will take place on April 22, 2010 to coincide with the 40th anniversary of Earth Day. Proceeds from the sale will be divided among four leading not-for-profit environmental organizations: Conservation International, Oceana, Natural Resources Defense Council and the Central Park Conservancy. All four beneficiary organizations are 4-Star rated by CharityNavigator.org, its highest rating for not-for-profit organizations.

Estimated in value at $20,000, the one-of-a-kind Martin Custom Shop 000 12-fret Peter Cree Certified Wood Guitar features original Southwestern artwork executed in hand-applied colored lacquers by renowned painter/sculptor Peter Cree. Known for developing and incorporating a decorative finishing technique intended for high-quality acoustic instruments, Cree’s work has been highly sought-after across the country for his creation of new pieces, as well as his expert restorations of fine art and instruments.

Constructed with 100% Certified tonewoods from ecologically well-managed forests, the 000 12-fret Peter Cree Certified Wood Guitar features Chechen headplate, back and sides; a four-piece Adirondack top; Katalox fingerboard and bridge; cherry neck, front and rear block; basswood ribbon linings and braces; and artistic inlays of Micarta, cherry and turquoise.

“For nearly two decades, we at Martin Guitar have been devoted to pioneering a movement of ecological responsibility within the guitar industry,” said Chris Martin IV. “C.F. Martin & Co. is proud to have contributed such an artistically creative and ecologically symbolic instrument in support of charitable environmental initiatives through this special Christie's auction.”

Held at Christie’s, Rockefeller Center, New York and carried live globally via Christie’s LIVE™ on www.christies.com, The Evening Sale will be a star-studded event with top celebrities serving on the Green Auction Host Committee that includes: Leonardo DiCaprio, Harrison Ford, Tobey Maguire, François-Henri Pinault, Salma Hayek, Bob Fisher, Candice Bergen, Ed Norton, Evelyn Lauder, Alec Baldwin, Zaha Hadid, Brooke Shields, and Matt Lauer. Additional lots for auction will include major works from artists, coveted celebrity experiences, upscale eco-vacations and exquisite jewelry.

Source: http://www.guitargearheads.com/

Effects manufacturer Kilpatrick Audio has announced the Striptease controller designed specifically for guitar and bass. Similar to ribbon controllers found on many synthesizers, Striptease enables the fast and accurate sonic control that only fingers can provide. The Striptease features a 100mm touch-sensitive strip that can be attached to a variety of positions on the instrument and is compatible with specially designed pedals from Kilpatrick Audio.

Based in Toronto, Canada, Kilpatrick Audio has garnered a reputation for its critically acclaimed combination effects pedals. All Kilpatrick Audio stomp boxes feature a tandem of two or more effects that are hand-tuned for maximum cooperation and interaction.

The Striptease will be included with compatible effects products from Kilpatrick Audio. The first model, a modulating kill switch effect will be available in March 2010 at an MSRP of $379US. Kilpatrick Audio products can be purchased through authorized dealers or directly from http://www.kilpatrickaudio.com/.

Source: http://www.prlog.org/

Moody's Investors Service lowered ratings for Gibson Guitar Corp. Tuesday, citing worries about the guitar maker's financial liquidity and an ongoing delay in revealing its 2008 audited financial statements.

Moody's downgraded Gibson's corporate family rating to "Caa1" from "B3" and its probability of default rating to "Caa2" from "Caa1." The ratings service also lowered its rating for the Nashville, Tenn., company's $50 million senior secured credit facility and $100 million senior secured loan to "Caa1" from "B3." The ratings are considered non-investment grade.

Moody's said the downgrade relates to its worries about the guitar maker's liquidity since it can no longer use its revolving credit line and banks, while unlikely to do so, could suddenly demand that its loan be repaid.

Moody's, whose downgrades come as a result of a review it began in late October, said its rating outlook is now set as "developing." Moody's said that its outlook would probably be stabilized if Gibson releases financial statements in the next month or two that are not that different from its unaudited results.

Source: http://www.businessweek.com/

Perpetually hard-working Brooklyn-based rockers the Hold Steady will release their fifth album in six years, Heaven Is Whenever, on May 4.

Working for the first time since their 2004 debut, Almost Killed Me, without keyboardist Franz Nicolay, who announced his departure from the band in January, the new album is "guitar-heavy," according to Tab Kubler. But it's not a "heavy guitar record," meaning we can expect more nuanced axe-work and a heftier dose of acoustic guitar.

While the lineup and sound might have shifted, the emotionally charged nature of frontman Craig Finn's lyrics should remain unchanged, starting from the album title itself. "I think it has to do with the way that love can help us rise above our modern struggles," says Finn.

Always road warriors, the Hold Steady have already announced 16 U.S. dates in April and May, mostly in the eastern part of the country, and ending with a stop at the Sasquatch festival over Memorial Day weekend outside Seattle. See below for the full itinerary, and the tracklisting for Heaven Is Whenever.

Heaven Is Whenever tracklisting:
1. The Sweet Part of the City
2. Soft in the Center
3. The Weekenders
4. The Smidge
5. Rock Problems
6. We Can Get Together
7. Hurricane J
8. Barely Breathing
9. Our Whole Lives
10. A Slight Discomfort

The Hold Steady U.S. Tour Dates:
4/2, Ardsley, NY (LIFE the place to be)
4/3, New Haven, CT (Toad's Place)
4/5, Burlington, VT (Higher Ground)
4/6, Northampton, MA (Pearl Street)
4/7, Albany, NY (Linda Norris Auditorium)
4/8, Woodstock, NY (Bearsville Theater)
4/9, Jermyn, PA (Eleanor Rigby's)
4/10, Syracuse, NY (The Westcott Theater)
4/12, Rochester, NY (The Club at Water Street Music Hall)
4/13, Cleveland, OH (Beachland Ballroom)
4/14, Pittsburgh, PA (Diesel Club Lounge)
4/15, Morgantown, WV (123 Pleasant St.)
4/16, Harrisburg, PA (Appalachian Brewing Company)
5/5, Los Angeles, CA (El Rey Theatre)
5/6, San Francisco, CA (The Fillmore)
5/29, George, WA (Sasquatch Festival)

Source: http://www.spin.com/

Music from the back of one of Britain's leading concert halls may sound a touch random for the next three months, discordant even. But then the musicians are 40 zebra finches.

The Barbican today unveiled its latest art commission, which has seen one of its gallery spaces transformed into a walk-through aviary by French artist Céleste Boursier-Mougenot. He has strategically placed plugged in electric guitars as perches and cymbals containing water and seeds as feeders. As the birds fly around and land on the instruments, or even wipe their beaks on the strings, the visitor will hear the amplified results.

Boursier-Mougenot said the installation was partly about investigating the question of what music is. The artist, a trained composer, became interested in working with birds in 1995.

He said: "If you want to understand a creature then you have to interact with it. Here, I am not using the birds, I am collaborating with them." He said the birds were happy in their new aviary and having fun, he hoped.

It is not the first time the artist has created a sound piece. Previous works include him using surveillance cameras to create sounds based on New York street life and then Harmonichaos 2000-06, an installation of 13 vacuum cleaners which have harmonicas attached to their suction nozzles.

The exhibition arguably puts into focus the varied life of some gallery attendants. The Curve is a long narrow space that snakes around the back of the concert hall – and is completely separate to it – and has been used as a gallery space since 2006. The last commission was Robert Kusmirowski's convincing, but dark and depressing, world war two bunker.

The Barbican anticipates that birdwatching will be a somewhat cheerier activity for its gallery staff than standing in a gloomy bunker, although staff will be expected to feed the finches and clear up after them.

The birds themselves are professionals. They come from a company that supplies animal actors and will, "unfortunately", said Boursier-Mougenot, go back to a caged existence once this gig is completed.

Céleste Boursier-Mougenot's aviary will be at the Barbican from 27 February until 23 May

Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/

smash_guitar-620x301

Have you ever been to a concert where one of the guitarists gets really into a song, and decides to finish it off by smashing the crap out of a perfectly good instrument? It adds a lot to the raw energy on stage, but at the same time it’s a shame to see a guitar go to waste like that. Apparently now artists can buy guitars that were designed to be destroyed mid-performance.

SMASH guitars are cheap, recyclable guitars that cater to the rock stars that need a little something extra during their show. The company states that every piece of the guitar is recyclable, and they’ll even take your old smashed pieces and construct a new instrument which will be donated to charity. Currently they’re on sale in Japan for around $60.

The Cribs' Johnny Marr has had one of his favourite guitars returned after it was stolen 10 years ago.

The vintage 1964 Gibson SG, which was valued at £30,000, was taken by Stephen White after he was invited backstage at a Johnny Marr And The Healers show in London.

"I'm disgusted with the whole thing," White said as he pleaded guilty to theft at Highbury Corner Magistrates Court. "There's a victim here. I can't reconcile myself with the behaviour of that night."

Sentenced to 200 hours community service, White revealed that the stolen guitar had been displayed in his living room since the theft occurred in 2000.

"[Johnny Marr] bears no malice towards the defendant," Police Constable Christopher Swain explained, adding that the former Smiths guitarist was "ecstatic" about getting the guitar back.

Source: http://www.nme.com/

Trial set in alleged pot-for-guitar case - Chico Enterprise Record



OROVILLE — The founder of a Chico medical marijuana collective will stand trial in May on charges he tried to trade pot for a guitar through the Internet Web site Craigslist.

At a hearing Tuesday, Joel Castle, 62, was ordered released on his own recognizance pending trial.

Last month, he had declined a similar offer, telling a judge through his lawyer he preferred to remain in custody.

Owner and founder of the Chico Cannabis Club, Castle was arrested Jan. 15, after allegedly responding to an ad on Craigslist.

When he reportedly offered to trade some pot for a guitar, the would-be seller notified Chico police, according to assistant district attorney Helen Harberts.

During a pre-arranged meeting in Chico, Castle allegedly proposed trading two ounces of pot for the musical instrument to an undercover officer posing as the seller.

During a search of the suspect's Chico motel room following his arrest, police reported seizing about five pounds of processed marijuana in several baggies, "pay-owe" sheets and a loaded handgun. On Tuesday, Judge William Lamb set a May 3 jury trial for Castle, who is charged with possession and sales of marijuana.

Suspect in guitar maker's killing proclaims innocence | Homepage | PressDemocrat.com


The man accused of murdering an acclaimed Rohnert Park guitar maker said he was innocent Thursday but agreed to postpone an official plea until he could consult with an attorney.

Joshua Rhea Begley, 28, appeared in court to answer charges he killed Taku Sakashita, 43, outside his workshop. Sakashita's body was found Feb. 12 with multiple stab wounds to the head, neck, chest and hand.

Dressed in a blue jail jumpsuit and chained to a wheelchair, Begley shrugged off his lawyer's request for more time before entering a plea, shouting across the courtroom to Judge Rene Chouteau, "Not guilty, your honor."

"I don't understand what's going on here," Begley blurted out.

Chouteau cautioned him to listen to his lawyer, Chuck Ogulnik, and think about the charges overnight. Chouteau set another hearing for Friday morning, when he's expected to rule on a prosecution motion to take DNA samples from Begley for use in the investigation.

"Yeah, just ... whatever," Begley mumbled as he was wheeled away.

Outside the courtroom, Deputy District Attorney Troye Shaffer wouldn't say why police believe Begley is the killer, citing an ongoing investigation. She said only she would seek a DNA swab from Begley and a court order allowing police to photograph him.

In addition to murder, Begley is charged with robbery, burglary, evading police and resisting an officer.

"They are actively working on investigating this," Shaffer said.

Begley, who has a history of arrests for drug, theft and weapons violations, was arrested Monday and charged with Sakashita's murder after fleeing police during a traffic stop.


Three days before the slaying, he was arrested by Petaluma police who were serving him with a restraining order in an unrelated case. He escaped them using a handcuff key hidden in his mouth but was later caught. Begley was released from jail the next day.

Begley has also been in other chases with police that earned him the nickname "Crash."

Sakashita, a Japanese native, made custom acoustic and electric guitars that sold for up to $35,000. His body was found in bushes near his workshop after he failed to return home Thursday night.

Kimihiko Ito, a part-time employee who was in court Thursday, said details of the slaying remain a mystery, including what was stolen. He said Sakashita's mother and his wife's sister were flying in from Japan. Funeral arrangements are pending, he said.

Kings Of Leon sold out their biggest ever headlining show in "seconds" this morning (February 19).

The band are set to play London's Hyde Park on June 30.

According to a spokesperson for the band, the group shifted all 65,000 tickets in a matter of seconds when they went on sale..

Support bands for the show will be announced soon.

Source: http://www.nme.com/

The Who frontman Roger Daltry has revealed that he's contacted Liam Gallagher about joining forces with his band.

The singer said he wants the former Oasis star to team up with the group when they play their classic 'Quadrophenia' album at the conclusion of this year's run of shows for the Teenage Cancer Trust charity.

He told Absolute Radio: "I actually rung Liam to be part of The Who night, but he's otherwise engaged.

"We've actually got room for two guests, and anyone who wants to turn up and do something after we do 'Quadrophenia', just to round off the night, you know - let's see what happens."

Noel Gallagher has already been signed up to perform two gigs for the charity at London's Royal Albert Hall on March 25, 26.

"This is the first thing he's done, and he's always been involved with these shows," said Daltry.

"In the first year he guested with us on those first shows, and he's done it with Oasis, he's done it on his own, solo. Post-Oasis, it's his first, and it's his only thing planned for the year."

Arctic Monkeys, Them Crooked Vultures and a reformed Suede are also set to perform.

Source: http://www.nme.com/

ROBINSON TOWNSHIP, Pa. -- Police said a robbery suspect's mistake is what got him caught. They said he unknowingly tried to sell guitar equipment he stole back to the person from whom he stole it.

Sean Kemmerer's band is called "Walk of Shame." That's probably a bit how Kemmerer felt when he realized he'd left his car unlocked and his guitar equipment was gone.

Kemmerer said the moral of this story is "lock your car."

For two days, Kemmerer was singing the blues, thinking his $2,000 equipment was gone for good.

That was until Kemmerer said Nathaniel Tomczak, 26, walked into the one place that would turn the tables.

Police said Tomczak went to Kemmerer's workplace, the Guitar Center in Robinson Township, and tried to sell Kemmerer's stolen equipment.

"Sure enough, right in front of me, was my entire pedal board. We have street sale forms, so we had the guy's information," said Kemmerer.

"Certainly, he's probably one of the unluckiest criminal I've seen in a while," said chief Jeff Harbin of Carnegie police.

Source: http://www.wpxi.com/

One of San Francisco's most famous sons, famed guitarist and philanthropist Carlos Santana, will be honored next month for his artistic contributions to The City.

Santana, a native of Mexico who grew up in San Francisco and graduated from Mission High School, will be feted March 18 with the Mayor's Art Award, the third recipient to receive the recognition from Gavin Newsom.

Santana crafted a name for himself while playing his brand of Latin-tinged rock 'n' roll in the late 1960s as a part of the influential Bay Area music scene that included luminaries such as Janis Joplin and the Grateful Dead. He drew particular praise for his guitar wizardry, which was on full display during his performance of "Soul Sacrifice" that landed on the legendary soundtrack of the 1969 Woodstock concert. In 1999, 30 years after he released his debut record, Santana won nine Grammy awards for his album, "Supernatural," which went on to sell 15 million copies worldwide.

Equally as remarkable as his artistic achievements are Santana's philanthropic contributions, particularly in the Bay Area. The Milagro Foundation, started by Santana and his wife in 1998, has raised more than $3 million for underserved youth in the region to access art, health and educational materials.

"Carlos Santana is without a doubt one of San Francisco's most beloved icons," said Mayor Gavin Newsom. "His music transcends not only musical genres, but also cultural, geographical and political boundaries."

By receiving the Mayor's Art Award, Santana follows past honorees Ruth Asawa, a sculptor, and Alonzo King, a choreographer.
Santana was selected from a search committee under the direction of the San Francisco Arts Commission.

"Following our first two award winners, we wanted to find some from a different form of performing arts," said Luis Cancel, director of Cultural Affairs for the Arts Commission. "Santana's name came up, and we just knew he would be a perfect match."

Santana will be presented with the Mayor's Art Award on March 18 in the Green Room at the War Memorial Veterans Building, in an event hosted by the Arts Commission.

Source: http://www.sfexaminer.com/

Peter Frampton is set to release his new album, Thank You Mr. Churchill, on April 27. The guitar great describes the 11-song set, which he co-produced, as his most personal set to date.

"This album is very autobiographical," Frampton says. "It starts with my birth, which I thank Mr. Churchill for bringing my father back from the Second World War."

The album was recorded at his home studio in Cincinnati and was co-produced by Chris Kimsey, who served as the engineer on Frampton's first solo record, 1972's Wind of Change. The pair, who reportedly reunited on Facebook, had not worked together in over 30 years before this project.

Thank You Mr. Churchill also features cameos from Pearl Jam drummer Matt Cameron and the Funk Brothers, who play on the Motown tribute track, "Invisible Man."

Frampton’s previous release, 2006's Fingerprints, scored a Grammy Award for the veteran musician.

Source: http://www.gibson.com/

The Knack's Doug Fieger - who wrote huge 1979 hit 'My Sharona' - has died of cancer aged 58.

The frontman died yesterday (February 14) in California after suffering form lung cancer since 2005, reports US TV channel ABC7.

Sharona Alperin, the muse for 'My Sharona', paid tribute to Fieger, explaining: "Doug changed my life forever. He left on Valentine's Day, a day of heart and love, and that was Doug, all heart and love."

'My Sharona' is one of the biggest-selling rock songs of all time. It sold over a million copies in the US in its year of release, and has enjoyed success since around the world, and through reissues.

Source: http://www.nme.com/

From the outside it still looks like what it once was: a Georgian town house in the suburbs of north London with a famous pedestrian crossing once trodden by the Beatles nearby. But on the inside it contains a notable slice of British and recording musical history. And shortly, apparently, it is going to be up for sale.

The Abbey Road studios are to be sold by the EMI group, according to the Financial Times, in a notably hard-headed attempt by the company to reduce the debt burden it acquired during a leveraged buy-out three years ago.

The sale – which has not yet been confirmed by the group – might be expected to raise more than £10m, which would, even so, make only a small contribution to the private equity firm Terra Firma's need to raise £120m by June, to service a £3.3bn loan from Citigroup.

The studio's worldwide fame – in contrast to other much more anonymous recording studios – rests squarely on the legacy of its Beatles' recordings in the 1960s, specifically the Abbey Road album of 1969 with its celebrated cover picture of the group wandering across the pedestrian crossing in the road outside the studio.

Although the crossing has since been moved, slightly, it still attracts fans from across the world and the company repaints the fence outside the studios every month to obliterate the latest graffiti posted there.

The 1831 villa became the world's first custom-built recording studio in 1931 with Sir Edward Elgar conducting the London Symphony Orchestra in Land of Hope and Glory.

One of its advantages is that the studio is large enough to accommodate a full orchestra – Sir Malcolm Sargent, who lived round the corner regularly popped in – and so can record everything from symphonies to film scores for movies such as the Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter series.

In Studio 2, Cliff Richard performed what is regarded as the first European rock'n'roll record, Move It, in 1958; the Beatles recorded most of their albums and singles in the 1960s; Pink Floyd produced Dark Side of the Moon and Manic Street Preachers, Travis and Blur have also featured there.

In the new, hi-tech world in which bands can record on laptops, however, its studios are said to have become too expensive. The FT quoted a media lawyer saying: "The brand is worth more than the building … what you have is a very expensive piece of heritage. If an artist goes to a label and asks to record at Abbey Road they will be met with maniacal laughter."

Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/

Delmar Allen "Dale" Hawkins, a rockabilly pioneer who gave the music world the hit "Oh! Suzy-Q," died Saturday in Little Rock of colon cancer. He was 73.

Hawkins, originally from Goldmine, in Richland Parish, recorded his first hit in the KWKH Radio studios in downtown Shreveport in 1956 with then-15-year-old guitarist James Burton, who later went on to perform and record with Elvis Presley, Ricky Nelson, John Denver and Jerry Lee Lewis, among others.

"Dale and I played at the Ponderosa Stomp and the House of Blues at Jazzfest in New Orleans last year," Burton recalled Monday en route to performances in Europe. "He was in great shape then, he was singing great and jumping all over the stage. He was in rare form."

He recalled the guitar lick that became the hook for "Oh! Suzy-Q."

"I wrote that little guitar lick when I was 14," Burton recalled. "It got to be so pop in the club that Dale decided to write some lyrics to it and that became ‘Suzy-Q.’ It became a good record for him and (me) both.

"I was probably his first fan. He was a good guy, a good friend, and I think he lived life to the fullest, right up to the end."

Bassist Joe Osborn, whose career on hundreds of No. 1 and Top 10 hits includes work with Ricky Nelson, Johnny Rivers, the Carpenters, the Fifth Dimension and Bob Dylan, credits Hawkins with starting his career and transitioning him from the guitar to the electric bass.

"In 1956, I was working at Sears in the hardware department and Dale came in," Osborn said. "‘Suzy-Q’ was already out and a hit, and he wanted me to play with his brother Jerry and his band at the Skyway Club. That’s how me and Dale started. If he hadn’t come in that day I’d still be at Sears, selling hardware."

He said Hawkins linked him and the late Roy Buchanan with artists in Los Angeles and eventually eased him back to Bossier City, where Burton hooked him up with Ricky Nelson.

"Dale was a very good friend and we crossed paths many time over the years," Osborn said. "He even lived with me for a while in L.A. I always considered Dale a friend more than anything else. He was a person I cared deeply about."

Tyler, Texas, sound engineer Robin Hood Brians talked with Hawkins two weeks ago, and said the singer "was at peace with his creator and ready to make the journey."

Brians mused about his first encounter with Hawkins in the mid-1960s, after Hawkins wrote a check to cover the Uniques’ recording of "Not Too Long Ago," and it bounced.

"Sure enough, about a week later he came over with a check that cleared," recalled Brians, who produced the first ZZ Top records. "Then he took me to lunch and shared with me the news he had sold the master to Stan Lewis and they were going to be on Paula records.

"There will never be another Dale Hawkins."

In addition to his classic "Suzy-Q," Hawkins recorded more than 40 songs on the "Chess" label. According to an obituary, he was the third entertainer to appear on Dick Clark’s American Bandstand and was the first white artist to perform at the "Apollo Theatre" in Harlem and the "Regal" in Chicago.

After appearing on the CBS television show "Big Beat" in the late 1950s, he was asked to guest host the show. The guest slot became a permanent job and "Big Beat" became the "Dale Hawkins Show."

Hawkins later worked as a producer, crafting hits such as "Not Too Long Ago" for Joe Stampley and the Uniques, "Western Union" by the Five Americans and "Do It Again A Little Bit Slower" by Jon and Robin.

In the mid-1980s, after moving to Arkansas and entering into a second career as a social worker and counselor, Hawkins returned to live performances in a comeback concert at then-Cowboys nightclub in Bossier City, an event put together by Oil City producer Tom Ayres.

Hawkins, a Navy veteran of the Korean War, is in the Rockabilly Hall of Fame and the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame.

Source: http://www.shreveporttimes.com/

A man has pleaded guilty to the theft of a guitar owned by former Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr ten years ago.

Stephen White, 38, of Baker Street, Enfield, appeared before Highbury Corner Magistrates' Court on Thursday charged with theft. He will be sentenced on February 16.

The 1964 cherry red Gibson Guitar was taken from The Smiths guitarist at a gig at Scala, near King's Cross.

The musician mounted a public appeal and offered an award for its return.

Now Mr Marr and his guitar are to be reunited after police recovered the instrument on January 31.

Police Constable Christopher Swain, of Camden's Beat Crimes Unit, said: "Every new development in a case is vigorously pursued, even after ten years. On this occasion I have been delighted to think I can return this treasured item to its original owner who thought they would never see it again.

"We will always endeavour to find stolen property and bring offenders to justice."

Source: http://www.enfieldindependent.co.uk/

A Rohnert Park man was arrested early Monday in connection with the slaying of a well-known guitar maker following a chase that involved several law enforcement agencies, police said.

Police said Joshua Rhea Begley, 28, fled in his vehicle after detectives tried to pull him over, leading to an extended chase through Rohnert Park.

Begley was arrested at about 1:10 a.m. Monday at 905 Civic Center Drive and booked into the Sonoma County Jail on suspicion of murder, robbery and evading police.

Police said Begley had been under surveillance following the death of acclaimed guitar maker Taku Sakashta, 43, whose body was found Friday near the craftsman's Rohnert Park workshop.

Sakashta was found in bushes near two or three pallets of stacked landscaping rocks, not far from the guitar maker's black Nissan 350Z sports car.

Police have not said what they believe to be the motive for the killing. Friends described Sakashta as a Buddhist who embraced nonviolence and always imparted a sense of peace.

Source: http://www.pressdemocrat.com/

The world died a little on Friday, as Guns N' Roses played to the half-empty fashion boutique that was once CBGBs. Axl Rose's surprise set at New York's John Varvatos store lacked Slash, Duff McKagan and, as Rose strutted amid £100 belts, probably lacked the spirit of rock'n'roll as well.

The concert was part of an afterpary for L'Uomo Vogue, scheduled as part of New York fashion week. Indie rockers Alberta Cross were advertised on the posters but Guns N' Roses were the secret headliners, marking the band's first American performance since the release of Chinese Democracy in 2008. Celebrities such as Kevin Bacon, Sean Lennon, Sebastian Bach and model Rachel Hunter packed into Varvatos's shop, built inside the desiccated husk of legendary punk venue CBGBs. They waited hours for Guns N' Roses' touring lineup to take the stage: Axl Rose, DH Ashba, Ron Thal, Richard Fortus, Tommy Stinson, Dizzy Reed, Chris Pitman and Frank Ferrer.

On the bright side, this feeble incarnation of Guns N' Roses played only four tunes from Chinese Democracy. Much of the 17-song acoustic set came from 1987's Appetite for Destruction, including hits like Paradise City and Sweet Child O' Mine. Nevertheless, as the gig wore down around 3am, the boutique was reportedly half-empty. "This was the best fucking show of our tour!" Rose told the crowd. The socialites and fashion icons doubtless cheered. Fans in Taiwan, South Korea and Canada, who spent hundreds to see the band during their last tour, were probably less enthused.

Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/

Luthier Taku Sakashta Murdered

Renowned guitar maker feared slain | PressDemocrat.com

Police described the death as a homicide, but declined to discuss details of the case. A positive identification is not expected until Tuesday, they said.

However, a friend of Sakashta's said he received a call Friday afternoon from Sakashta's wife, Kazuko, who informed him of her husband's death. She told Kenichi Tominaga she did not know what happened to him, but described waiting up for him Thursday night and finally driving to the shop and later to the police department to report him missing.

Investigators Friday had marked off Sakashta's shop, the driveway and parking area in front of it, and his car. The body was found close by in a landscaped median strip in the industrial area on Martin Avenue on the city's west side.

Tominaga, owner of Hana Japanese restaurant in Rohnert Park, described Sakashta as "a wonderful guy. He's one of the best guitar makers in the whole world," Tominaga said. "We dreamed a lot of stuff together, so I was very shocked," he said.

Other friends described Sakashta, who was in his late 30s, as a prominent artisan whose guitars can sell for $30,000 each.

"He would build these fabulous pieces of art he would spend just months and months on with the most exotic woods," said Bill Krinard, a partner in a guitar amplifier manufacturing business nearby and a friend of Sakashta’s.

Police said the case began when a woman who they would not identify reported to them early Friday that her husband had gone to work at the guitar shop Thursday and had not returned. A police officer soon discovered the body.

Krinard said two part-time artists sometimes worked in the studio, which police confirmed is owned by Sakashta, but it was mostly Sakashta who worked there late at night, he and others said.

Rohnert Park Public Safety Lt. Jeff Taylor said the woman came into headquarters at 3:50 a.m. Friday saying she'd gone to look for her husband at the shop, only to find it empty. She told police there were signs of foul play.

"When we got to the scene, it was obvious that a crime had been committed," Taylor said.

The body was found in some bushes near two or three pallets of stacked landscaping rocks, not far from Sakashta's black Nissan 350Z sports car.

Police at the scene Friday erected a white canopy over the body and placed numerous yellow evidence tags on the pavement between the roll-up door of the guitar shop and the sports car.

Taylor said it did not appear anyone had tampered with the car. He declined to identify the nature of the evidence marked by the tags.

Workers in the area gathered in clusters early Friday, at Sam's Mediterranean Deli and Cafe a short distance down Martin Avenue, to talk about what little they'd heard about the crime scene. Most said they didn't even know the name of the man who made high-end guitars in the anonymous-looking shop.

But Krinard praised Sakashta and his work, which he said were often one-of-a-kind instruments.

"He's an internationally famous guitar maker," Krinard said of the Japanese-born artisan, who moved to Sonoma County because of a concentration of string-instrument craftsman in the area.

He described Sakashta as a Buddhist who embraced nonviolence and always imparted a sense of peace. He worked hard and late, and would often be in the studio at 9:30 p.m. or later when Krinard came by to visit.

Frank Ford, owner of Gryphon Stringed Instruments in Palo Alto, called Sakashta "one of the most creative makers we've known."

"He was very successful in this business," said Michihiro Matsuda, an Oakland-based guitar maker.

Police said the body could not be positively identified until the wife personally views the remains, and that cannot happen until Tuesday.

Source: http://www.examiner.com/

Trace Adkins tour bus has reportedly crashed head on with another vehicle and killed two people at around 9:30 this morning.

The accident occurred today on U.S. Hwy. 71 between Hosston and Ida, LA, in north Caddo Parish. According to witnesses, the truck was traveling northbound when its driver crossed the center line and hit the southbound bus head on. The truck spun 180 degrees in the center of the road, and the bus veered off the highway into a ditch.

Tonight's concert involving country music star Trace Adkins 'will' go on as planned. That word comes just hours after a fatal crash involving one of Adkins' tour bus north of Shreveport.

Two people are confirmed dead, police report the occupants in the pickup truck were both killed. They also report that Adkins was not on the bus during the crash.

Adkins went to the accident scene in a van, picked up the uninjured members of his band and went to the hospital in Vivian to check on the others.

"He was extremely concerned, as you might expect," Caddo Sheriff Steve Prator said of Adkins. "He was comforting the band members. He helped them load their luggage and then headed to the hospital."

Though, one band member required stitches, another was taken to the hospital in Vivian, LA, for observation and three other band members were walking around, Prator said. Four others on the tour bus were not hurt, Prator said.

Caddo Parish Sheriff's office identified the two deseased as 21-year-old Justin Maxey of Fouke, Arkansas (driver) and 36-year-old Jeffery Ferguson Jr. of Texarakana, Arkansas (passenger). Both were pronounced dead on the scene by the Caddo Parish Coroner's Office.

There were 9 people on the tour bus. 5 bus passengers were taken by ambulance to North Caddo Memorial Hospital in Vivian with minor injuries.

Investigators say it appears the truck drove over the center line and crashed into the tour bus in north Caddo Parish. Investigators also reported that several witnesses said the truck had been driving rather recklessly prior to the crash.

The concert is scheduled for tonight, Saturday night at the CenturyTel Center in Bossier City, where he's expected to perform with Martina McBride.

Trace AdkinsAdkins was born and raised in Sarepta, Louisiana, the son of Peggy and Aaron Adkins, a mill worker.

His musical interest came at an early age, when his father taught him to play the guitar. In high school, he joined a gospel music group called the New Commitments. He was also a member of Future Farmers of America (FFA).

Later, Adkins went on to study at Louisiana Tech University, where he also played football; after graduation, he took up work at an oil rig. He lost the pinky finger on his left hand in an accident while using a knife to open a bucket, and asked doctors to reattach the finger at an angle so that he could continue to play guitar.

Adkins then moved on to playing in honky tonk bars around Nashville, Tennessee, in the early 1990s. An executive of Capitol Records spotted Adkins playing at a honky tonk, and soon signed him to the label. His brother, who Trace describes as his first fan, was killed in a truck accident at the age of 21. Adkins is married to Rhonda Forlaw, together they have three daughters, he also has two daughters from his previous marriage. (AP Photo)

Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/

The latest accounts for rock oldie Eric Clapton have hit a bum note.

His Marshbrook holding company posted a £547,490 loss, despite sales quadrupling from £4million to £16million for the year to March 2009.

Old slow hand enjoyed a stellar year on the road in America with long-time friend Steve Winwood.

Eric Clapton

Blues: Clapton consoled himself with a leap in salary from £1.5m to £11.7m

While his touring has been a huge success, Clapton has been hit in the pocket from poor trading in his yacht charter business.

The downturn has caused a slump in demand for his 47 metre 6-berthed yacht Va Bene, which features six bedrooms, jacuzzi, weights room and crew of 13, and is rented out at a cool £179,000 a week.

It contributed a £3million loss but Clapton consoled himself with a leap in salary from £1.5million to £11.7million.

Tonight, he is embarking on a four-month tour of Europe and the US, which will begin with a series of shows in London at the O2 Arena.

Separately, Elton John's accounts show profits fell from £10million to £945,000 despite sales rising from £23million to £28million.

Source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/

But the folk hero's fans better not be suffering the money blues if they want to snap up the new artworks, with prices ranging from £95,000 to £450,000.

The most expensive of the original works are Dylan's Train Tracks paintings, depicting a railway line disappearing into distant purple mountains beneath a huge blue sky.

The exhibition, at the Halcyon Gallery in Mayfair, London, is billed as "an exclusive show of his very first works on canvas".

It marks the grand finale for Dylan's Drawn Blank Series and the artist's progression from drawings to working with acrylics on canvas.

Using bold, vibrant colours and dynamic black brush strokes, the paintings, signed in a bottom corner, have been 20 years in the pipeline.

They are based on sketches made by the singer, who has sold more than 110 million albums, made while on the road between 1989 to 1992.

Another painting, Woman In Red Lion Pub, shows a rear view of a shapely female, with one dress strap falling slightly off her shoulder, while bright yellow petals burst out of Dylan's artwork Sunflowers.

Paul Green, president of the Halcyon Gallery, told how he was approached to see if he would like to represent Dylan.

He described his business partner as a "mad Dylan fan" but Mr Green had said he would like to see the work first.

He said he was "amazed" at what he saw and said of Dylan: "Like a lot of artists he's multi-talented.

"He has been drawing all his life. He also wants a dialogue about his work, he wants to know what you think about the work.

"He wanted to some extent to have the work exhibited outside the US. He wanted to see what Europeans thought of his work."

Mr Green said that while comparisons could be drawn with European artists such as Vincent Van Gogh and Henri Matisse, Dylan has "definitely got a complete style of his own".

He said people from all walks of life should see the work, adding: "I was not a Dylan aficionado but I have a Dylan at home on my wall. I absolutely love it."

The paintings are being shown prior to an exhibition at the National Museum of Denmark later this year.

Dylan has said of his paintings: "I just draw what's interesting to me, and then I paint it.

"Rows of houses, orchard acres, lines of tree trunks, could be anything.

"I can take a bowl of fruit and turn it into a life and death drama.

"Women are power figures, so I depict them that way. I can find people to paint in mobile home communities. I could paint bourgeois people too.

"I'm not trying to make social comment or fulfil somebody's vision and I can find subject matter anywhere. I guess in some way that comes out of the folk world that I came up in."

Bob Dylan On Canvas is on public display at the Halcyon Gallery in London from Saturday to April 10.

Uncut.co.uk - News

Jeff Beck is to release his first new album in seven years on April 13.

Called 'Emotion & Commotion', the album sees Beck team up with a number of musicians including Joss Stone. He also recorded tracks with a 64-piece orchestra, something he says he first experienced on his 2005 version of Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 5.

"It turned out amazingly well," Beck explained of the album, which features covers of Jeff Buckley's interpretation of 'Corpus Christi' and a version of 'Somewhere Over The Rainbow' from the 'Wizard Of Oz'. "But I didn't want to commit to an entire album of classical music. What appealed to me instead was the idea of bringing together these seemingly contradictory sounds on different kinds of non-classical music.”

Powerhouse blues guitarists to share Sellersville stage - Entertainment - Bucks Local News



Joanne Shaw Taylor was 13 years old when she realized what she wanted to do with the rest of her life.

“I’d been playing classical guitar at school, my father played guitar, as did my older brother,” Taylor said during a recent telephone interview. “I knew I wanted to be a guitarist. I was good at classical, but it wasn’t really the vocation for me.

“My dad played me a Stevie Ray Vaughan video, and as soon as I saw my first Stevie Ray video, it was like, ‘OK, that’s what I’m going to do.’”

Fortunately, no one told her that she didn’t quite fit the mold of a traditional blues guitarist.

“As soon as I picked up electric, that was it, there was nothing else that I wanted to do,” Taylor said. “And I think that was probably my saving grace, that it never even occurred to me that it wasn’t going to be possible for a 13-year old girl from England to become a professional blues artist.”

And it’s a good thing that no one told the Birmingham, UK, native how slim her chances would be. Because then she likely would never have been discovered by former Eurythmics frontman Dave Stewart at age 16 or toured with Stewart’s supergroup D.U.P. in 2002.

Nor would Taylor have released her 2009 debut solo album, “White Sugar,” to rave critical and fan reviews.

“As the first album, it serves as people’s introduction to me, so the main goal was to make an album that was a good representation of what I do and what my influences are and who I am,” Taylor said. “I think I achieved that. The feedback’s been very, very positive, and it’s been a hell of a year. It’s really changed things for me.”

Most notably, “White Sugar” has sent notice that there’s a new face on the blues scene, one with a powerful voice and the expertise to wail away on the guitar with the best of ’em. The album is as much a tribute to those who came before Shaw and inspired her as it is a statement that this 23-year-old has the talent and the chops to rise to the top of the blues scene.

It has also left her with one small quandary, though … how do you top such a well-received debut?

“I have to say it’s a bit nerve-wracking going forward. I think I might just retire,” Taylor said with a laugh.

Of course, she had plenty of time to gather her best material for her first album.

“The thing about a debut album — you have 10 years to write it,” she said. “There are certain tracks — ‘Time Has Come,’ ‘Blackest Day,’ ‘White Sugar’ — that have been in my set since I started gigging at 14, and they’ve become such sort of staples of the set, I felt the fan base expected them to be on there. I worried that it wouldn’t cross over with the material I was writing a couple weeks before recording. But it flows well as one album, and that’s a reflection of the quality of the producer.”

A student of the blues as well as a musician, Taylor immersed herself in the likes of Albert Collins, Jimmie Vaughan, Luther Allison, B.B. King and numerous other blues musicians in any way she could. And it wasn’t always easy.

“Blues was not a mainstream genre,” Taylor said. “As a 13-year-old girl in a rural part of the English countryside, we weren’t learning about it in school. There weren’t many blues clubs, and I wasn’t old enough to get in them anyway. The few artists I could get were through the guitarist magazines. And then we got the Internet when I was 15. When I got onto the Internet, there was a big encyclopedia of blues for me … Johnny Lang, Kenny Wayne Shepherd.”

It won’t be long before Taylor’s name appears among the lists of great blues musicians. Which means that her Feb. 18 show at Sellersville Theater might be the last chance local blues aficionados will have to see this rising young star before she starts playing larger venues.

Taylor will share the Sellersville bill with Los Angeles-based blues guitarist Eric Sardinas as part of a 19-show tour in February that will take Taylor everywhere from Texas to Michigan to New York. She’ll spend early April touring Australia, then return to the U.S. for some shows in the Southeast before heading back into the studio to write and record her follow-up album.

“I’m really looking forward to this tour,” Taylor said. “I saw Eric Sardinas play at a guitar show when I was 14 or 15. I’ve never met him, but I can’t wait for it. He’s well-known to be a great guy as well as an incredible artist. It’s going to be an invaluable learning experience.

“And I like the crowds in the States a lot. By and large, the rowdiest crowds are American and German, though the Germans I think has more to do with the huge beers. A lot of European crowds are more reserved — the blues in Europe can be an observed genre; it’s almost like giving history lessons sometimes. My preference is the more feisty crowds.”

Because while she may be soft-spoken and reserved when she’s out of the spotlight, once Taylor hits the stage, nothing less than gritty blues vocals and jaw-dropping guitar-work are to be expected.

“As a guitar player and singer and performer, the live setting is my natural home,” she said. “I was quite a shy child, so it took me time to get used to it and come out of my shell. Music for me was a saving grace. It helped me to define my identity as a person. If I didn’t have that freedom of expression, I would probably go nuts. But music has done that for me. I couldn’t imagine another way of life.”

Saint Blues Guitar expands product line with electric washboard - Memphis Business Journal:

Photo gallery: National Cowboy Museum’s “The Guitar” exhibit | BAM's Blog

The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum is inviting the public to a free preview of its new exhibit “The Guitar: Art, Artists and Artisans” from 6 to 8 p.m. today at the museum, 1700 NE 63.

The exhibit showcases about 50 instruments, from historic models dating to the 19th century to ornately tuneful tributes to music legends. It features guitars played by country music stars Garth Brooks, Vince Gill, Toby Keith, Brooks & Dunn, Lynn Anderson, Eddy Arnold and Marty Robbins.

It also includes elaborately decorated Gibsons paying homage to Elvis, B.B. King and Les Paul and a huge chandelier featuring 12 of Dallas artist Amanda Dunbar’s Swarovski crystal-encrusted guitars.

Check out these great images of the exhibit. They are from The Oklahoman photographer Chris Landsberger, except for the photos of Dunbar’s crystal-covered guitars. Those images are provided by Dunbar Studios.

Source: http://www.financiarul.ro/

Bucharest-based Ghica Palace, on Feb 20, for the first time in Romania, will host the Budapest- Bucharest Guitar Summit, devoted both to the guitar players and music lovers, alike.

Staged on AG Weinberger’s initiative, the summit will bring Tatrai Tibor and Gyarfas Istvan two of the most valuable Hungarian rock/blues and jazz music guitarists, to Bucharest, for the first time.
For almost two hours, guitar music lovers can listen and see the exquisite show by AG Weinberger and his two quests. The concert blends influences of the two cultures and is the homage to this marvelous instrument the guitar.

‘It will be a high quality international show, like that one can see and listen to on the most important stages of the world. The concert proves our reverence and respect for our favorite instrument, the guitar and for the mystery of the music. It will be a feast and a homage to be paid to the guitar and the forerunners who succeeded to take the art of guitar playing to the highest peak,’ AG Weinberger says.

The performance will happen in an elegant environment, with valet parking and seats round a coach and armchairs around a huge fireplace. Tickets cost 99 lei and you can buy them at www.ticketfan.ro and in the Flanco, EuroGSM chains and at the Ghica Palace.

Source: http://www.sonicstate.com/

Gibson have introduced the 50th Anniversary 1960 ES-335TD. Here's what they have to say about it...

In the late 1950s, Gibson was boldly pushing the envelope on electric guitar design. The effort resulted in several models that were just too far ahead of their time to sink in with players of the day--the Flying V and Explorer being cases in point -- and were gone from the catalogue by 1960. The ES-335 however was an instant classic, embraced by blues, rock, country and jazz players the world over. By 1960, this model was really hitting its stride though it was certainly a year of transition for the iconic model.

In the beginning of 1960, the ES-335TDs were built to the same specs as the 1959 versions and were offered in only Natural and Sunburst finishes. By about midyear, neck specs began to change to a thinner and more elliptical feel and ultimately, production of the Natural ES-335TD would cease and the Cherry finish would take its place in the latter part of the year. It is this later version that many argue the 1960 ES-335TD's features had settled into their optimum form. With a fast new neck profile, striking new "insert" or "reflector" tone and volume knobs, the ES-335TD still retained early-spec details such as the dot fingerboard inlays, a kind of "Mickey Mouse" double cutaway profile, full-length maple centerblock, and nickel-plated hardware that players have long seen as indicative of the model's zenith.

All these and more are brought back to life in the Custom Shop 50th Anniversary 1960 ES-335TD, a reincarnation of one of the most legendary semi-hollow electric guitar of all time, handcrafted by Gibson Custom's Memphis division to celebrate the model's "golden anniversary". For this celebration, Gibson Custom is offering the later 1960 "fast neck profile" version, the most unique of the year, and is available in Antique Vintage Sunburst, Antique Faded Cherry or Antique Natural finish, all aged in Gibson's acclaimed VOS (Vintage Original Specs) process, and loaded with period-correct hardware including "insert" volume and tone knobs, double band tuners and a pair of accurate PAF-style 57 Classic humbucking pickups.

Additionally the neck features a holly head veneer, tortoise shell side dot material and has been completely re-tooled with accurate truss rod channel depth and profile based on scans by the Gibson Custom Shop Engineering Team. The Custom Shop 50th Anniversary 1960 ES-335TD is the closest today's player can come to obtaining the look, feel and tone of an original dot-neck 1960 ES-335TD, short of remortgaging the house and sinking the kids' college fund on the venture.

Pricing and Availability:
Antique Faded Cherry: $5,645 msrp
Antique Vintage Sunburst: $5,645 msrp
Antique Natural: $6,115 msrp

Source: http://www.nme.com/

Limp Bizkit guitarist Wes Borland has revealed that their new album "has a Daft Punk vibe".

Entitled 'Golf Cobra' and due out later this year, the LP is the group's first since 2005's 'The Unquestionable Truth (Part 1)'.

"I think that everyone who hated Limp Bizkit before will continue to hate Limp Bizkit," Borland told Guitar Edge in reference to the sound of the album. "It's definitely a fun party kinda vibe, it's a little like the old stuff but with a Daft Punk vibe thrown in".

He added: "It's not like we all of a sudden grew up and started making smarter music. There's big huge riffs and hopefully catchy lyrics, it's still about halfway done so we're waiting to see how the rest of it goes."

Winter Olympics notebook: Shaun White guitar solo and a naughty bear | 2010 Winter Olympics - – OregonLive.com



Red Bull SkateboardingSnowboarder Shaun White also plays guitar.If you're staying at the Olympic Village, and you're awakened Friday morning by The Star-Spangled Banner played on electric guitar, you might want to scan the windows of the athletes' quarters for an amplifier. If you see one, it probably belongs to gold-medal snowboarder Shaun White.

That's because U.S. halfpipe teammate Louis "Louie" Vito, who happens to be rooming with White, said Thursday that White brought his guitar to Vancouver and was practicing the anthem, and was planning to train his amp on the listening ears of the world's winter athletes.

Pretty funny.

Quachi, a Vancouver Olympics mascot, is not a pedophile.But not quite as funny as the Polish newspaper that commingled the cuddly, fuzzy Vancouver Olympics mascots with Pedobear, a cartoon character used to make fun of -- you guessed it -- pedophiles on the Internet.

More amusement arrived Thursday in the form of the U.S.'s other reigning gold medalist in the halfpipe, Hannah Teter, making fun of McDonald's. In case anyone is keeping score, McDonald's is the only official restaurant of the Olympic Games, and is pretty much ubiquitous around the Olympic venues. But I'm sure the U.S. Olympic Committee appreciated Teter's candor.

We (and by "we," I mean "me") forgive her completely, though, because her heart is in the right place. She's donating all of her winnings to charities this year, including relief for Haitian earthquake victims. She also sells maple syrup that benefits Kenya's neediest.

In addition, Teter sells unmentionables, which I won't mention here because I'm not sure my editors would appreciate a notebook that includes both pedophiles and women's underwear -- even if the former was a misunderstanding and the latter benefits a good cause.

CANOE -- JAM! Music: Love restraining order extended

Courtney Love. (WENN.COM)

A restraining order prohibiting Courtney Love from contacting her daughter with late Nirvana legend Kurt Cobain has been extended until April.

Seventeen-year-old Frances Bean Cobain was placed under the temporary guardianship of her paternal grandmother and aunt in December after requesting to live with her relatives.

Love was then slapped with a temporary restraining order forbidding her from getting in touch with Frances - just days after losing legal control of her.

According to court documents obtained by TMZ.com, a judge has now extended the order until 9 April.

Sleaze Roxx: AC/DC Singer Bashes Bono And Bob Geldof's Charity Preaching

AC/DC frontman Brian Johnson thinks that doing charity work is great, but feels that you shouldn't preach about it every chance you get, like Bob Geldof and U2's Bono have a habit of doing.

"When I was a working man, I didn't want to go to a concert for some bastard to talk down to me that I should be thinking of some kid in Africa," Johnson told Australia's Herald Sun. "I'm sorry, mate, do it yourself, spend some of your own money and get it done. It just makes me angry."

Johnson then turned his attention to Geldof.

"Bob Geldof is a canny lad," Johnson continued. "He did what he thought was right at the time but it didn't work. The money didn't go to poor people. It makes me mad when people try to use politics or charity for publicity."

Johnson and his band have stayed away from the charity spotlight ever since 1985's Live Aid benefit concert. He says that while AC/DC is not against performing at charity shows, he just wouldn't want it to be on a worldwide stage.

Sleaze Roxx: Ronnie James Dio Has A Long Road To Travel In Cancer Battle

Ronnie James Dio's wife Wendy has issued an update regarding the legendary singer's battle with stomach cancer.

Wendy states, "Since my last update, we have been back and forth to Houston three times for tests and chemo treatments, an emergency run to St. Joseph's for another blood clot, an ultrasound and another cat scan. We met with Dr. Ajani, Ronnie's oncologist, on Monday, and he was very pleased with the treatment so far. Some tumors have gone and some have shrunk. He says we have a long road to travel, but we are on the right path. Going back and forth to Houston is getting old, with all the cancelled and delayed flights and some of the rude Continental staff, the same boring food at the hotel (I think we have eaten everything on their horrible menu!), but...when we get a good report from the doctor, it is all worth it. The only food Ronnie says he can taste is Indian curry; everything tastes like metal (HEAVY metal?) because of the chemo. We did, however, have a nice breakfast with Carmen and his mother on Friday. He is still waiting for his bone marrow transplant.

I am so sorry if I have upset any of our friends for not returning calls or emails, but please understand that it is so draining for me to go over and over to everyone about Ronnie's progress. This is why I thought that if I wrote an update once a month, everyone can know of Ronnie's progress at the same time. The Fan Club just delivered a huge sack of mail, and we have been reading all the wonderful cards and letters you have all sent. Thank you all so much -- it keeps our spirits up knowing you all love Ronnie so much and wish him well. Ronnie and I have a great support system: Simon, who does so much; Geezer and Gloria (she has been my strength, everyday she listens to me, whether I am happy or not); Sheila and Jacqui, friends for 25 years who would go anywhere or do anything for Ronnie or I; Mike Carden, a cancer survivor who is always available to talk to; Rudy, Vinny, Doug, Scott, Big Scott, Lois and Wyn; my colleagues at work -- Marchele, Lynne, Carmen, Anthony and Diana; Dr. Mena, Dr. Chu and our wonderful Dr. Kapoor, who is available 24/7 for us and spent his whole Sunday day off with us at the emergency room, and of course Dr. Ajani, who mixes his magic cocktail of chemo and gives us hope.

Ronnie takes a walk everyday in the park and keeps busy with his music and watching sports. He was really mad that he missed the Super Bowl because we had to fly back to Houston on that Sunday, as his chemo started at 8:00am on Monday. He is in real good spirits and will be going to the studio next week to listen to the mix of the Heaven and Hell DVD that will be released later this year. He is itching to get back on tour, and with the good reports and all of your prayers and good energy, I think he is going to make it. Bless you all."

Source: http://www.nme.com/

Detais of Rage Against The Machine's promised free UK gig have been revealed.

Taking place at London's Finsbury Park on June 6. The show comes after Tom Morello, Zack de la Rocha and co promised to play a free UK show if their song 'Killing In the Name' made the Christmas Number One slot ahead of The X Factor winner Joe McElderry's 'The Climb'.

Registration for tickets is now open at TheRageFactor.co.uk and closes at midnight (GMT) on Sunday (February 14).

Once registered, tickets will be released on a rolling lottery basis from 9am (GMT) on February 17, with a maxium of two tickets available per person.

Source: http://www2.hernandotoday.com/

SPRING HILL - A 17-year-old boy was arrested Tuesday on a burglary charge after an electric guitar, "Girls Gone Wild" DVDs and several electronic items were taken out of a house, deputies said.

The Hernando County Sheriff's Office was called to the 2100 block of Breezy Way for a possible residential burglary.

The suspect was found in the vicinity skateboarding and after an investigation, it was determined he had entered the house and stolen the property four days earlier, according to an arrest report.

In addition to the guitar and adult DVDs, a Nintendo, radio, wireless router, two video cameras, jewelry and two gift cards also were among the stolen items, deputies said.

The boy's parents told authorities they had seen him carry home multiple bags of items the morning of the burglary, according to the report.

The stolen guitar was recovered at the suspect's cousin's house in Brookridge, deputies said.

The boy's name is not being released because of his age. He was transported to the Hernando County Jail and the Department of Juvenile Justice was contacted.

The suspect was placed on home detention, deputies said.

Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/

The Trinidadian guitarist "Lyn" Taitt (pictured left), who has died of cancer aged 75, was one of the most important contributors to the rock-steady style that ruled Jamaica in the mid-1960s. Taitt's intricate picking defined many a rock-steady standard, while his skill as an arranger brought numerous hits in the ska style that preceded rock steady, as well as the early reggae style that followed.

The second of four sons fathered by a shipwright in San Fernando, Trinidad, Taitt displayed musical ability from an early age, and would tap rhythms on the edge of a barrel. Teddy Clarke, the leader of a local steel band called Bataan, gave Taitt and his brother, Cedric, some old pans to practise on, much to the chagrin of their mother. With Cedric and a trio of brothers from the neighbourhood, Taitt formed a steel band called Seabees, performing at school fairs and other social functions. He was so accomplished as a soloist by the end of his teens that he won first prize at an island-wide music competition in 1956.

Taitt had taught himself to play the cuatro (a small stringed instrument, similar to the ukulele), which he would use to perform traditional parang songs at Christmas, and soon mastered the guitar – he acquired one that a drunken sailor had abandoned while on shore leave. In the late 1950s, he played guitar in a Latin jazz group called the Dutchy Brothers, formed by the five sons of a Surinamese immigrant (three of whom also played in Seabees), before ultimately fronting his own group, the Nearlin Taitt Orchestra.

In August 1962, Taitt's orchestra travelled to Jamaica with the calypsonians Lord Melody and Lord Blakie for a two-week tour that coincided with the island's independence celebrations. He remained in Jamaica with the help of a local bandleader and promoter, Byron Lee. Taitt swiftly joined the Sheikhs, a noted ska act, as a rhythm guitarist, and later became prominent in a rival band, the Cavaliers, as a guitarist and arranger.

Taitt's debut recording session yielded Shank I Sheck, one of the biggest-selling ska instrumentals. He then became a mainstay of Duke Reid's production stable and was featured on Justin Hinds's Carry Go Bring Come, but began moonlighting for Studio One on Sundays, replacing Jah Jerry on Skatalites recordings. Taitt subsequently formed the Comets, a live club act that became so highly regarded that Prince Buster took them to Europe in 1967 for his first continental tour.

Taitt ushered in the rock-steady era by arranging and playing on two of its earliest recordings, Hopeton Lewis's Take It Easy and Roy Shirley's emotional Hold Them, both hugely popular. After backing every rock-steady hit-maker, supporting Alton Ellis's Girl I've Got a Date, Desmond Dekker's 007 and Derrick Morgan's Tougher Than Tough, Taitt played with his new group, the Jets, on influential early reggae hits including the Melodians' Little Nut Tree, Keith and Tex's Stop That Train and Johnny Nash's Hold Me Tight.

In August 1968, Taitt travelled to Toronto to lead a band at the West Indies Federated Club. He decided to remain in Canada and settled in Montreal a few years later. In addition to working again with artists he knew in Jamaica, such as Phyllis Dillon, the Paragons and Prince Buster, Taitt also collaborated with Canadian acts such as Mossman and Jason Wilson, and was a member of the versatile fusion group, La Gioventu. He was also featured at the Montreal jazz festival in 2002 and 2006.

He is survived by his wife, Francine, their son, Anthony, and a son from a previous relationship in Jamaica.

• Nearlin "Lyn" Taitt, musician, bandleader and arranger, born 22 June 1934; died 20 January 2010

Source: http://www.nme.com/

The White Stripes are to take "strong action" against the US Air Force after a re-recorded version of their 2002 hit 'Fell In Love With A Girl' was used on a promotional advert aired during Sunday's Super Bowl.

Via a message on Whitestripes.com, Jack and Meg White lambasted the US Air Force for using their song to support the war in Afghanistan, and said they believe the track was "re-recorded and used without permission".

"The White Stripes take strong insult and objection to the Air Force Reserve presenting this advertisement with the implication that we licensed one of our songs to encourage recruitment during a war that we do not support," they said.

They added, "The White Stripes support this nation's military, at home and during times when our country needs and depends on them. We simply don't want to be a cog in the wheel of the current conflict, and hope for a safe and speedy return home for our troops."

The post was headed by The White Stripes' official video to 'Fell In Love With A Girl', along with a link to view the US Air Force's advert featuring the song. It concluded by saying that the band and their management aim to take action against the US Air Force.

Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/

Johnny Cash had a voice that rumbled as deep as bone and songs that secured his reputation as one of the greats of country music. Now, seven years after his death, his final album, American VI: Ain't No Grave, will be released on 26 February – which would have been his 78th birthday. But while his millions of fans may have believed Cash to be an all-American outlaw, the man himself was obsessed with his Scottish roots.

The unlikely tale begins in the late 1970s when Cash was returning to the United States and found himself seated next to Major Michael Crichton-Stuart, hereditary keeper of Falkland Palace in the Kingdom of Fife on the east side of Scotland. Cash mentioned that he had heard that his family originated in Scotland. Crichton-Stuart told the singer that he knew this to be the case since there were farms and streets in Fife that still bore the Cash name.

Inspired by the chance meeting on the plane, Cash visited a genealogist and discovered that he was of Scottish descent and that his clan had originated around the 12th century in the Strathmiglo area of Fife. The connection was traced back to when the niece of Malcolm IV (1153-1165) – who was named Cash or Cashel – married the Earl of Fife. The first American Cash connection came in 1612 when mariner William Cash sailed from Scotland to Salem, Massachusetts, with a boatload of pilgrims.

What may to others have appeared a tenuous Celtic connection was for the country star something altogether more profound and meaningful. The shared roots of country music and Celtic music inspired Cash to visit Scotland and he travelled to Fife at least three times – most notably in 1981 when he recorded a Christmas special for US television.

Local people were startled to see Cash, dressed in trademark black trench coat and battered leather boots, walking the streets of their tiny town with fellow singer Andy Williams. Bob Beveridge, who runs a secondhand violin store in Falkland, was charged with looking after Cash while he was in town.

"He was a lovely man," Beveridge recalled. "He spent most of his time inquiring about the local people rather than the other way round. There is a wooden post outside the palace and I remember seeing Johnny just perching on that post and talking to anyone who would walk past."

Beveridge, who still lives in Falkland, will reveal in a BBC Radio 4 documentary how, seven years ago, he bumped into Cash's daughter outside his store. "I asked her: 'What's your name', and she told me it was Rosanne Cash, and I said: 'That's strange because Johnny Cash also traced his family to here.' 'That was my dad,' she said. So I went upstairs and dug out my old photographs of her dad and me and told her what a wonderful man he was and she burst out crying. Ever since then she has regularly been in touch with me."

Rosanne was in Fife only months after her father's death. "There was something about going there and feeling so connected and welcomed that satisfied my grief and soothed it," she said. "The knowledge that I was returning to the place where our family's story started and going to somewhere that gave my father so much pleasure and pride."

The links between Cash and Scotland were also musical. "Going further back into our Celtic past made him realise that this was where he derived his tone of voice, the mournful quality to his music," she said, "and it was that sense of place and time that was passed on to him and then on to me."

Rosanne has returned frequently to Fife, visiting Falkland Palace and driving around searching for places that carried the Cash name. She paid tribute to the Cash connection with Fife in a song called 'Good Intent', after the ship that carried the first Cash across the Atlantic in the 17th century.

The connection that her father felt with his Scottish heritage endured until his death. "Our family was descended from King Malcolm IV of Scotland," she said, "and when my dad was very ill and in his last years of life whenever he visited hospital he did not check in as Johnny Cash – he always went under the name of Malcolm."

Johnny Cash Of Easter Cash, presented by Sarfraz Manzoor, can be heard next Saturday 13th Feb at 10.30am(GMT) on BBC Radio 4 (http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4)

Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/

From 22 to 28 February, Camden Town will be home to London's first Rhythm and Blues Festival, held at music venue The Blues Kitchen. The week-long event will feature performances from some of the world's finest blues bands, including 60s pioneers The Pretty Things and blues maverick Son Of Dave. There will also be a harmonica tutorial and a New Orleans-themed Mardi Gras party, both on 27 February. The opening night, featuring The Pretty Things, is the only ticketed event (£8); all other events are free (+44 [0]207 387 5277; theblueskitchen.com).

Source: http://www.nme.com/Jack White played a surprise show last night (February 4) at his new Third Man music venue in Nashville.

The show was in support of Dex Romweber Duo - whose new material he recently produced.

The White Stripes man treated the 250-strong crowd to an impromptu solo rendition of one of the pair's songs before they played their full set.

"Thank you for coming to my house," White said, before playing the song on his Gretch acoustic guitar. He then retired to behind the mixing desk to watch the show.

Later White loaned the pair his guitar after they broke some strings during the show.

Fans could by vinyl recordings of the gig – which were pressed up in a room next to the venue as the show ended. White has announced that all gigs that take place at the venue will be available to buy as live albums in the same manner.

See Thirdmanrecords.com for more information.

Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/

A member of Aerosmith has revealed that frontman Steven Tyler auditioned for – and was rejected from – a possible Led Zeppelin reunion.

According to guitarist Joe Perry, Tyler was called in for the aborted Led Zep reunion attempted by Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones and Jason Bonham in 2008. Though Robert Plant refused to be involved, the remaining band-members spent several months under the illusion that they could replace him. Their talks with singer Myles Kennedy are well documented, but Perry claims Tyler also staggered into the Zeppelin practice room. "It's something I've never talked about before," Perry told The Pulse of Radio. "It's a kind of window into how hard it's been to keep the [Aerosmith] partnership together."

"Steven disappeared and I called around. Somebody said he was in London trying out for Led Zeppelin." The rehearsals, Perry said, were "shambolic" – and Tyler didn't even seem familiar with the Led Zeppelin catalogue. The ill-fated New Led Zep decided to pass. "Page felt really awkward about the audition, but ultimately it was a group decision."

With Tyler in rehab for an addiction to painkillers, Aerosmith may also pass on their long-time singer. Tyler has threatened to sue, but Perry maintains that Aersomith are considering replacements. "You've gotta think outside the box," he said. The band's new singer could even be a woman. "[There were female singers in] a lot of the bands I was in before [Aerosmith] ... It was really good – a lot of great songs. So that's definitely a possibility."

Perhaps Perry could put in a call to Mary J Blige. The R&B icon has recorded a new version of Stairway to Heaven with Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker, guitarist Steve Vai, American Idol judge Randy Jackson and former Michael Jackson side-woman Orianthi. "I've been a rock'n'roll fan for years," Blige told the LA Times. "Once you get lost in the rock'n'roll moment of [singing], all you can do is scream to the top of your lungs or go as low as you need to go. It's not a head thing – it's a spirit thing."

Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/

A man claiming to be Paul Simon has been arrested for attempting to withdraw money from the musician's account. Rafael Ramos's caper was cut short when the cashier noticed Ramos was almost a foot taller than the man he was trying to impersonate.

On Wednesday afternoon, Ramos strolled into a Citibank branch in the heart of Manhattan, according to the New York Post. In his pocket, the 54-year-old carried a credit card and forged driver's licence with the name Paul Simon. Ramos was not pretending to be just any Paul Simon, mind you: the photo on the licence was that of the 68-year-old legend who wrote Mrs Robinson. Ramos asked to withdraw $4,300 (£2,728), using cards for identification. He also had Simon's social security number.

Lucky for the Bridge Over Troubled Water singer, there was one problem with Ramos's plan: his height. Even if they looked similar, Ramos, 6'1", would have loomed over Simon, 5'3". As Simon's height was noted on the driver's licence, the bank teller was alerted to the scam – and Ramos made a run for it. Police tracked him down, it is reported, charging him with attempted larceny. Ramos was later taken to hospital after telling officers he felt depressed. Hopefully, somebody gave him a copy of Sounds of Silence.

Contacted by police, the real Paul Simon said he had never met Ramos. It's not yet known how the impostor obtained the songwriter's information

Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/

Autopsy results for garage-pop musician Jay Reatard show that cocaine and alcohol led to his death, coroners said yesterday. The 29-year-old Memphis musician was found dead at his home on 13 January.

Reatard, whose real name was Jimmy Lee Lindsey Jr, died from "cocaine toxicity, [with] alcohol [as] a contributing factor", according to Dr Karen E Chancellor, medical examiner for Tennessee's Shelby county. Prior to the autopsy, friends said Reatard had been suffering from "flu-like symptoms" in the week leading up to his death. There were also rumours of a murder inquiry, spurred by Memphis police's routine homicide inquiries.

With just two solo LPs to his name, Reatard was a key figure in the American noise-pop underground. He released dozens of singles over the last decade, breaking into the indie mainstream with last year's album, Watch Me Fall.

Though notorious for his crazed gigs and wild behaviour, Reatard dismissed his reputation as a substance user. "You can go online and there's people on message boards trying to dismiss my music by saying, 'This guy is a huge fucking cokehead, man!'" he told the Onion AV Club in January 2009. "I don't even drink alcohol. I haven't for quite a while. I haven't touched drugs or drank alcohol in months."

To the frustration of many fans, Reatard was not included in the In Memoriam segment at this Sunday's Grammy awards. Representatives for the broadcast have not commented on the omission.

Source: http://www.nme.com/

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club have had a number of guitars stolen after one of their lockers was broken into.

Much of what was stolen belonged to Michael Been, the band's soundman and father of singer/bassist Robert Levon Been.

Reporting the news on the group's website BlackRebelMotorcycle.com, the group have appealed to fans for information in hope that the equipment may be recovered.

The following kit was stolen:

• Fender 1954 Esquire (Yellow With Black Pick Guard)
• Ampeg 1968 Scroll Top Fretless Bass
• Black Fender 1964 Precision Bass
• Gretsch Country Gentleman 1968 Single Cutaway

Meanwhile, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club are set to release their new album 'Beat The Devil's Tattoo' on March 8 and will embark on a tour of the UK in April.

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/

Did Luke Wilson convince you at AT&T doesn't drop calls? What about Eric Clapton making you just have to buy a T-Mobile phone that plays like a Fender guitar?

Celebrities were shilling for brands more than last year, according to a study of Grammy Awards ads by media licensing consultancy GreenLight.

About 15% of 2010 Grammy ads featured celebrity endorsements, a 150 percent surge from last year. 22% of ads featured pop music, which was about the same as the past two years, but down from a peak of 38 percent in 2007.

GreenLight's analysis showed that brands are once again willing to pay celebrities to endorse their products, according to the study. For the past year, they have been going the cheaper route by simply licensing pop music.

Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/

Johnny Depp is making a film about Keith Richards, and he's calling it Happy. The guitarist, who is known more for his benders than for his grin, will be the focus of Depp's first directorial foray in more than a decade.

"Now that I'm wiser, and that enough time has passed, I can experience directing again," Depp told the Serbian magazine Politika, according to a translation by the Playlist. "Next week I'll start working on a Keith Richards documentary."

Depp's last directorial outing was 1997's The Brave, which received mixed reviews. But this isn't the first time he has taken inspiration from Keith Richards: the Rolling Stone was reportedly one of the inspirations for Depp's Pirates of the Caribbean character, Jack Sparrow.

Richards is one of rock'n'roll's most colourful creatures, fierce and sensitive, drunk and sober, preternaturally grizzled. The 66-year-old made his acting debut alongside Depp in 2007, playing Captain Teague, Jack Sparrow's father, in Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End. And yet he has never been the subject of a proper documentary or biopic. "I'm touched that Keith agreed to show up in front of my cameras," Depp said.

Source: http://www.theboot.com/

Willie Nelson canceled a North Carolina concert on Thursday (Jan. 28), reportedly due to pain in his hand which prevented him from playing guitar. He also canceled a show on Jan. 30, slated to take place in Asheville, N.C. The Associated Press reports that Thursday's cancellation was announced about an hour after several band and crew members were arrested for allegedly possessing moonshine and marijuana.

According to Alcohol Law Enforcement spokesman Ernie Seneca, six members of Willie's band and crew were charged with misdemeanor possession offenses and were issued citations before the band was scheduled to take the stage Thursday night. Willie's longtime bass player, Dan Edward "Bee" Spears, and five others were charged with possession of non-tax-paid alcohol and two of the six were also charged with marijuana possession. Seneca said officers reportedly smelled marijuana on a tour bus and were given permission to search the vehicle. Willie was not on the bus where marijuana, rolling papers and a nearly full Mason jar containing moonshine were found. According to the Raleigh News and Observer website, also cited were: Kenneth Koepke, Robert Allen Lemons, Dudley Bishop Prewitt, Aaron William Foye and Thomas Ray Hawkins.

Citations were also issued to John Duane Vogt, general manager of the Duplin County Events Center, and Donald Farrior, an assistant for trying to interfere with the ALE investigation.

While Willie's publicist declined comment to the AP, Willie daughter stated on his website that Thursday night's show at the Duplin County Events Center in Kenansville, N.C., was canceled because the singer-guitarist's hand was hurt too badly to play. The right-handed guitar-picker had carpal tunnel surgery on his left hand in 2004. Willie's daughter stated he would try to finish the tour with two more dates, then return home to Texas for 10 days.

Source: http://www.chron.com/

Lightnin' Hopkins, the late legendary Houston blues musician, has been awarded a historical marker by the Texas Historical Commission.

The marker will likely be placed this fall at the corner of Dowling and Francis in the Third Ward.

The Centerville-born Sam Hopkins moved to Houston in the 1920s and lived here until his death in 1982.

A statue of Hopkins stands in Crockett, but his headstone in Forest Park Cemetery was the only public marker that tied Hopkins to this city.

Houstonian Eric Davis led the campaign to fund a historical marker after visiting Hopkins' gravesite.

A fan for more than a decade, Davis visited the grave with his daughter, only to find the headstone faded and covered with grass.

"This guy has done so much for the blues internationally and locally and regionally it was kind of sad for me to see that there's nothing in Houston to honor him," Davis said.

Initially Davis thought about putting the marker near the grave, which can be difficult to find. But Project Row Houses offered some of its property on Dowling, fitting for a marker honoring a man who used to play his guitar and sing while riding a bus up and down the street.

Davis received donations from the Houston Blues Society and individual donors to pay for the marker and the installation. The next step, he says, is raising funds for "a decent dedication ceremony to really honor him."

Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/

[...and in the next episode in the Aerosmith soap opera...]

Lawyers representing Steven Tyler have sent a "cease and desist" letter to Aerosmith's management, following reports that the band is looking for a replacement singer. Tyler's attorney, Skip Miller, accused manager Howard Kaufman of "playing band-members off against one another" in a strategy that "could destroy Aerosmith".

Miller's letter instructs Kaufman to "immediately cease and desist from engaging in acts and conduct to the harm and detriment of your own client, Aerosmith, and our client who is one of its members". While Miller insists that Tyler "does not want lawsuits", the notice maintains that he may "pursue legal action for damages and other appropriate relief".

"Can you imagine the manager of the Rolling Stones calling for the replacement of Mick Jagger?" Miller asked Billboard magazine. "It's just absurd ... Aerosmith without Steven Tyler is like the Rolling Stones without Mick Jagger, or U2 without Bono."

Tyler is currently in rehab, receiving treatment for an addiction to painkillers. Before going away, he underlined his commitment to the band and dismissed earlier claims that he wanted a two-year break to pursue his solo career. "The direction we want is Aerosmith, with Steven Tyler, touring in Europe, touring Latin America, releasing a new album," Miller said.

But Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry paints a different pictrure. "[Steven] has to have leg and foot surgery and it's basically going to take him out of the picture for about a year and a half," he said last month. "So the four of us are just making our plans." According to reports, Aersomith have approached potential "substitutes" including Billy Idol, Paul Rodgers, Chris Cornell and Lenny Kravitz.

Miller claims that a meeting took place in January, between Kaufman, Tyler's attorney John Branca, and Tyler's manager Allen Kovac. Kaufman "said point blank he didn't think Steven should be part of Aerosmith", Miller alleged, "[and] flat-out said the band would be better off without Steven". Miller has now called for a 9 February meeting of Aerosmith's "shareholders" to discuss the band's future, including a new album and tours later this year.

Furthermore, Miller has accused Kaufman of putting Tyler's recovery at risk. "This behaviour directed towards a person committing to rehabilitation and recovery is detrimental and hurtful on both a personal and professional level," he wrote. "This is a time Steven has dedicated to transform his life."

Aerosmith's most recent album was Honkin' On Bobo, released in 2004.

Source: http://www.nme.com/

The Liverpool Echo newspaper has apologised after a gig at in a Knowsley school was cancelled due to the paper claiming that Taylor Swift was set to perform there.

Originally the newspaper reported that Swift would play a show at the St Margaret Mary's Catholic Junior School tonight (February 1) when in fact singer/songwriter Taylor Bright was set to play. Bright's show was cancelled due to security concerns following the incorrect article, reports BBC News.

Following the report being published the erroneous news was read out on the loudspeaker system at Liverpool FC's [soccer] match against Bolton Wanderers on Saturday (January 30).

"The Echo regrets the mistake in Saturday's paper and has apologised to the school's governors," a spokesperson for the newspaper said. "We are making a donation to school funds as a gesture of goodwill."

Rather than preparing for a school gig, Taylor Swift was in Los Angeles picking up a Grammy Award in the Album Of The Year category for her 'Fearless' record.