Death at Purchase Fall Fest (more by Kellyann Petry)

While the Duck Down vs Blacksmith showcase at Music Hall of Williamsburg is indicating that hip hop is alive and well, Afro-Punk is declaring the opposite with a show at the venue just 4 days prior. Billed as "DEATH to Hip-Hop", protopunk pioneers Death will join Cerebral Ballzy, Ninjasonik, and Jersey Klan with Stack-Aly between sets as part of a CMJ event on 10/18 at Music Hall of Williamsburg. Tickets go on sale on 9/22 at noon, or try to get in with your CMJ badge. No other Death dates to report at the moment.

In between the birth and death of hip hop, Music Hall of Williamsburg will feature another two CMJ showcases. 10/20 will see Metronomy team with Class Actress (tickets) while 10/21 is the BrooklynVegan CMJ showcase with BRAIDS, Active Child, Weekend, Pepper Rabbit, and Blue Hawaii. Tickets are on sale for our CMJ show, or be one of the people to get in with your badge.

That leaves only one hole in MHOW's CMJ schedule. Nothing has been announced there for Wed., 10/19 yet. I can't say what will happen that night, but I can say that it will be interesting (and NOT affiliated with CMJ).

words by Andrew Sacher, photos by Kellyann Petry

Brooklyn based garage rock band The So So Glos, who announced from stage that they're no longer signed to Green Owl who just released their EP Low Back Chain Shift, opened the show. The audience was initially unresponsive, but the band didn't let their energy die. By the second to last song, "Execution," the crowd started to feed off of the band's enthusiasm and broke out into a full blown push pit.

Instrumental downtempo artist Ras G played a DJ set mainly focused on hip hop influenced electronic beats. The set contained a great deal of improvisation and most songs flowed directly into the next. His songs put a greater emphasis on using monotonous ambience than melody to complement his beats. He added to the diversity of the show, but being sandwiched between two hard hitting rock bands definitely overshadowed his calmer performance.

If you ever find yourself in a darkened room, and three tall figures in black hooded cloaks who call themselves Death appear in front of you, you're about to encounter one of two things; either an eternity of suffering and punishment, or the reunited proto-punk trio from Detroit executing a half hour of raw fury. Once the band removed their cloaks, revealing that they were not in fact satanic demons, Death made no hesitation to crash down on the opening chords of "Views" and turn the entire room into a mass frenzy. The level of intensity only heightened when Death went straight into "Keep On Knocking" and proceeded to play For The Whole World To See in its entirety (other than switching the order of "Freakin' Out" and "You're A Prisoner").

Just when it seemed like the show couldn't get crazier, Death's Dannis Hackney attacked his drums in "Rock-N-Roll Victim" with a ferocity matched only by his brother Bobby's piercing shouts, which cut through the music even more sharply than on 1975's recorded version. After truly making the audience feel like victims of Death's rock-n-roll, they lent a little bit of breathing room with "Let The World Turn." This song gave Death a chance to show off their more psychedelic, progressive side with Bobbie Duncan's reverb drenched guitar acting as the only complement to Bobby Hackney's confident vocal delivery. About two minutes in, however, the band schizophrenically shifted back into breakneck rock and roll, reigniting the audience's frenzy.

Later on, Bobby Hackney took the time to introduce the band members and honor his brother David, the original guitarist of Death, who passed away in 2000. "We refer to him not as the late David Hackney, but the early David Hackney," Bobby told the crowd, who responded with shouts of support. Hackney also took time before their last song to deliver one more speech. He told the audience that back in the '70s, under the reign of Nixon, anyone over the age of eighteen was constantly in fear of being drafted. Hackney added that although we don't have that problem today, the government is always taking new approaches to get in our way. "No matter what it is, we still say: POLITICIANS IN MY EYES!" The crowd erupted with applause as the one single Death was able to release back in 1975 thundered through the room, ending the set even more forcefully than it began.

Earlier that day I sat down with Death who answered some of my questions. Read that interview HERE.

Fucked Up didn't get kicked off by the cops this time, but they undoubtedly incited a riot. The assault of Fucked Up's triple guitars coupled with the fact that frontman Damian Abraham spends as much time in the audience as he does on stage was worthy of at least a misdemeanor. The audience didn't think twice about adding to the beast that the band created. At least one person stage dived every other second into the sea of mosh pits. After a half hour of pure aggression, Fucked Up ended their set with a rendition of Nirvana's "Breed."

If you were to walk in on the middle of Omar Souleyman's set, you wouldn't know what the hell was going on, but you would know that you wanted to be a part of it. Omar Souleyman, who played Music Hall of Williamsburg in Brooklyn three days earlier, is a pop musician from Syria who plays a style of music native to his country known as dabke. Whether or not you're familiar with dabke, you can enjoy its perfect mix of Arabic melodies and dance beats. Omar Souleyman built upon that sound with a prophetic vocal delivery that captivated the audience until the moment he left the stage. It's unlikely that anyone in the audience understood a word of what Souleyman was saying or singing, but not even the language barrier could prevent a dance party breaking out both on and off stage.

Wu-Tang Clan member Raekwon, whose solo debut Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... was one of the defining albums of the golden age of hip hop, has been making a huge comeback after the release of 2009's Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... Pt II, the thematic follow-up to his debut. Since its release, he has been performing constantly and writing prolifically (including releasing 2010's Wu-Massacre with Method Man and Ghostface Killah, and is currently working on another solo album expected to be released in 2011). Raekwon's performance at SUNY Purchase's Fall Fest furthered the impact of his comeback. He performed songs off of both parts of Cuban Linx in addition to some Wu-Tang classics, including a throwback/dedication to O.D.B. In between songs, he gave appropriate advice for a college crowd, advocating a balance of partying while still getting a degree: "You can do your drugs and still be a smart mothafucka." He remained positive even when a fight broke out on stage during one of his songs. Raekwon stopped the song and did everything in his power to clear the stage and break up the fight: "Push that bitch off stage!"

Raekwon opens for Disco Biscuits at Terminal 5 in December, and the rest of Wu-Tang tours the same month. More pictures from Fall Fest below...

Continue reading "Purchase Fall Fest in pics & review (Raekwon, Omar Souleyman, Death, Fucked Up, So So Glos & more) "

by Andrew Sacher w/ photos by Kellyann Petry

Death @ Purchase

"Forgotten except by the most fervent punk rock record collectors -- the band's self-released 1976 single recently traded hands for the equivalent of $800 -- Death would likely have remained lost in obscurity if not for the discovery [in 2008] of a 1974 demo tape in Bobby Sr.'s attic. Released [in 2009] by Drag City Records as "... For the Whole World to See," Death's newly unearthed recordings reveal a remarkable missing link between the high-energy hard rock of Detroit bands like the Stooges and MC5 from the late 1960s and early '70s and the high-velocity assault of punk from its breakthrough years of 1976 and '77. Death's songs "Politicians in My Eyes," "Keep On Knocking" and "Freakin Out" are scorching blasts of feral ur-punk, making the brothers unwitting artistic kin to their punk-pioneer contemporaries the Ramones, in New York; Rocket From the Tombs, in Cleveland; and the Saints, in Brisbane, Australia. They also preceded Bad Brains, the most celebrated African-American punk band, by almost five years." [NY Times]

I met with Bobby Hackney, Dannis Hackney, and Bobbie Duncan of the legendary proto-punk band Death before their set at SUNY Purchase's Fall Fest this past Friday, to discuss their second full length album, Spiritual, Mental, Physical, which is set to be released on January 25, 2011 through the label Drag City. As previously posted, Death sent out this message via Drag City back in October:

BASEMENT OF WHAT WAS ONCE KNOWN AS GROOVESVILLE STUDIOS - DETROIT, MI - May 7th, 2010

"After searching for almost eight hours, I removed a box with a Master in it and vaguely saw some big red letters on the box below it. I shinned the light on this box to clearly see the writing in big red letters DEATH. I screamed with excitement DEATH!!, DEATH!!, DEATH!! Everyone in the building starting to scream and wildly cheer and applause. Upon seeing those tapes, it brought it all back, David had written those big red letters on the tape. Engineer Jim Vitti had jokingly drew a skull and crossbones on the box after the name to which David did not like telling him "We are not that kind of Death". I was full of emotion, I cried. We were all elated, Jacque was elated, I called up Dannis who was in Vermont and he began to joyfully celebrate. I thought about David. If David were here with us all that has happened to Death up to this point would pale in comparison to what we found today. The tapes were right where Brian said they were sitting there awaiting us for 34 years." - Bobby Hackney

Bobby and Dannis are brothers and both original members of Death who were active from 1971-1976. Their other brother and original member, David Hackney, died of lung cancer in 2000. Death reformed in 2009 with new Death member Bobbie Duncan on guitar. Bobby, Dannnis and Bobbie all also play together in Vermont-based reggae band Lambsbread.

--

BV: Welcome to New York, how was your trip?

BH: Trip was great, thank you for welcoming us, first time in Purchase.

BV: I know it's not the most conventional setting to play, being that it's a small college an hour outside the city, but from what I gather, you guys have performed as Lambsbread at a number of colleges, so you are no stranger to performing at colleges.

BH: Oh no. We've played a lot of colleges in New England, just about every college in New England. A lot in the state of New York too, so you are correct about that.

BV: How is that, performing for kids at school, especially being that Death is now appreciated by younger fans who weren't even born when you first formed?

BH: It's amazing, I mean it's really magical to us, we just really appreciate the fact that people are tuning in to our music. It's great, it's really great.

continued below...

Continue reading "an interview with Death (about the new LP, reggae, unreleased material, Iggy Pop & more) "

by Andrew Sacher

DOWNLOAD: The So So Glos - "Lindy Hop" (MP3)

So So Glos Fans (more by Zach Stern)

The lineup has been announced for this year's SUNY Purchase Fall Fest, an annual one-day, students-only festival which will take place on November 5th in the SUNY Purchase Student Center (The Stood). Fall Fest '10 (aka Halloween 2) will be headlined by Raekwon, and features a very varied lineup of other acts including Death who just announced a NEW album...

BASEMENT OF WHAT WAS ONCE KNOWN AS GROOVESVILLE STUDIOS - DETROIT, MI - May 7th, 2010

"After searching for almost eight hours, I removed a box with a Master in it and vaguely saw some big red letters on the box below it. I shinned the light on this box to clearly see the writing in big red letters DEATH. I screamed with excitement DEATH!!, DEATH!!, DEATH!! Everyone in the building starting to scream and wildly cheer and applause. Upon seeing those tapes, it brought it all back, David had written those big red letters on the tape. Engineer Jim Vitti had jokingly drew a skull and crossbones on the box after the name to which David did not like telling him "We are not that kind of Death". I was full of emotion, I cried. We were all elated, Jacque was elated, I called up Dannis who was in Vermont and he began to joyfully celebrate. I thought about David. If David were here with us all that has happened to Death up to this point would pale in comparison to what we found today. The tapes were right where Brian said they were sitting there awaiting us for 34 years." - Bobby Hackney

Spiritual, Mental, Physical is the new Death CD/LP and it will be released 01/25/11.

The SUNY show is Death's only at the moment.

The So So Glos will also be performing at SUNY, and are about to embark on a Five Borough NYC tour to celebrate the release of their new EP, Low Back Chain Shift, which came out Tuesday, October 12. The NYC tour happens to take place during CMJ, kicks off in Staten Island, includes a Queens BBQ with Patrick Stickles of Titus Andronicus, and a showcase at Pianos...

Friday, Oct. 22
at Pianos
158 Ludlow St

Force Field PR Official CMJ Showcase
08pm - Lord Huron
09pm - La Sera
10pm - Violens
11pm - Woven Bones
12am - Wild Nothing
01am - The So So Glos

FREE w/ CMJ Badge
or $10 advance / $12 at door

All dates and lineups are below.

Omar Souleyman will be performing at SUNY as the concluding date on his current tour, which also includes a November 2nd show at MHOW. Updated dates below.

Fucked Up is also returning to Purchase after getting their set cut short by the police at their 2008 Culture Shock Performance.

Full Purchase lineup, videos, and other tour dates below...

Continue reading "Purchase Fall Fest, new Death, So So Glos dates, Omar Souleyman's updated schedule & stuff"

Mountain Winery stage (a previous show) (MattAlbers)

Writes [a] witness:

"Glen was just finishing a little song that one of his band members had made up. The crowd was singing along with him and he was looking for the band member as we finished singing along. I just happened to look up and I saw this guy falling from the top of the roof on the right side of the building behind the stage. He landed about 3 feet to the left of Glen [Hansard] on a speaker and he was motionless, like a rag doll. It was about 10pm. At first there was a split moment where everyone was like, what is going on and then people started to scramble to help. They did CPR. The show stopped immediately. The crowd was in shock, but pretty cooperative exiting the venue."

And another witness:

"I saw him fall from what appeared to be the lighting rigging, which is why I thought it was a light at first. He fell about three stories, if he did in fact jump off [the] roof. It was about 10pm. The band was between songs with most of them off stage. Lead singer [Glen Hansard] had just led crowd in a sort-of sing-along. Crowd seemed stunned at first, like me. Then you could hear some people sobbing. He fell on the front right of stage as you look at it from [the] audience. They performed CPR."
[SF Weekly]

SF Weekly reports that the man who jumped "from a roof onto the stage at the Swell Season concert at Mountain Winery in Saratoga" last night, is dead. Witnesses are saying he left his seat, climbed up and jumped. "At first, we thought it was a dummy (prank of sort) or part of the lighting, but after seeing the horrible shock on Glenn's face, we realized it was something very serious."

This incident comes just one day after a man almost died after jumping down 25+ feet at a Phish concert in NY.

The Swell Season played Brooklyn & the Newport Folk Festival at the end of July.

Video taken at the Saratoga show right after the man jumped, below...

Continue reading "Man kills himself at Swell Season concert (jumped from roof over stage during show at Mountain Winery in Saratoga)"

Bonnaroo masses line up @ a water station in the Tennessee heat (suesthegrl)

"MANCHESTER, Tenn.- The heat is possibly to blame for a death at Bonnaroo in Manchester.

David Sloane, 29, from North Carolina collapsed early Sunday morning in front of medical personnel. Medics rushed him to the hospital where he later died.

The Tullahoma News reports Sloane had a core body temperature of 108. The medical examiner will now do an autopsy to figure out exactly how he died." [Channel5]

Sad news from Bonnaroo. USA Today also has an article about the heat. "We've been a little more worried because the heat index is over 100 degrees," Coffee County sheriff Steve Graves says. A video about the heat below...

Continue reading "it was hot @ Bonnaroo, one man died "

In addition to Lincoln Center's 2010 Midsummer Night Swing which runs from June 29th to July 17th, the schedule for this year's Lincoln Center Out of Doors Festival (July 28th-August 15th) has been set, and in it there's a wealth of worthy, free music.

One of the centerpieces is an all-day Ponderosa Stomp-presented lineup on Saturday, July 31st. That's split up into an afternoon show at the Hearst Plaza Stage, and a night show at Damrosch Park Bandshell, and includes music from "sixties garage icons Mitch Ryder and ? and the Mysterians, iconoclastic rockers The Gories and Death (who recently played Europa), nomadic bluesman Eddie Kirkland, stirring soul singers Melvin Davis and Spyder Turner, Motown hitmakers The Velvelettes and Dennis Coffey and R&B all stars The Party Stompers."

The July 31st shows are part of the two-day 27th Annual Roots Of American Music series that also includes a show on Sunday, August 1st with Asylum Street Spankers , Los Straitjackets, David Johansen, and Melvin Van Peebles performing a one-act version of Hamlet adapted by Shel Silverstein.

Also on the schedule are Balkan Beat Box, Kronos Quartet with Gamelan Galak Tika, and multiple appearances by Asphalt Orchestra, which debuted last year. August 4th has Robert Glasper Experiment with special guests Q-Tip and Bilal (who also plays a free show at Metrotech this summer). There's actually too much to list up here right now (Juana Molina, Tom Verlaine...) The full lineup is below...

Continue reading "Lincoln Center 2010 Out of Doors Festival (free shows include Death, Q-Tip, Ponderosa Stomp, Kronos Quartet, many more)"

by Ben Lozovsky

Death was alive and well Friday night (4/2), resurrecting its impassioned proto-punk for a rare reunion show at Europa in Brooklyn. It was another chapter tacked on to an agonizingly short but compelling story, one of a visionary group that never got a chance to diffuse its influence throughout the music world.

There are plenty of recipes for how to not succeed in the entertainment business, and during their brief career in the 1970's, Death seemed to embrace the ultimate one: an all-black rock trio spouting political dissent and charging aggressively behind a moribund handle, coining an ambitious art-first punk ethos in a volatile city like Detroit.

But for a band with little likelihood of flourishing, or even merely persisting, there was no shortage of bleeding deference Friday. Amid near-fanatical appeals from fans and crowd chants like "you still got it," the Hackney brothers continued to build on a legacy that took a major upswing with last year's Drag City reissue of their modest mid-70's output.

Bobby and Dannis (with guitarist Bobbie Duncan of reggae band Lambsbread, in which the two brothers also play) brought the pummeling earnestness of songs like "Politicians in My Eyes" and "Where Do We Go From Here???" out of obscurity. In a tribute to brother David, the band's original guitarist, leader, and main songwriter who passed away from cancer in 2000, Death performed with a spirit and dexterity that made those long lost cuts feel as urgent as they must have when they first emerged in a racially divided Motor City.

Keeping it in the family, Bobby's three sons performed as opener Rough Francis, a band that initially formed as a tribute to Death but now appealingly channels the original's group's ferocity in their own output.

As Death finished the show with a performance of never released song "Can You Give Me a Thrill," Bobby announced the band's intentions on putting out new material in the near future. Better late than never, Death lives on.

The Brooklyn show happened less than two weeks after the band's one show at SXSW which took place March 20th at the Mohawk. More pictures from Europa (where Sister Anne played first), below...

Continue reading "Death & Rough Francis @ Europa in Brooklyn - pics "

Death, alive at Fun Fun Fun fest (more here)

The question on everyone's mind before the set was if the members of Death (who had just reunited this year) would be able to recreate the songs on their debut album ...For the Whole World to See, despite not having played them in 35 years. While it didn't start off good with a 20 minute soundcheck, but from the opening notes that echoed into the crowd, any fears were instantly shattered into a million pieces. ...Punk dreams do come true and Fun Fun Fun Fest helps every step of the way. - [A Review of Death at Fun Fun Fun Fest by The Creative Intersection]

Proto punks Death reportedly did well at Fun Fun Fun Fest, and now the band is turning those positive vibes in to more shows, or more specifically, a NYC show. Tickets are on sale for Death with Rough Francis (they share members) at Europa in Brooklyn on April 2nd.

Death are also set to play an official SXSW showcase at the Mohawk in Austin on Saturday, March 20th. More dates TBA.

Death's only NYC reunion show so far was a short appearance at the 2009 Joey Ramone Birthday bash. The 2010 version of that show happens May 19th at Irving Plaza.

Videos of Death from FFFFest below...

Continue reading "Death playing Brooklyn & SXSW ++ Fun Fun Fun Fest videos "

Annual Austin music festival Fun Fun Fun Fest lived up to its name once again today (Saturday, November 7th). And that was just Day One. The fun continues on Sunday which ends with a headlining set by Danzig (and Of Montreal on another stage). More coverage and pictures to come, but before I run out to the Saturday night afterparties (going to try and see Voxtrot at Mohawk and Negative Approach at Red 7), I just wanted to post a few pictures. Check them out below...

Continue reading "Fun Fun Fun Fest - Day 1 in pics "

August 25th, 2009 (Austin, TX) - Transmission Entertainment is pleased to announce the lineup for the 2009 Fun Fun Fun Fest, taking place on November 7th and 8th at Waterloo Park in Austin. Fun Fun Fun Fest made its first appearance on a cold Friday evening in 2006, offering a unique approach to festival booking, filling stages with talent bubbling from the underground: what sounded great, and what was making an impact, regardless of what mainstream media said was cool. What started out as a show for a few touring acts and local favorites has become a movement -- a festival that fans and bands alike realize needs to be experienced year after year.

Now in its fourth year, Fun Fun Fun Fest has made a significant impact on the country's winter calendar, successfully combining the vast worlds of indie, punk, rap, electronica and comedy while showcasing some of the city's most unique local businesses.

Greatest. Festival. Ever...

Continue reading "Fun Fun Fun Fest 2009 lineup (Jesus Lizard, Of Montreal, Gorilla Biscuits, LSF, 7 Seconds, D.R.I. & DANZIG!! & more)"

DOWNLOAD: Death - Politicians In My Eyes (MP3)

Death of Detroit

Forgotten except by the most fervent punk rock record collectors... Death would likely have remained lost in obscurity if not for the discovery last year of a 1974 demo tape in [bassist] Bobby [Hackney]'s attic. Released [in February] by Drag City Records as "... For the Whole World to See," Death's newly unearthed recordings reveal a remarkable missing link between the high-energy hard rock of Detroit bands like the Stooges and MC5 from the late 1960s and early '70s and the high-velocity assault of punk from its breakthrough years of 1976 and '77. Death's songs "Politicians in My Eyes," "Keep On Knocking" and "Freakin Out" are scorching blasts of feral ur-punk, making the brothers unwitting artistic kin to their punk-pioneer contemporaries the Ramones, in New York; Rocket From the Tombs, in Cleveland; and the Saints, in Brisbane, Australia. They also preceded Bad Brains, the most celebrated African-American punk band, by almost five years. [NYTimes]

Just a few months after Drag City breathed life into ...For The Whole World To See, Death (not to be confused with the legendary Floridian death metal band featuring the late Chuck Schuldiner) was resurrected. The Brothers Hackney have scheduled three US shows over the last weekend in September in their former hometown of Detroit (they reside in Bulington, VT), Chicago, and Cleveland. They're also now confirmed to play Austin's Fun Fun Fun Fest in November.

No word on who will fill the shoes of guitarist David Hackney (he passed from lung cancer in 2000), though odds are one of the Hackney's sons in Rough Francis will probably be elected. Rough Francis, who routinely cover material by Death, will provide support on all dates (minus Fun Fun Fun). Earlier this year they appeared with members of Death at Joey Ramone's 58th birthday show on May 19th at Irving Plaza. Videos of their performance are posted below.

Death's back story is an interesting one:

In 1975 at Detroit's United Sound Studios with engineer Jim Vitti, they recorded seven songs written by David and Bobby. According to the Hackney family, Columbia Records president Clive Davis funded the recording sessions, but asked the band to change its name to something more commercially palatable than Death. When the Hackneys refused, Davis ceased his support. The following year they self-released 500 copies from the session on the 7" single "Politicians in My Eyes" b/w "Keep on Knocking," on their Tryangle label, which eventually became a collectors' item.

"Politicians In My Eyes", a song that Jack White of The White Stripes/Dead Weather/The Raconteurs described as "ahead of punk, and ahead of their time," is available for download above (and in one of the videos below). The videos and all tour dates are below...

Continue reading "Death played Ramones gig, playing FFFFest & other shows"

Lollapalooza 2009 - rain & Bon Iver (Trey Many)

"The producers of Lollapalooza are deeply saddedned to learn of the death of a patron who collapsed at the festival today at approximately 1:00 p.m. Festival paramedics responded immediately and the gentleman was then transported by Chicago Fire Department to Northwestern Hospital. Local media are reporting the fan died at approximately 2:30 p.m. Due to privacy issues, further details are not available."

The Chicago Sun Times says the man suffered a heart attack. RIP.

Big Valley Jamboree - sunny on July 31, 2009 (Taylor and Kevin)

Big Valley Jamboree - knocked over toilets on August 1, 2009 (Taylor and Kevin)

"Family has identified Donna Moore of Lloydminster as the woman killed at the Big Valley Jamboree after the festival's main stage collapsed during a severe thunderstorm Saturday.

Moore's son, Mike Tebbe, spent Sunday together with family and said he was not prepared to talk about his mother yet.

Moore was a huge country music fan who was at the festival for the weekend, said friend Warne Noyce.

"She was pumped to go to Big Valley. It makes me sick to my stomach because she was such an awesome lady," he said. "She was hanging out watching music with people she loved."...

...Stage speakers fell on Moore, crushing her, after a wind gust of about 100 kilometres per hour toppled stage scaffolding." [Calgary Herald]

The final day (Sunday) of the Camrose, Alberta festival was cancelled after the tragedy. The next band set to play on Saturday when the storm hit was Kevin Costner & Modern West (yes, that Kevin Costner).

NYC had their own storms this weekend too, causing chaos and cancellations for outdoor music, but luckily no tragedies.

Videos from Big Valley below...

Continue reading "1 dead, 75 injured when storm causes stage collapse at Canadian music festival Big Valley Jamboree (videos)"

Celebrating what would have been the 58th birthday of punk icon Joey Ramone, the annual Joey Ramone Birthday Bash will take place Tuesday, May 19th at The Fillmore New York at Irving Plaza. Mickey Leigh, event organizer and brother of Joey Ramone, has announced that, as part of the 9th annual Bash, fans will be treated to a special advance sneak peek listen to rough mixes of never-before-heard Joey Ramone solo recordings. Various producers, including long-time Ramones producer Ed Stasium, are currently preparing tracks for a full album worth of material, slated for posthumous release at the end of the year.

This year's headliners are Fishbone and Supersuckers. The spectacular party will conclude with The Friends Of Joey featuring Richie Ramone, Handsome Dick Manitoba, Jean Beauvoir, Ivan Julian, George Tabb, Al Maddy and Mickey Leigh. Also appearing are Death and Rough Francis (both bands were the subject of a feature story in the New York Times on March 12), Uncle Monk (featuring Tommy Ramone), Bebe Buell, and Tom Clark & The High Action Boys. As the audience enters the venue they will once again be greeted by musician Tracy Thornton, playing Ramones songs on the steel drum. And, in what has become a Birthday Bash tradition, Sean O'Sullivan's Punk Pipers will round out the night on the bagpipes. The fete will be emceed by Matt Pinfield and Peter Aschner. Additional surprises are expected at the evening's events...Net proceeds from the Bash go to support the Joey Ramone Foundation for Lymphoma Research.

Tickets are on sale now. The annual event, organized by Joey's mom and brother, has been happening since 2001.

Videos from the 2008 party, below...

Continue reading "2009 Joey Ramone Birthday Bash lineup & new album info "

people @ the 2008 Rothbury Festival in Michigan (cred)

Yoga @ the 2008 Rothbury Festival in Michigan (cred)

ROTHBURY -- A man and a woman who attended the Rothbury Music Festival in Oceana County over the weekend died from separate medical issues Sunday.

A 33-year-old woman from New York and a 28-year-old man from Ohio suffered medical emergencies hours apart at the Rothbury festival Sunday and later died at Lakeshore Hospital in Shelby, Michigan State Police Lt. Dave Roesler said Tuesday.

The two deaths were separate incidents. Roesler said there is no reason to suspect foul play or anything unusual about the deaths. However, authorities are waiting for toxicology reports from the autopsies, which should be available in about four weeks.

Festival organizers said the woman was accompanied by a service animal and had a previous medical condition. [freep]

It is not clear whether the deaths happened before, during, or after the mini Phish reunion (no disrespect to the dead) (no pun intended).

RELATED: Rolling Stone asks: Is Rothbury the new Bonnaroo? (aka the place for the hippes to go without being subjected to Kanye West)

Continue reading "2 die & some of Phish reunite @ the 2008 Rothbury Festival"

wow...

Continue reading "Chantal Claret of Morningwood - 9 years old on Oprah"