I told you I didn't make it there very often anymore. Thanks PP for sending in the above, but extremely sad picture which first fully brought to my attention the current state of legendary NYC vegetarian restaurant Kate's Joint which was apparently seized by the marshal about 10 days ago (the exact day I was last asking about it actually), after a multi-month, unsuccessful struggle to make things work. R.I.P. Kate's

(let's not let Cake Shop be next!)

Levon Helm (photo by Chris La Putt)

Two days ago Levon's family announced that he was in the "final stages" of a battle with cancer. Today the Times Herald-Record very, very sadly reports:

Levon Helm, Woodstock resident and drummer, the former leader of The Band, has died at age 71.

Helm died at 1:30 p.m. Thursday at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York.

"We lost Levon at 1:30 today surrounded by friends and family and his musicians have visited him," said Larry Campbell, Helm's longtime guitarist and band leader. "As sad as this was, it was very peaceful."

Campbell, who has played with everyone from Bob Dylan to BB King, said his greatest honor was not only helping lead Helm's band, but knowing him.

"What I'm most proud of is he called me his partner," Campbell said. "For me to arrive at a place like that with a great man like him is the ultimate."

A true great is gone. He rocked right up until the very end. Rest in Peace Levon.

Continue reading "Levon Helm, RIP"

by BBG

Dick Clark, the music industry maverick, longtime TV host and powerhouse producer who changed the way we listened to pop music with American Bandstand, and whose trademark Rockin' Eve became a fixture of New Year's celebrations, died today at the age of 82.

Clark's agent Paul Shefrin said in statement that the veteran host died this morning [April 18th] following a "massive heart attack." He is survived by his wife Kari and his three children, RAC, Duane, and Cindy. [ABC]

Dick Clark, who was born not too far from NYC in Mount Vernon, NY and has been suffering ever since a stroke in 2004, will be missed, but his legend will live on...

Continue reading "RIP Dick Clark"

by BBG

The man who gave rock one of its key visual and sonic props has died. Jim Marshall, known as "The Father of Loud" for inventing the Marshall amplifier, was 88 years old.

Marshall was a drummer and drum teacher who used his earnings to set up a music shop in west London in 1960. Among his customers were the likes of Ritchie Blackmore and Pete Townshend, and it was through talking to them that Marshall realised there was a gap in the market for a guitar amplifier cheaper than the American-made models popular at the time. When, at Townshend's request, a Marshall 1959 amplifier head was teamed with a cabinet, the "Marshall stack" was born, becoming the defining feature in rock bands' backlines for generations to come. -[The Guardian]

Marshall amplifiers are iconic, especially amongst the hard rock/metal set. Ask Slayer, who build a wall of them for their shows...

Slayer @ Fun Fun Fun Fest 2011 (more by BBG)

....or Immortal who may or may not be using theirs...

Jim Marshall, RIP. Rock n' roll would have undoubtedly been in a much different place without you.

Continue reading "Jim Marshall, R.I.P."

Earl Scruggs, the bluegrass banjo player whose hard-driving picking style influenced generations of players and helped shape the sound of 20th-century country music with his guitar-playing partner, Lester Flatt, died on Wednesday in a Nashville hospital. He was 88.

His son Gary confirmed the death.

Mr. Scruggs and Mr. Flatt probably reached their widest audiences with a pair of signature songs: "Foggy Mountain Breakdown," which they recorded in 1949 with their group the Foggy Mountain Boys, and which was used as the getaway music in the 1967 film "Bonnie and Clyde"; and "The Ballad of Jed Clampett," the theme song of the 1960s television sitcom "The Beverly Hillbillies." (Mr. Scruggs and Mr. Flatt also appeared on the show at times.) -[NY Times]

Earl Scruggs was a bluegrass legend. Rest in Peace. .

Continue reading "Earl Scruggs, RIP"

photos by David Andrako

Park Slope club Southpaw closed its doors forever after a February 20th show. Here are some pictures taken inside the venue on its final two days. More of them below...

Continue reading "some final pictures of Southpaw (RIP)"

Ronnie Montrose ~ 1947-2012

A few months ago, we held a surprise party for Ronnie Montrose's 64th birthday. He gave an impromptu speech, and told us that after a long life, filled with joy and hardship, he didn't take any of our love for granted.

He passed today. He'd battled cancer, and staved off old age for long enough. And true to form, he chose his own exit the way he chose his own life. We miss him already, but we're glad to have shared with him while we could.

That message is currently posted on the homepage of the great guitarist's website. R.I.P. Ronnie.

An official from the medical examiner's office for Martin County, Florida confirmed with TMZ they received a call from Martin Memorial Hospital informing them that Jones had passed away.

Jones is survived by his wife Jessica and 4 daughters from previous marriages. He was 66-years-old. Jones was married to Jessica Pacheco -- his 3rd wife.

Jones joined The Monkees in 1965 ... along with Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork ... and together they churned out a bunch of hugely popular songs including 3 number 1 hits -- "Daydream Believer," "Last Train to Clarksville" and "I'm a Believer."

Davy Jones passed away from a heart attack this morning at the age of 66. Mike Nesmith posted the following message:

All the lovely people. Where do they all come from?

So many lovely and heartfelt messages of condolence and sympathy, I don't know what to say, except my sincere thank you to all. I share and appreciate your feelings.

But let's not get ahead of ourselves here.

While it is jarring, and sometimes seems unjust, or strange, this transition we call dying and death is a constant in the mortal experience that we know almost nothing about. I am of the mind that it is a transition and I carry with me a certainty of the continuity of existence. While I don't exactly know what happens in these times, there is an ongoing sense of life that reaches in my mind out far beyond the near horizons of mortality and into the reaches of infinity.

That David has stepped beyond my view causes me the sadness that it does many of you. I will miss him, but I won't abandon him to mortality. I will think of him as existing within the animating life that insures existence. I will think of him and his family with that gentle regard in spite of all the contrary appearances on the mortal plane.

David's spirit and soul live well in my heart, among all the lovely people, who remember with me the good times, and the healing times, that were created for so many, including us.

I have fond memories. I wish him safe travels.

RIP Davy.

The Monkees frontman recently played NYC on Feb 18th at BB King's, one of his last shows ever. Video of Jones at that show, along with some other classic Monkees tracks, below....

Continue reading "Davy Jones, RIP"

After dropping out of the fine arts program at Wayne State University, Michael Davis became the bassist for Detroit's radical proto-punk band the MC5 in 1964, replacing original bassist Pat Burrows when singer Rob Tyner and guitarist Wayne Kramer decided that they liked Davis's style and wanted him in the band. He played on the band's three original albums, including their debut Kick Out the Jams, and remained in the the group until 1972. ...[Davis eventually] joined the Ann Arbor based art noise band Destroy All Monsters at the urging of friend Ron Asheton, of The Stooges. Davis spent seven years with Destroy All Monsters, penning the underground punk hits "Nobody Knows", "Meet the Creeper", "Little Boyfriend", "Rocking The Cradle" and "Fast City" among others. The band recorded and released on Cherry Red Records, toured the U.K., and then broke up. -[Wikipedia]

Davis was the "D" in the 2003/2004 "DKT" reunion, which saw three members of the MC5 (Wayne Kramer and Dennis Thompson were the others) reunite to perform older material and eventually reform the MC5 with "Handsome" Dick Manitoba. That lineup technically still existed until this weekend. Though Michael Davis survived a near-fatal motorcycle accident in 2006, he passed away on Friday due to liver failure. The 68-year old is survived by his wife and four children (one from a previous marriage).

Billboard talked to Wayne Kramer, Ted Nugent and others...

"Michael was a major force in shaping the sound and attitude of Detroit's foremost band of the 1960s and beyond," said Dick Wagner, whose bands the Frost and Ursa Major hailed from the same southeast Michigan scene. "The MC5 was a Detroit music leader and scene-maker, and Michael Davis played his role as foundational driving force as the band's bass player. His place in rock history is firmly held."

Wayne Kramer, the MC5's guitarist, said that, "Michael and I experienced so much together over our nearly fifty years of friendship. We shared great adventures when we were young and even had a few when we grew up. Despite life's twists and turns, and there were many, we maintained our connection. "I loved him dearly and told him so the last time we spoke."

Ted Nugent, whose Amboy Dukes tread the same territory, noted that, "The MC5 were such a powerful musical/spirit force to reckon with, and so very influential to all who witnessed their might, that it is a sad day when half of their incredible rhythm section is gone. Michael was a dedicated musician and a good man. In our Motor City musical wind, he will always be alive and kickin' out the jams."

Detroit Free Press says, "In keeping with his wishes, no memorial service is planned for MC5 bassist Michael Davis, who died Friday in a California hospital at age 68. Davis had requested that his body be cremated, and that his family someday mix the ashes with those of his surviving wife, Angela Davis."

RIP Michael Davis.

Check out some videos below..

Continue reading "MC5's Michael Davis (R.I.P.) remembered by Wayne Kramer, Ted Nugent & more "

Christopher Reimer @ Pop Montreal 2010 (more by Dominick Mastrangelo)

The Calgary music scene was in mourning Tuesday with news that Christopher Reimer, guitarist for local noise-pop band Women, passed away in his sleep.

Women, who had released two albums to great acclaim, had been on indefinite hiatus for more than a year since the release of their last album, Public Strain.

The group had toured the world and performed with acts ranging from Mogwai to Wire.

The cause of Reimer's passing as well as funeral arrangements have not been announced yet. [Calgary Herald]

Though we haven't heard about the band Women in a short while, they've appeared on BrooklynVegan many times since 2008 when we first caught them at the Sled Island festival, we tried not to confuse then with Girls, we announced their signing to Jagjaguwar, and we even hosted them at a BrooklynVegan CMJ party. The above shot of Christpher was taken at our most recent brush with the band, which was at Pop Montreal 2010.

Christoper was only 26. Way too soon. Rest in Peace.

A live Women video is below...

Continue reading "Christopher Reimer of Women, RIP "

"In 1986, Carter's Mets won 108 games and took the National League East by 21.5 games over the Phillies. Carter suffered a postseason slump in the NLCS, batting .148. However, he hit a walk-off RBI single to win Game 5. Carter also had two hits in the next game which the Mets won in 16 innnings.

The Mets won the 1986 World Series in seven games over the Boston Red Sox. Carter batted .276 with nine RBIs in his first World Series, and hit two home runs over Fenway Park's Green Monster in Game Four. He is the only player to hit two home runs in All-Star Game (1981) and two home runs in a World Series game. Carter started a two-out rally in the tenth inning of Game Six, scoring the first of three Mets runs that inning on a single by Ray Knight. He also hit an eighth-inning sacrifice fly that tied the game. Carter finished third on the NL MVP ballot in 1986." [Wikipedia]

If a Brooklyn music venue is allowed to call itself Shea Stadium, then a Brooklyn music blog is allowed to post a tribute to a Mets superstar. R.I.P. Gary Carter.

Continue reading "Whitney Houston, RIP"

Mike Kelley in 1983's The Banana Man

Artist Mike Kelley has passed away at his home in Los Angeles, having apparently taken his own life. The tragic news was confirmed... by Helene Winer, of New York's Metro Pictures gallery, a long-time associate of the artist.

"It is totally shocking that someone would decide to do this, someone who has success and renown and options," said Winer. "It's extremely sad." She added that the artist had been depressed.

Kelley was born in 1954 in a suburb of Detroit, Michigan. He became involved in the city's music scene as a teen, and while a student at the University of Michigan, formed the influential proto-punk band Destroy All Monsters with fellow artists Jim Shaw, Niagara, and Cary Loren (a retrospective devoted to Destroy All Monsters was held at L.A.'s Prism gallery last year). Together, the band hatched a style of performance that skirted the edge of performance art...

Kelley's career took off in the early 1990s, with solo shows at the Whitney, LACMA, and other international venues. He and Oursler organized a well-recived installation -- a kind of monument to punk -- at Documenta X in 1997. In the early 2000s, he began exhibiting with Gagosian Gallery after 20 years with Metro Pictures. -[ArtInfo]

Many in the music world might also know Mike Kelley's art from the iconic cover of Sonic Youth's Dirty (Thurston Moore was also the one who released the Destroy All Monsters albums in 1994). Read more about his fruitful career at Wikipedia.

R.I.P. Mike Kelley.

Don Cornelius, the creator of TV's "Soul Train," has died at the age of 75.

Los Angeles police say the TV host/producer died of self-inflicted gunshot wound, the Associated Press reported Wednesday.

A press information officer at the Los Angeles Police Department told CBS Radio News that police responded to a call of a shooting at Cornelius' home. There is no suspicion of foul play.

"Soul Train" debuted on television in 1971 and ran until 2006. Cornelius produced the show and was its host from 1971-1993. -[CBS News]

Its always sad when someone who was part of something this influential passes on to another plane, but considering these circumstances it is definitely that much sadder. Rest in power Don Cornelius, Soul Train will be forever an essential part of soul music at one of its most pivotal moments. - BBG

Continue reading "Don Cornelius, R.I.P."

Etta James at BB Kings in 2008 (more by Ryan Muir)

Etta James, whose assertive, earthy voice lit up such hits as "The Wallflower," "Something's Got a Hold on Me" and the wedding favorite "At Last," has died, according to her longtime friend and manager, Lupe De Leon. She was 73.
She died from complications from leukemia with her husband, Artis Mills, and her sons by her side, De Leon said.

She was diagnosed with leukemia in 2010, and also suffered from dementia and hepatitis C. James died at a hospital in Riverside, California. She would have turned 74 Wednesday. -[CNN]

It's really sad to hear of the loss of such an iconic voice. RIP Etta James, you will be missed.

Continue reading "Etta James, RIP"

The Court Tavern is closed indefinitely, owner Bobby Albert said on Wednesday.

The venerable New Brunswick club was shut on Wednesday. Albert declined to comment further on the club's closing when reached at his North Brunswick home.

There was no notice of its closing posted at the club at 124 Church St., its website or its Facebook page. Music promoter Andy "Diamond" De Nicolo said that he was not alerted of the club's closing, nor did he known how the situation would affect upcoming shows scheduled there, including the high-profile concert by city punk legends Ensign on Friday. [myCentralJersey.com]

Bad news for NJ, New Brunswick, Rutgers and music in general.

Tom Ardolino

Tom Ardolino, a self-taught drummer who for 30 years provided the impassioned but steady pulse for NRBQ, one of the longest-lasting and most beloved rock groups never to have a Top 40 single, died on Jan. 6 in Springfield, Mass. He was 56.

His death was confirmed by an NRBQ spokeswoman. She did not specify a cause, but Mr. Ardolino had been in poor health for some time.

NRBQ (the initials stand for New Rhythm and Blues Quartet, although it was a quintet early in its existence) was known and critically praised for its freewheeling, genre-bending approach, which could embrace rockabilly one minute and avant-garde jazz the next. [NY Times]

R.I.P. Tom Ardolino.

Tom's group NRBQ (original member Terry Adams along with Scott Ligon, Pete Donnelly, and Conrad Choucroun) are on tour now and play in NYC TONIGHT (1/17) and tomorrow (1/18) at The Iridium with special guest Jake Jacobs. They play an early and a late show (8 PM and 10 PM) both nights. Tickets for all four shows are on sale now.

They've also got another NYC show scheduled to happen on April 14 at Brooklyn Bowl. Tickets for that show are not on sale yet but check ticketfly for updates.

All dates and a video of NRBQ with Tom Ardolino behind the kit below...

Continue reading "NRBQ 2012 playing 2012 shows; RIP Tom Ardolino"

If you've ever listened to Ultimate Break and Beats, classic Hip Hop, the classic mixes of Larry Levan, or watched a breakdance crew, chances are you probably came across the music of Jimmy Castor

Funk/disco great Jimmy "The Everything Man" Castor passed away on Monday from unknown causes in Las Vegas, according to reports.

Castor, a respected saxophonist, was the leader of the seminal funk/disco band the Jimmy Castor Bunch. The group was behind funk classics like the 1972 smash, "Troglodyte (Cave Man)."

Though the group's popularity faded at the end of the disco era, Castor's music lived on through hip hop as his song "It's Just Begun" became a staple break of the '70s and '80s b-boy break dancing scene. The song served as the back up music for the iconic b-boy collective the Rock Steady Crew in the 1983 film Flashdance. -[BET]

RIP, Jimmy Castor. Though your music will live on with breakers, and in the music of Ultramagnetic MC's, Eric B. & Rakim, Jungle Brothers and countless others.

Some video of The Jimmy Castor Bunch is below.

Continue reading "R.I.P. Jimmy Castor"

Ted Leo posted the following today:

LOOKOUT! IST KAPUTT.

I've been getting a lot of Twitter questions about why a bunch of my records have disappeared from all the digital services (Sportify, iDudes, Mandora, etc.). It's because our beloved Lookout Records, which ceased releasing new material in 2006, but carried on keeping the catalog in print until this past December, has, sadly, shuttered it's windows for good. A better eulogy should be forthcoming, but just to answer these questions, this means that these records have reverted to my complete ownership, which is kind of cool in some ways, I guess, except that it also means I have to basically run my own label for them now unless I wind up licensing them to someone else in the future. In the immediate, I have to go through some legal stuff with the digital services to get the records back up online, and I'm hoping to have that all taken care of very soon. Physical records are now officially out of print and will likely not be repressed for a while (but I'm sure I'll get around to it eventually). I do have a bunch of stock laying around with no plans to tour for quite a while, so if there's interest, maybe I'll set up a web-store so you can buy direct from me if you want. Please feel free to email or tweet me with ideas for that. All entertaining ideas will be entertained!
And thank you, seriously, for giving a crap. I'm not happy to see Lookout gone, but having complete rights of usage and total and direct revenue from sales now, can ultimately turn this into a positive situation. I just have to get creative about it. Might try to bang one out more special Tyranny of Distance event before the 10th anniversary year is over this spring...

Other bands who have called Lookout! home include Alkaline Trio, Ann Beretta, Avail, The Avengers, Bratmobile, Citizen Fish, The Donnas, Engine Down, Go Sailor, Green Day, The Groovie Ghoulies, The Hi-Fives, Hockey Night, Mary Timony, Neurosis, Operation Ivy, Pretty Girls Make Graves, The Queers, Rancid, Screeching Weasel, Vagrants, The Mr T Experience, The Zero Boys, and many, many more.

Ted Leo will be appearing at a few upcoming comedy shows and a benefit in Austin.

Continue reading "Lookout! Records is no more (so Ted Leo now completely owns his own records)"

Bradenton native Larry "Rhino" Reinhardt, the guitarist and songwriter who joined Iron Butterfly in 1971, has died.

Reinhardt joined Iron Butterfly after stints in bands with Dicky Betts and Berry Oakley before they joined The Allman Brothers Band.

According to friends and family members who posted to Reinhardt's facebook page, he died at around 6 p.m. on Monday. He was 63.

According to reports, Reinhardt went into the hospital last week with an infection and was moved into Intensive Care on Sunday. He was on life support for a short time, but was taken off based on an advanced medical directive, or living will. -[Sarasota Patch]

R.I.P. Rhino! Celebrate some of Rhino's musical achievements, including the under-appreciated Captain Beyond, below.

Continue reading "Larry "Rhino" Reinhardt, R.I.P."

Joe's final tweet...

TMZ reports on the death of Joe Bodolai. As Gothamist summarizes:

He also appears to have posted a suicide note on his blog, titled, "If This Was Your Last Day Alive What Would You Do?" The post includes a list of things he regrets ("my inability to conquer my alcoholism"), things he would have liked to have seen happen in his life ("living in Paris or New York again"), predictions for 2012 ("sales of Mayan Calendars up for 2012, drop for 2013"), and the things he is proud of (his time at SNL and "writing the first draft of Wayne’s World with Mike Myers"). At 3 a.m. on December 24th, he Tweeted a link to the post, adding, "Godbye." He then Tweeted a link to this video, and lastly, at 3:53 a.m., he wrote: "When people tell you to "dream" to make my life better I'd say 99.9% of them have never been beaten and robbed."

RIP Joe

by BBG

David Gold, aka David Ypres frontman of Canadian doom metal team Woods of Ypres and member of The Northern Ontario Black Metal Preservation Society, passed away following a car accident yesterday near Barrie, ON, Canada. Gold was 31 years old and released three LPs with Woods of Ypres and was preparing to release a fourth via new home Earache. Woods 5: Grey Skies & Electric Light is due on January 30th and you can check out a song from that record below and a second at Metal Hammer.

R.I.P. David Gold, you will be missed.

Continue reading "David Gold of Woods of Ypres, R.I.P."

Atlanta police are still trying to figure out who gunned down rapper Slim Dunkin in an Atlanta a recording studio Friday afternoon -- and why?

Police Major Keith Meadows said Saturday there have been no arrests in the shooting.

"We're still talking to people," Meadows said. "The truth is we don't know exactly what happened."

Witnesses told police the 24-year-old rap star, whose real name is Mario Hamilton, got into an argument before a video shoot at a studio on Memorial drive about 5:30 Friday afternoon. The person he was arguing with pulled out a pistol and shot Hamilton in the chest. Hamilton was pronounced dead at Grady Memorial Hospital. [Atlanta News]

Slim Dunkin appeared on Gucci Mane and Waka Flocka Flame's Ferrari Boyz album released this summer on Brick Squad 1017/Warner Brothers, as well as on Waka's studio debut, Flockaveli.

The sad news translated from French:

Cape Verdean singer Cesaria Evora died today at age 70 in his native village. She became known internationally in 1992 with the title Sodade, from her third album.

Cesaria Evoria is nicknamed the "barefoot diva" died today in Mindelo , her native village in Cape Verde. It's Mario Lucio Sousa , Minister of Culture of Cape Verde who confirmed the information launched Portuguese media. The singer aged 70 was admitted to the Hospital Baptista de Sousa Friday night for "respiratory failure" and "a heart high voltage."

The singer had to end her career in September , again because of health problems. While in Paris, she had also told the world : " I have no strength, no energy . I want you to tell my fans: I'm sorry, but now I must rest .

RIP Cesaria.

Listen to a 1995 performance by Cesaria at the Bottom Line in NYC at Afropop Worldwide (via Bill Bragin). Check out a video below...

Continue reading "Cesaria Evora, RIP"

Cory Smoot (right) @ one of his last shows (more by Carmelo Espanola)

North Dakota coroner William Masselo, MD has released a statement regarding the death of Cory Smoot, better known as Gwar guitarist Flattus Maximus, who passed on November 3rd at the age of 34.

"We have finalized the autopsy report and death certificate. I have determined that Cory died from a coronary artery thrombosis brought about by his pre-existing coronary artery disease."

The band, which will continue as a four-piece until the current tour schedule is complete, has officially retired the character of Flattus Maximus, and has announced no plans regarding a new GWAR-tarist.

Metal Blade and GWAR have since set-up the Smoot Family Foundation to raise funds for Cory's wife, Jaime, and their unborn child.

Donate to the Smoot Family Foundation if you can and if you can't then head to The Canal Club in Richmond, VA on January 7th to catch Mensrea, Cannabis Corpse, DBX and more as part of a record release show for Smoot's solo LP When Worlds Collide. All proceeds from the show will go towards the fund.

Gwar is forging on as a four-piece for the forseeable future. Full tour dates (all in Europe in the New Year) are below.

Continue reading "Gwar guitarist Cory Smoot's autopsy details revealed"