JDub Records just sent out this email:

Dear Friends, Fans, and Supporters,

I have to share some unfortunate news. After almost 9 years in operation, JDub's Board of Directors has decided to wind down the organization.

The decision to close was entirely financial, as the challenges facing our business model are too great to overcome. We were never a normal record label, nor were we ever just a record company. We always knew that in order to discover, curate, and promote unique, proud Jewish voices and role models in the mainstream we would need to rely, at least in part, on philanthropic support. In addition to buying our albums, sharing the music with your friends, and attending our concerts and events, so many of you supported us as donors, talent scouts, and stream teamers. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Continue reading "JDub Records, RIP"

by BBG & Klaus Kinski

Stephen O'Malley playing his Travis Bean (more by Greg Cristman)

Ask your average Jane or Joe on the street to name an American guitar manufacturer and you'd probably have a solid 99% 'good answer' success rate. Ask your average Jane or Joe on the street to name an American luthier (besides Les Paul) and you probably wouldn't get any answer besides "What's a luthier?" And there's no shame in that, people. I know that's the answer I would have given prior to writing this article. Regardless, without talented luthiers you wouldn't have your Fenders or your Gibsons and whatnot. On July 10, 2011 we lost Travis Bean, one of America's most innovative luthiers of all time.

In 1974, he partnered with Marc McElwee and Gary Kramer to start Travis Bean Guitars, which made high-end electric guitars and basses featuring machined aluminum necks. This was an unusual design, departing from more traditional wood necked instruments. The aluminum center section ran through the instrument body, with the pickups directly mounted to the aluminum. The majority of these instruments featured solid koa wood bodies and humbucker pickups. Though praised for their sound, the use of aluminum necks also made Travis Bean guitars heavier than other electric guitars. Models included the Artist, Standard, Wedge (rare), and TB500 (rare) with single coil pickups. - [Wikipedia]

Travis Bean Guitars have a somewhat cult following, mostly due to the fact that aluminum lends to longer sustain. These vintage guitars are used by the likes of Stephen O'Malley (sunn O)))), Albini, Public Image Limited, Sonic Youth, Duane Denison (The Jesus Lizard), The Arcade Fire, Justin Foley (The Austerity Program), and even bands like The Rolling Stones, Kiss, The Grateful Dead and others. A documentary detailing the cult of Travis Bean guitars, entitled Sustain, is currently in production and a trailer can be viewed below.

Travis Bean passed away at his home in Burbank, California after fighting a long battle with cancer. RIP Travis Bean, though lord knows you made enough noise in your time.

Continue reading "Travis Bean, RIP"

Würzel with Motorhead, far left.

Motörhead guitarist Michael "Würzel" Burston died yesterday at the age of 61 after a struggle with heart disease. Würzel was a member of the British metal band between 1984 and 1996, and performed on seven of the group's albums including Orgasmatron, 1916 and March ör Die. In addition to his work with Motörhead, the guitarist recorded two solo albums, Bess and Chill Out or Die (The Ambient Album), and was more recently working on music with his new band, Leader of Down.

Eric Swensen (left) at the Independent foundry in 1983

The man who ended his life in front of the Mission Police Station on Monday was a skateboarding icon and co-founder of San Francisco-based Thrasher magazine.

Skaters worldwide are mourning the loss of Eric Swenson, 64, of Potrero Hill, whose local manufacturing and publishing ventures helped launch a massive and lasting subculture.

Swenson shot himself around 8:30 a.m. without going inside the police station or talking to any officers. Loved ones believe the longtime San Franciscan's struggle with a debilitating motorcycle injury led to the suicide.

A "very private person," Swenson may have chosen the police station to end his life in order to spare his loved ones from finding him, said Gwynn Vitello, Thrasher's publisher and wife of Swenson's business partner, the late Fausto Vitello. - [SF Examiner]

R.I.P. Eric

by BBG

"Fly as high as the sun sweet prince. It was a glorious ride." -The Dream is Dead

The Dream is Dead guitarist Jared Southwick passed away following more than a week in a Muncie, Indiana hospital with "a liver and kidney condition (and all the complications that come with it)". The 34 year-old guitarist was a member of Harakiri and The Dream is Dead along with bassist Jason McCash who went on to form The Gates of Slumber. The Dream is Dead's last long-player was the Escape Artist burner Hail The New Pawn.

The Dream is Dead was already scheduled to play their last show ever at Dudefest 2011 in Indiana. That show will go on as planned, with Coffinworm guitarist Carl Byers filling-in for Jared.

Jared Southwick, R.I.P., you will be missed, but your riffs will last forever.

Continue reading "Jared Southwick of The Dream is Dead, RIP"

by BBG

The crash scene (via subewl)

WEST GOSHEN, Pa. - Fox 29 News has learned that Ryan Dunn of MTV's "Jackass" series died in an early morning crash Monday in Chester County, Pa.

Police in West Goshen confirmed a fatal accident occurred but were not immediately releasing any other details.

The crash occurred in West Goshen Township and kept Route 322 closed between New Street and Pottstown Pike for much of the morning. Motorists were advised to use Ashbridge Street to avoid the closure before the road reopened around 9:30 a.m.

Fox 29 News spoke to the mother of "Jackass" star Bam Margera, who said she has been told Dunn, 34, was killed in the wreck.

Margera's mother also said an unidentified second person died in the crash, which happened around 3 a.m. She said she did not know who was driving the car, and there may have been a third occupant.-[Fox 29 Philadelphia]

Ryan has a brand new show called G4's Proving Ground which just premiered on June 14th. To promote it he posted a "Celebrity Playlist" to YouTube. Watch the promo, posted 18 days ago, and other videos below...

Continue reading "Ryan Dunn of Jackass, RIP "

Clarence Clemons & The Boss (more by Tim Griffin HERE and HERE)

"It is with overwhelming sadness that we inform our friends and fans that at 7:00 tonight, Saturday, June 18, our beloved friend and bandmate, Clarence Clemons passed away. The cause was complications from his stroke of last Sunday, June 12th.

Bruce Springsteen said of Clarence: Clarence lived a wonderful life. He carried within him a love of people that made them love him. He created a wondrous and extended family. He loved the saxophone, loved our fans and gave everything he had every night he stepped on stage. His loss is immeasurable and we are honored and thankful to have known him and had the opportunity to stand beside him for nearly forty years. He was my great friend, my partner, and with Clarence at my side, my band and I were able to tell a story far deeper than those simply contained in our music. His life, his memory, and his love will live on in that story and in our band." [BruceSpringsteen.net]

Continue reading "Clarence Clemons, RIP "

by BBG

Anal Cunt at Public Assembly (more by Justina Villanueva)

Kim Kelly of Catharsis PR confirms (via her personal blog):

"Yes, it's true. Seth Putnam, one of the most infamous musicians that extreme metal has ever seen, the grindcore GG Allin, has passed away due to a heart attack.

I handled all the promotion for Anal Cunt's last album, Fuckin' A, and Seth was always happy to oblige any request I sent his way. The band had been working on a new album before his passing, so chances are his musical career's epitaph has yet to be inscribed.

I want to remind everyone that no matter how outrageous and controversial his musical career has been, Seth was still a human being with friends and family that loved him. I'm hoping that the internet will remember that. This is a very sad and trying time for those that knew him, and the last thing they need to see is an outpouring of messageboard hate. The man lived and died by his own rules; if anything, respect him for that."

"Angles of Polarity" by Leon Botha (more photos and paintings on Leon's Flickr)

South African artist and DJ Leon Botha died on June 5 2011, a day after his 26th birthday.

Botha was born with progeria, a rare degenerative genetic disorder that accelerates the aging process.

He was the oldest documented person living with the disease, which usually has a life expectancy in the teens.

Botha was thrown into the spotlight as the DJ who opened for Die Antwoord during their concerts, going on to feature in one of the music videos that shot them to international stardom, Enter the Ninja.

Tributes poured in for Botha on his Facebook page, hailing his optimism and describing him as an "inspiration, with a zest for life".

In 2009, Botha collaborated with Gordon Clark on a photo series called Who Am I? Transgression, depicting him in theatrical projections of how society might see him. [Mail & Guardian Online] (via)

Continue reading "Leon Botha, RIP"

DOWNLOAD: Gil Scott-Heron - Me and the Devil (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Gil Scott-Heron - New York Is Killing Me (w/ Nas) (MP3)

Gil Scott-Heron @ Central Park Summerstage in 2010 (more by Andrew Frisicano)

We're very sad to bring this news: Jamie Byng, Gil Scott-Heron's publisher in the UK, has tweeted that the poet and songwriter passed away today.

"Just heard the very sad news that my dear friend and one of the most inspiring people I've ever met, the great Gil Scott-Heron, died today.

Gil Scott-Heron's death is NOT a rumour. I just called by Dorothy who is staying with Aunt Mimi in NY to tell me the news. I'm so sad."
[The Daily Swarm]

Gil Scott-Heron @ Coachella 2010 (more by Rachel Carr)

As confirmed by a publicist for his record label, Gil Scott-Heron, the singer-songwriter and poet, has died. He was 62.

Influential in R&B, spoken word, and hip-hop, Scott-Heron had a strong run of albums in the 1970s. He wrote the song "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised" and the phrase entered the cultural lexicon after appearing on his 1970 album Small Talk at 125th & Lennox. Scott-Heron later battled drug problems and was incarcerated for a period during the 2000s, but he returned to music in 2010 and released the acclaimed I'm New Here followed by the Jamie xx collaboration We're New Here earlier this year. [Pitchfork]

Gil Scott-Heron @ Marcus Garvey Park in 2010 (more by Benjamin Lozovsky)

Scott-Heron continued to record through the 1970s and early '80s, before taking a lengthy hiatus. He briefly returned to the studio for 1994's Spirits. That album featured the track "Message to the Messengers," in which Scott-Heron cautions the hip-hop generation that arose in his absence to use its newfound power responsibly. He has been cited as a key influence by many in the hip-hop community -- such as rapper-producer Kanye West, who closed his platinum-selling 2010 album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy with a track built around a sample of Scott-Heron's voice. [NPR]

R.I.P. Gil

Continue reading "Gil Scott-Heron, RIP"

"Macho Man" Randy Savage

Professional Wrestling great "Macho Man" Randy Savage died after a car crash on Friday near his home in Seminole, Florida, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

Savage, whose real name was Randy Mario Poffo, appeared to have lost control of his 2009 Jeep Wrangler for unknown reasons at 9:25 a.m. local time, crash investigators said.

He drove over a concrete median into oncoming traffic lanes before crashing head-on into a tree, a crash report said.

He died of his injuries at a nearby hospital. He was 58.

The crash was not alcohol-related, officials said. The cause of death will not be confirmed until an autopsy is performed, investigators said.

Savage and his female passenger, Barbara L. Poffo, were both wearing seat belts. She suffered minor injuries. -[Reuters]

Continue reading "RIP 'Macho Man' Randy Savage"

John Maus aka John Walker

Singer-guitarist John Maus, whose L.A.-bred pop trio the Walker Brothers attained major chart success and induced hysteria in '60s Swinging London, died May 7 in Los Angeles.

Known professionally as John Walker, he was 67, and succumbed to liver cancer.

[The Walker Brothers] soulful hits, produced in an opulent Phil Spector style by Johnny Franz and featuring lead vocalist Scott Walker's aching baritone, flew to the top of the charts in 1965. While their remake of Jerry Butler's "Make It Easy On Yourself" and the Bob Crewe-penned "The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore" only reached the top 20 in the U.S., they vaulted to No. 1 in Blighty.

The Walkers logged several other big singles and three albums, and staged several riotously received British tours (the last of which featured another expat, Jimi Hendrix, as the opening act) before Scott Walker's solo ambitions broke up the band in 1967. Maus cut two solo albums, "If You Go Away" (1967) and "This is John Walker" (1969).

The trio regrouped in 1975 to record three more albums; the highly experimental "Nite Flights" (1978) ended the act for good.

Maus' later solo discography included "You" (2000). He performed the Walkers' hits as part of the Solid Silver Sixties Tour, and released a live album in 2004.

He is survived by his wife and four children. -[Variety]

---

In not related/unrelated/weird-timing news, John Maus (the one born in 1980) is in from California and plays a show at Glasslands tonight (5/9).

"Yvette Vickers, an early Playboy playmate whose credits as a B-movie actress included such cult films as "Attack of the 50-Foot Woman" and "Attack of the Giant Leeches," was found dead last week at her Benedict Canyon home. Her body appears to have gone undiscovered for months, police said.

Vickers, 82, had not been seen for a long time. A neighbor discovered her body in an upstairs room of her Westwanda Drive home on April 27. Its mummified state suggests she could have been dead for close to a year, police said." [LA Times]

Continue reading "Yvette Vickers, RIP"

Don Hill's (photo via WNYC)

The NY Post reports:

"Just weeks after the sudden death of nightlife fixture Don Hill, his eponymous SoHo club closed its doors for good Monday night. Don Hill's was reopened in September by Nur Khan and Paul Sevigny, and on Saturday drew Julia Roberts and Danny Moder for a Tribeca Film Festival after-party for "Jesus Henry Christ." But Khan told Page Six that the one-story building will be turned over to developers. Public records identify the current owners as TriBeCa-based Ponte Equities. Khan said, "After the unexpected passing of Don Hill, there was no doubt in my mind about continuing his legacy by bringing in incredible talent over the last year, such as Iggy and the Stooges, the Kills, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, as well as nurturing younger talent. Don Hill was loved by the community. Unfortunately," he added, the property offered a "moneymaking opportunity unconcerned with preserving Don's legacy. I will be sad to see the doors close as it was such a passion project for me." Ponte Equities didn't return our calls."

"The rock and roll club never seemed to break through a very crowded marketplace, and in an ominous sign, basically skipped Fashion Week when it rolled back around in 2011. Then came the news the Don Hill passed away last month. At a party held that night in his honor, Khan and Sevigny promised those gathered that the party would roll on, but apparently not for long. According to a tipster, the rent hasn't been getting paid and the landlord went and changed the locks, telling the club owners he will be tearing the building down.

Maybe Khan and Sevigny are stretched too thin by running a restaurant and a Los Angeles nightclub. Maybe the landlord was willing to look the other way for his recently deceased longtime tenant on back rent but not the new partners. Or maybe the crowds that once populated the Beatrice Inn, Rose Bar and Sway have moved on and were never replaced."

"In an age where bottle service pays the bills, greed might win out. Paul and Nur will do their best, no doubt, but death brings vulture--types who feed on despair and confusion. They may have other less fabulous ideas about the property. We must support the legacy of Don Hill, and maintain one of the few places in town where guys like him and I could actually hang out. Don Hill was a gentleman, and that's the greatest compliment I have about a fellow."

X-Ray Spex (Poly Styrene on the right)

Poly Styrene, best known as the frontwoman with 1970s punk group X-Ray Spex, has died. Styrene was receiving treatment for an advanced form of breast cancer when she passed away yesterday (Monday 25 April). She was 53.

...A spokesperson for Styrene confirmed her death this morning, saying everyone around her was saddened by the news. A full statement is expected later today.

Styrene, who was born Marian Joan Elliott-Said, shot to fame in 1976 with X-Ray Spex, and was immortalised in punk history with the song Oh Bondage, Up Yours! "Little girls should be seen and not heard," Styrene would say to introduce the track. X-Ray Spex released one album, the acclaimed Germ Free Adolescents in 1978, before Styrene left the group.

Despite her relatively short stint with the band, Styrene's overt feminism and mixed-race heritage marked her out among her punk contemporaries and won her legions of fans for generations to come. Beth Ditto, singer with Gossip, said: "Poly Styrene [was] so ahead of her time. She recreated punk." -[The Guardian]

Poly Styrene's new solo LP Generation Indigo is out TODAY (4/26) in the US. Check out her thoughts on each track on the record, as well as a video for a new song and some classic video too, below...

Continue reading "Poly Styrene, RIP (new album released today)"

Gerard Smith @ 2009 Roots Picnic (more by Tim Griffin)

TV on the Radio posted the following message to their website:

We are very sad to announce the death of our beloved friend and bandmate, Gerard Smith, following a courageous fight against lung cancer. Gerard passed away the morning of April 20th, 2011. We will miss him terribly.

The following shows will be cancelled:

April 20 St. Andrew Halls, Detroit MI
April 22 Metro, Chicago IL
April 23 First Ave, Minneapolis MN
April 24 First Ave, Minneapolis MN
April 26 Ogden, Denver CO

There will be more information as it becomes available.

"Upon the completion of Nine Types of Light, Gerard was diagnosed with lung cancer. As a result, he has been undergoing treatment and will be unable to participate in the upcoming tour. Gerard is fortunate enough to have health insurance and is receiving excellent medical care. Already we have seen dramatic results. Combine that with Gerard's legendarily willful disposition and it might just be cancer that has the problem. We appreciate your concern and support for Gerard and his family."

TV on the Radio's tour resumes April 29th in San Francisco. It previously hit both Radio City Music Hall and Music Hall of Williamsburg.

Don Hill (photo by Julian Ungano)

As tweeted by Moby (see above) and many other notable club veterans, and confirmed to me via a call to Don Hill's who said there is a memorial tonight (3/31) at the club (toast at midnight), nightclub owner and legend Don Hill has sadly passed away. Though details are scarce at the moment, some on Twitter are saying he was "found dead in his apartment" "this morning". Update: someone seemingly in the know says: "He passed away at the hospital. Not in his apartment. It was this evening around 7, not this morning." And Bebe Buell adds (in reaction to the last minute midnight toast), "Don's actual memorial will be the biggest coming together of all the people he has helped+supported-those of us who loved him+knew him well." Stay tuned for more info.

Murray Hill calls it the end of an era. Miss Guy says he was the nicest person in nightlife. Justine D agrees. I didn't know him personally, but I always liked seeing him hanging around his club that shared his name. He opened Don Hill's in the early 90's and before that managed the East Village's Cat Club (David Bowie & Peter Frampton played there in 1987). "American Hardcore" author Steven Blush (who also worked at Don Hill's) once wrote...

" I booked [GG Allen] at the Cat Club. His most infamous part of the show is to shit on the stage and throw it at the crowd and got thrown out. I got written up in the Village Voice for the show that I had put on. The irony, of course, is that the manager of the Cat Club was Don Hill and I couldn't work any more at that club after that but we always remained friendly....

...Don Hill is the best club owner in New York. After the Cat Club, when that closed, a couple of years later, Don did what he was supposed to do, which was own his own club. Don has the support of the whole club community of the local neighborhood which is unheard of for clubs. The clubs got a great reputation. Sometimes I wish we were bigger and trashier, but then we wouldn't be Don Hill's."

As posted back in August 2010 when it was announced that Don Hill's was closing for renovations, Steve Lewis wrote...

"Don Hill's was born in April 1993 to much flag waving, fanfare and hoopla. The Smithereens set the tone that night and it has since become a virtual rock and roll hall of fame. Don has booked the joint, hired staff, run day to day and night to night operations, he's answered the phones and I suspect that on some nights he swept out the joint. He will now be joined by superheroes Nur Khan and Paul Sevigny. They will come in with mad skills, new energy and cash to redux the place. They will merge with Don to create more of the same but even better."

R.I.P. Don Hill (both of them)

Continue reading "Don Hill, RIP"

by BBG

Disfear

Disfear bass player and long time member Henrik Frykman has passed away after a long battle with cancer. The band, Björn Pettersson, Marcus Andersson, Ulf Cederlund and Tomas Lindberg, has issued the following statement: "It is with heavy hearts we inform you that on Friday the 25th of March Henrik Frykman passed away in his home after a long battle with cancer. Henrik will be greatly missed by family and friends."

Frykman joined ANTI-BOFORS in 1990 and in 1991 the band underwent a name change to Disfear. The band has morphed and evolved over the past 20 years into an internationally recognized and respected band. Disfear has toured the world over and released a number of acclaimed full-length albums including 2008's Live The Storm.

Melvin Sparks, a guitarist whose brightly sinewy style made him an in-demand session player during the soul-jazz boom of the late 1960s and early '70s, a touchstone during the acid-jazz trend of the '90s and a wise elder on the jam-band scene of the last decade, died on March 13 at his home in Mount Vernon, N.Y. He was 64.

His wife, Judy Hassan, confirmed his death and said that he had diabetes and high blood pressure.

Mr. Sparkas favored a clean, flinty tone, combining the brisk harmonic fluency of bebop with the bite and feeling of the blues. His early career coincided with a golden age for soul music, and he took its lessons deeply to heart. He liked to say simply that he played "jazz over a funky beat." -[NY Times]

Continue reading "Melvin Sparks, RIP"

by BBG

One of rap's most lauded male hook singers, Long Beach, California native Nate Dogg (born Nathaniel Hale) died on Tuesday at the age of 41 after several years of health problems.

With his deep, melodic voice and smooth soul rumble, Dogg was one of the key elements in the rise of the West Coast G-Funk sound pioneered by Death Row Records in the early 1990s. Though overshadowed by such peers as Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg and Warren G, Nate was a critical participant in a number of major left-coast gangsta hits, including G's "Regulate" and Dre's iconic solo debut, 1992's The Chronic.

...The cause of death [yesterday, 3/15] was not announced at press time, but Hale had struggled with serious health issues recently, including suffering a massive stroke in 2007 that left him partially paralyzed and another the following year. A spokesperson for the singer could not be reached for comment at press time for further details on his passing. -[MTV News]

Continue reading "Nate Dogg, RIP"

After years of service, Arthur departed the material plane today.

He died as he lived--free, high and a-dreaming of love, 'neath vultures' terrible gaze.

Thank you, and love to all. - [Arthur Magazine]

"Owsley "Bear" Stanley, a 1960s counterculture figure who flooded the flower power scene with LSD and was an early benefactor of the Grateful Dead, died in a car crash in his adopted home country of Australia on Sunday, his family said. He was believed to be 76.

The renegade grandson of a former governor of Kentucky, Stanley helped lay the foundation for the psychedelic era by producing more than a million doses of LSD at his labs in San Francisco's Bay Area.

"He made acid so pure and wonderful that people like Jimi Hendrix wrote hit songs about it and others named their band in its honor," former rock 'n' roll tour manager Sam Cutler wrote in his 2008 memoirs "You Can't Always Get What You Want."" [National Post]

"Stanley designed some of the first high-fidelity sound systems for rock music, culminating in the massive "Wall of Sound" electrical amplification system used by the Grateful Dead in their live shows, at the time a highly innovative feat of engineering, and was involved with the founding of high-end musical instrument maker Alembic Inc and the pre-eminent concert sound equipment manufacturer Meyer Sound." [Wiki]

Continue reading "Owsley "Bear" Stanley, RIP"

Mike Starr, the former bassist for Alice in Chains has died, according to police.

Police have confirmed that they checked a residence at 1:42 p.m. at 1986 South Richards Street in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, where they discovered Starr's body.

He was 44 years old. The cause of death was not immediately known.

Starr was arrested for illegal prescription drug possession in Salt Lake City in February.

Starr was the original bassist for Alice in Chains a rock band that made its mark on the "grunge" scene with roots in the Seattle area. He left the group in 1993. Another original band member Layne Staley, died from a cocaine and heroin overdose in 2002.

Starr appeared in 2010 on the VH1 cable reality show "Celebrity Rehab" after suffering from a heroin addiction. [ABC 4]

Continue reading "Mike Starr of Alice in Chains, RIP"

by BBG

Phil Vane, vocalist of the highly influential grind/crust band Extreme Noise Terror has passed away. Rumors started to fly yesterday in response to a Mick Harris (Napalm Death, Doom and Extreme Noise Terror) facebook post, the band has since confirmed his passing with the following statement:

"The rumors are true. We're sorry to announce that Phil passed away recently. The band will make a full statement soon but for now we need to take the time to come to terms with this terrible loss."

"Veteran actor Len Lesser died in his sleep Wednesday morning in Burbank, California, of complications from pneumonia. He was 88.

"It was very peaceful," his daughter, Michele Lesser, told CNN, saying the family had hoped for a quick and painless death. "He was a great grandpa, and an amazing father. He had a heart of gold -- and a sense of humor of platinum."

Best known as Jerry Seinfeld's Uncle Leo on TV's "Seinfeld," Lesser made more than 500 film, television and stage appearances. His TV roles ranged from "Studio One in Hollywood" in 1949 to a 2009 role on "Castle."" [CNN]

Continue reading "R.I.P. Uncle Leo (Len Lesser)"