Hal Willner & Lou Reed

As previously mentioned, music producer Hal Willner will present a concert in Prospect Park celebrating the 50th anniversary Freedom Riders. PBS recently premiered a film on the same subject...

"FREEDOM RIDERS is the powerful harrowing and ultimately inspirational story of six months in 1961 that changed America forever. From May until November 1961, more than 400 black and white Americans risked their lives--and many endured savage beatings and imprisonment--for simply traveling together on buses and trains as they journeyed through the Deep South. Deliberately violating Jim Crow laws, the Freedom Riders met with bitter racism and mob violence along the way, sorely testing their belief in nonviolent activism."

You can own the movie on DVD.

The free Celebrate Brooklyn! concert at the Prospect Park Bandshell on June 16 still hasn't revealed its entire lineup, but some more artists were announced including Lou Reed. If you've never been to a Hal Willner show, it's usually many different artists playing various covers over the course of a long show. The theme this time is music from the civil rights movement, "songs that inspired, illuminated, and sprang from the tumultuous aftermath of the Movement." and announced artists are Lou Reed, Rosanne Cash, Toshi Reagon, Tao Seeger, Geri Allen, and Steven Bernstein. More TBA. The artists will also hold a discussion before they perform. The event is free and begins at 7 PM.

Laurie Anderson is not listed on the lineup, maybe because she'll be on tour in Europe, but you can catch her in an outdoor setting with Bill Laswell at Castle Clinton on June 30th. She also plays Lincoln Center Out of Doors on August 10th.

MEANWHILE, Andrew Bird kicks off Celebrate Brooklyn! tonight at 8 PM (directions HERE). Although thunderstorms were initially in the forecast, as of now it's looking pretty clear. No opener.

Speaking of Lou Reed and Hail Wilner, the May 24th installment of their New York Shuffle Sirius radio show featured songs by Little Scream, Tyler, the Creator, Gang Gang Dance, Middle Brother, tUnE-yaRds, and more. Video of Lou & Hal recording an older show edition of the show, below...

Continue reading "Lou Reed playing Hal Willner 'Freedom Riders' show in Prospect Park (where Andrew Bird plays for free tonight)"

Next Tuesday, February 22nd at 4pm Michael Showalter will be coming in to tape Unmasked with Ron Bennington!!

If you'd like to be in the studio audience, send us a reply on our twitter account, @UnmaskedShow requesting tickets and let us know whether you'd like one or two tickets! We only have a few seats available so please only request tickets if you know you can make it, and only request two tickets if you know for sure you are bringing someone with you.

You will need to be able to be in Midtown Manhattan by 3:30pm on Tuesday February 22nd. send all requests to @UnmaskedShow!

Unmasked happens at the Sirius-XM studios (49th St and 6th Ave) (where BrooklynVegan Blog Radio also happpens). Ron Bennington is Ron of Ron & Fez. The Michael Showalter taping happens two days before he kicks off the tour to promote his book at the Union Square Barnes & Noble which is three days before his now-sold-out show at the Bell House.

Michael Showalter just appeared on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon one night after Odd Future did. Fred Armisen appeared on a previous Unmasked, and was on Fallon recently too. Videos of all of it and all Michael Showalter dates below...

Continue reading "attend a taping of Unmasked w/ Ron Bennington & Michael Showalter (who leaves on tour soon)"

photos by Ryan Barkan

"His band is the same it's been for most of the last decade, with the guitarists Rusty Anderson and Brian Ray, the keyboardist Paul Wickens, and the drummer Abe Laboriel Jr.; in a way their canned grimaces and corny gestures seem perfect, because they illustrate how much of the audience might dream of playing if given the chance to get on stage with Mr. McCartney, showing off but hitting all the marks. It's a machine that doesn't change arrangements from year to year, mostly replicating the original versions, down to the string parts on "Eleanor Rigby" as recreated by Mr. Wickens' synthesizer. It's also a loud, clear, efficacious, and sometimes bashing band, aiming to the back rows." [NY Times]

Paul McCartney played the legendary Apollo last night, 12/13, to a house filled with Sirius XM subscribers and celebrties. If you are a satellite radio subscriber but didn't have a ticket, maybe you listened at home. Some pictures from the show and the full setlist below...

Continue reading "Paul McCartney played the Apollo Theater (pics & setlist)"

I wonder what he thinks of Wavves. Listen to him say it in the Sirius XM clip below...

Continue reading "Bruce Springsteen likes Best Coast... "

"On December 13 at 8:00 pm ET, history will be made. For the first time in his legendary career, Paul McCartney will perform at Harlem's world famous Apollo Theater, at an exclusive live concert event for SiriusXM listeners. This very special, invitation-only concert will celebrate SiriusXM reaching 20 million subscribers, a milestone the company expects to achieve shortly. As a thank you to its loyal subscribers, SiriusXM will broadcast the concert LIVE nationwide, as well as offer a few lucky subscribers the opportunity to attend this historic event in person." [SiriusXM]

Meanwhile, as you probably heard. "The Beatles dominated the iTunes chart on their first day of digital sales, with Hey Jude proving the most popular download." A press release they sent out about that on Tuesday can be read below...

Continue reading "Paul McCartney playing satellite radio event @ the Apollo, Beatles doing great on iTunes"

Gwar's new album "Lust in Space" was released in August, and theyre' now on tour to support it. That tour ends in NYC with a show at Irving Plaza on December 13th. Tickets are on sale. All dates and some videos of Oderus appearing on Fox and Sirius, below...

Continue reading "Gwar - 2009 Tour Dates w/ The Red Chord (Irving Plaza)"

photos by Tim Griffin

""Oh, this is beautiful!" said singer David Johansen, who emerged before a wall-to-wall crowd in a snug black blazer and skin-tight jeans, with a silky leopard print scarf draped around his neck, and who, along with guitarist Syl Sylvain, is one of the band's two surviving original members. (Guitarist Johnny Thunders died a mysterious, drug-related death in 1991, and bassist Arthur "Killer" Kane passed away from leukemia just weeks after the British singer Morrissey reunited the Dolls for a concert in London in June 2004.)

"This is beyond my wildest dreams," the rail-thin Mr. Johansen continued a few songs later. "Did you hear that shit? That was good. Let's dance to this next one!"

To the disappointment of some in the audience, almost all the songs played during the roughly 45-minute set were new, save a half-blazing, half reggae-esque version of the iconic Dolls' anthem "Trash" during the encore. But the performance was, after all, a record release party for the band's new disc, 'Cause I Sez So, as well as the launch of Mr. Varvatos' new rock 'n' roll show on Sirius Radio, which was broadcast live. [The New York Observer]

Crowd members included John Varvatos (obviously), Carrie Dee English, Richard "Handsome Dick" Manitoba (who also has a show on Sirius-XM and will be performing at the upcoming Joey Ramone birthday bash), Racheal Ray (who is the host of her husband's show at Pianos tonight), Justin Tranter from Semi Precious Weapons (who opened for Lady Gaga at Terminal 5 on Saturday night), and rock photographers Leee Black Childers, Bob Gruen, and Tim Griffin. More of Tim's pictures from last night's show (5/5), below...

Continue reading "NY Dolls @ the John Varvatos Store (ex-CBGB) in NYC - pics "

Liberty Media Corp. will invest $530 million in financially struggling satellite radio company Sirius XM Radio Inc., the companies said Tuesday.

The investment on the first business day comes after Sirius warned it could file for bankruptcy as early as Tuesday if it cannot successfully negotiate with its debt holders.

As part of the deal, Liberty will provide a $280 million senior secured loan to Sirius, $250 million of which will be funded on Tuesday. Sirius will use the proceeds of the loan to repay $171.6 million of its maturing 2-and-a-half percent convertible notes that had been due Tuesday. The rest will be used for general corporate purposes.

The loan bears a 15 percent interest rate and matures in December 2012.

The second phase of Liberty's investment provides another loan of $150 million to Sirius's subsidiary XM Satellite Radio. Liberty has also agreed to offer to buy up to $100 million of the loans outstanding under XM Satellite Radio's existing credit facilities from the lenders. [Yahoo News]

In related news, an American satellite collided with a Russian satellite.

..But now Sirius XM, the satellite radio company, has problems with much bigger price tags. It has hired advisers to prepare for a possible bankruptcy filing, people involved in the processsaid.

That would, of course, be a grim turn of events for the normally upbeat Mr. Karmazin, Sirius XM's chief executive, who had hoped to create a mobile entertainment juggernaut with stars like Howard Stern.

It is unclear how a bankruptcy would affect customers. Service is unlikely to be interrupted, but the company might have to terminate contracts with high-priced talent like Mr. Stern or Martha Stewart.

A bankruptcy would make Sirius XM one of the largest casualties of the credit squeeze. With over $5 billion in assets, it would be the second-largest Chapter 11 filing so far this year, according to Capital IQ. The filing by Smurfit-Stone, with assets of $7 billion, has been the year's biggest to date... [NY Times]

Sirius XM Radio, the pay-radio marriage of the two former satellite services, formally combined their program lineups Wednesday.

Some channels from each service went away in the merger, with Sirius and XM Radio subscribers each getting new channels from the other service. Some channels will be moved and/or re-named.

Sirius XM said there will be no increase in the subscription fee or need to change or upgrade existing radios for the basic service, but that doesn't include the "Best of" packages.

XM subscribers will have to pay extra if they want a "Best of Sirius" package with such premium draws as Howard Stern, Martha Stewart Living, Playboy, NASCAR and the NFL. Sirius subscribers will have to shell out more for a "Best of XM" lineup that includes Oprah Winfrey's Oprah & Friends, the NBA, the NHL the PGA and The Virus, which is home to Gregg "Opie" Hughes and Anthony Cumia.

Among the Sirius channels going away are Movin' Easy, Punk, Sirius Disorder, The Strobe, Boombox, Backspin and Universo Latino. XM channels being retired include XM Sports Nation, the Weather Channel, XMX, X-Country, Fungus, Rhyme, Raw, Beyond Jazz, Fine Tuning, The System, Chrome, Viva, Aguila, Caricia. [Chicago Tribune]

In case anyone was wondering, "Blog Radio" survived the cut. Indie/Alternative station Left of Center (Sirius) merged with XMU (XM) to form the new Sirius-XMU, which, although its name is closer to "XMU" is actually more like "Left of Center" (Blog Radio included). The new lineup for Sirius can be found here. The new XM lineup can be found here.