Half a Beatles reunion, or some approximation of it, took place Saturday night at "Change Begins Within," a benefit concert at Radio City Music Hall for the David Lynch Foundation. Paul McCartney was headlining; Ringo Starr was also on the bill, and yes, after letting the anticipation build, the two surviving Beatles did perform together, as they did in 2002 for a memorial after the death of George Harrison...

...As the concert's entire lineup-including Donovan, Sheryl Crow, Eddie Vedder, Moby, Bettye LaVette, Ben Harper and Mike Love (from the Beach Boys)-filled the stage, Mr. Starr took his place at the second drum kit. And Mr. McCartney unveiled a song that could surprise even Beatles fanatics: "Cosmically Conscious," an excerpt of which appeared as a hidden track on his 1993 album "Off the Ground." [NY Times]

Continue reading "Paul McCartney & Ringo Starr reunited @ David Lynch's show"

The David Lynch Foundation provides funds for students to learn to meditate through TM teaching centers, hospital-sponsored wellness programs, boys and girls clubs, before- and after-school programs, and in private and public schools when invited by the administration. Instruction is voluntary and is provided to a child with the permission of a parent and with no cost to the family, organization, or school. In the past year, the Foundation has provided millions of dollars for thousands of students, teachers, and parents to learn to meditate. The Foundation also provides funds for independent research institutions to assess the effects of the program on creativity, intelligence, brain functioning, academic performance, ADHD and other learning disorders, anxiety, depression, and substance abuse.

today in NYC
* DANCE
* Terror @ Europa
* NY Times Arts & Leisure
* The Lisps @ Zipper Theater
* Mos Def @ Highline Ballroom
* Forro in the Dark @ Joe's Pub
* World/Inferno Friendship Society @ Webster Hall
* Afterworlds, Gates of Heaven & Apple Deaf @ Cake Shop
* Endless Boogie, Psychic Ills & Mike Fellows @ Glasslands
* Camper Van Beethoven & Victor Krummenacher @ Bowery Ballroom
* Tyvik, Psychedelic Horseshit & Kurt Vile @ Less Artists More Condos
* Bear Hands, Holy Hail, Atarah Valentine & Statehood @ The Studio at Webster Hall
* Great Lake Swimmers, Haley Bonar & Daniel Martin Moore @ The Bell House
* My Teenage Stride, The Jaguar Club & Bridges and Powerlines @ Union Hall
* Carcinogenic Static (members of Talibam! & USAISAMONSTER) @ Market Hotel
* John Brown's Body, Globesonic, Jenny Scheinman, Haale & Sulha Sound System @ (le) poisson rouge

Jimmy Page was born today in 1944.

Laundromatinee has in-studio audio and video from a session with the Vivian Girls.

Tom Cruise emotional over Travolta death
DRM-free iTunes Store to haunt Apple?
The Golden Globes are Sunday.
Obama gets his own Spiderman comic book.
Dolly Parton picked for Gospel Hall of Fame.
Stevie Wonder Helps Promote Technology For Visually Impaired.
Linksys offers full wireless alternative to Sonos.
Beatles music pulled from Norweigian podcasts.

Move over Animal Collective, Sanjaya's long awaited album is here.

Above is an alternate cover for Jaydiohead.

Below is a video from 7 Worlds Collide. In it, Ed O'Brien (guitar), Liam Finn (guitar), Jeff Tweedy (vocals/guitar), John Stirratt (bass), Phil Selway (drums), and Johnny Marr (guitar), are performing Radiohead's Fake Plastic Trees...

What else?

Continue reading "What's going on Friday?"

Girls Girls Girls

More tribute band news...

You thought Bowery Presents couldn't announce any more New Years Eve shows. Then you remember they can stay open super late that night which means they can host shows after other shows. Such is the case with the Mr. Brownstone show happening at Mercury Lounge. Doors are 2 AM - after the A Place to Bury Strangers show. The Guns N' Roses cover band will be playing "Appetite For Destruction" in its entirety (or until they pass out). Tickets are on sale.

Mr. Brownstone played Irving Plaza with Satanicide this past Friday, and recently appeared on Letterman. Last New Years Eve they did Music Hall of Williamsburg.

And speaking of cover bands performing entire albums, Pinktallica, an "All Chick Tribute to Metallica", will be performing "Kill Em All" right before Girls Girls Girls (all girls, Motley Crue), will be playing "Shout At The Devil". This all also happens at Mercury Lounge, but on January 17th. Tickets are on sale for that too. I can't find a website for Pinktallica, so I know nothing about them, but they're my favorite band, just based on their name (and their choice of album to cover), in this post.

Last but not least, the extremely popular Beatles cover band, The Fab Faux, has two shows coming up at Terminal 5. On December 26th they perform "Abbey Road" and "Let it Be" (tickets), and on December 27th, "The White Album" (tickets).
More dates at their site.

Girls Girls Girls videos below...

Continue reading "Tribute bands playing whole albums, Mr Brownstone New Years Eve, PINKTALLICA, Girls Girls Girls, Fab Faux.."

Love it or hate it, licensing songs seems to be the new reality for "indie" bands (or any bands) looking to make money and gain exposure. As an avid music fan and Senior Director of Advertising & Video Games at Primary Wave Music Publishing, Ryan Barkan makes sure to stay on top of news related to artists getting their songs in ads, on TV, in movies, in video games and just about anywhere else a band would get paid to put a song. As someone who never pays attention to any of that, I thought the site could use a weekly column to identify who sold out this week help fill in what I'm missing (think M.I.A. in the Pineapple Express commercial, Nick & Norah, Santogold shilling Bud Light, Chairlift & CSS for Apple, etc..). For that...please welcome Ryan (who also goes by the blog and photographer name "Fresh Bread")....

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by Ryan Barkan

Microsoft's Halo 3 video game commercial was so amazing that it won the Grand Prix (i.e. best of show) at this past year's Cannes Advertising Awards, in June, in the "Film" ad category. The spot, titled "Believe", was created by San Francisco advertising agency T.A.G. and featured the dramatically delicate "Raindrop Prelude No 15" by Chopin against a violent and disturbing war scene.

Another huge 2008 release for Microsoft is the upcoming sequel to the game Gears of War, creatively called....wait for it...Gears Of War 2 (available November 7th exclusively on Xbox360). What works once should work again right? T.A.G. thought so and took the same approach with the music as they did with the "Believe" spot, juxtaposing the hard war visuals against a beautiful song, but this time with a more contemporary artist, Devotchka. The beautiful song they used by the Colorado band is called "How It Ends" and the trailer will debut on network television this Sunday, November 2, during NFL Sunday Night Football. You can also watch it right now. The video for that, and of the full version of "Believe", are below.

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Other Notable Licensing News:

The Walmart-exclusive AC/DC edition of Rock Band is out November 2nd and now MTV/Harmonix have announced a Beatles video game that will be based on the "Rock Band" engine, but not branded "Rock Band". "The Best Of The Who" edition of Rock Band was released in July as DLC (downloadable content).

Hypebeast has the info on a new line of Miles Davis-inspired T-shirts by urban boutique and shoe company, Supreme.

Flaming Lips, the B-52's, BB King and others were commissioned by NBC to create their own interpretation of the network's classic "Chime In"...

You may not know that the notes to NBC's famous chimes are G, E, and C, but chances are you'd recognize the Peacock jingle in an instant. With that in mind, executives at the network decided to have some fun with their famous chimes and launched a national campaign calling for a 21st century reinvention of the 75-year-old television staple. [Hollywood Insider]

What do Friendly Fires, The Duke Spirit, The Submarines, The Black Keys, Black Kids, The Virgins, and Robyn have in common? They've all had songs featured in an episode of Gossip Girl this month.

What about Lykke Li, Passion Pit and The Kooks? Well, as you may have read earlier, they'll all be appearing in future episodes of Gossip Girl/OC-creator Josh Schwartz's new "music-themed scripted web series" Rockville, CA.

I really dig the new spot for the Google Android Phone. The commercial features a song by The Black Angels called "Black Grease" - not sure if it'll convince me to switch from the iPhone but it's a nice placement nonetheless. Video below...

Continue reading "It's Not Selling Out Anymore -- This Week in Music Licensing"

by Black Bubblegum

original (back?) cover art (publicity stunt?)

The new record by supersecret supergroup United Nations almost didn't hit store shelves due to controversial artwork. Hmmm.... I wonder what the controversy is all about?

Check out the new cover below and order a limited edition version with the original cover here.

Continue reading "United Nations album released with modified album art"

Paul McCartney can now add one more honor to the numerous awards, accolades, and the knighthood he has received. The former Beatle yesterday was awarded an honorary Doctor of Music degree from Yale University. In granting the honorary degree to McCartney - Sir Paul McCartney since he was knighted in 1996 - the university said no one compares with the legendary songwriter. Yale said the 65-year-old McCartney awakened a generation, giving a fresh sound to rock, roll, rhythm, and blues. A band played "Hey Jude," a Beatles hit, as McCartney walked on stage to accept the honorary degree. New Haven was the site of a British invasion of sorts on Sunday, as McCartney and former Prime Minister Tony Blair were in town for Yale's 307th commencement.
[The Boston Globe]

LONDON - A judge has awarded Heather Mills a total of $48.6 million in the financial settlement of her divorce from former Beatle Paul McCartney. [Yahoo]

Continue reading "Heather Mills awarded $48.6M from Paul McCartney"

UPDATE: Read the comments. There is some confusion as to whether this is really the Rutles or not.

by Klaus Kinski

Back when I was in college, my best friend there and I watched the 1978 Rutles mockumentary "All You Need is Cash" several times a week for several months. It became such a dangerously nerdly obsession that our priorities (namely our education) almost completely fell by the wayside. In addition to the core group consisting of Dirk (Eric Idle), Nasty (Neil Innes), Stig (Ricky Fataar), and Barry (John Halsey), the film is loaded with so many incredible cameos, classic lines, and oddball characters that to this day it ranks in my top favorite movies of all time.

Never in a million years did I think the Rutles would get together for a live gig in my lifetime, but in honor of their 30th anniversary, they are. On March 17th at 7:30pm and 10:30pm they'll be in LA at Grauman's Egyptian Theater as part of the Mods and Rockers Film Festival where there will be a screening of "All You Need Is Cash", screenings of rarities from the Rutles archives, a Q&A with the band, as well as musical surprises. On March 15, 16, 19, 20, 21 they'll be performing at the Ricardo Montalban Theater in southern California (TIX are on sale).

Then it's off to NYC for a 4 night residency at the Blender Theater from March 26th thru March 29th. Tickets went on sale today. Get em while they're hot. Videos and flyers below....

Continue reading "The Rutles - reunited & playing live shows???? - tix on sale"

BAREFOOT BAY -- Paul Cole was in one of the most famous photographs of the 20th century, and yet he wasn't famous.

Cole, a longtime Barefoot Bay resident, died Wednesday in Pensacola at age 96. He is clearly seen in the famous shot of the Beatles walking across London's Abbey Road, used as the front cover of the group's classic 1969 album, "Abbey Road." Over the years, the picture has been reproduced in books, on posters, coffee mugs, T-shirts and hundreds of other places.

The retired salesman is standing on the sidewalk, just behind the Beatles. Gawking at them. [TCPalm]

aka Feist's Grammy performance was kind of boring

Feist & Mocky @ the Grammys - Feb 10, 2008

More photos below......

Continue reading "they should have done a live Cirque Du Soleil version of the "1234" video instead"

Billy Joel will be the last artist to play at New York's Shea Stadium with a July 16 concert billed as "The Last Play at Shea, From the Beatles to Billy." The show comes in the midst of the New York Mets' final season at Shea; the team moves into its new home at Citi Field in 2009....The Joel show, promoted by Live Nation in association with Mitch Slater, goes on sale Feb. 16......"The Last Play at Shea," which comes the day after the Major League Baseball All-Star Game at Yankee Stadium, makes Joel the only artist to ever have played both Yankee Stadium (two nights in 1991) and Shea Stadium [Billboard]

Continue reading "Billy Joel will play the last show @ Shea Stadium"

Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, who introduced transcendental meditation to the West and gained fame in the 1960s as the spiritual guru to the Beatles, died Tuesday at his home and headquarters in Vlodrop, the Netherlands. He is believed to have been in his 90s. Steven Yellin, a spokesman for the organization, confirmed the Maharishi's death but did not give a cause....

....The visibility and popularity of the organization can largely be attributed to the Beatles. In 1968, the band, with great publicity, began studying with the Maharishi at his Himalayan retreat, or ashram, in Rishikesh, in northern India. They went with their wives, the folk singer Donovan, the singer Mike Love, of the Beach Boys, the actress Mia Farrow and Ms. Farrow's sister Prudence....

...In the last years of his life he rarely met with anyone, even his ministers, face-to-face, preferring to speak with followers almost exclusively by closed-circuit television.

Continue reading "Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, RIP"

"The Killing of John Lennon," which took a Special Jury Prize at the 2007 Tribeca Film Festival and was picked up for American distribution by IFC films, opens at the IFC Center on Wednesday. "All Chapman's words are his own," declares a preliminary title in Mr. Piddington's film. Extensive first-person narration by Mr. Bell as Chapman (the actor's prior credits are, not surprisingly, mostly confined to voice-over work) is apparently culled from Chapman's own journals. But the Beatle-killer's feature-length monologue is itself peppered with quotes from "Taxi Driver," "Apocalypse Now," and, of course, J.D. Salinger's "Catcher in the Rye." It would appear that Chapman's head was not exactly buzzing with original ideas. [NY Sun]

Continue reading "The Killing of John Lennon"

an Ahmet Ertegun Tribute....

continued below....

Continue reading "Led Zeppelin reunion concert photos & setlist"

DOWNLOAD: Karlheinz Stockhausen - Gesang Der (MP3)

German composer Karlheinz Stockhausen, one of the world's most influential 20th century composers and a pioneer of electronic music, has died aged 79.

German broadcaster WDR, with whom Stockhausen worked closely for more than two decades, said in a statement he had died on Wednesday after a short illness at his home near Cologne in western Germany.

Continue reading "Karlheinz Stockhausen, RIP"

Paul McCartney Nutcracker, Seattle, 2007 (cred)

....I feel like I made the right decision, because right after I left, EMI got sold, so obviously something was wrong. They are now in new hands and are applying themselves and they're going to bring themselves into the modern world. This is the point. They were floundering. Like a lot of these record companies, they were in the old world and they needed to enter the new world. It's not just me. Look at Radiohead's new outing. Artists are taking it into their own hands again, and it's really showing the record companies that it's time they get their act together. It's not the end of the world for EMI, they are like family to me. But the funny thing was, they understood. I'd told people I'd known for years at the label, "Hey, guys, I've gotta make this move." And some of them said quietly, off the record, "I really don't blame you, man."....... [Paul McCartney to Chicago Tribune]

Continue reading "Paul McCartney on Radiohead & labels, Help! on DVD"

Paul McCartney @ Highline Ballroom, NYC - June 13, 2007

Paul McCartney stormed the stage of a small ballroom on Wednesday and delivered a 20-song set featuring Beatles favorites and select cuts from his newly released album "Memory Almost Full."

The free show for about 700 fans at the Highline Ballroom in New York's Chelsea district was hastily arranged, with McCartney's website only announcing the gig on Tuesday. Passes were distributed through a give-away on the website and to fans who lined up on Wednesday outside the venue.

The former Beatle and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer played a dozen songs from the Beatles catalogue that included opening number "Drive My Car" and Fab Four warhorses "Hey Jude," "Lady Madonna," "Let It Be" and "Get Back." The remaining songs came from the new album and other McCartney solo projects. [Reuters]

More below....

Continue reading "Paul McCartney @ Highline Ballroom - pics & reviews"

"Paul McCartney was introduced Wednesday as the first artist signed to Starbucks Corp.'s new record label.

The former Beatle made an appearance via a video feed from London at the company's annual meeting.

The world's largest specialty coffee retailer announced earlier this month that it was partnering with Concord Music Group to launch the Los Angeles-based Hear Music label." [CNN]

Here are the top 10 "greatest pop songs since 1963, determined by experts at MTV and Rolling Stone magazine":

01 The Beatles - yesterday
02 Rolling Stones - Satisfaction
03 Nirvana - Smells Like Teen Spirit
04 Madonna - Like A Virgin
05 Michael Jackson - Billie Jean
06 the Beatles-I Want To Hold Your Hand
07 Aretha Franklin - Respect
08 U2 - With or Without You
09 the Jackson - I Want You Back
10 Backstreet boys - I Want It That Way

Here are the top 100 and you can download every single one of them (WMA Format). Backstreet Boys #10?

Ringo Starr plays Bryant Park for Good Morning America on July 17th and at Irving Plaza on July 19th.
On June 24th, Yoko Ono's Cut Piece will be performed at at the CUNY Graduate Center in NYC.

Michael Jackson's share of Beatles catalog in doubt
Liverpool's Strawberry Field, Theme of Beatles Song, Closes
Beatles fail to get in best song list
Paul McCartney Writing Children's Books
Yoko Ono slams documentary on Lennon's murderer