BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN STILL MEASURING THE AMERICAN DREAM ON RECORD
Bruce Springsteen met the press in Paris on Friday (February 17th) to talk about his upcoming album, Wrecking Ball, set for release on March 6th. The album, which features an almost hip hop Celtic flavor, doesn't shy away from social issues across the album's songs. Springsteen said about the tone of the new material, "You can never go wrong in rock n' roll when you're pissed off! My work has always been about judging the distance between American reality and the 'American dream' (and) how far (apart they are) at any given moment."
Springsteen explained where his music fits in the national conversation: "There is a feeling of patriotism underneath. . . in my best music, but at the same time, it's a very critical, questioning, often angry sort of patriotism. That's not something that I'm prepared to give up for fear that someone might simplify what I'm saying. . . My work has always been about judging the distance between American reality and the American dream. How far is that at any given moment?"
He spoke about becoming a public figure in national politics during the 2004 election, explaining, "I never campaigned for politicians previous to John Kerry and at that moment it was such a blatant disaster occurring at the top of government, you felt that if you had any cachet whatsoever, you had to cash it in because you couldn't sit around and watch it. . . I'm not a professional campaigner and every four years I don't think that I'm going to go and pick a guy and go after him. I prefer to stay on the sidelines. I genuinely believe an artist (is) supposed to be the canary in the coal mine, and you're better off with a certain distance from the seat of power."
"The Boss" went on to say that although he still supports President Obama, he probably won't be campaigning for him this year, but joked: "Obama can sing! He's better than me!"
He spoke of the loss of co-foundering E Street Band member Clarence Clemons, who died earlier this year: "Losing Clarence was like losing something elemental, the air or the rain. There's just something missing. We were lucky to get him on 'Land Of Hope And Dreams.' When the sax solo comes up, its a lovely moment for me."
Springsteen explained that rather than being overt about how songs could be construed as right wing anthems -- as "Born In The U.S.A." was in 1984, he prefers to let the song run its course naturally over the years: ["I realized at the time, that that was okay. Because what you do if somebody doesn't understand your song is, you keep singing your song. And you'll sing it again down the road, and somebody who didn't understand it before, they're gonna understand it then."] SOUNDCUE (:12 OC: . . . understand it then)
THE ROLLING STONES MOVING TOWARDS UPCOMING ROAD TREK
Ron Wood is hinting that the Rolling Stones are slowly gearing up for their rumored 50th anniversary tour. Wood spoke to Radio Times and was asked about the prospect of the band regrouping this year for some live work, to which the Stones guitarist responded, "'Be lovely, wouldn't it? That's what we're on the verge of. I dunno what the hell is gonna happen yet but we all feel we owe it to ourselves and to the people to do something. Well, they're still in the talking mode. And I don't know, each week brings a new development. Basically, get the boys feeling comfortable with each other, 'cause we're all ready to go individually. It's just a matter of tying up loose ends and coming together as a unit."
Wood feels that he was actually born a Rolling Stone, and it simply took until 1975 for him to actually become part of the group: ["I was born with those songs in my mouth, anyway. Y'know, you can name any song of their. . . And I was with it, y'know, I didn't have to learn it. When I joined the band back in, '74, or whenever and I had to learn 160 songs, or something -- that was my initiation down in Woodstock -- I ended up teaching them to the band! I mean, I knew the songs. I'd never played them before, but I just knew them."] SOUNDCUE (:26 OC: . . . just knew them)
SIDE NOTES
There are rumors swirling that former Stones members Bill Wyman and Mick Taylor, who left the band in 1991 and 1974, respectively, would rejoin the group for the 50th anniversary tour.
Keith Richards continues to work on his first solo album in 20 years in Manhattan.
2011 saw the release of the first new Rolling Stones track in six years, a cover of Bob Dylan's 1971 classic "Watching The River Flow." The song is featured on the tribute album, Boogie 4 Stu, in commemoration of late-Stones keyboardist Ian Stewart, and features Mick Jagger on vocals and harmonica, Keith Richards on guitar, Charlie Watts on drums, Ron Wood on guitar, and Bill Wyman on bass.
Although all musicians recorded their respective tracks at different times and locations, this song marks the first time Wyman has recorded with his former bandmates since 1990.
The Stones last performed on October 6th, 2006 when they wrapped their massive A Bigger Bang Tour in Regina, Saskatchewan's Mosaic Stadium at Taylor Field.
BOB SEGER, JIM STEINMAN, AND GORDON LIGHTFOOT SET FOR SONGWRITERS HALL OF FAME
Bob Seger, Gordon Lightfoot, Meat Loaf composer Jim Steinman, country music's Don Schlitz, and Broadway's Harvey Schmidt and Tom Jones will all be inducted into the Songwriter's Hall Of Fame on June 14th at New York City's Marriott Marquis. The six beat out the shortlisted competition, which included such heavyweights as Pete Townshend, Elvis Costello, Steve Miller, Dion, Yusuf Islam (a.k.a. Cat Stevens), Tom Waits, Blondie's Debbie Harry and Chris Stein, The Eurythimics' Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart, and George Michael.
Songwriter Hall of Fame chairman -- and legendary songwriter in his own right -- Jimmy Webb said of the 2012 inductees: "Each of our 2012 inductees has created a unique range of extraordinary contributions, a body of work that has resonated with audiences around the world, and greatly enriched our global culture. We are looking forward to celebrating their craft and careers at our Annual Awards Gala."
Bob Seger has always been rated among the most honest and real lyricists of all his peers. Seger explained to us that like writing music; the words need to come from an organic place for him: ["I don't consider myself a poetic writer, as such. I think I'm more conversational, more narrative -- and If I do hit a good image, its luck."] SOUNDCUE (:09 OC: . . . image its luck)
Despite some well-received work of the years, Meat Loaf will always be best remembered for his 1977 blockbuster, Bat Out Of Hell, which was entirely written and composed by Jim Steinman. He told us that the album has grown beyond a successful '70s album into a full-blown cultural phenomenon: ["It's no longer about me. It belongs to you, and you create your own stories, and you create your own place in time for that record. Everything is geared so that when you hear it, you're funneled right into that speaker, and it becomes a visual of your life as opposed to a visual of my life."] SOUNDCUE (:14 OC: . . . of my life)
CHICKENFOOT ANNOUNCES TOUR DATES
Chickenfoot has announced the details of its Different Devil Tour, which will kick off on May 4th in Lake Tahoe, Nevada and close out on June 10th in Los Angeles. The band is hitting the road in support of its fall 2011 sophomore release, Chickenfoot III. For this run the group is again partnering with Feeding America, the nation's leading domestic hunger-relief charity, to make donations to a food bank in each city on the tour and encourage fans to do the same.
Confirmed Chickenfoot tour dates are (subject to change):
May 4 - Lake Tahoe, NV - Harrah's Hotel & Casino
May 5 - Lake Tahoe, NV - Harrah's Hotel & Casino
May 9 - Denver, CO - The Fillmore Auditorium
May 11 - Minneapolis, MN - The Brick
May 12 - Chicago, IL - Chicago Theater
May 14 - Detroit, MI - The Fillmore
May 16 - Boston, MA - Orpheum Theater
May 18 - Atlantic City, NJ - House Of Blues
May 19 - Uncasville, CT - Mohegan Sun
May 21 - New York, NY - Beacon Theater
May 23 - St. Louis, MO - Fox Theater
May 25 - Thackerville, OK - Winstar Casino
May 27 - Pryor, OK - Catch the Fever Festival Grounds (Rocklahoma)
May 29 - Houston, TX - Bayou Music Center
May 31 - Tucson, AZ - Anselmo Valencia Amphitheater
June 1 - Las Vegas, NV - The Joint
June 3 - Portland, OR - Schnitzer Hall
June 5 - Vancouver, BC - Queen Elizabeth Theater
June 6 - Seattle, WA - WaMu Theater
June 10 - Los Angeles, CA - Greek Theater
HEART ON THE ROAD, PREPPING BIOGRAPHY, AND BOX SET
2012 is proving to be yet another ambitious year for Heart. Gibson.com posted that the sisters, Ann and Nancy Wilson, are currently working on a band biography, a career-spanning box set, and a string of live dates. Unfortunately getting inducted into the Rock Hall will have to wait for another year. Despite making the shortlist for the 2012 class along with Joan Jett & The Blackhearts, Donna Summer, and others, the Wilson sisters just missed the final cut.
On March 15th, the Wilsons will appear at Austin's South By Southwest Music and Media Conference and Festival as featured speakers at the Austin Convention Center.
Nancy Wilson told us that Heart has been caught in a strange place throughout the years, with management and record labels pushing the band to not develop as artists: ["They tell you not to reinvent yourself. They tell you that your fans have an identity that they know, that is familiar to them, that they don't want to change. It's interesting. But in our case, I mean, we've been able to change a lot, but we've had to fight to be able to change a lot (laugh)."] SOUNDCUE (:15 OC: . . . change a lot (laugh))
Heart tour dates (subject to change):
February 25 - Anaheim, CA - Honda Center
March 10 - Newkirk, OK - First Council Casino
March 11, 12 - Houston, TX - House Of Blues
March 16 - New Orleans, LA - House Of Blues
March 17 - Thackerville, OK - Winstar World Casino
June 29 - Saint Paul, MN - Myth
July 6 - Hammond, IN - The Venue At Horseshoe Casino
July 20 - New Lenox, IL - New Lennox Commons
July 21 - Walker, MN - Moondance Jam at Moondance Events
July 26 - Pittsburgh, PA - Stage AE
July 27 - Columbus, OH - Lifestyle Communities Pavilion
September 10 - Puyallup, WA - Puyallup Fair at Western Washington Fairgrounds
SIDE NOTES
Out now is the Heart's latest concert DVD, Heart Live, filmed back in 2008. The 23-track show features a smattering of Ann and Nancy Wilson's greatest '70s and '80s hits, including "Magic Man," "Crazy On You," "Barracuda," "These Dreams," and "Alone." The band also tackles spot-on covers of Led Zeppelin's "Black Dog," "Misty Mountain Hop" and "The Battle Of Evermore," along with Elton John's "Love Song."
The tracklisting to Heart Live is: "Bebe Le Strange," "Fallen Ones," "Make Me," "Even It Up," "Dog And Butterfly," "Alone," "Things," "Love Alive," "Enough," "Barracuda," "Black Dog," "Misty Mountain Hop," "Sand," "Kick It Out," "Straight On," "Oldest Story In The World," "Perfect Goodbye," "These Dreams," "The Battle Of Evermore," "Love Song," "Lost Angel," "Magic Man," and "Crazy On You."
FAST FACTS
Heart's latest album, 2010's Red Velvet Car, peaked at Number 10 on the Billboard 200 -- marking the band's highest charting collection since 1990's Brigade peaked at Number Three.
The band's last album, 1994's Jupiter's Darling, stalled at a disappointing Number 94 on the Billboard 200.
SLASH CONFIRMS THAT ALL ORIGINAL GUNS MEMBERS WILL BE AT HALL OF FAME
Former Guns N' Roses guitarist Slash confirmed what keyboardist Dizzy Reed recently told Billboard -- that the entire original band will be on hand for its induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in two months -- but denied rumors that they will be getting back together for a performance at the April 14th event in Cleveland.
Slash told Washington radio station DC101, "I know that there's a lot of rumor about it, as always when it comes to G N' R, out there on the Internet and stuff, but as it stands right this second, I have no idea what's going on."
Slash told us that no matter what else happens that night, being inducted is the best part about it: ["I couldn't go as far as saying one way or another how I would fit into it, but it's definitely something that I feel honored to be called in for, you know."] SOUNDCUE (:10 OC: . . . for, you know.)
The guitarist had issued an angry denial late last year when a Hall representative jumped the gun and said that the entire original band had RSVPed for the event. Slash said at the time that he had not yet indicated whether he was going or not.
Reed, who still plays in the current lineup of Guns, revealed to Billboard last week that all five original members will now be present when the group is inducted. He added, "I don't know exactly what's going to go down. It's one of those things I'm sure will all come together and be really cool."
Slash, singer Axl Rose, guitarist Izzy Stradlin, bassist Duff McKagan and drummer Steven Adler will all be inducted, along with later members Reed, drummer Matt Sorum and guitarist Gilby Clarke.
Slash, McKagan, Sorum and Adler have all express uncertainty about the possibility of a reunion at the ceremony.
METALLICA DRUMMER SAYS MAKING 3D MOVIE IS 'EASIER SAID THAN DONE'
When Metallica recently confirmed reports that it was working on a 3D movie, the band was vague about what exactly the project would entail or when it come out. We asked drummer Lars Ulrich for more info and he told us that film production is new territory for the group which they're taking very slowly: ["It's been an idea that's been kind of circling in everybody's heads for about the last two years. Getting your own 3D movie off the ground is easier said than done, but we're doing our best and we have a window for that later in the year that we're hoping to still make happen. We just want to make sure that we don't throw ourselves out into something that gets so completely overwhelming that the whole thing just blows up in our face."] SOUNDCUE (:23 OC: . . . in our face.)
Ulrich added that the band hopes to get the movie onto screens in late 2013.
Entertainment industry website Deadline first broke the news in October that Metallica was looking to self-finance its own 3D feature film, and had hired Hollywood producer Charlotte Huggins to develop the project for them.
Ulrich did hint to Rolling Stone a few months back what the film might be like, saying, "Imagine if you took (Led Zeppelin's (concert film) The Song Remains The Same, which is 75 percent concert, 25 percent other stuff, and flipped it around. And all the non-concert footage, instead of being about the band members, is a story that unfolds, set against the backdrop of the concert."
Metallica's next major project is its Orion Music + More festival, a band-curated two-day event which will take place in late June in Atlantic City and feature over 20 bands as well as lifestyle attractions and other entertainment.
GREEN DAY POSTS MORE BEHIND-THE-SCENES FOOTAGE ONLINE
Green Day has posted two more clips online of behind-the-scenes footage taken from the band's current recording sessions, according to HenneMusic. The punk trio hit the studio last week on Valentine's Day (February 14th) to begin work on their ninth album, uploading a video clip that day. The two new ones feature the band members working in the studio as well as riding motorcycles, relaxing and hanging out.
The new album will follow up 2009's 21st Century Breakdown, a concept record which itself followed the group's massively successful 2004 "punk opera," American Idiot.
21st Century Breakdown was a sales disappointment next to its predecessor, which sold more than six million copies, spawned a hit Broadway musical and is being developed as a movie.
The band tested out a number of new songs late last year with a series of surprise club shows. The new disc is said to be just a collection of songs, without a storyline to tie them together this time.
REPORT: WHITNEY HOUSTON HAD VALIUM, XANAX AND ALCOHOL IN HER SYSTEM BEFORE SHE DIED
Reports say that Whitney Houston had a mixture of Valium, Xanax and alcohol in her system when she died at the Beverly Hilton on February 11th. According to RadarOnline.com, a source said, "The coroner is waiting on final toxicology results to determine which one of the three was the major contributing factor of her demise. The coroner will be closely examining Whitney's blood alcohol content at the time she died as well. The sedatives and alcohol will almost certainly be the cause of death, and not drowning."
The source continued, "Her heart stopped beating because her respiratory system was suppressed because of the anti-anxiety meds, and combined with the booze it probably happened very quickly before she was found partially submerged in the bathtub."
The final toxicology results for Houston should be released in the next several weeks.
REPORT: WHITNEY HOUSTON WAS WORKING ON BIOPIC BEFORE HER DEATH
In other Whitney news, according to E! News, the pop icon was beginning talks about developing her biopic shortly before her death. Actress Meagan Good -- who previously said that her dream role was to play Whitney, said that she and the pop icon were in talks.
She explained, "We were fairly in the beginning stages. We were supposed to meet today actually. My feeling is because she has the film Sparkle coming out and she's brilliant in it and she looks beautiful and healthy, my feeling was that's how we should end the movie - as a new beginning for her."
Meagan said it is too soon after Whitney's death to think about the future of the film. She added that she would never attempt to do her own singing.
IS BOBBY BROWN TO RELEASE TELL-ALL BOOK?
Is Bobby Brown planning to release a tell-all book about his life with ex-wife Whitney. According to E! Online, a major publisher said, "Back in 2008, the interest in a book on Whitney Houston wasn't that great. Whitney had fallen off the radar back then ... but now, following her tragic death, the market has changed. Now is the time for a book that details an honest look into the life of Whitney."
The only things that are standing in the way of the book is a confidentiality agreement he signed when they divorce and plus the impact that the tell-all would have on his daughter Bobbi Kristina.
Friends of Whitney say, "This is a man who left his ex-wife's funeral because he didn't like his seats and went to a paying gig that night. He didn't get on stage that night because he needed to sing his greatest hits or because Whitney would have wanted him to entertain his fans, he did it to get a paycheck -- the same reason he now wants to write a tell-all book."
