June, 2009

Good Ole Fashion Rock N Roll by London based Jim Jones Revue

Blur’s two upcoming shows at London’s Hyde Park are set to be released as official live bootlegs immediately after the concert’s take place.

The gigs on July 2nd and 3rd will be available to purchase online directly from the band’s web site at blur.co.uk, costing £10 for a download or £15 for a limited edition CD which also includes photographs of the gig’s.

The shows in London follow the band’s recent headlining slot at Glastonbury where they triumphed on the pyramid stage, playing a career spanning set peppered with their best known hits as well as album tracks.

The band have more live dates penned in after the Hyde Park gigs, including headlining appearances at Scotland’s T in the Park and Ireland’s Oxygen, yet have remained tight lipped over their future.

Blur recently released ‘Midlife – a beginner’s guide to Blur’, a 2 disc ‘best of’ compilation which includes ‘Popscene‘, a stand-alone single which has never featured on one of their albums until now.

Check out one of their Glastonbury highlights :

Neil Young & Paul McCartney A Day In The Life Live From Hyde Park 27th June 2009

Scottish indie duo, The Vaselines, have been confirmed to perform at the Latitude Festival’s Uncut Arena in July after having recently reformed.

Band members, Eugene Kelly and Frances McKnee, split the group in 1990 and have played only a few shows since but recently played their first London gig in over 20 years at The Forum.

Despite maintaining a cult status, the band gained recognition after the late Nirvana front man Kurt Cobian covered a selection of their tracks, including ‘Jesus Don’t Want Me For A Sunbeam‘ and ‘Molly’s Lips‘.

Other recently confirmed acts to perform at the Uncut Arena include Red Light Company, Alela Diane and Miike Snow, with The Gossip and Spiritualized still set to headline.

The Vaseline’s recently completed a six date tour of America which started in L.A and wound up with shows in the west coast area.

The Latitude festival takes place in Suffolk and still has tickets available, for more information see latitudefestival.co.uk

Kasabian have outlined details of a UK arena tour to take place in November. The ten-date tour will start on the 10th at Newcastle Metro Radio Arena and finish on the 23rd at Sheffield Arena.

Speaking to NME about the tour, guitarist Serge said “We won’t be coming out of alien pods, nothing like that going down, but I’ve read about famous Pink Floyd shows so maybe something like that. Nothing retro, modern in its thinking, but in my head at this point I want to have something that’s unique. We can make the arenas feel intimate because it’s so important the crowd are in the mix, they’re our orchestra!”

Kasabian have established themselves as one of Britain’s premier live acts, and have been recieving rave reviews while supporting Oasis on their current stadium tour and were a big hit at this year’s Glastonbury Festival. New album ‘West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum’ has continued a successful few months for the band after entering the UK album chart at no.1 and remaining there for a second week. It was knocked off the top spot on Sunday by Michael Jackson’s ‘Number Ones’ album.

Full list of dates for tour:

Newcastle Metro Radio Arena (10th)
Aberdeen AECC (11th)
Glasgow SECC (12th)
London Wembley Arena (14th)
Liverpool Echo Arena (16th)
Nottingham Trent FM Arena (18th)
Birmingham NIA (19th)
Manchester MEN (20th)
Cardiff International Arena (22nd)
Sheffield Arena (23rd)

Tickets are on sale from 9am on July 3rd.

Seattle, WA . June , 2009 — Presented by Roseta Productions, Apple Jam’s Beatles and solo years tribute will return to the Triple Door on August 7th 2009, for one show only. This two hour concert will spotlight solo Beatles material and unreleased Lennon-McCartney compositions, 45 years after the Fab Four’s first Seattle concert in 1964. This show will function as Apple Jam’s North American CD release event for “Off the Beatle Track“. “We are very excited to have Apple Jam back after selling out two prior shows in 2008″, says Scott Giampino of The Triple Door.

There will be a special guest performance by legendary drummer Alan White, of Yes, John Lennon’s “Imagine” & George Harrison’s “All Things Must Pass” landmark solo albums. Alan has generously lent his amazing drumming talents and memories to many of the previous Apple Jam shows.
Unreleased Beatles songs showcased on Apple Jam’s upcoming CD “Off the Beatle Track”

Apple Jam’s upcoming CD titled “Off the Beatle Track” showcases early Lennon/McCartney compositions released by others, but never by the Beatles while they were together. Instead, the songs were given to British contemporaries like Billy J. Kramer, Cilla Black, and Peter & Gordon. These artists in turn produced a sizable body of hits, including “Bad to Me”, “A World Without Love”, and “I’ll Be on My Way” — proving the quality and timeless nature of the Beatles songwriting and music. Interestingly, the Beatles first considered titling their debut album “Off the Beatle Track”, but later decided on “Please Please Me”.

“Off the Beatle Track” was recorded at the legendary Robert Lang Studio and produced by Jakael Tristram. To hear song samples, go to http://samples.offthebeatletrack.com. The rock veterans of Apple Jam have embodied each track with an authentic Beatles sound, as if the Liverpool lads had released these songs themselves circa 1963. “We are using the same microphones, gear, and studio techniques of the period to make the album sound just like an early Beatles record,” says Rick Lovrovich, Apple Jam’s founding member.

“Off the Beatle Track” is slated for commercial release 09-09-09. The 15 songs contained on this CD include: “I’ll Keep You Satisfied”, “I Don’t Want to See You Again”, “Like Dreamers Do”, “You Know What to Do”, “Bad to Me”, “It’s for You”, “I’m in Love”, “I’ll Be On My Way”, “Hello Little Girl”, “A World Without Love”, “Tip of My Tongue”, “From a Window”, “Nobody I Know”, “Love of the Loved”, and “One and One is Two”. Apple Jam will perform all of these songs at the Triple Door in Seattle on August 7th and the Philharmonic Hall in Liverpool on August 31st.
International Beatle Week August 2009 in Liverpool

International Beatle Week has been staged for over 20 years and is the biggest Beatle celebration in the world, attracting more than 300,000 fans every year. Apple Jam and Alan White of Yes have been invited to headline International Beatle Week 2009 in Liverpool, performing multiple shows August 28-31. Apple Jam will perform all the songs from “Off the Beatle Track” at the famous Philharmonic Hall on August 31st, functioning as their European CD release event. “These Seattle musicians are world-class and are the West Coast’s answer to The Fab Faux”, says Bill Heckle of Cavern City Tours. For more information, go to http://liverpool.applejamseattle.com and liverpooldetails.applejamseattle.com (electronic brochure).
About Apple Jam

Apple Jam has created a buzz amongst rock music fans in Seattle, masterfully recreating the authentic sound of the Beatles, pre and post breakup. Apple Jam has performed to adoring crowds at such venues as The Crocodile Café, Neumos, Snoqualmie Casino (Imagine a Cure benefit), The Bathhouse on Green Lake, and The Triple Door.

Apple Jam’s member musicians are: Rick Lovrovich (bass), Jon Bolton (drums), Mike Mattingly (guitar), Johnny Jones (keyboard) and Kurtis Dengler (guitar) – of the Beatniks, Herding Cats, the Paul Rogers Band, and Stella. For more information and songs, visit http://www.offthebeatletrack.com. Apple Jam was founded in 2005, in support of Seattle Public Theater’s 2006 world premiere of “(Just Like) Starting Over” http://www.justlikestartingover.com, a stage play based on John Lennon’s final interview. The play is now under consideration for a new staging.
Synopsis

Presented by Roseta Productions, Apple Jam’s Beatles and solo years tribute will take place at the Triple Door on Friday, August 7th, with special guest Alan White of Yes. This concert will spotlight Beatles solo years material, and unreleased Lennon-McCartney compositions from Apple Jam’s new CD “Off the Beatle Track”, 45 years after the Fab Four’s first Seattle concert in 1964. The show is all ages and will begin at 8pm. Doors open at 6pm. Tickets are available for purchase at (206) 838-4333, http://tickets.applejamseattle.com or at the Triple Door box office. Ticket prices are $29 in advance and $34 at the door. Later in August, Apple Jam and Alan White of Yes will headline International Beatle Week 2009 in Liverpool, performing multiple shows August 28-31.
Event information

What: Presented by Roseta Productions, Apple Jam’s upcoming Beatles and solo years tribute show at the Triple Door to spotlight solo Beatles material and unreleased Lennon-McCartney compositions, 45 years after the Beatles 1964 Seattle concert. Special guest Alan White of Yes will perform with the band.

When: 8pm Friday, August 7th 2009. Doors 6pm

Where: The Triple Door, 216 Union Street, Seattle, Washington 98101.
(206) 838-4333. http://www.thetripledoor.net

Admission: Tickets are available at the Triple Door, (206) 838-4333, or tickets.applejamseattle.com. Ticket prices are $29 in advance and $34 at the door. All ages

(photo:WENN)

The final day of this year’s festival was kicked off on the Pyramid Stage by reggae group Easy Star All-Stars, followed by veteran rockers Status Quo.

The traditional vintage slot for Sunday afternoon, previously filled by artists such as Shirley Bassey and Neil Diamond, went to crooners Tony Christie and Tom Jones. Later, Madness recieved a great response from a sizeable crowd, playing a set full of classics such as ‘Our House‘ and ‘Baggy Trousers‘.

Top of the bill was reformed band Blur, who delivered the goods with a greatest hits set that included ‘Beetlebum‘ and ‘Country House‘. 1999 hit ‘Tender‘ sparked one of the biggest sing-a-longs of the weekend. Actor Phil Daniels guested for the band’s seminal Britpop anthem ‘Parklife‘.

The Other Stage saw Art Brut singer Eddie Argos using the band’s set to have a pop at Kings Of Leon and The Killers. After singing “This sex is on fire” and “Are we human or are we dancer?” during ‘Slap Dash‘, Argos said “What does it mean? What does any of it fucking mean? It doesn’t mean a fucking thing!”

Yeah Yeah Yeahs dedicated ‘Maps‘ to Michael Jackson and released a massive inflatable eyeball into the crowd during ‘Zero’.

Headliners Prodigy ripped through a wide-ranging set, which included a ferocious rendition of ‘Firestarter‘.

Organiser Michael Eavis has described this year’s event as the best they’ve ever staged, telling reporters: “I seriously don’t think that we can ever do it better than we have this year.” Preparations are already underway for next year, which will be the festival’s 40th anniversary, with Eavis revealing he has “three or four superstars” readied for 2010.

One Night In October by Little Comets, released on Lucky Number label.

24/06/09

When Blur announced that they were to play the modestly sized Wolverhampton Civic Hall, few who had followed the band were surprised.

The Midlands have long been a favourite hotspot of the band, with Damon Albarn announcing mid-gig that they had made a point of playing the Civic as they, ‘put simply, always play Wolverhampton’. So, beginning with ‘She’s So High’ the band tore through a mammoth set pulling out all the stops with the gig exuding high energy from start to finish. Albarn held the crowd in his palm throughout, even throwing himself into the pit at the front a few times; suddenly it was 1995 all over again.

Yet, though the band played no new material this gig was not an indulgence in the past. Indeed, what really shone through was the way the songs appear to have not dated a jot, showing the strength of the band’s material. The group appeared in high spirits throughout and the relationship between Albarn and Coxon really was a treat to behold, with Coxon attempting a backwards roll at one moment and Albarn hyping himself up with the strident urgency of a fighter about to enter the ring. In all aspects the gig was a truly a knockout, with the fans present receiving the band as returning heroes and in the knowledge that they were privy to a unique view of a group on the top of their game.

Luke Baylis.

Singer VV Brown got Saturday underway on the Pyramid Stage, playing her second show of the festival after appearing on the John Peel Stage on Friday. ‘Fictional’ rock band Spinal Tap played a crowd pleasing set in the afternoon. During ‘Stonehenge’ an inflatable model of Stonehenge was brought on to the stage, echoing the famous scene from the movie ‘This Is Spinal Tap’. Former Pulp frontman Jarvis Cocker and jazz musician Jamie Cullam joined the band on stage. As ever, Kasabian stormed through their set, with ‘Fire’ making a strong case for song of the weekend. Nothing could over-shadow headliner Bruce Springsteen however, who played to the biggest crowd of the weekend so far and was on stage for well over two and a half hours. The Boss had earlier guested on the John Peel Stage with fellow New Jerseyans ‘The Gaslight Anthem‘.

The Other Stage saw Peter Doherty play a career-spanning set, with Libertines classics such as ‘Don’t Look Back Into The Sun’ and ‘Time For Heroes’ getting the biggest response. Maximo Park put on a set with hits including ‘Our Velocity‘ and ‘Going Missing’ and Paolo Nutini performed songs from acclaimed new record ‘Sunny Side Up‘. Alex Kapranos, lead singer of headliners Franz Ferdinand, told the crowd Glastonbury was a “beautiful place to be”.

Blur will bring the curtain down on this year’s festival tomorrow when they headline the Pyramid Stage.