Wednesday, April 30, 2014

Keith Richards in Playing for Change's 'Words of Wonder/Get Up Stand Up' video...


NME provided the world exclusive premiere of the “Words of Wonder / Get Up Stand Upmusic video featuring Keith Richards, Keb’ Mo’, Mermans Mosengo (PFC Band), Sherieta Lewis from Kingston, Jamaica and Natalie of Blue King Brown (Australia). Watch it here.
Fans around the world can experience the global movement when Playing For Change releases their third CD / DVD set, Playing For Change 3 “Songs Around The World,” on June 17th, 2014. The CD/DVD will be available both digitally and physically at all major retailers and via Starbucks in North America, and includes performances from Andres Calamaro, Keith Richards, Keb Mo, Los Lobos, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Sara Bareilles, Taj Mahal, Toots Hibbert from Toots & The Maytals, in addition to a song produced by Jackson Browne.
You can pre-order the record now via PlayingForChange.com and receive a free download of “Words of Wonder / Get Up Stand Up” and “Clandestino” featuring Manu Chao.
Since the organization formed in 2005, Playing For Change has formed the PFC Band who has toured throughout 4 continents for over 150 performances as well as the PFC Foundation and their annual global day of music and action: Playing For Change Day. Through these various initiatives, the foundation has served over 700 children in nine music schools and programs in countries including South Africa, Ghana, Mali, Rwanda, Nepal and Thailand.
For more information on Playing For Change, visit http://www.playingforchange.com/
Playing For Change 3 “Songs Around The World” Track listing
1. La Bamba (feat. Los Lobos and Andres Calamaro)
2. Words Of Wonder (feat. Keith Richards, Titi Tsira (PFC Band), Roberto Luti (PFC Band), and Aztec Indians)
3. Get Up Stand Up (feat. Keith Richards, Keb’ Mo’, Mermans Mosengo (PFC Band), Sherieta Lewis from Kingston, Jamaica and Natalie of Blue King Brown (Australia))
4. Reggae Got Soul: (feat. Toots Hibbert (Toots and the Maytals), Taj Mahal and Ernest Ranglin)
5. Down By The Riverside: (feat. New Orleans street performing Legend Grandpa Elliott (PFC Band / Stand By Me Video), Keb’ Mo’, and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band)
6. A Better Place – (feat. the PFC Band and Glen David Andrews)
7. What’s Going On – (feat. Sara Bareilles, Clarence Bekker (PFC Band) and Titi Tsira (PFC Band))
8. Guantanamera – (feat. Carlos Varella and Manuel Galban)
Richards has been involved in numerous charitable causes over the years. Some examples include his participation as a solo artist in numerous charity concerts such as Live Aid and Artists United Against Apartheid, which both took place in 1985. In 2008, Richards posed for a Louis Vuitton ad and reportedly donated his fee to the Climate Project, an environmental charity. In 2011, he raised money for victims of the tragic earthquake/tsunami in Japan by designing a T-shirt that was auctioned for charity. Richards has also done many other charitable actions that have not necessarily been publicized.BY:Carla Hay

Friday, April 25, 2014

Bill Wyman’s Rhythm Kings’ summer festival of music...


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Bill Wyman’s Rhythm Kings are set to appear at a number of festivals across the UK during June and July, bringing their music and energy to festival crowds in Yorkshire and Edinburgh.

Bill will be heading to the North of England, and then to Scotland to perform with the Rhythm Kings at Yorkshire’s Grassington Festival on June 25, then on to Edinburgh for the Jazz & Blues Festival on July 27.

Grassington Festival

In the heart of the Yorkshire Dales, Grassington Festival has surprised and delighted audiences with events from all over the world for 34 years. This year will be no exception with two weeks of mayhem and magic with the added bonus of being part of Yorkshire Festival 2014, a festival of 100 days across the region prior to The Grand Départ. This is a huge honour for the Festival and as part of this wonderful event it is collaborating with stellar artists creating exciting innovative work.
Bill Wyman’s Rhythm Kings will be appearing on June 25 at the Festival Marquee, Hebden Road – tickets are from £22.
Grassington has programmed music from classical to pop and all in between plus theatre, visual arts, film, workshops and speakers for all audiences, from the very young to the very old. There are free events at the weekends for all the family and a number of offers on tickets.
Tickets and booking information is available at: www.grassington-festival.org.uk/events/bill-wymans-rhythm-kings/

Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival

Edinburgh Jazz Festival was set up in 1978 by banjo-player and guitarist, Mike Hart. Mike’s initial focus was on traditional jazz and a host of events taking place for free admission in pubs. By the mid-80′s the Festival had added ticketed events, and had broadened its musical policy to encompass swing and mainstream jazz and occasionally some more modern groups.
From the Festival’s commencement the artistic policy has been to concentrate on musical excellence (rather than the “star system”) and to champion spontaneous creativity: music making on the spot in Edinburgh. These virtues have been developed in the 21st Century with the production of a wide range of new music, the establishment of the Edinburgh Jazz Festival Orchestra, and an on-going commitment to supporting Scottish musicians to realise creative ideas, and to link with international musicians. Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival has also grown its world outlook, presenting high quality musicians from all over the world.
Bill Wyman’s Rhythm Kings will be performing on July 27 at the Festival Theatre, with tickets from £32.50. Bill Wyman’s Rhythm Kings will be joined by by the original Average White Band singer and guitarist, Hamish Stuart, featured for many years with Paul McCartney.
Tickets and booking information is available at: www.edtheatres.com/billwyman

Rolling Stones' 'Live 1965' may just beat 'Ya-Ya's' as their best live album...




'Live 1965: Music From 'Charlie Is My Darling' (Live From England/1965)” may be the best live music the Rolling Stones have ever put out. And that includes “Get Your Ya-Ya's Out,” which was an album we've listened to hundred of times.
But “Live 1965,” recorded in Ireland as was the movie, is dynamite Stones. For one, it's in stereo. And it's actually live, which “Got Live If You Want It” wasn't, since parts had audience overdubs.
But the set is amazing. The songs include a short version of “Everybody Needs Somebody to Love,” then “Pain in My Heart,” Down the Road Apiece,” “Time Is On My Side,” “I'm Alright,” “Off the Hook,” “Little Red Rooster,” “Route 66, “I'm Moving On,” “The Last Time” and the finale, a full version of “Everybody Needs Somebody.” The screams are loud and intense and so are the Stones.
The disc was included on CD in the expensive deluxe box set version of “Charlie Is My Darling,” the 1965 Stones film that was reissued last Christmas on DVD. The digital version is available for download on Amazon and iTunes. It's well worth getting to experience the Stones as they really were live. And you don't have to pay the big bucks for the deluxe set to get it.       BY :Steve Marinucci

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Lisa Fischer goes from backup singer to soloist...



Lisa Fischer, one of the subjects of Oscar-winning Twenty Feet From Stardom, joins a lineup of jazz musicians at an April 22 Toronto concert.


Backup singer Lisa Fischer has had a long and illustrious career touring with many of the world’s rock ’n’ roll greats, including the Rolling Stones, Sting and Tina Turner.
The 2014 Oscar-winning documentary Twenty Feet from Stardom revealed the towering talents of the often unknown women who are session singers and touring troupe members, in the shadows of the rich and famous.
As Fischer, one of the main subjects of the film, starts to get the personal fame she deserves, she is expanding her solo career. In a recent interview with the Star following the cancellation of the Stones’ Australian tour, Fischer, 55, talked about her upcoming appearance April 22 at Toronto’s Koerner Hall as part of Jazz FM’s 10th anniversary “Jazz Lives” gala.
“I will rock,” pledges the 25-year touring veteran, adding that she plans to sing ballads and songs from the heart too.
“I like ballads; they give me a chance to interpret,” she says. “It is so good to be able to pick and choose.”
The excitement about doing a performance that is all about her own choices and talents “makes me feel like a 2-year-old. I enjoy getting to the heart of things.”
She won’t be giving up her backup gig, however. Fischer is slated to travel to Norway with the Stones on the next leg of their tour. (The Australian/New Zealand trip was cancelled due to the death of designer L’Wren Scott, Mick Jagger’s girlfriend.)
“I’m going to look at the schedule and in between working with the Stones, I’m just going to venture out — just sing for the pure joy of it,” she promises.
She appears in concert in New York City and Cape Cod before coming to Toronto and has numerous events scheduled in New York state before heading back on the road with the band on June 7. She has recently been sporting a short hairdo, which she says is more “authentic” than the wigs and costumes she wears when performing with rock bands.
Fischer tried a solo venture once before when she won a Grammy Award for Best R&B Vocal Performance in 1992 for “How Can I Ease the Pain,” from her only solo albumSo Intense.
She had already been touring with the Stones and, before that, Luther Vandross when she made the album. Although another record was scheduled, the plans just stalled.
“The timing for me was odd and stressful and difficult and confusing,” says Fischer, adding running one’s own show is a lot different from singing someone else’s setlist.
Though even as a backup singer, she’s far from a wallflower.
When the Rolling Stones perform “Gimme Shelter” on tour, she is the foil for Jagger, belting out the arresting line “rape, murder, it’s just a shot away!” And during Turner’s 2008 tour, the two women sang “I Know It’s Only Rock ’N’ Roll” as a duet.
“I was so happy that she suggested we do that,” says Fischer, adding that many stars have happily put their backup singers at the front of the stage.
“For people like Tina, Sting, Luther Vandross, Mick Jagger — they are so confident in what they are doing” that they just want to make the show the best it can be, she says.
The best thing about being with a group is “it feels like family. You have to be open and listen a lot. We can see when someone is out of tune.”
Commenting on the lack of competition among the women in the movie — for example, Merry Clayton sang on the record Gimme Shelter but Fischer sings it on tour — she says, “We live in a community of support.”
A recent tour with Chris Botti “was a game-changer for me,” she says, because it expanded her repertoire into quieter, more personal music.
So, she’s venturing out on that path at Koerner Hall in a program that includes vibraphonist Gary Burton and guitarist Earl Klugh, both Grammy winners, plus Havana’s Harold López-Nussa Duo and others. At press time a few tickets were remaining, at 416-408-0208 or rcmusic.ca.

Tuesday, April 8, 2014

Andrew Loog Oldham boycotts his Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction...



By Carla Hay
Andrew Loog Oldham, who is best known for being the Rolling Stones' manager from 1963 to 1967, is getting inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in a ceremony that will take place on April 10, 2014, at Barclays Center in New York City's Brooklyn borough. But Oldham say that he's boycotting the ceremony because he feels disrespected by how his induction is being handled. In an emailed statement published by the Los Angeles Times on April 7, 2014, Oldham explained why he's snubbing the ceremony.
In 2014, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ceremony is once again open to the public through ticket sales. HBO will premiere an edited version of the show on May 31, 2014.
The other Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees in 2014 are Kiss, Nirvana, Cat Stevens, Daryl Hall and John Oates, Linda Ronstadt, Peter Gabriel, the E Street Band and Brian Epstein, who was the Beatles' manager until his death in 1967.
Oldham and the late Epstein are getting the Ahmet Ertegun Award (for non-performers), while the E Street Band (Bruce Springsteen's band) will be given the Award for Musical Excellence (formerly known as the Sidemen category). The other inductees are part of the Performers category.
Peter Asher, a music producer and personal manager, will give the speech to induct Oldham and Epstein. Asher has a stronger connection to the Beatles than he does to the Rolling Stones, since he used to be part of the 1960s pop duo Peter & Gordon, which had a few hits written by Beatles members Paul McCartney and John Lennon. Asher later became the head of A&R of the Beatles' Apple Records in the company's early years. McCartney also used to date Peter Asher's sister Jane for a few years in the 1960s.
Here is Oldham's statement to the Los Angeles Times about why he's boycotting his induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame:
“I do feel, as much as I was initially [pleased] to be inducted, that with what the HoF/HBO has become that any manager/producer inducted, if he is not allowed to have pertinent music related to his career played — as both Quincy Jones and Lou Adler had last year — then he is reduced to appearing like those accountants who appear at the Oscars, Grammys, or Tonys to assure us that nothing was rigged. Both Brian and I did dreams — the acts did the business.
“Whether Peter Asher is appropriate or not to induct me is beside the point. I found it uninvitational to be told by a HoF lady worker that Peter would be inducting BOTH myself and Brian Epstein. I know from my inter-reactions with previous inductees that ... there has always been some spirit of discussion as to securing an appropriate, connected party to handle such a personal moment.
"[My] concern [was] that, whilst without Brian Epstein securing a recording contract for the Beatles none of us would be having this conversation, by having both Brian (whom I worked for doing PR for the Beatles until I met the Rolling Stones) and myself squeezed into one ‘British Invasion managers class of '64’ segment, that would seem to be failing to address the reason we are being inducted: our artists.
“I think the honor is in the work and … so with all these factors….. no input, no discussion, just an attitude of ‘show up, smile, read your speech and enjoy the evening,’ … I decided it was not for me and at the beginning of last month I wrote the HoF that I would not be attending.
“I did not go into detail, I just said ‘due to circumstances...’ . They just wrote back and asked for an address to send the trophy. It is a long way from the Waldorf-Astoria [hotel in New York, where the induction ceremonies began in 1986] and I do understand that the HoF has to dance to a new beat to survive but it's hardly rock 'n’ roll. Who knows? Maybe they also forgot to tell me that Susan Boyle is flying in to sing ‘Wild Horses.'"
Oldham is credited with creating the PR image that the Rolling Stones had in the 1960s of being the "anti-Beatles" and for coining the phrase "Would you let your daughter marry a Rolling Stone?" The idea was to present the Rolling Stones as the more rebellious, "cooler" alternative to the Beatles, who had an image that was more obedient and clean-cut.
In reality, the Rolling Stones and the Beatles were friendly rivals, with members of both groups sometimes working together. And as many tell-all books and articles have revealed, the Beatles behind the scenes were not as "squeaky clean" as their image.
Oldham, who produced many of the Rolling Stones' early recordings, was fired by the band over musical differences and conflicts over the Rolling Stones' career plans. The Rolling Stones then hired Allen Klein as their manager, and they would later battle with Klein for years over legal and financial issues. Klein's ABKCO company owns most of the copyrights of Rolling Stones songs from 1960s and early 1970s. Klein (who died in 2009) replaced Epstein as the Beatles' manager until the Beatles broke up in 1970. The Beatles would also battle with Klein over legal and financial issues.
Oldham has written several books, including memoirs about his time with the Rolling Stones and other experiences he's had in the music business.
In 2014, he won a Grammy Award for Best Historical Album for being a producer of the Rolling Stones box set "Charlie Is My Darling - Ireland 1965," the soundtrack to the documentary film of the same title. Oldham is also a producer of the movie.
In 2012, Oldham did numerous promotions for "Charlie Is My Darling - Ireland 1965," including attending the movie's premiere at the New York Film Festival and doing a Q&A conducted by Dave Grohl on DirecTV's Audience Network "Something to Talk About" series.
"The Charlie Is My Darling" soundtrack, DVD, Blu-ray and deluxe box set were released by ABKCO on Nov. 6, 2012.
In an October 2012 Q&A in New York City following a screening of "Charlie Is My Darling - Ireland 1965," Oldham said that if he were still the manager of the Rolling Stones, he would have advise them to have an on-stage hologram of the late Brian Jones (who died in 1969) as part of the Rolling Stones' 50th anniversary tour. Oldham also said that former Rolling Stones bassist Bill Wyman and former Rolling Stones guitarist Mick Taylor should be part of the tour.
Oldham said, "My advice? Try and get Bill Wyman to join you. Get a hologram ... so you can zoom Brian [Jones] in there. Mick Taylor can probably get there himself. Brian, for sure [on the tour]. Right?
"And then go to America, play one album, get comfortable, do the show ... play the cities, do an album for a week. It would be a bit of history, as opposed to, oh you know, 'Here we are. You're in walkers; we're not yet.' I think it could be 'nail it to the floor of America.' Bill and Brian are the essence of it."
Wyman was an on-stage guest at the Rolling Stones' 50th anniversary concerts in London in 2012, but Wyman later complained to the media that he wasn't given enough songs to play at the anniversary shows, so it is very unlikely that he will be invited to perform with the Rolling Stones again anytime soon. Taylor, however, has been a guest on all of the Rolling Stones' "50 and Counting" anniversary concerts in 2012 and 2013, and it has been announced that Taylor will continue to be a guest on the Rolling Stones "14 on Fire" tour in 2014. The Rolling Stones wisely steered clear of the idea to have Jones as a hologram.
The Rolling Stones were inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1989. Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood, who was in the Faces before he joined the Rolling Stones, was inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Faces in 2012.
Artists eligible for induction in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame are required to have released their first recording at least 25 years before the induction ceremony. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has made an effort to make the annual induction ceremony more inclusive to the general public, including televising the ceremony, opening up the voting to the public, moving the ceremony from a hotel to an arena, and selling tickets to the ceremony to the public instead of it being an invitation-only event.

Monday, April 7, 2014

Ronnie Wood's Ex-wife Accuses His Lawyers Of Forcing Her To Dissolve Company...





Ronnie Wood's ex-wife Jo has accused the rocker's legal team of forcing her to close down her skincare business.
The former model, who divorced the Rolling Stones guitarist in 2009 following his affair with a young waitress, claims lawyers acting for Wood pushed him into demanding she dissolve Organic Beauty Products Ltd, a company she set up in 2003 while the couple was still married.
Wood insists she now has to sell her skincare range to pals or give products away for free as she is no longer allowed to sell them online through her own website.
She tells Britain's Mail on Sunday, "All of my products are just sitting around in a warehouse. I'm not allowed to sell anything under that name, so I sell all my stock privately or to friends for cash or I give things away in goody bags at parties.
"He's a weak man, Ronnie - he listened to his lawyers. Ronnie's lawyers forced me to shut it down because I originally set it up when I was still with him."

Sunday, April 6, 2014

Rolling Stones Announce Plans For Rescheduled Down Under Date...





The Rolling Stones have officially rescheduled their Australia and New Zealand tour after Mick Jagger was forced to pull the plug on gigs following the sudden death of his girlfriend.
The British rockers had just landed in Australia last month (Mar14) and were preparing for a gig in Perth when news of designer L'Wren Scott's suicide in New York broke.
Jagger immediately scrapped a series of shows and flew to Los Angeles to help plan his lover's funeral.
On Friday (04Apr14), the rock star and his bandmates announced plans to return Down Under for rescheduled shows in October and November (14).

Wednesday, April 2, 2014

FLASHBACK: Bill Wyman’s Pizza Express gig gallery...

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Bill Wyman made a special guest appearance at London’s Soho Pizza Express, when he dropped in for a intimate gig on March 21 – and we’ve got exclusive photos from the evening.

Bill Wyman appeared at ‘Boogie Woogie Night’ on March 21 at Pizza Express, along with Ben Waters and Axel Zwingenberger, with Terry Taylor. Boogie Woogie maestros Ben Waters and Axel Zwingenberger werejoined by special guest bass legend Bill Wyman (former Rolling Stones bassist and leader of the Rhythm Kings), fellow Rhythm King guitarist Terry ‘Tex’ Taylor and drummer Barney Stevens.

Tuesday, April 1, 2014

The Rolling Stones to resume touring next month in Europe...


By Steve Marinucci
Mick Jagger and the Rolling Stones, who canceled touring dates in Australia and New Zealand after the tragic death of L'Wren Scott, will resume touring in May with 14 dates in Europe, Billboard reported April 1.
The Stones' official website announced the 14 shows would take place in the months of May through July beginning with the opener at Oslo Telenor Arena in Norway on May 26. The group will also travel to Portugal, Switzerland, Israel, Holland, Germany, France, Austria, Italy, Spain, Sweden and Denmark for the newly added shows. Earlier reports had the Stones not resuming touring until the fall.

CONFIRMED:14 ON FIRE – EUROPE 14 SHOWS IN MAY, JUNE & JULY 2014...




The Rolling Stones have announced that they will play 14 shows across Europe in May, June and July as part of their 14 ON FIRE tour.
The Rolling Stones – 14 ON FIRE tour sees Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Charlie Watts and Ronnie Wood back out on the road again after a mammoth run of concerts in the UK and US last year, bringing their iconic music and groundbreaking stage shows to audiences around the globe. The shows are a mix of festivals, stadiums and arenas.
The band will treat their generations of fans to a set packed full of classic Stones hits such as ‘Gimme Shelter’, ‘Paint It Black’, ‘Jumping Jack Flash’, ‘Tumbling Dice’, ‘It’s Only Rock ‘N’ Roll’, plus a couple of unexpected gems.
The dates are:
Oslo Telenor Arena, Norway – Monday 26 May 2014
Lisbon Rock in Rio Festival, Portugal – Thursday 29 May 2014
Zürich Letzigrund Stadium, Switzerland – Sunday 1 June 2014
Tel Aviv HaYarkon Park, Israel  – Wednesday 4 June 2014
Pinkpop Festival, Holland – Saturday 7 June 2014
Berlin Waldbühne, Germany – Tuesday 10 June 2014
Paris Stade de France, France – Friday 13 June 2014
Vienna Ernst Happel Stadium – Monday 16 June 2014
Düsseldorf Esprit Arena, Germany – Thursday 19 June 2014
Rome Circus Maximus, Italy – Sunday 22 June 2014
Madrid Bernabéu Stadium – Wednesday 25 June 2014
TW Classic Festival, Belgium – Saturday 28 June 2014
Stockholm Tele2 Arena, Sweden – Tuesday 1 July 2014
Roskilde Festival, Denmark – Thursday 3 July 2014

BY: http://www.rollingstones.com