Hilly Kristal, the founder of the famed New York City rock club CBGB, died from complications from lung cancer on August 28.
An official statement from CBGB read: “Kristal, 75, founded the legendary rock club CBGB and ran the club for 33 years. A singer and songwriter himself, Kristal opened the club to showcase ‘Country Bluegrass and Blues’; instead the club became a breeding ground for punk rock. Among the many acts that called CBGB home were Blondie, The Talking Heads, Television, Living Color, Patti Smith, and The Ramones.”
Private and public memorial services are planned. Contributions can be made in Kristal’s name to the American Cancer Society or to the Hilly Kristal Foundation for Musicians and Artists at 168 Second Avenue, PMB 207, in New York City.
Those in the record industry who are bemoaning the loss of sales need only look to television as probably the only way to go platinum quickly these days. The Disney Channel’s High School Musical 2 soundtrack album sold almost one million copies in just the first two week of its release.
Granted, the entire HSM franchise is the artistic equivalent of a Shoney’s buffet, but that’s beside the point. Kids are really into this concept – not only did the album take off, but no less than six singles from the album were charting high as well. Hey, RIAA: People will still go to record stores if they’re excited about something. The entire HSM phenomenon might just be the shot on the arm the record industry needs.
Consider this: A margin of nearly 306,600 units separated the late August Billboard charting of the #1 album, HSM2, from the #2, Talib Kweli’s Eardrum – and that was with HSM2 suffering a 40 percent drop in sales from week one to week two.
– Syl Nathan
In 2006, Chris and Rich Robinson of The Black Crowes performed a dozen acoustic concerts. Those shows were recorded and are now being officially released worldwide via Eagle Rock Entertainment in two configurations: Brothers Of A Feature is now available as a 14-track CD, and recently was released as a CD/DVD package that includes the live CD along with a 20-track DVD.
“It’s great to present these songs the way Chris and I wrote most of them almost 20 years ago,” said Rich Robinson. “To have our fans sitting in on such intimate musical moments was an honor.”
The Black Crowes will also tour the U.S. throughout late summer and early fall. For more info, log on to blackcrowes.com.
Seattle’s Schoolyard Heroes has joined the roster of Stolen Transmission Records, distributed worldwide by the Island Def Jam Music Group. The band’s first album for the label, Abominations, will arrive in stores – when else but – the beginning of the school year, September 18, just when the back-to-school bells begin to toll.
Before then, Schoolyard Heroes will join Toronto’s goth synth rock band The Birthday Massacre on a brief North American tour, wrapping up with a hometown gig at El Corazon in Seattle on September
18. Two days later, they head back out on the road to join Sum 41 and Stolen Transmission label mates Monty Are I.
Dropkick Murphys are set to release their sixth studio album, The Meanest Of Times, on September 18 on their own Born & Bred Records in association with Warner Music Group’s Independent Label Group.
The Boston band will hit the road tomorrow (September 12) for an East Coast headlining trek in support of the new disc with The Horrorpops and Everybody Out. From their early beginnings playing all-ages matinees at now-defunct Boston clubs to the prominent placement of their song “I’m Shipping Up To Boston” in Martin Scorsese’s Academy Award-winning film The Departed, the Murphys – Ken Casey (vocals, bass guitar), Al Barr (vocals), Matt Kelly (drums, backing vocals), James Lynch (guitar, backing vocals), Tim Brennan (mandolin, accordion, banjo, bouzouki, tin whistle, and acoustic guitar), Marc Orrell (guitar, accordion, piano, backing vocals) and Scruffy Wallace (bagpipes) – have evolved over the past decade into one of the most beloved punk-inspired bands in the world. The band will perform at Roseland Ballroom in New York City on September 15.
SIRIUS Satellite Radio recently launched its Grateful Dead Channel. Heard exclusively on SIRIUS, the channel will feature music spanning the band’s long history. The channel will include rare and unreleased performances, original shows hosted by Grateful Dead founders Bob Weir, Phil Lesh, Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann, as well as rare archival interviews with Jerry Garcia.
The new station is at SIRIUS channel 32 and will also feature contributions from Grateful Dead expert David Gans as well as Dead archivist David Lemieux, who will provide a unique look into the Dead’s past with daily insights.
“Since we announced the launch of the Grateful Dead Channel, it has become one of the most anticipated music channel launches in our history.” said Scott Greenstein, President, Entertainment and Sports, SIRIUS. “The loyalty and passion of Grateful Dead fans are the truest testament to the band’s legacy. Sirius is thrilled to bring exclusive content to this community and welcomes their continued participation as Sirius becomes part of the Grateful Dead family.”
“This is gonna be one fun channel,” said the Dead’s Bob Weir. “We, the guys in the band, get to be involved as much as we can and we’ll make sure it’s fun. We want the fans to be involved as well.”
Velour Music Group recently announced the September 18 release of the debut album by Ryan Scott, Smoke & Licorice. This singer/songwriter has built a name for himself during the last four years in the bars and cafes of Manhattan’s Lower East Side. Originally cutting his teeth as a Bay-area jazz guitarist, Scott’s chops are embedded into his songcraft and serve as a compliment to his voice. This new effort was produced by Stewart Lerman (Loudon Wainwright III, The Roches, Soulive).
The album will at first be available exclusively through digital retailers such as iTunes before more conventional distribution later this year.
Longtime Train lead singer Pat Monahan has gone solo, and his debut disc, Last Of Seven, will be in stores September 17 on the Columbia Records label.
The new effort finds Monahan joining forces with veteran producer Patrick Leonard (Madonna, Elton John, Roger Waters) to craft a rock and pop album. All of the songs on this debut were written or co-written by Monahan.
