05.23.06 (AP) Coming from the radio speakers, BOB DYLAN sounds as craggy and weather-beaten as he looks - and quite playful, too. As he reaches his 65th birthday today, Dylan is carving out a new role as a part-time radio disc jockey. His weekly "Theme Time Radio Hour" airs 10 a.m. EDT Wednesdays on XM Satellite Radio, with Dylan as both curator and narrator. Much like his concerts, Dylan's radio shows are a journey through 20th century musical Americana, the sort of thing he would have heard growing up in Minnesota with a transistor radio hidden under his pillow when he went to bed. So far, about the only thing missing is Bob Dylan music, unless you count the off-key verse of 'Take Me Out To The Ball Game' that he croaked at the beginning of this week's show on baseball. Each week Dylan builds his show around a theme, like the weather and drinking songs. For Mother's Day, he celebrated moms with an hour that mixed Buck Owens' 'I'll Go To Church With Mama,' Ruth Brown's 'Mama He Treats Your Daughter Mean' and LL Cool J's 'Mama Said Knock You Out.' The majority of the music Dylan plays predates his own heyday. "I think it's more akin to the way radio sounded in 1952 than it does in 2006," said Lee Abrams, XM Satellite Radio's chief creative officer. Dylan's entertaining baseball show also mixed in calls from classic baseball games, like Curt Gowdy announcing Ted Williams' home run in his final at-bat with the Boston Red Sox. He refreshingly avoids the obvious: Dylan spins Billy Bragg and Wilco's 'Joe DiMaggio Done it Again' and not Simon & Garfunkel's 'Mrs. Robinson.' He plays Buddy Johnson's 'Did You See Jackie Robinson Hit That Ball' and ignores John Fogerty's overexposed 'Centerfield.' "If diamonds are a girl's best friend, why do so many girls get mad when you want to go to the ballpark?" Dylan says during this week's show. "You tell me." That sort of absurdist humor is what may most surprise listeners. Dylan told mother-in-law jokes a la Henny Youngman during one show ("I just came back from a pleasure trip - took my mother-in-law to the airport"). He also discussed watching the old Country-flavored musical/variety TV series "Hee Haw." His intro to 'Mama Said Knock You Out' became an old white man's rap. "Here's LL Cool J," he said. "Don't call it a comeback. He's been here for years, rockin' his peers, puttin"em in fear, makin' tears rain down like a monsoon, explosions overpowerin' the competition. LL Cool J is towerin'." And catch this opening to that show on mothers: "Going to pay tribute to that bountiful breast we all spring from, mother dearest," he said. "'M's' for the many things she gave me. 'O' is for the other things she gave me. 'T' is for the things she gave me. 'H' is for her things, which she gave me. 'E' is for everything she gave me. 'R' is for the rest of the things she gave me. Let's talk about mothers." Although you can occasionally hear the shuffling of papers as he talks, Dylan sounds like a natural on the radio. "I was completely surprised" by his radio show, said Jonathan Cott, who edited an anthology of Dylan interviews that was released to coincide with the 65th birthday. "I was surprised when he wrote his 'Chronicles' book. I'm surprised by him all the time. I didn't think he'd ever be a disc jockey."
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05.16.06 (AP) A ranch-style Memphis, Tennessee home that ELVIS PRESLEY bought in 1956 as his career was taking off has sold for $905,100 on the online auction service eBay. Peter Gleason, a New York attorney and retired firefighter, posted the high bid in the final seconds before the 8 p.m. deadline Sunday. Gleason said Monday that he is a partner in a group that includes Israeli psychic Uri Geller. Their interest in the home is in restoring it to its 1956 luster, down to the original wallpaper and floor coverings, and eventually opening it to the public. "The present owners have done a phenomenal job starting that process," he said. "We want to piggyback on that and take it to the next level by turning it into a museum-quality piece of Americana." The most recent public appraisal for tax purposes valued the house at $261,000, said Stephen Shutts, who facilitated the eBay sale. The current owners, Mike Freeman and Cindy Hazen, paid $180,000 in 1998. Lance Cowan of LCMedia, a Nashville firm that publicized the auction, said more than 225,000 hits were recorded and 71 bids posted since bidding began April 14. Presley, then 21, bought the four-bedroom, 3,000-square-foot house at 1034 Audubon Drive with his early song royalties. The singer, his parents and grandmother lived there for a year before moving to a two-story colonial house already known as Graceland, the house that Elvis would make famous. A month after moving into the Audubon Drive home, 'Heartbreak Hotel' hit No. 1 on the Billboard charts, ultimately ending any privacy Presley had in the neighborhood. Fans lined the suburban street and police frequently had to be called in. A Life Magazine article from August 1956 had pictures of teenage girls sitting with their ears pressed to his bedroom wall and picking through the grass in his yard for souvenirs. The commotion became so intense that Elvis moved his bedroom to the back of the house. Gleason will use photos from the era to help restore the home to its original appearance, a project he estimates will cost $500,000 to $750,000. Despite the eBay sale, the home, which was built in 1953, still must go through the standard steps of a real estate transaction, a process that could take several weeks.

05.10.06 (MusicPortal.com) "Jerry Lee Lewis: A Half Century Of Hits," the first-ever complete career retrospective on the music icon, will be released on June 13th via Time Life, Inc. Personally overseen by JERRY LEE LEWIS himself, the collection will include the first two tracks he ever recorded, neither of which has ever been released before. "Sometimes I can't believe all the things I've done - some seemed like a good idea at the time," Lewis reflects. "The Time-Life story is the truth and, if I do say so myself, makes for interesting reading and great listening." A charter inductee into The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, the uncompromising Lewis mixed his Gospel roots with Country music and roadhouse R&B, impossibly coming up with a raucous, startling and entirely compelling new type of Rock 'N' Roll that forever changed the face of music. His recordings and riveting live performances matched only by his larger-than-life personality, Jerry Lee Lewis has scored 65 Country hits, placed 22 albums in the Country Top 20, won a Grammy award, and was immortalized in the hit film "Great Balls Of Fire." Lewis describes it best himself: "Just point me to the piano. In fifteen minutes, I'll have 'em shakin', shoutin', shiverin' and shackin'!" This specially designed 3-disc CD box set is not only filled with his career defining Rock hits like 'Great Balls Of Fire,' 'High School Confidential,' 'Breathless,' and the original hit version of 'Whole Lot Of Shaking Goin' On,' but every major Country hit, three previously unreleased live recordings, additional rare performances, and the very first two tracks Lewis recorded (also the first original Jerry Lee Lewis composition), 'New Orleans Boogie' and a cover of Lefty Frizzell's 'Don't Stay Away.' No one has ever heard those two songs since the day he sang them at a "record your own voice" studio in 1952 when he was just sixteen years old. The acetates, belonging to Lewis' friend, Cecil Harrelson, had been held back from release until such time as Lewis wished them to be distributed to the public and were painstakingly transferred by Country Music Hall Of Fame sound engineer Alan Stoker exclusively for "Jerry Lee Lewis: A Half-Century Of Hits," which features 66 tracks in all. Other highlights include rare outtakes from sessions done for the Sun Records label and even a heated argument between Lewis and Sun founder Sam Phillips about whether Rock 'N' Roll was the Devil's music. "I got the Devil in me," Lewis yells, while Phillips tries to convince him that he can be both a believer and a Rock 'N' Roll star.

05.09.06 (MusicPortal.com) The UK's biggest selling star, KATIE MELUA, is releasing her album "Piece By Piece" in the U.S. on June 6th. Following sold-out performances all over Europe, the young vocalist will be joining Il Divo on tour in North America to support the release. Still riding high on the success of her multi-platinum debut album, "Call Off The Search" -- which spawned the genre-crossing megahit 'The Closest Thing To Crazy' -- the Georgian-born, Belfast-raised Melua's "Piece By Piece" has already sold over 2.5 million copies and holds steady at the top of the charts throughout Europe since its release there. A Pop, Jazz and Blues chanteuse with talent to burn and a voice and songs to melt any heart, she is currently Britain's biggest-selling female artist for two consecutive years now (2004 and 2005), selling out London's Royal Albert Hall and appearing at Buckingham Palace last year. At just 21 years of age, this international singing sensation's soulful, acoustic sound has simply captured audiences around the world and more - having already performed for Nelson Mandela, rocked with legendary group Queen, and can honestly call the Queen of England one of her biggest fans. She even caught the attention of Hollywood when she was asked to record the title track for the feature film "Just Like Heaven" starring Reese Witherspoon. "Piece By Piece" Track Listing: 1. Shy Boy • 2. Nine Million Bicycles • 3. Piece By Piece • 4. Halfway Up The Hindu Kush • 5. Blues In The Night • 6. Spider's Web • 7. Blue Shoes • 8. On The Road Again • 9. Thankyou, Stars • 10. Just Like Heaven • 11. I Cried For You • 12. I Do Believe In Love Upcoming Tour Dates With Il Divo: June 14th Boca Raton, FL [Mizner Park Amphitheater] • June 15th Boca Raton, FL [Mizner Park Amphitheater] • June 16th Tampa, FL [Ford Amphitheater] • June 18th Atlanta, GA [Chastain Park Amphitheater] • June 20th Spring, TX [Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion] • June 21st Dallas, TX [Smirnoff Music Centre] • June 23rd Las Vegas, NV [Mandalay Bay] • June 24th Phoenix, AZ [Cricket Pavilion] • June 25th San Diego, CA [Bayside Concerts At Embarcadero] • June 27th Los Angeles, CA [Greek Theater] • June 28th Los Angeles, CA [Greek Theater] • June 30th Marysville, CA [Sleep Train Amphitheater] • July 1st Concord, CA [Chronicle Pavilion] • July 3rd Vancouver, BC [General Motors Place]
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05.08.06 (AP) FATS DOMINO tipped his hat to thousands of cheering fans, briefly appearing on stage during the final day of the New Orleans Jazz And Heritage Festival. But the headliner did not perform. "He wasn't feeling well, so we took him to the doctor. He's OK, but he doesn't feel up to performing," long-time friend Haydee Ellis said Sunday. Domino lost his home, his pianos, his gold and platinum records, and much of the city he loves during Hurricane Katrina. His scheduled performance at the 37th annual festival was to be his first since he was rescued by boat from his flooded home in the Ninth Ward after the devastating storm struck last August 29th. Last week, Domino, 78, canceled an autograph session for his latest album "Alive and Kickin'," saying he was fatigued and wanted to rest up for the Sunday performance. Heinz Tumeltshamer flew from Austria to see the Hall Of Fame performer. The 63-year-old Tumeltshamer, wearing a T-shirt that read "Fats Forever," first saw Domino as a teenager and was disappointed Domino did not perform. Still, he was grateful for the appearance. "It was a pleasure just to see him," Tumeltshamer said. Local musicians and others including Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Jimmy Buffett and Paul Simon performed at the six-day event that spanned two weekends. Organizers declined to say how many people attended the event, which typically draws about 500,000 people, but as in past years the lawns and sidewalks were crammed every day. Many performers said the festival was part of rebuilding the city, which suffered devastating flooding and the loss of neighborhoods. "We've gotta get this town back together, and this is one way to do it," said Jazz clarinetist Pete Fountain before taking the stage Sunday. The 75-year-old was saddened to learn that Domino canceled his performance. "When you've been through a lot like he's been through ... it's just a shame," said Fountain, who also lost a home in the storm and then had quadruple bypass heart surgery in March. Fountain's home in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi was wiped out by Hurricane Katrina along with his gold records, memorabilia, and 10 musical instruments. His New Orleans home has been repaired.

05.05.06 (MusicPortal.com) On June 6th, "Move By Yourself," the sophomore release from singer/songwriter/pro surfer DONAVON FRANKENREITER will be released on Lost Highway Records, his first for that label. The album is somewhat of a sonic departure from the Southern California native's self-titled 2004 Brushfire Records debut, which yielded the Top 5 AAA single 'Free.' Frankenreiter and company -- Eric Brigmond (keyboards), Matt Grundy (bass) and Craig Barnette (drums) -- have stamped their signature brand of "feel good music with a soul" all over this new offering. The album feels like a breath of fresh air - old-school fresh air, that is. Frankenreiter lays down his most soulful vocals to date on top of the loose, Funk-filled grooves that make up "Move By Yourself." The opening title track, with its late 70's-ish bass line and clavinet buzz, feels as if you've just stepped out of a time machine. The album is also a showcase of infectious, laid-back tracks such as the bluesy 'All Around Us,' 'By Your Side' and 'Beautiful Day.' Once upon a time, mentioning surfing and music in the same sentence conjured up sepia-toned images of the early '60s. But thanks to artists like Donavon Frankenreiter -- who, unlike most of the old-school "surf-rockers," knows his way around a wave as well as he does a fretboard -- those images have been updated radically to focus as much on musical adventure as on the spreading of good vibes. Over the course of the past half-decade, the California-bred Frankenreiter established himself as one of the more original voices on the acoustic-rock scene, through tireless touring. But, unsatisfied with simply heading further down that path, the sun-kissed openness of his songs is still in full effect and he's now couching those feelings in a whole new set of sounds. "I listen to so much music, and I pretty much feel comfortable singing all of it, so I didn't want to come across as a guy who does nothing else but sit on a beach with an acoustic guitar, playing around a fire," says Frankenreiter. "The funky stuff, especially, is fun to play. It really lets me tap into a different part of my personality." In order to more fully explore different aspects of that personality, the Laguna Beach-based singer-songwriter decided a change of scenery would do him good. "Jack and Mario [Caldato] did a great job on that last record and I..." [full story]
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05.04.06 (MusicPortal.com) CORINNE BAILEY RAE will release her stirringly soulful self-titled debut album via Capitol Records on June 20th. It becomes self-evident the moment you hear her sing her first note -- it's a slice of sublime Blues delivered with a voice that pins you in the most persuasive of ways -- a voice full of caress, subtlety and pure quality. And it belongs to a young woman not from somewhere musically exotic -- say, Mississippi or even Manhattan -- but just east of the M1: Leeds, UK. Her name is Corinne Bailey Rae, and she was born to do this. Inspired as much by Bjork and Massive Attack as, say, Jill Scott, she went into the studio and came up with her debut album. It is in her own words: "a little bit of everything: it's chilled out, acoustic, kooky, atmospheric and soulful. I'd also be tempted to say it comes from a very organic place, but that would sound pretentious, so I won't." The response has also been amazing. With her very first limited edition EP "Like A Star" entering the UK Top 40 in November of 2005 and the first single proper 'Put Your Records On' becoming a Europe-wide smash, the world is at her feet. Added to that a mountain of incredible press articles singing her many praises, magazine front covers, topping the BBC poll of "Sound Of 2006," sold-out tour dates across Europe, and the kind of radio and TV play that established artists can only dream of, there seems to be no stopping Corinne Bailey Rae. "I started off singing in church, I suppose, but people think it must have been a gospel church because of the whole, you know, black assumption," she says in reference to her mixed-race background. "But it wasn't gospel at all, it was just your regular brethren church, very middle-class, where we would sing these harmonies every Sunday. It was always my favorite part of the service, the singing." A move to a down-at-heel Baptist church followed, where the choir alternated between traditional hymns and the slightly less orthodox Primal Scream wig-outs. "We changed the words though," explains Corinne. "We didn't want to offend the regular churchgoers, now did we?" Singing in that way every week led to a broadening... [full story]
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[Blues News: April 2006]
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