Today marks the 40th anniversary of the start of the legendary Woodstock festival in Bethel, New York... three days of music, peace, and mud. Fortunately, after a summer full of unseasonably wet weather, the NYC area is free of rain and mud for this anniversary weekend; it'll be hot and sunny.
There of course will be a range of events in upstate New York to commemorate the Woodstock anniversary, including a couple of Richie Havens performances. There of course will be special observances at the Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, a new facility that offers concerts and other events throughout the year, as well as a museum. Today is a (sold-out) Heroes of Woodstock concert featuring the Levon Helm Band, Jefferson Starship, Ten Years After, Canned Heat, Big Brother and the Holding Company, Mountain, and others.
A reading from the book "Woodstock Revisited" will be held August 17th, and Loggins & Messina and Poco will play a show on the 21st. There are also events such a a wine festival, county picnic, and even an alpaca day (bring your own alpaca?)
The Bethel Woods Center for the Arts seems to be a great development, bringing music and arts to the area of the Woodstock festival throughout the year, instead of just one weekend.
There was a big crowd at the Blondie/Pat Benatar/Donnas free concert in Coney Island Thursday night, but the only mud in sight was in a small puddle off one of the walkways. It was a great show, however, especially from the two co-headliners, who still sounded in good form after more than a quarter century while tearing through sets of their best-known tunes. (The Donnas sounded fine, but had a very short opening set.)
Pat Benatar couldn't hit the high notes the way she used to, but other than that her voice had much the same sound as it did back in the 1980s.
Showing posts with label woodstock. Show all posts
Showing posts with label woodstock. Show all posts
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Music News: New Phish CD, No More Radiohead Albums, Woodstock’s Forgotten Man, and Michael Jackson Concert
This week's developments in the music world involve everything from '60s classics to today's alt-rock groups.
Vermont jam-rock band Phish will release its new album "Joy" on Sept. 8th. Paste Magazine says that fans can buy the album in "CD, vinyl records, or splurge on the Joy Box, containing an explosion of Phish paraphernalia, including a second album, Party Time, just in case Joy alone doesn't cut it." Phish worked on the album with producer Steve Lillywhite, who also produced their 1996 album as well as recordings from U2, Dave Matthews, and other big names.
Thom Yorke has said in an interview that Radiohead will release no more full-length albums. The article in Believer quotes Yorke as saying that recording full-length albums had become "a drag" and that the band will instead focus on producing EPs and downloadable singles, such as their new “Harry Patch (In Memory Of),” a tribute to the recently deceased last British veteran of World War I.
It's the 40th anniversary of Woodstock, and the Wall Street Journal has an article on Bert Sommer, which it calls "Woodstock's Forgotten Man." The musician, who performed on the iconic festival's first day, wasn't represented on the Woodstock albums, and the article says his name was even omitted from the original commemorative plaque placed at the site of the concert. Though he recorded a few albums, he never became widely known, and died in 1990. A friend created a tribute Web site to him, www.BertSommer.com.
Michael Jackson will be getting a tribute concert fit for the King of Pop, an affair in the lavish Schoenbrunn Palace in Vienna, home to the last emperor of the Austro-Hungarian empire. Jermaine Jackson, the oldest brother of Michael, is lining up artists to perform at the gig, which may attract an audience of "at least 85,000."
British folk-rocker and activist Billy Bragg criticizes the record labels for trying to sic Internet providers on illegal music downloaders. In an article in The Guardian, Bragg says that while he is opposed to copyright infringement, record labels and Internet companies shouldn't be penalizing music fans. He suggests that "Clearly, some form of P2P subscription service is the way forward, if only because it provides the most convenient way for consumers to access music."
Vermont jam-rock band Phish will release its new album "Joy" on Sept. 8th. Paste Magazine says that fans can buy the album in "CD, vinyl records, or splurge on the Joy Box, containing an explosion of Phish paraphernalia, including a second album, Party Time, just in case Joy alone doesn't cut it." Phish worked on the album with producer Steve Lillywhite, who also produced their 1996 album as well as recordings from U2, Dave Matthews, and other big names.
Thom Yorke has said in an interview that Radiohead will release no more full-length albums. The article in Believer quotes Yorke as saying that recording full-length albums had become "a drag" and that the band will instead focus on producing EPs and downloadable singles, such as their new “Harry Patch (In Memory Of),” a tribute to the recently deceased last British veteran of World War I.
It's the 40th anniversary of Woodstock, and the Wall Street Journal has an article on Bert Sommer, which it calls "Woodstock's Forgotten Man." The musician, who performed on the iconic festival's first day, wasn't represented on the Woodstock albums, and the article says his name was even omitted from the original commemorative plaque placed at the site of the concert. Though he recorded a few albums, he never became widely known, and died in 1990. A friend created a tribute Web site to him, www.BertSommer.com.
Michael Jackson will be getting a tribute concert fit for the King of Pop, an affair in the lavish Schoenbrunn Palace in Vienna, home to the last emperor of the Austro-Hungarian empire. Jermaine Jackson, the oldest brother of Michael, is lining up artists to perform at the gig, which may attract an audience of "at least 85,000."
British folk-rocker and activist Billy Bragg criticizes the record labels for trying to sic Internet providers on illegal music downloaders. In an article in The Guardian, Bragg says that while he is opposed to copyright infringement, record labels and Internet companies shouldn't be penalizing music fans. He suggests that "Clearly, some form of P2P subscription service is the way forward, if only because it provides the most convenient way for consumers to access music."
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Music News: Lollapalooza 2009 Lineup, Heart Prepares New CD, Richie Havens Remembers Woodstock
While the world digests the verdict and the next moves in the Pirate Bay trial, there have been lots of other developments in the music world. Among them:
Lollapalooza 2009 Lineup Announced: The more than 100 acts that will make up this year's Lollapalooza Festival lineup on August 7-9 have been announced. The festival in Chicago's Grant Park will feature headliners Depeche Mode, Tool, the Killers, Jane's Addiction, Beastie Boys, and Kings of Leon. Also on the bill are a diverse range of acts including Lou Reed, Ben Harper and Relentless7, Thievery Corporation, Snoop Dogg, Rise Against, TV on the Radio, Neko Case, and Arctic Monkeys.
Heart Working on New CD:The sisters Wilson are working on a new Heart album, and according to this Reuters story Nancy will be sharing more of the singing duties. Ann had always been the lead singer of the group, with Nancy doing backing vocals in addition to playing guitar.
Richie Havens Remembers Woodstock: Americana music legend Richie Havens is returning to the site of the landmark Woodstock festival. Havens will play at the Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, on the site where the original festival took place, to mark 40 years since that seminal concert and be-in. Havens looks back on his Woodstock experience: he had the distinction of being the festival's first performer. He was scheduled to go on fifth, but was called up early when the acts to play ahead of him were delayed in the massive traffic jams that plagued Woodstock.
Havens is still going strong, and is currently touring to support his 2008 album, "Nobody Left to Crown."
Lollapalooza 2009 Lineup Announced: The more than 100 acts that will make up this year's Lollapalooza Festival lineup on August 7-9 have been announced. The festival in Chicago's Grant Park will feature headliners Depeche Mode, Tool, the Killers, Jane's Addiction, Beastie Boys, and Kings of Leon. Also on the bill are a diverse range of acts including Lou Reed, Ben Harper and Relentless7, Thievery Corporation, Snoop Dogg, Rise Against, TV on the Radio, Neko Case, and Arctic Monkeys.
Heart Working on New CD:The sisters Wilson are working on a new Heart album, and according to this Reuters story Nancy will be sharing more of the singing duties. Ann had always been the lead singer of the group, with Nancy doing backing vocals in addition to playing guitar.
Richie Havens Remembers Woodstock: Americana music legend Richie Havens is returning to the site of the landmark Woodstock festival. Havens will play at the Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, on the site where the original festival took place, to mark 40 years since that seminal concert and be-in. Havens looks back on his Woodstock experience: he had the distinction of being the festival's first performer. He was scheduled to go on fifth, but was called up early when the acts to play ahead of him were delayed in the massive traffic jams that plagued Woodstock.
Havens is still going strong, and is currently touring to support his 2008 album, "Nobody Left to Crown."
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