Employee Picks

Ryan:

* Josh Ritter--Bring In The Darlings (vinyl)
* Thunderclap Newman--Hollywood Dream
* Jack White--Blunderbuss

Chelsea:

*Grace Potter & the Nocturnals--Live From the Legendary Sun Studios (vinyl)
*Sex Pistols--Never Mind the Bullocks 

Doc:

* Imelda May--Mayhem
* Betty Wright — Betty Wright: The Movie

Red:
* Cramps--Stay Sick (vinyl)
* Scott H. Biram--Bad Ingredients

Tol:


* Cedric Kreklow--Sol
*Queen--News of the World (vinyl)


Klarlyn:

*Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band--Wrecking Ball
*Betty Davis--They Say I'm Different

Bueno:

*Justin Townes Earle--Nothing's Gonna Change The Way You Feel About Me Now
*Alabama Shakes--Boys & Girls
*Miike Snow--Happy to You

This Week In Rock History

1954--Seven years after it was initially recorded, Bing Crosby's version of Irving Berlin's song White Christmas enters the charts for the first time. Crosby's version of the song would go on to sell over 100 million copies worldwide, holding the record for the most copies sold of a single until 1997 when it was surpassed by Elton John's re-recording of Candle in The Wind for Princess Dianna.

1960—12 year-old James Taylor receives a guitar for Christmas .

1964--Patty Boyd, then girlfriend of George Harrison, is attacked by female Beatles fans who are jealous of her relationship with George.

1968--Peter Tork quits the Monkees. He buys out his contract for $160,000, all the money he had in the world. He returned to the Monkees in 1986, and has performed with them off-and-on since.

1970--George Harrison's My Sweet Lord becomes the first solo hit for a member of the The Beatles. Later Harrison would be found guilty of unintentionally plagiarizing the melody line from The Chiffons’ 1963 hit He's So Fine.

1970--Elvis Presley tours FBI headquarters in Washington, DC. He requests, and is granted, a permit to carry a gun in all 50 states.

1974--British blues band Fleetwood Mac change their line-up for the 10th time, adding guitarist Lindsey Buckingham and singer Stevie Nicks. With the new line-up the band morphed into a best selling pop/rock act.

1982--Jamaica issues a Bob Marley commemorative stamp.

1990-- James Brown uses his two day furlough from prison to give his first concert in two years in Ft. Jackson, South Carolina.

1998--Bryan McLean, guitarist for the band Love, is having Christmas dinner with a young fan researching a book on the band, when he drops dead at the table from a massive heart attack.

2004--A North Carolina man named Wade Jones sold three tablespoons of water taken from a cup used by Elvis Presley during a 1977 concert for $455.

Rock News

Ending months of speculation and rumor, it was announced on Monday, December 26^th, that Van Halen will be hitting the road in 2012. The band, who have reunited with original lead-singer “Diamond” David Lee Roth, singed with Colombia Records in September to record a new album, now set to be released in February. Tour dates and venues have not been released, however tickets are slated to go on sale January 10^th. 

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Rapper Marion Hamilton, better known as Slim Dunkin, the newest, and youngest, member of the 1017 Brick Squad (along side Waka Flocka Flame, Gucci Mane, and others) was shot and killed on December 16th after an alleged argument over candy. Unconfirmed reports from witnesses say the argument began when Dunkin stole a piece of candy from an unnamed man at an Atlanta recording studio. The argument then escalated in to a fistfight, with the second man leaving the recording studio, returning at around 5:30pm with a gun, and shooting Dunkin four times in the chest. Dunkin's funeral is schedule to take place later this week in Atlanta.  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Irish singer Sinead O'Connor's fourth marriage has ended in divorce after just 18 days. O'Connor married child psychologist Barry Herridge on December 8th, her 45th birthday, in a drive-thru ceremony in Las Vegas after dating for one week. O'Connor met Herridge online after he responded to her much-publicized search for a "wham-bam" sexual encounter. In a statement O'Connor said she chose to end the marriage after two weeks because she felt her new husband was "terribly unhappy" due to conflict from members of his family regarding the marriage. This was O'Connor's 2nd divorce in 2011, her third marriage, to Steve Cooney, had ended in divorce in January. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Fueling speculations of reunion from Guns n' Roses classic line-up at their Rock-and-Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony, singer Axl Rose has dropped hints that he would be willing to perform with some, but not all, of his former band-mates. Rose told the LA Times that he would consider reuniting with former guitarist Slash and bassist Duff McKagan, but not rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin or drummer Steven Adler. "It's nothing against Izzy and it's nothing against Steven," Rose said "[however] I've toured with the other guys and I’ve also seen what they’ve done since, and I just know the difficulties. So it’s not really even a full reunion." Rose also said that he and Slash had been "...at war since Day 1...the fight with me and Slash started the day I met him. " ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Contemporary R&B singer R. Kelly has reportedly written 32 more chapters to his musical soap opera "Trapped In The Closet." Kelly penned the initial 22 chapters in 2005, writing and performing the music, as well as starring in the episodes. Kelly's "hip-hopera" relates the tale of Sylvester (played by Kelly) and a complicated chain of marital infidelities, gunplay, pregnancy, disease, and a "blessed" midget. Kelly ended the original series of episodes with "To be continued..." in 2007 and is currently seeking backers to help finance the next leg of the project.

Rock News

--Rumors hit the Internet on Monday morning claiming that Bon Jovi lead-singer Jon Bon Jovi had died suddenly of cardiac arrest. The rumors were traced back to a blog post which came complete with a fake obituary, reprinting large parts of Michael Jackson's LA Times obituary from 2009. Bon Jovi, who took the news in stride, released a photo of himself on Twitter holding a sign that read "Heaven looks a lot like New Jersey. December 19th, 2011 - 6:00."

--73-year-old soul and blues singer Etta James, best known for her 1961 rendition of the ballad At Last, is terminally ill. James has been privately battling leukemia and dementia since January, with her manager making the announcement on December 16th that she was "in the final stages" of the disease. James' son, Donto, who controls the singer's estate, has been battling with her husband concerning money allocated for her treatment. James, who's a member of the Rock-and-Roll Hall of Fame, Grammy Hall of Fame, and the Blues Hall of Fame, was listed at number 61 on Rolling Stone Magazine's top 100 singers.

--After great speculation The Beach Boys have announced that the remaining members, including estranged former leader Brain Wilson, will reunite for their 50th Anniversary. Brian Wilson, Mike Love, Al Jardine, Bruce Johnston and David Marks will set out on a 50-date tour, followed by a new album in 2012. The band had been splintered since the 1998 death of founding member Carl Wilson, touring in separate camps and exchanging lawsuits and bitter comments; however, according to singer Mike Love "All that stuff is long forgotten."

This Week In Rock History

1953—29 year-old Hank Williams Sr. dies of heart failure on his way home from a gig. At the time of his death Williams was in the #1 spot on the Country/Western charts with “I'll Never Get Out of This World Alive”

1954—Just days after being named Cashbox Magazine's “Most Promising New Act”, piano player Johnny Ace is accidentally killed playing a game of Russian Roulette backstage after a show.

1964—Beach Boy's front-man and primary songwriter Brian Wilson suffers a nervous breakdown on a flight from LA to Houston. He would retire from public performance for nearly 25 years.

1964—In response to the growing trend of long hair on men, The Rolling Stones take out a full-page ad in the New Musical Express wishing a Merry Christmas to the “starving hairdressers.”

1970—Elvis Presley meets with then president Richard Nixon to discuss how he can "help fight drugs." Elvis arranged the meeting after his help was turned down by the head of the narcotics bureau earlier in the day, saying that "only the president could override his decision." Elvis presented Nixon with a chrome plated Colt .45 revolver. In exchange Nixon gave Presley a narcotics bureau badge.

1977—Cat Stevens announces that he has converted to Islam and changed his name to Yusef Islam.

1980--An album called "The Wit and Wisdom of Ronald Reagan" was released by Stiff Records. The entire disc contained 40 minutes of silence.

New Releases

December 6th
Black Keys, Roots, Amy Winehouse, Gary Numan, Dead Milkmen, Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Elvis Costello (live)

December 13th
Deep Purple (re-release,) Rammstein, Naughty By Nature, Josh Ritter (live,) Snoop Dog 

December 20th
Common, Young Jeezy, Soundtrack: Conan O'Brien Can't Stop

January 10th 

LA Guns,  Nightwish, Rick Ross, Snow Patrol, The Little Willies, Alex Chilton, VA--Meet Me In Mardi Gras, Van Morrison  

Rock News

• Courtney Love, singer for the band Hole, and widow of Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain, is being evicted from her rented townhouse in Manhattan's West Village. The singer is said to be $54,000 in back rent, as well as allegedly setting it one fire and ruining it's designer décor by painting and wallpapering portions of the townhouse without permission. According to Donna Lyon, the owner of the property, "I learned about this when I wanted to sell the house and had photographs taken. They sent me the brochure and I said, 'This can't be my property.' I came to New York to see it and I was horrified by what she had done. The walls that had been hand-painted and glazed were ruined, covered in damask wallpaper and ice-blue paint.”

• NBC is now requiring The Roots, house band for Late Night With Jimmy Fallon, to clear all introduction music for guest appearing on the show. The new rules come after the band played Fishbone's song Lyin' Ass Bitch during the entry of republican congresswoman and presidential candidate Michelle Bachman. Fallon called an offered an apology to Bachman, and issued a statement saying “...I don't know. Maybe [drummer and band leader for The Roots] Questlove is a Romney guy.”

• The Rolling Stones plan to meet later this month to discuss the possibility of touring for their 50^th anniversary. The relationship between Stone's guitarist, Keith Richards, and lead-singer Mick Jagger, has been strained since the release of Richard's biography Life in 2010 which was very harsh on Jagger and his contributions to the band. Stone's lead-guitarist Ronnie Woodhas said “I think there's a healing process waiting to take place, I think it's happening now as we speak, but it has to be resolved. Something has to be resolved there. They have to come to terms with going on a working basis, which [drummer] Charlie [Watt] and I will help make happen. Wish me luck." Richards is optimistic about the tour saying “Mick is welcome, I'm sure he'll turn up”

• A Foo Fighters concert in New Zealand this past week caused geological vibrations that registered on par with “volcanic tremors.” Geologists at an Auckland GeoNet monitoring station, located about a mile from the concert site reported, "The ground was shaking three times per second in a nice rhythmic motion.” with notable lulls between songs. The tremors were caused by a combination of the band's playing, and the 50,000+ fans dancing, with the largest tremor coming at 8:20pm when the band took the stage.

• Dan “Bee” Spears, bass player for Willie Nelson for the past 43 years, died unexpectedly on December 9^th after slipping and falling coming out of his RV. Spears has been performing with Nelson since he was 19, when he was hired despite not knowing how to play the bass, once claiming “One of the guys said, 'Hell, let's hire Bee. He doesn't play, but we can teach him..., and he won't come in with any preconceived bullshit!'' According to Dee Pearce, a friend who found Spears, he has been knocked out from the fall and died of exposure.

Rock History

1953—"I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas" by 10 year old Gayla Peevey, was released as a fund-raising effort to buy a hippopotamus for the Oklahoma City Zoo. Oklahomans raised $4,000 for the cause, with much of the money coming from children. The zoo bought a 3-year-old hippo named Matilda who had eight offspring and died in 1998.

1954—Bill Haley & The Commet's “Rock Around The Clock” becomes the first rock-&-roll single to enter the British charts.

1964—A crowd of fans/mourners mob the limousine of James Brown as he attempts to attend the funeral of friend, soul-singer Sam Cooke, forcing Brown to leave without ever getting out of the car.

1977—Elvis Costello & The Attractions appear on the television program Saturday Night Live. Producer Lorne Michaels has refused to allow Costello to perform his hit "Radio, Radio" due to the song's criticism of the broadcasting industry. A few measures into "Less than Zero", Costello halts his group and goes into "Radio, Radio." Costello would not appear on the program for another 25 years, when he would join the Beastie Boys on stage midway through their song "Sabotage", and start playing "Radio, Radio"

1999—Keith Richards decides to keep a guitar that he was asked to autograph outside his birthday party at the Russian Tea Room in New York City. The owner of the guitar decides not to press charges saying, "It's Keith, man." 

2010--Avant-garde rock music pioneer Don Van Vliet, better known by his stage name Captian Beefheart, dies after a long battle with multiple-sclerosis.

This Week In Rock History

1963—19 year-old Frank Sinatra Jr. is kidnapped at gun point from his hotel room at Harrah's Casino in Lake Tahoe, California. He is released, unharmed, two days later after his father paid the $240,000 ransom.

1964—Soul singer, Sam Cooke, is shot and killed in the lobby of a Los Angeles motel. According the shooter, motel manager Martha Franklin, Cooke broke into the office of the motel demanding to know the whereabouts of a young woman Cooke had brought to the motel with him. Despite a ruling of “justifiable homicide” rumors persist that Franklin and the young woman, Elisa Boyer, were working together to rob Cooke.

1967—A 26-year-old Otis Redding is killed when the plane he is piloting crashes into Lake Monona. Also killed in the crash were four teenage members of his backing band The Bar-Kays. Only trumpeter, Ben Cauley, who was seated directly behind Redding survived the crash.

1969— A fictitious group called Steam was given credit for this week's Billboard chart topping tune, "Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye". The song was actually recorded by Gary De Carlo, who intended it to be the "B" side of his first single. Gary didn't like the song and when record executives wanted to issue it as the "A" side, he insisted it be released under an assumed name. After the song became a hit, De Carlo still wanted nothing to do with it and a group from Bridgeport, Connecticut was recruited to tour in support of the record.

1976—KISS guitarist Ace Frehley is nearly electrocuted during a concert in Florida when he touches a short-circuited light. He is carried from the stage but returns 10 minutes later to finish the show.

1980-- Just two months after his 40th birthday, John Lennon was murdered by Mark David Chapman, outside his home at the Dakota Apartment building in New York. Lennon was shot in his chest, back and left arm and was pronounced dead thirty minutes later. Earlier in the day, Lennon had autographed an album for Chapman. Lennon's killer was sentenced to 20 years to life and remains in prison, being denied parole in 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008 and 2010.

Rock News

--The Rock-and-Roll Hall of Fame have announced their 2012 inductees Wednesday morning. The performers inducted included hip-hop pioneers The Beastie Boys, hard rockers Guns N' Roses, British folk troubadour Donovan, funk-rockers Red Hot Chili Peppers, songstress Laura Nyro and British icons The Faces/Small Faces. Nominated bands who did not make the cut this year included The Cure and Heart, both of which were nominated for the first time. Two members of The Faces are being inducted for the second time, band singer Rod Stewart has already been inducted as a solo artist, and Faces guitarist, Ron wood, was inducted as guitarist for The Rolling Stones.

--Dobie Gray, the singer best known for his 1973 hit Drift Away, has died. The soul singer was born Lawrence Brown in 1940 to Texas sharecroppers, and began signing at a young age in his grandfather's church. Gray was discovered by Sono Bono in the early 1960s and signed to the small Stripe Records label. His first hit came in 1965 when Gray placed the song In Crowd in the Billboard charts at #13. Gray’s last appearance on the charts came in 2003 when his re-recorded Drift Away, with singer Uncle Kracker, went to #9. He was 71.

--A new park "celebrating the life and music of Jimi Hendrix" is set to open in Hendrix's hometown of Seattle Washington in 2012. The two-and-a-half acre Jimi Hendrix Park will be located in the city's Central District and will feature stepping stones featuring his lyrics, rain drums, a sculpted butterfly garden, a performance area, a sound garden, and ample green space. Hendrix, who died in 1970 at the age of 27, would have turned 70 years old in 2012.

--Legendary blues guitarist Hubert Sumlin has died. Sumlin was probably best known for his long-term collaboration with Howlin' Wolf, performing on blues classics as Wang Dang Doodle, Spoonful, and Back Door Man. In recent years Sumlin had battled lung cancer, having a lung removed in 2002. Sumlin died of heart failure on Sunday at the age of 80.

Tickets

Tickets Currently on Sale at

Cactus Records

Updated: February 8th, 2012

  FEBRUARY

10th--Sweet Tooth Ball--Emerson--$25 single/$40 couples--$, CK, cc

11th--Cold Smoke Awards--Emerson--$13 (awards only), $22 (awards & after party, 21+)--$, CK, cc

14th--The Werks--Emerson--$13 each, or $22 for couples--$, CK, cc 18+

16th--The Bozeman Film Festival Presents: Academy Award Nominated Short Films (double feature)--Emerson--$5/$7 (for one show), $10 (for both)--$ or CK

17th--Tumbledown House (CD release party)--Peach Street Studios--$20--$, CK, cc SOLD OUT

17th & 18th--The Understudy--MSU Black Box Theatre--$10 student/senior, $12 general--$, CK, cc

18th--Ana Sia--Filling Station--$13--$ or cc, no checks! 21+

19th--Latin Angels Lingerie Fashion Show & Dinner

24th--Foamazon--Filling Station--$8--$ or cc, no checks! 21+

24th & 25th--The Understudy--MSU Black Box Theatre--$10 student/senior, $12 general--$, CK, cc

29th--The Bozeman Film Festival Presents: A Dangerous Method--Emerson--$5/$7--$ or CK
 
  MARCH

1st--Chali 2Na--Zebra--$16--$ or cc, no checks! 21+

2nd & 3rd--Rail Jam (w/Atmosphere, Mac Lethal, and The Crystal Method)--Big Sky Resort--$22--$, CK, cc (tickets go up to $33 after the first 1000)

2nd & 3rd--The Understudy--MSU Black Box Theatre--$10 student/senior, $12 general--$, CK, cc

5th--Marty Party--Filling Station--$13--$ or cc, no checks! 21+
 
6th--G. Love & the Special Sauce--Emerson--$25--$ or cc, no checks

8th & 9th--Pinky & the Floyd--Emerson--$22 per night, $33 both nights--$, CK, cc

9th--Moustache Bandits CD Release Party--Zebra--$12--$, CK, cc 21+

  APRIL

14th--Montana Chamber Society (Muir String Quartet)--Reynolds Recital Hall--$22 student/senior, $29 general admission--$, CK, cc

This Week in Rock History

1956—Elvis Presley made an unannounced stop by the Sun Records studio to find Jerry Lee Lewis and Johnny Cash watching Carl Perkins in the studio. The foursome ended up doing some impromptu recording, the results of which would be released years later as The Million Dollar Quartet.

1960—After a mysterious fire breaks out in their hotel room, Paul McCartney and Pete Best are forcibly deported from Germany on charges of arson.

1965—Keith Richards steps on a microphone cable and is electrocuted and knocked unconscious during a Rolling Stones concert in Sacramento, California. After a short break, he recovers and is able to continue.

1969—President Richard Nixon, Vice-President Spiro T. Agnew, and forty US governors view "simulated acid trip" films and listen to Rock music in order to comprehend the generation gap. It didn't work.

1970—An over-zealous fan with a flare gun sets the Montreaux Casino on fire during a Frank Zappa & The Mother's of Invention concert. The members of Deep Purple, who are recording just across the lake from the casino, witness the fire and write the song “Smoke On The Water” in response, including the line “some stupid with a flare gun burned the place to the ground...”

1979—Anita Pallenburg, the common-law wife of Rolling Stones Keith Richards, is cleared of murder charges in the shooting death of her young male companion, whose body had been found in her New York state home. Pallenburg had been in a relationship with Brian Jones before leaving him for Richards, leading to strain and an increase in the drinking that eventually lead to Jones' dismissal from the band.

1979—Neil Diamond and Barbra Streisand top the Billboard charts with their duet “You Don't Bring Me Flowers.” Both artists had previously recorded solo versions of the song and were persuaded to re-record it as a duet after a DJ spliced together vocals from both solo version and played it on the air to positive response.

1979—Just three months after Keith Moon's death, tragedy struck The Who again, when eleven people were trampled to death while trying to reach unreserved concert seats at the Riverfront Coliseum in Cincinnati.

1980—A retrospective compilation album of John Lennon's solo music called "The John Lennon Collection" started a six-week run at #1 on the UK album chart. The front and back covers for the LP were taken by famed photographer Annie Leibovitz on December 8th, 1980, just five hours before Lennon was murdered.

1993—Whitney Huston's recording of Dolly Parton's “I Will Always Love You” reaches the #1 position on the charts where it will remain until March of the following year.

1993—Composer/guitarist/singer Frank Zappa passes away from pancreatic cancer at the age of 54. News of his death is not announced until two weeks later, giving his family time to bury him in an unmarked grave without interference from fans or reporters.

2001—George Harrison succumbs to cancer at a friend's home. Though he had battled cancer for years, his death came as a surprise, as he had not publicly announced his latest relapse.

Rock News

* Motley Crue drummer Tommy Lee is being sued by his former assistant for unpaid overtime and character disparagement. Michael Anthony Sullivan worked as Lee's "procurer, Man Friday, chauffeur, butler, valet, attendant, cook, runner, shopper, nanny, bodyguard, maid and nursemaid" from 2005 until March of this year. According to Sullivan, Lee often forced him to work 16 hours a day, failed to reimburse him for thousands of dollars in expenses, and started to deduct $1000 a month from Sullivan's pay to cover rent after Sullivan was forced to move into Lee's home. Sullivan also claims that he was offered a job as tour manager for the band Bush, but the offer was later retracted following damaging comments made by Lee. Sullivan is seeking

--A guitar amp used by George Harrison during the recording of the albums Revolver and Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band is going on the auction block later this month at Bonham’s auction house in London. The amp, which was only recently discovered to have belonged to Harrison, is expected to fetch between $80,000 - $120,000. The amp was in the process of being repaired when Harrison's name was discovered scratched into the chassis. After some quick research, the amp was confirmed as having belong to the Beatles' guitarist.

--Power-pop trio Hanson are set to release their first-ever brand of beer. The line of beer, named Mmmhop, after their 1997 number one single Mmmbop, will start production in early 2012. Drummer Zac Hanson told a crowd at a recent concert "It's vital that our fans trust in everything Hanson do. We are soon going to be selling our own beer. I'm not joking -- Mmmhop IPA anyone?"

--Lisa Johansen, a Swedish woman who has claimed to be the "real" daughter of Elvis Presley, is suing the late singer's estate for over $130 million. Johansen's suit accuses Elvis' estate, and Lisa Marie Presley specifically, of defamation of character and infliction of emotional distress. Johansen authored the book I, Lisa Marie: The True Story of Elvis Presley's Real Daughter in 1998, but was subsequently sued by the book publisher for $50 million after refusing to take a blood test to back up her claims. Johnsen claims that she was sent to Sweden after Elvis' death for her protection, instructed to "assume a new identity until she comes of an age to take her rightful place as the sole heir of a huge estate."

Employee Picks

Ryan:

* Willie Nelson--Remember Me, Volume #1

* Harry Nilsson--Son of Schmilsson 
* Donnie Evil--Holiday That!
*OST--Muppets 
*Jonathan Coulton--Artificial Heart
*Puppini Sisters--Hollywood



Chelsea:

*Ma/Duncan/Meyer/Thile --Goat Rodeo
*Foster The People--Torches 
* Arlo Guthrie's butt on the back cover of that one album that Chelsea and Klaralyn are really into

Doc:

* Imelda May--Mayhem
* Original Soundtrack—Treme 
* St. Vincent--Strange Mercy

* My Brightest Diamond--All Things Will Unwind

Donnie:

* Mojo Nixon & Skid Roper
* Gary Neuman--Best of...
* OST--Hedwig & the Angry Inch

Red:
*Touchers--Blood Bath

*J-Model Ford--Don't Get  out Talkin' It
*Hanni El Khatib--Will The Guns Come Out  

Tol:


* B.U.T.—I Love You But...
* Cedric Kreklow--Sol

* Mojo Nixon/Skid Roper--Get Out of My Way


Klarlyn--

*Rage Against the Machine--Evil Empire
*Beastie Boys--Hot Sauce Committee Part 2
*LCD Soundsystem--This is Happening


Bueno:

Nick Lowe--"The Old Magic"
Dessa "Castor the Twin" ("New live arrangments of Dessa's Best Work!")
Wild Flag "Wild Flag" (featuring members of Sleater-Kinney!)
Mister Heavenly--Mister Heavenly (featuring members of Modest Mouse, Man Man, Island, & The Shins!)
Chemical Brothers --"Hannah Soundtrack"

Rock News

--A hand-written and illustrated sign made by John Lennon for his and Yoko Ono's bed-in for peace has fetched more than $150,000 at auction. The sign, which read "BED PEACE" in black marker on cardboard, and featuring pen drawings of Lennon and Ono, was posted in the window directly behind the couple during their seven day "bed-in" at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal in May of 1969.

--Before Sunrise actress Julie Deply has signed on to direct a biopic about late Clash guitarist/vocalist Joe Strummer. The film, tentatively entitled "The Right Profile" (after the Clash song from the album London Calling) will focus on Strummer's self-imposed exile after disbanding The Clash in 1986, up to his sudden death from congenital heart failure in 2002.

--A group of musicians, including Lou Reed, Tom Morello (of Rage Against The Machine, Nightwatchman,) Amanda Palmer,  nd Jello Biafra have collaborate to help launch a new website, occupymusicians.com, in support of the Occupy Wall Street movement.  The site is designed to help musicians, producers, and songwriters to organize performances, and is a companion to the websites Occupy Writers, Occupy Filmmakers and Occupy Comics.

--Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit may have to become a barbershop quartet. At least, that is what Isbell recently posted on his Facebook.  The band's van, containing all their equipments, was recently stolen, in broad daylight, from outside their hotel in Dallas, Texas. The van was recovered a few miles away with the locks knocked off, but the equipment was gone. A list is being circulated with detail of the nearly $20,000 of stolen equipment, in the hopes that it will be identified when-and-if the equipment is sold; but Isbell "[doubts] it will happen." In the meantime the band has been forced to delay its current tour and work on replacing it's equipment. 

This Week In Rock History

1955—Elvis Presley signs Col. Tom Parker as his manager. Not a real colonel, Parker's previous "management" experience involved promoting his act Tom Parker and His Dancing Turkeys.

1965—Harrods department store closes its door for a full day to allow the Beatles do their Holiday shopping.

1966—Several thousand teenagers battle with Kansas City police after a James Brown concert is halted because of what officials call "obscene dances being performed on the stage."

1967—The band Strawberry Alarm Clock tops the chart with Incense and Peppermint.  The song was originally intended to be a B-side and was not even sung by a member of the band. The vocals on the recording were sung by Greg Mumford, a friend of the band who was hanging around the studio during recording.

1969—John Lennon returns the MBE Award (Members of the British Empire) awarded to the Beatles in 1965. The note attached to the returned medal reads "Your Majesty, I am returning this MBE in protest against Brittan's involvement in the Nigeria-Biafra thing, against our support of America in Vietnam, and against Cold Turkey slipping down the charts." Though the Queen never publicly reacted to the medals return, we can only assume that "One was not amused."

1974--John Lennon joins Elton John on stage at Madison Square Garden, in New York. It would turn out to be Lennon's last concert performance. He would be gunned down outside his apartment six years later.

1976--The Band tape their farewell concert, The Last Waltz, at the Winterland's Ballroom in San Fransisco. The five hour set included performances from Ronnie Hawkins, Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Van Morrison, Joni Mitchell, Eric Clapton, Dr. John and others. A film of the concert was directed by Martin Scorsese and released the following year.

1976—Perhaps attempting to live up to his nickname "The Killer", Jerry Lee Lewis, is arrested after drunkenly brandishing a pistol at the gates of Graceland and demanding to see Elvis.

1983—The 14-plus minute video for Michael Jackson’s Thriller is premiered in LA. 

1991—Queen lead singer Freddie Mercury publicly announces that he has been diagnosed with the AIDS virus.  He passes away from AIDS-related pneumonia the following day.

Employee Picks

Ryan:

* Jerry Reed--Super Hits
* Southern Culture on the Skids--Zombified
* Tom Waits--Bad As Me
* Devo--Are We Not Men?


Chelsea:

*Ma/Duncan/Meyer/Thile --Goat Rodeo
*Kooks--Junk of the Heart
* Devil Makes Three--Stomp & Smash: Live

Doc:

* Imelda May--Mayhem
* Original Soundtrack—Treme 
* Jeff Bridges—Jeff Bridges
* My Brightest Diamond--All Things Will Unwind

Donnie:

* Mojo Nixon & Skid Roper
* Wreckless Erik--Hits, Miss, Rags & Tatters
* Leon Redbone--Champagne Charlie 

Red:
*Tom Waits--Bad as Me
*Joan Jett & the Blackhearts--Greatest Hits
*Hanni El Khatib--Will The Guns Come Out  

Tol:


* B.U.T.—I Love You But...
* Cedric Kreklow--Sol

* Cramps--Stay Sick

Klarlyn--

*U2--Joshua Tree
*Beastie Boys--Paul's Boutique
*Guns n' Roses--Appetite for Destruction


Bueno:

Nick Lowe--"The Old Magic"
Dessa "Castor the Twin" ("New live arrangments of Dessa's Best Work!")
Wild Flag "Wild Flag" (featuring members of Sleater-Kinney!)
Mister Heavenly--Mister Heavenly (featuring members of Modest Mouse, Man Man, Island, & The Shins!)
Chemical Brothers --"Hannah Soundtrack"

Rock History

1967—19-year old Arlo Guthrie, son of American folk music pioneer Woody Guthrie, releases the song Alice’s Restaurant. The single, which clocked in at over 18 minutes, told the mostly true story of his run-in with the New York draft board.

1968—The Los Angles based Americana band Pogo are forced to change their name following a lawsuit from comic strip creator Walt Kelly, whose comic strip Pogo debuted in 1941. The band settle on the similar sounding name Poco, and go on to have a number of hits on both the pop and country charts.  Worth noting is the release of their 2005 live album entitled “Bareback at Big Sky,” recorded in Bozeman at the home of Cactus’ friend Dave Goodwin, in front of a live audience of 100 Bozeman fans.

1970—The Killer, Jerry Lee Lewis, is granted a divorce from his wife/first cousin Myra Brown, after 13 years of marriage. Brown was only 13 years old when she and Lewis married; the marriage, and scandal that followed in its wake, essentially ended Lewis’ skyrocketing rock-&-roll career.

1973—A 19 year-old fan of The Who, Scot Halpin, got the thrill of a lifetime when he was recruited from the audience to replace an exhausted Keith Moon, who was suffering from jet lag. The young man lasted only three songs, when he also was too tired to continue.

1977—Joey Ramone, lead singer of The Ramones, receives 2^nd degree burns when a fog machine explodes on stage. Though he somehow managed to finish the concert, Ramone would spend the next three days hospitalized.

1983—Tom Evens, bassist of power-pop band Badfinger, commits suicide by hanging. Evens and the remaining members of Badfinger were embroiled in a financial dispute with the band’s management. Badfinger’s singer/guitarist Peter Hamm had hanged himself eight years earlier due to similar circumstances.

1990—Milli Vanilli producer Frank Farian admits to reporters that Fabrice Morvan and Rob Pilatus never sang a note on the "Milli Vanilli" album. The duo eventually returned their Best New Artist Grammy.

1990—The Righteous Brother place both their original 1965 recording of the song “Unchained Melody” and a newly re-recorded version in the top 20, after the song is featured in the movie Ghost. The song was originally recorded in 1955 by Les Baker as the theme to the prison film Unchained.

2010—Officials in Dade County Florida have announced that the sheriff’s department is looking into officially pardoning former Doors lead singer Jim Morrison for his 1969 indecent exposure arrest. Morrison was convicted of exposing himself on a Miami stage in 1969 and ordered to serve 6 month in jail and pay a $500 fine. The verdict was in the process of being appealed when Morrison died of a heart attack in 1971.  Not surprisingly, Morrison has not commented on the pardon.