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 

Rock News

-- 1990's smooth rap legend, Heavy D, or the group Heavy D and The Boyz, died suddenly on Tuesday. Heavy D, born Dwight Arringston Myers, took a cover of the O'Jay's song “Now That We've Found Love (What Are We Going To Do)” onto the charts in 1991, he also rapped on Janet Jackson's 1990 hit “Alright“ and the 1991 Michael Jackson hit “Jam.” No cause of death has been determined. He was 44.

--Teen pop sensation, Justin Bieber, has agreed to take a paternity test following last week's allegations that he fathered a child with a 20 year old woman. Mariah Yeater claimed that her 3-months old child was fathered by the singer after a rendezvous backstage at an LA concert nearly a year ago. After first strongly denying any involvement with Yeater, and refusing to take a paternity test, Bieber has agreed to take the test as soon as he returns to the US from his current world tour. Matthew Hiltzik, Bieber's representative said they would "vigorously pursue all available legal remedies to protect Justin.” If Bieber is shown to be the child's father, the mother, Mariah Yeater may face charges of statutory rape, since Bieber would have been only 16 at the time the child was conceived.

--Dr. Conrad Murray, the doctor recently convicted of involuntary manslaughter in the death of Michael Jackson, has been put on a suicide watch. Murray was found guilty of causing the death by being reckless in his treatment of Jackson. Murray could face up to four years in prison for Jackson's death in 2009.

--Fans in Detroit are up in arms about an upcoming Thanksgiving football game between the hometown Lions and rivals, defending Super Bowl champs, the Green Bay Packers. While fans are excited for the game, a controversy has sprung up concerning half-time performers Nickelback. A petition has been started urging promoters of the game to replace Nickelback with another, unspecified, act. According to the petition, which has gathered over 47,000 signatures in the Detroit area, “Detroit is home to so many great musicians [why] choose Nickelback?...This is completely unfair to those of us who purchased tickets to the game. At least the people watching at home can mute their TVs. The Lions ought to think about their fans before choosing such an awful band to play at halftime.”

--GWAR guitarist Cory Smoot, better known by his stage persona Flattus Maximus, was found dead on Thursday as the band prepared to cross the Canadian border. Smoot joined the band in 2002, replacing former Flattus Maximus Zach Blair. GWAR have decided to continue with their world tour, stating “[Cory] would want us to go on and would be pissed if we didn’t.”

This Week In Rock History

1966—John Lennon meets artist Yoko Ono at the Indica art Gallery in London. Despite Lennon already being married, he and Ono become inseparable, remaining together until Lennon's assassination in 1980.

1966—Scottish folk singer Donovan releases the song “Mellow Yellow.” The song, which would reach #2 on the US pop charts, came about after Donovan suffered a severe case of jaundice in earlier in the year causing his skin to turn a pale yellow color.

1972—A little over a year after The Allman Brother's Band lost Duane Allman in a motorcycle accident, their bassist, 24 year old Berry Oakley was killed when his motorcycle hit a bus, just three blocks away from the site that claimed Duane. At first, Oakley seemed all right, but died twenty minutes after being brought to the hospital.

1974—An impostor posing as Deep Purple guitarist Ritchie Blackmore borrowed a Porsche in Iowa City and wrecked it, having already conned food and shelter out of several Deep Purple fans. He was later arrested and charged. The real Ritchie Blackmore was playing a concert in San Francisco at the time.

1987—Just like he did in his prime, Sly Stone, shows up over an hour late for his "comeback" concert in Los Angeles. When he finally arrives, he is arrested for non-payment of child support.

2002—Elton John receives Lasik eye surgery, making useless his reported 4000+ pairs of prescription glasses.

2007—47-year-old Boy George was charged by British Police with falsely imprisoning 28-year-old Auden Karlsen, who had gone to the musician's flat as a photo model.

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"

New Releases

NEW RELEASES AVAILABLE AT

CACTUS RECORDS

10/25/11

Aiden, Casual, Circus Devils (Robert Pollard), Kelly Clarkson, Coldplay, Dead to Me, Deer Tick, Dirty Projectors + Bjork, DJ Cam, DJ/rupture, Thomas Dolby, Drake, El Rego (Daptone), Everlast, Flogging Molly (Dlx), Garrison Keillor, Toby Keith, Goapele, honeyhoney, Dntel, JC Brooks & Uptown Sound, Jedi Mind Tricks, Chris Joss, Justice, Yo-Yo Ma/Stuart Duncan/Edgar Meyer/Chris Thile, MF Doom (Dlx Re-issue), Raleigh Moncrief, Montgomery Gentry, Russell Moore & IIIrd Tyme Out, Peggy Sue, Phantogram (ep), Popa Chubby, John Prine, Roots Manuva, She & Him (Xmas), Paul Simon (re-issues), Star F*&#ing Hipsters, Chip Taylor, Tom Waits, Scott Weiland (xmas), Brian Wilson (kids), Bill Wyman, (VA) Brdige School Benefit, more!

11/02/11

Black Milk, Justin Bieber (Xmas), Bush, The Decemberists (ep), Florence + the Machine, Frank Sinatra (B.O.), Insane Clown Posse, Justin Bieber, Lou Reed & Metallica (Loutallica), Megadeth, Mike Patton, Susan Boyle, U2 (re-issue), more!

Rock News

*A new album of unreleased tracks from late soul singer Amy Winehouse is set to be released on December 5th, just in time for Christmas. The album, titled Amy Winehouse Lioness: Hidden Treasures, is made up of cover songs, demos, and tracks recorded for, but not included on, her debut album Frank released in 2003. For every album sold 1 British Pound ($1.59) will be donated to the Amy Winehouse Foundation, a charity set up in the singer’s honor to help support or care for young people with problems. Some fans have expressed anger at the release, complaining that the charity donation is too small, and that the release of material previously considered unsuitable, especially so close to Christmas, is simply an attempt to cash in on the singers recent death at the age of 27.

*Death Cab For Cutie front man Ben Gibbard and his wife of two years, Zooey Deschanel has split according to their representative. The couple were introduced by their mutual manager and married in September of 2008. "It was mutual and amicable," a source told Us Weekly, "There was no third party involved."

*Grammy Award winning Rapper and actress Queen Latifah has singed a deal with Sony Pictures Television to host a new daytime talk show starting in 2013. The show is being co-produced by Latifah, alongside fellow rapper/actor Will Smith and his wife Jada Pinkett- Smith. Latifah previously hosted the talk show the Queen Latifah Show for two seasons from 1999-2001.

*Teen pop sensation Justin Beiber has been hit with a paternity suit. According to a report in Star magazine the seventeen year old Beiber is being listed as the father of a son born to Mariah Yeater of California. Yeater claims she and Beiber had a fling backstage after a Los Angeles concert earlier this year resulting in her pregnancy. Beiber's representatives called the allegations “malicious, defamatory and demonstrably false” stating they would ...”vigorously pursue all available legal remedies to defend and protect Justin against these allegations."

*Funk pioneer Sly Stone has entered rehab. The “Everyday People” singer, who has fallen on hard times, recently revealing that he was been living in his van for the past few years, is set to enter rehab for 90 days to help deal with decades of alcohol and drug abuse.

This Week In Rock History

1954— Billboard Magazine places Elvis Presley at #8 on their list of promising "Hillbilly" singers.

1955—Country artist “Tennessee” Ernie Ford releases his signature tune “Sixteen Tons.” The single would go on to become the biggest selling record of the 1950s.

1959—Due to the fact that he is currently serving with the US Army in Germany, Elvis Presley is left without a record on the Billboard charts for the first time in five years.

1961—The single “Big Bad John” reaches #1 on both the country and rock-and-roll charts. The song's writer and singer, Jimmy Dean, was not only a successful musician, but also worked as an actor, writer, television host (of both The Jimmy Dean Show, as well as guest hosting the Tonight show on several occasions), and, most famously, founder of the sausage company that still bears his name.

1962—The song “He's A Rebel” is number one on the Billboard charts. The song is credited to The Crystals, however it is actually performed by a another girl group known as The Blossoms. Phil Spector had recorded the song, and released it under the Crystals moniker to capitalize on the fact that they already had two songs in the the top ten.

1967—The Bee Gees' Robin Gibb survives a train wreck near London, England that killed 49 others.

1970—Michelle Phillips of The Mamas & The Papas marries actor Dennis Hopper. The marriage would last eight days.

1972—New York Dolls drummer Billy Murcia drowns after his girlfriend, in an attempt to wake him up, pours coffee down Murcia's throat as his lies passed out from a cocktail of alcohol and drugs.

1973—Phil Kaufman, former manager of alt-country singer Gram Parsons, is fined $300 for stealing Parson's body from the Los Angles airport. Kaufman, along with members of Parson's band The Flying Burrito Brothers stole the body, drove it out into the desert, and set it on fire in order to fulfill Parson's wish to be cremated.

1977—Ozzy Osbourne leaves Black Sabbath only to rejoin a few weeks later. In the intervening weeks former Savoy Brown singer Dave Walker would be brought in as the new singer, only to be let go upon Ozzy's return. (Dave currently resides in Virginia City).

1987—Dire Straights' album“Brothers In Arms,” originally released in 1985, becomes the UK's best selling album of all time when it passes the three-million mark. As of 2010, it remains the UK's largest selling, now topping over 30-million copies sold.