Music News and notes 4/2/07

By Art Shimko
shimko_7@hotmail.com

-- We're back from a well-deserved break with lots of music news from the last few days...

-- EMI has made a deal with Apple to make their catalogue available on iTunes without DRM (Digital Rights Management) which prevents users from making copies of music files. EMI's music will be sold on iTunes for $1.29, 1.29 euros or 99 pence. "We believe that offering consumers the opportunity to buy higher quality tracks and listen to them on the device or platform of their choice will boost sales of digital music," said EMI Chief Executive Eric Nicoli.

-- Jazz clarinetist Tony Scott dies at 85

-- Jaime Luis Gomez, known as Taboo from Black Eyed Peas was charged with DUI following a car crash in Industry, CA last Tuesday. Gomez was released later that evening and was also charged with possessing a little less than an ounce of pot and possession of a prescribed medication without a prescription.

-- Mary Weiland's freak-out last weekend which involved trashing a hotel room and setting her husband Scott's clothes on fire was a result of imbalance of medications for bipolar disorder. "The weekend's difficulties were brought on by a reaction to an imbalance in medications used to treat my bipolar disorder," she said in a statement released Tuesday by the couple's spokeswoman, Bryn Bridenthal.

"Reports that we were fighting at the Graciela Hotel are untrue," she said. "Scott was simply trying to help me calm down. I want to make it very clear that he did not hurt me in any way."

"For lack of a better expression, I was unstable and just lost it," she said.

-- Famed New York club Sin-e [150 Attorney Street] which hosted such artists like Sarah McLaughlin, Jeff Buckley, David Gray, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, The Kills and Jon Spencer Blues Explosion closed its doors on Sunday with Hymns, Bow Thayer & the Perfect Train Wreck and Amanda Kravat performing the final show there.

-- During a series of concerts in Dublin this summer (6/30, 7/1 and 7/3-7/5) at the Olympia Theatre, R.E.M. will be presenting songs from their upcoming 14th studio album.

-- Former Mest frontman Anthony Lovato was not charged with murder in the stabbing of a 25-year-old man during an argument. "There was insufficient evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the killing was not a justified use of force in self-defense," said Jane Robison, a district attorney's office spokeswoman.

-- Address Bono as 'Your Demigodness'

-- Winners of the BBC Radio 3 Awards for World Music were announced which included Malian singer and guitarist Ali Farka Toure for album of the year, Somali hip-hop artist K'naan got the best newcomer award, other recipients were French vocalist Camille won the Europe category, Lebanese singer Ghade Shbeir won Middle East and North Africa award, Debashish Bhattacharya (Asia/Pacific), Gogol Bordello (Americas), Gotan Project (Club Global) and Maurice El Medioni & Roberto Rodriguez (Culture Crossing). A concert featuring the winners will take place at the Barbican in London on 5/27.

-- Heaven And Hell (the Ronnie James Dio-fronted Black Sabbath) recorded their Radio City Music Hall gig on Friday for a future CD/DVD release and according to reports the stage show featured Grim Reaper-like figures and massive crosses were projected on a curtain behind them. Here's the setlist:
"After All (The Dead)"
"The Mob Rules"
"Children of the Sea"
"Lady Evil"
"I"
"The Sign of the Southern Cross"
"Voodoo"
"The Devil Cried"
Drum Solo
"Computer God"
"Falling Off the Edge of the World"
"Shadow of the Wind"
Iommi Solo
"Die Young"
"Heaven and Hell"

Encore:
"Lonely Is the Word"
"Neon Knights"

-- Motley Crue announced some European dates this June: Fri 1 SWI, Wintherthur - Eishalle Spirit of Rock Festival; Sat 2 ITA, Milan - Gods of Metal; Tue 5 SWE, Stockholm - Globen; Wed 6 NOR, Oslo - Spektrum; Fri 8 BEL, Brussels - AB; Sat 9 ENG, Donington Park - Download 2nd Stage; Mon 11 ENG, London - Hammersmith Apollo; Tue 12 ENG, Manchester - Apollo

-- Foxy Brown pleads not guilty in Fla.

-- The man behind the music at American Idol

-- Nirvana Music inspires dance show

-- "Guitar Hero" and a mind for music

-- Japanese musicians set record for world's longest concert
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Note to webmasters/reporters: When recapping news or referencing commentary from this site please include a link to meanfilipine.blogspot.com as opposed to "Strong Style Shimko", "From The Mean Filipine Blog" or derivatives. Thank you!