Tampa Calling

Contrary to a previous report by a local music publication that will go unnamed, the highly anticipated Radiohead tour will come to the Ford Amphitheatre in Tampa on May 6.

Here’s the official press release:

RADIOHEAD CONFIRMS MAY 2008 U.S. DATES & VENUES

COMES TO FORD AMPHITHEATRE MAY 6 TICKETS ON SALE SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 16

RADIOHEAD has confirmed the dates and venues to be visited on the first segment of its upcoming North American tour. They are:

May 5 - Cruzan Amphitheatre - West Palm Beach, Florida

May 6 - Ford Amphitheatre - Tampa, Florida

May 8 - Lakewood Amphitheatre - Atlanta, Georgia

May 9 - Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre - Charlotte, North Carolina

May 11 - Nissan Pavilion at Stone Ridge - Bristow, Virginia

May 14 - Verizon Wireless Amphitheater - St Louis, Missouri

May 17 - Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion - Houston, Texas

May 18 - Superpages.com Center - Dallas, Texas

Pre-sale for the above dates will begin February 14 via W.A.S.T.E. with general on-sales following on February 16.

The second half of the North American tour will follow the band’s summer tour of the UK and Europe

PRICES: $55.00 & $45.00 - RESERVED SEATS
$32.50 – FESTIVAL LAWN

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If, like me, you just couldn’t bring yourself to watch last night’s Grammy Awards broadcast — I was at Skipper’s watching Dr. Ralph Stanley perform — you’re probably aware by now that “Hancock [Stole] Grammy Album of Year.”

You might have also heard that tabloid-fave Amy Winehouse gave a whacked-out acceptance speech after winning for record of the year. Watching it on YouTube, she clearly appears shocked but I wouldn’t call her behavior strange. The British soul singer — after being mauled by bandmates — thanks mum, incarcerated hubby Blake and gives props to London. Sounds pretty normal to me.

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Johnny Cash introduced this song to the masses when he included a haunting version of it on his 2000 album American III: Solitary Man — likely at the behest of producer Rick Rubin. This YouTube clip culled from a show last year in Copenhagen finds the song’s author, Will Oldham (aka Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy) alone on stage with his acoustic guitar, slowly shaking his head and singing the bitter lyric as if he were alone in his bedroom. The song is both an acknowledgment of utter despair and a plea for salvation, sung with the conviction of man who has surely confronted life’s darkest corners.

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Concert review

Photo by Vince McGilvra

Dr. Ralph Stanley and His Clinch Mountain Boys
Sun., Feb. 10, Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa

Certain legends radiate such a powerful aura on stage that their diminished skills — the inevitable result of advanced age — become irrelevant. Bluegrass great Dr. Ralph Stanley turns 81 in a couple weeks. His once clear, sweet voice has frayed, and he no longer picks the banjo with authority. But when Stanley performed Sunday at Skipper’s Smokehouse in Tampa, he proved captivating, the crowd of about 600 clinging to almost his every word.

Photo by Tracy May

The singer remains an effective live act, in large part due to his repertoire of songs that address timeless issues like love, faith and the looming afterlife. Stanley’s weathered vocals often added an intense poignancy unmatched by the historic recordings he made with his late brother Carter in the ’50s. Uptempo songs executed with striking proficiency by Stanley’s six-man Clinch Mountain Boys judiciously followed the most solemn numbers of the night. Younger attendees danced wherever space permitted.

Photo by Tracy May

Stanley and his dapperly dressed backing musicians — two acoustic guitarists, a fiddler, banjoist, mandolin player and standup bassist — took the stage at 6:30 sharp. The featured performer donned a white cowboy hat and a sharp, gray suit peppered with sparingly placed rhinestones.

A band member delivered a long introduction that mentioned Stanley’s 2002 Grammy award for Best Male Country Vocal Performance, plus numerous honors like performing at the White House and for the Queen of England — just in case anyone present might have forgotten that they were witnessing a legend.

The band kicked off the evening with a lively rendition of “Pretty Polly,” a song Ralph first recorded with the Stanley Brothers, the group he led with his sibling up until Carter’s death in 1966. Stanley introduced the next number by saying “I’d like to do an a cappella song I had the privilege of doing for the O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack.” The other musicians exited the stage and the packed venue turned silent. Stanley clasped the microphone stand with his right hand and lent his gloriously ragged voice to “O Death.” A haunting meditation on mortality, it’s the song that won him the Grammy and introduced Stanley to young people previously unfamiliar with bluegrass and the genre’s elder statesmen.

(more…)

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Sunday music links:

• “Rehab” singer (and current patient) Amy Winehouse allowed into U.S. — but “chooses to stay home.” She’ll perform at today’s Grammy Awards show via satellite.

• Atlanta prog-metal quartet Mastodon has teamed with Slipknot and others for the Rockstar Energy Mayhem tour, which comes to Ford Amphitheatre in Tampa on July 29. Here’s my review of Mastodon’s performance last year at the State Theatre.

• Synth-pop standout Ladytron announce new release, tour dates: “(February 8, 2008 – Los Angeles, CA) - LADYTRON are set to release their fourth full-length album, VELOCIFERO, on June 3, 2008 through Nettwerk Music Group. The band will tour North America with dance punks Datarock, hitting 31 cities between May 20 and July 4″ including Czar in Ybor City on June 11.

• Martin Scorsese to follow his Rolling Stones concert film Shine a Light with Bob Marley documentary. My interview with Ky-Mani Marley will run in the Creative Loafing that hits newsstands Feb. 14.

• Beastie Boys, R.E.M., Phil Lesh, 311, Matisyahu, Thievery Corporation, The Roots, Gov’t Mule, Ani DiFranco and many more to play Langerado Music Festival: March 6-9 , Big Cypress Indian Reservation, near Ft. Lauderdale.

• How can you take a music award show seriously when it’s never honored Neil Young, The Who, Led Zeppelin or The Kinks? And does anyone really want to sit through what will likely be three or four acceptance speeches by the gifted and gratingly arrogant Kanye West? Not me. While millions veg through another Grammy snooze-fest I’ll be at Skipper’s Smokehouse witnessing a performance by bluegrass legend Dr. Ralph Stanley (scroll down). Which could also prove to be a snooze-fest, but at least it’ll be a lot briefer than the Grammys and not feature a gloating (or griping) Kanye.

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Engelbert Humperdinck returns to the area for the umpteenth time to play Ruth Eckerd Hall on Feb. 19. And I couldn’t be more annoyed. I’ve covered music professionally for close to a decade now and it seems not a year goes by without me having to write a pithy advance on him. Hump’s sentimental ballads and shit-eating grin have always grated me — but not as much as the 71-year-old’s stage name. Here’s what I have running in the Music Week section of the Feb. 14 issue of Creative Loafing:

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 19
ENGELBERT HUMPERDINCK The most annoying name in the history of show business (and it’s not even his real name), continues to make blue hairs cream with sentimental faves like “Release Me (And Let Me Love Again),” his breakthrough hit from ’67. (Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater)

Not the greatest sentence ever written but you get my point.

From Wikipedia:

Aware that [Arnold George] Dorsey had been struggling several years to make it in music, [manager Gordon Mills] suggested a name change to the more arresting Engelbert Humperdinck, borrowed from the composer of such operas as Hansel and Gretel.

OK, enough on Hump. Here are nine other artist and band names that piss me off.

Top 10: Most annoying names in music

1. Engelbert Humperdinck

2. Limp Bizkit

3. Kid Rock

4. Phish

5. Was (Not Was)

6. blink-182

7. Hootie & the Blowfish

8. Portugal. The Man

9. Hoobastank

10. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah (Any band name that is longer than three words almost always sucks.)

WHAT DID I MISS?

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Here’s what I have running in the new Creative Loafing:

• Blue valentines: Song to avoid or (wallow in) on Cupid Day.

• Concerts of the week: The Headlights [by Eric Snider], Ralph Stanley, Tres Bien.

• Music Week: The Go-Go’s, Dex Romweber Duo, DJ Starscream and more.

• Spins: reviews of new CDs by Kelley Stoltz, Ringo Starr, and Hot Chip [by Amanda Schurr]

• Book review: Best Music Writing 2007

• BAR TAB: Diving back in … Remembering the past at Molly’s Place.

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Update Feb. 7: ‘Romney drops out of presidential campaign’

Mitt Romney got pummeled by John McCain yesterday and I couldn’t be happier. The former Massachusetts guv reps the conservative wing of the Republican party, which means if he wins the general election it will be just like Dubya never left office. And I just don’t know if I could cope with that. Romney put on a brave face after his defeat last night and has pledged to keep campaigning. But even McCain-haters like Rush Limbaugh must know that their Mormon candidate’s days are numbered.

Top 10: Songs for Mitt Romney

1. “Hit the Road Jack,” Ray Charles

2. “Even a Dog Can Shake Hands,” Warren Zevon

3. “It’s Over,” Roy Orbison

4. “Loser,” Beck

5. “Hello Goodbye,” The Beatles

6. “Fool in the Rain,” Led Zeppelin

7. “It’s All Over Now,” The Rolling Stones

8. “Too Much Monkey Business,” Chuck Berry

9. “That’s the News,” Merle Haggard

10. “End of the Line,” Traveling Wilburys

WHAT DID I MISS?

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The Allman Brothers Band has returned to a level of brilliance in recent years not approached since their groundbreaking Duane-era of the late 1960s. Thanks to Gregg Allman’s renewed passion for the music (brought on by a much-needed switch to sobriety) — as well as the addition of 28-year-old slide guitar virtuoso Derek Trucks and singer/songwriter/guitar great Warren Haynes — the ensemble now ranks as one of the most formidable acts touring today. And there’s no better setting to witness the ultimate jam band than at their annual Wanee Festival.

Now in its fourth year and held again at the gorgeous Spirit of Suwannee Music Park in Live Oak, it takes place April 11 and 12. For ABB enthusiasts, it ranks as one of the most anticipated events of the year. In addition to playing alongside Gregg, Trucks takes the stage with wife Susan Tedeschi and Haynes fronts Gov’t Mule. Burbridge’s jazzy side project also has a slot.

An appearance by Levon Helm this year definitely sweetens the deal. The singer on many of The Band’s best-known hits, his voice was thought to be permanently lost to cancer but after a long silence he returned last year with the Grammy-nominated album Dirt Farmer, his pipes sounding a tad gruffer but perhaps even more expressive than before. Bob Weir & Rat Dog are also on the roster. Haynes played with Weir as a member of The Dead a few years back so hopefully he’ll sit in and spice things up.

Wanee Festival 2008 line-up to date:
â–ª The Allman Brothers Band
▪ Gov’t Mule
â–ª Bob Weir & RatDog
â–ª moe.
â–ª Oteil & the Peacemakers
â–ª Levon Helm
â–ª JJ Grey & Mofro
â–ª Larry McCray Band
â–ª Scrapomatic
â–ª Bonobos Convergence
â–ª Little Brown Peach
â–ª The Frequency
â–ª Inca Maya
â–ª and many more to be announced!
â–ª Special Saturday Midnight Set With
Derek Trucks & Susan Tedeschi
Soul Stew Revival

Here’s a memorable interview I did with Gregg Allman in 2006. I spoke with Derek Trucks last year shortly after he returned from a world tour with Eric Clapton.

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Just received a press release touting the success of Bradenton’s We The Kings. The pop-punk quartet’s self-titled debut album came out on S-Curve Records in October and has steadily climbed The Billboard Heatseekers chart, recently reaching No. 10. Here’s an excerpt from what arrived in my inbox:

We The Kings Debut CD Hits Top 10 On The Billboard Heatseekers Chart
Huge Presence On MySpace With Over 3.3 Million Plays

We The Kings, an alternative pop/rock band from Bradenton, Florida released their self-titled debut CD on October 2 (S-Curve Records) are on the rise and poised to reign in 2008.

We The Kings CD has been consistently charting in the Top 10 of iTunes’ Top Alternative Albums chart and garnered high positions on iTunes’ Top Albums chart as well. Beginning this week and just in time for Valentine’s Day, their up-beat and infectious pop/rock song, “Check Yes Juliet” has been chosen as the iTunes “Single Of The Week,” (February 5 through 12).

We The Kings have also been receiving a tremendous response on mtvU and have been selected for the “Freshman Five” Spring 2008 Edition. Every semester, mtvU chooses five up-and-coming artists who they deem to be on their way to moving up from college favorites to household names. mtvU recently elevated their music video, “Skyway Avenue” to “Summa Cum Laude” (highest rotation 45-50 spins per week) and the video is also the #1 the Most Streamed Video on mtvU.com.

“Skyway Avenue” is also in rotation on Fuse and has received over 800,000 plays on YouTube. A new video was recently shot for the song “Check Yes Juliet,” and directed by Alan Ferguson (Fall Out Boy, Gym Class Heroes, Boys Like Girls, etc.).

The CD has logged multiple weeks in the Top 10 of the Billboard Heatseekers chart and this week it is “Greatest Gainer.” The record is also currently #4 on the Billboard Alternative New Artist chart. Additionally, the band has had a strong presence on MySpace with over 3.3 million plays and they’ve consistently been in the Top 10 of MySpace’s Alternative Top Artist chart.

Here’s the interview I did with We The Kings that ran in October.

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I like the Grateful Dead. Own a half-dozen of their albums. I even listen to a couple — American Beauty, The Closing of Winterland — pretty regularly. But I wouldn’t seek their support if running for president. No way.

Especially if I was Barack Obama. But here we are on the biggest primary day in history and publications nationwide are running headlines like: “Grateful Dead and Deadheads reunite for Obama.”

Did the presidential hopeful not realize The Dead are perhaps most famous for advocating the intake of marijuana and LSD?

Not a smart move. Especially considering Obama’s confessions of experimenting with marijuana and cocaine as a teenager. A story that the Clinton Machine strategically revived on the campaign trail. One that will surely resurface in the paws of the Republicans.

It could have been worse for Obama. At least the candidate opted to send a videotaped message instead of making a personal appearance Monday at the Dead’s show in San Francisco — where he might have been subjected to a very un-presidential contact high.

Reuters reports:

The concert started with a short video from Obama, filmed on an airplane, thanking the band. A thick cloud of marijuana smoke wafted through the air then and throughout the concert, and some fans engaged in free-style dance as though magically transported from 1968.

Politicians really have nothing to gain by courting rock stars. A singer might fill stadiums but can she deliver votes? It’s doubtful. Look how much the 2004 Vote for Change Tour — featuring heavyweights Bruce Springsteen, Dave Matthews Band, Pearl Jam and others — helped Kerry.

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