Rockphiles Blog

THE LAUREL CANYON BOOK

  I'm extremely honored to have a few quotes in Michael Walker's excellent book Laurel Canyon: The Inside Story of Rock 'n' Roll's Legendary Neighborhood.  Michael is a respected journalist (L.A. Times, New Yorker, Esquire, etc.) and he actually lives in Laurel Canyon.

Other authors have striven to capture the fleeting magic of the days of the 60s and 70s, when so much classic rock music was created in and among the leafy hillsides, in little wood and stone houses teetering on the steep winding canyon roads of this artist enclave situated not more than two miles from the brash and rowdy Sunset Strip. 

Laurel Canyon has earned its place in rock history along with New York's Brill Building, Nashville's Music Row, and Detroit's Motown Records as a place of pilgrimage for rock music fans.  Michael Walker's recounting has a sense of place which those other writers, eager to leap into recountings of drug excesses and sexual stupidity, seem to have always evaded.  They miss the romance of it.

Michael talks with Chris Hillman, Graham Nash, Henry Diltz, Ronnie Stone, Pamela Des Barres, Gail Zappa, Kim Fowley, and an assortment of characters from the days of future past - the architects of California rock.  He looks at Altamont, Charlie Manson, cocaine, and finally the murders on Wonderland Avenue. 

The book continues to get great reviews, there's a blog, where you can keep up on daily doings in the Canyon as well as more links to audio interviews, and so on.

RIP CLIFF ANTONE

One of the great blues impresarios, Cliff Antone, is gone.  Austin, Texas police were called to his residence at 1:15 this morning.  They say there appears to be nothing suspicious about his death.  He was 56.

It can be truly said that without Cliff Antone's incredible devotion to blues music - which began in the early 70s when he provided a club in Austin for the great Chicago blues players to appear - before going on to single-handedly promote local Austin area blues players, including Stevie Ray Vaughn, and the Fabulous Thunderbirds, Austin would not be the music mecca it is today. More here from Austin360.

STONES POSTPONE 15 DATES AS KEITH RECOVERS

The Stones have postponed the first 15 dates on their ongoing Bigger Bang tour of Europe, as Keith Richards continues to recover from injuries and resultant surgery after falling from a palm tree during a vacation last month.  More here from Billboard.

The cancelled dates are Barcelona and Madrid, Spain; Brussels, Belgium; Paris; Bergen, Norway; Horsens, Denmark; Gothenburg, Sweden; St. Petersburg, Russia; Brno, Czech Republic; Warsaw, Poland; Vienna, Austria; Milan, Italy; Athens, Greece; and Zagreb, Croatia.

French promoters announced postponement of two Paris shows on June 3 and July 2 on May 23.

Dates will be rescheduled shortly.

Keith is reportedly doing well, at home with his family, and looking forward to returning to the road as soon as possible.

WHITESNAKE DVD AND EUROPEAN TOUR

Back in the early 70s, a young Yorkshire lad, an aspiring rock singer working in a clothing boutique during the day and singing in bar bands at night, responded to an ad in Melody Maker for a lead singer for the internationally famous rock band, Deep Purple. 

Whether it was his great vocal chops or the endearing photo of himself in his Boy Scout uniform he also enclosed, David Coverdale signed on for three years with the Purple boys, before leaving in 1976 to form Whitesnake, just as the punk movement appeared to be wiping out any interest in rock.  Undeterred, David booked a few small gigs for his band, and was delighted when he found hordes of rock fans waiting to get in to see them.  Garnering fans from the Deep Purple base and collecting many new admirers, Whitesnake and David continued to keep the name out there over the years, working steadily through the 80s and early 90s.

David is now taking the band back on the road in 2006, with an entirely new look at his 30 year multi-platinum career.  "I'm on a mission," he laughingly remarks, "It's an appropriate time be playing good, uplifting, positive rock 'n' roll."

With their blend of hard rock, soul, blues, and ballads, plus the usual rock-god posturing and good natured fun, Whitesnake will tour Europe extensively, supporting a new DVD/CD collection, "Live - In The Still of The Night."  Recorded during the 2004 UK tour, "Live" charted Top 5 in both the Europe and the US.  Says David, "It's as if everyone has been waiting for something new from the band.  I'm thrilled with the response to the DVD.  It's been overwhelmingly positive."

The tour opens May 27th in Manchester.  Tour dates and more news right here!

(L-R) Crosby, Stills and Nash, accept their BMI Icons award at the 54th Annual BMI Pop Awards in Beverly Hills, on May 16. They'll be touring this summer, with Neil Young.

Here's Pete Seeger, still going strong at 87.  The Boss is out, touring Pete's songs and philosophies.  Review from Italy c/o Michael Bloomberg.  I'm going to the June 5 concert at the Greek Theater here in L.A. and really looking forward to it.

Flea and Anthony Kiedis of the Red Hot Chili Peppers play at KROQ's Weenie Roast in Irvine last Saturday.  They woke up a couple of days later to find that the new album had gone straight to No. 1, a first for them in 22 years.  Good going, guys.  About time.

MCCARTNEYS TO SPLIT

As has been speculated for the last week or so, Sir Paul and Lady Heather McCartney have announced that they will separate.  Paul asked for a trial separation, after a series of major rows, according to Britain's The Sun.  It is thought that Heather was unable to cope with Paul's extraordinary fame, while the pair blame the media for constant intrusion into their private life. 

Heather, 38, underwent recent surgery.  The couple have a 2-and-a- half year old daughter, Beatrice. 

UMG SETTLES WITH AG FOR $12M

New York's AG, Eliot Spitzer, has agreed to accept a $12M settlement from Universal Music Group as part of his ongoing payola investigations. In addition to the money, and other far-reaching reforms, UMG has promised to no longer buy expensive gifts for radio station personnel in exchange for airplay for UMG's artists, and artists on their affiliate labels.  UMG used such tactics to secure airplay for Nick Lachey, Ashlee Simpson, Brian McKnight, Big Tymers, Lindsay Lohan and others.  Billboard story.

The $12M will be paid as a charitable donation to New York State's not-for-profit music education and appreciation programs.

Still Waters

As Dark Side of the Moon celebrates 1500 weeks (that's 28 years and counting, folks) on the charts, Roger Waters holds forth to Billboard on his upcoming tour [featuring a performance of Dark Side] as well as his relationship with Mr. Gilmour,continued speculation on the possibilities of Pink Floyd flinging one last fling, and so on. 

PHOTOS FROM THE N.O. JAZZ FEST

Dave Matthews, April 29

Elvis Costello April 30.  He and Allen Toussaint have an album due soon. 

Dr. John, April 30.

Rosie Ledet and the Zydeco Playboys, April 30.

GNR ANNOUNCE TOUR DATES

Just when you stopped really having very much interest in GNR's much-ballyhooed but still unreleased album, when That Other Band featuring a couple of GNR dudes had been successfully touring, and just when you didn't really care if Axl ever sings another note because it's all too much dramarama - they suddenly announce a tour. 

The first few dates in late May (12, 14, 15 and 17 in New York) sold out in three minutes, when they went on sale on April 21.   These will serve as warm-up dates before the band heads to Europe for a slew of dates.  As well as festivals, GNR will also work two July dates in Germany with the Rolling Stones.  They last appeared together in LA at the Coliseum in 1989. 

I smell a DVD.

More dates to be announced.