"Live It Up" Doesn't Live Up to Expectations

Back before Black Friday Lee DeWyze, the winner of last season’s American Idol, debuted his first album, “Live It Up.” If you missed buying a copy of the CD then you weren’t alone because according to Neilsen Soundscan DeWyze had the absolute worst sales numbers ever for an American Idol winner.

“Live It Up” only sold 39,000 units in its first week making it the worst debut by an Idol winner - ever. By comparison, Kris Allen sold 80,000 copies the year before and David Cook sold 280,000 the year before that. To find the best sales record you’d have to go all the way back to 2003 when Clay Aiken sold 613,000 as the runner-up.

Lee isn't only the lowest-selling winner, but he's also lower than any runner-up, beating Diana DeGarmo by 8,000 less albums sold. In any typical week DeWyze may have made the Billboard top 10, but considering the competitive debuts; Susan Boyle, Rihanna, Josh Groban, Kid Rock, Rascal Flats, Keith Urban and Nelly, I suppose ending the week at #19 isn’t all that bad.

Next up on the block, Crystal Bowersox – the runner up to Lee DeWyze debuts her first album, "Farmer's Daughter" on December 14. "Farmer's Daughter" will feature eight songs written by Crystal as well as a track written by Kara DioGuardi and Nickelback's Chad Kroeger, a Buffalo Springfield cover, and "Mason", a song written by Crystal and her husband Brian.

Axl Rose Really Doesn’t like Slash Anymore

It has become evident that Axl Rose still has a chip on his shoulder. The animosity that he holds against his former bandmate, Slash, is the basis behind a lawsuit brought against the video game company Activition.

Rose is suing the company for $20 million over the game Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock, and it's depictions of Slash as well as his inclusion as a playable character. The lawsuit claims that Axl Rose and his publishing company, Black Frog, were duped into an agreement to license the song "Welcome to the Jungle" for the game on the condition that it would not feature Slash or even his band Velvet Revolver in any way.

Rose also claims that the GNR song "Sweet Child O' Mine" was used in an online promotion for GH III despite being licensed only for GH II. He wants $20 million in damages from sales of the popular game.

"This lawsuit is about protecting Guns N' Roses and 'Welcome to the Jungle' and is about holding Activision accountable for its misuse of these incredibly valuable assets," Rose lawyer Skip Miller says. "The relief we are seeking is disgorgement of profits and compensatory and punitive damages."

"There's zero possibility of me having anything to do with Slash other than by ambush, and that wouldn't be pretty," Rose said in 2009. "In a nutshell, personally I consider him a cancer and better removed, avoided." Rose also sued his former manager Irving Azoff, the CEO of Live Nation Ticketmaster, accusing Azoff of conspiring to assemble a Guns N' Roses reunion tour that included Slash. That legal tiff is likely the reason why Axl's GNR hasn't toured the U.S. on its "Chinese Democracy" trek.

Slash, on the other hand, is not bitter about the breakup and would rather move on.

Autographed John Lennon Album Up for Auction

Five hours before Mark David Chapman shot John Lennon he had autographed a copy of “Double Fantasy” for his killer.  After Chapman murdered Lennon, the autographed album was found at the entrance to the Dakota by Phillip Michael, a maintenance man at the Dakota.

Michael had been at a wrestling match at Madison Square Garden that night when his friend who said he would give him a lift home failed to turn up.  As he walked back home he came across Lennon’s house moments after the shooting and just as the crowd was beginning to form.

Chapman had stored the album in a planter next to the Dakota building where it fell on to Michael’s head.  He put it back, it fell out once more, then a third time at which point he decided to keep it.  Later that night when he later shared a taxi with a reporter Michael finally learned what had happened, and the importance of the album that had landed on his head.

Michael gave the album to police, who later returned it to him after the investigation into Lennon's death.  Nearly 20 years later Michael sold the album, complete with police evidence tags and Chapman’s fingerprints, to an anonymous collector for $165,000.  Chapman has over the years tried to get the album back but his attempts have failed.

Now, as we near the 30^th anniversary of Lennon’s death, the album is again up for sale.   Autograph dealer Gary Zimet, who first sold the album to an anonymous buyer is offering the album for $850,000.

Says Zimet, "The current owner doesn't want to be named because he received death threats."

The 27’s – Kurt Cobain 1967 - 1994

Part 28 in a series on “The 27’s” – notable musicians who have passed away in their 27th year.

Kurt Cobain was best known as the lead singer and guitarist of the grunge band Nirvana which he formed with Krist Novoselic in Aberdeen, Washington in 1985. Cobain has been remembered as one of the most iconic rock musicians in the history of alternative music. He was often uncomfortable and frustrated, believing his message and artistic vision to have been misinterpreted by the public and his personal issues often subject to media attention.

During the last years of his life, Cobain struggled with heroin addiction, illness and depression, his fame and public image, as well as the professional and lifelong personal pressures surrounding himself and his wife, Courtney Love. On April 8, 1994, Cobain was found dead at his home in Seattle, the victim of what was officially ruled a suicide by a self-inflicted shotgun wound to the head.

Cobain had been disillusioned and frustrated for some time and the months leading up to his suicide had seen an increase in his drug use and depression. In early March 1994, while on tour in Germany, Cobain was diagnosed with bronchitis and severe laryngitis. He flew to Rome the next day for medical treatment, and was later joined there by his wife. The next morning, Love awoke to find that Cobain had overdosed on a combination of champagne and Rohypnol. Cobain was immediately rushed to the hospital, and spent the rest of the day unconscious. After five days in the hospital, Cobain was released and returned to Seattle. Love later said that this was Kurt’s first attempt at suicide.

A few weeks later, Love phoned Seattle police informing them that Cobain was suicidal and had locked himself in a room with a gun. Police arrived and confiscated several guns and a bottle of pills from Cobain, who insisted that he was not suicidal and had locked himself in the room to hide from Love. When questioned by police, Love said that Cobain had never mentioned that he was suicidal and that she had not seen him with a gun.

Love arranged an intervention shortly thereafter. The intervention was initially unsuccessful, with an angry Cobain locking himself in the upstairs bedroom, but by the end of the day Cobain had agreed to undergo a detox program. At the end of March Cobain arrived at the Exodus Recovery Center in Los Angeles. He spent that first day talking to counselors about his drug abuse and playing with his daughter Frances. This was the last time she would see her father. The following night, Cobain walked outside to have a cigarette and climbed over a six-foot-high fence to leave the facility.

On 2 April and 3 April 1994, Cobain was spotted in various locations around Seattle. Love contacted a private investigator and hired him to find Cobain. On 8 April 1994, Cobain's body was discovered at his Lake Washington home by an electrician who had arrived to install a security system. Apart from a minor amount of blood coming out of Cobain's ear, the electrician reported seeing no visible signs of trauma, and initially believed that Cobain was asleep until he saw the shotgun pointing at his chin.

A suicide note was found, addressed to Cobain's childhood imaginary friend "Boddah", that said, paraphrasing, "I haven't felt the excitement of listening to as well as creating music, along with really writing . . . for too many years now.” A high concentration of heroin and traces of Valium were also found in his body. Cobain's body had been lying there for days, the coroner's report estimated Cobain to have died on 5 April 1994.

Dave Grohl would say that the news of Cobain's death was "probably the worst thing that has happened to me in my life. I remember the day after that I woke up and I was heartbroken that he was gone. I just felt like, 'Okay, so I get to wake up today and have another day and he doesn't.'"

A final ceremony was arranged for Cobain by his mother on 31 May 1999. As a Buddhist monk chanted, his daughter Frances Bean scattered his ashes into McLane Creek in Olympia, the city where he "had found his true artistic muse."

New from Daughtry

It was just last month that Idol contestant Chris Sligh announced the birth of his new daughter, now Daughtry has one-upped him.

Chris Daughtry and his wife, Deanna, welcomed twins Wednesday, the rocker announced on his website.

Adalynn Rose was born at 11:06 a.m., weighing 6 pounds, 5 ounces. Noah James followed at 11:25, weighing 5 pounds, 5 ounces. The news is extra special for the couple, after Deanna underwent a hysterectomy in 2006. The babies were carried to term via a surrogate.

"Our family is overwhelmed with joy by these two precious gifts from God," Daughtry wrote." The babies are both healthy and resting. Thanks to everyone for their love and prayers."

The 30-year-old former American Idol contestant already has a 12-year-old adopted son, Griffin, and a 14-year-old stepdaughter, Hannah, from his wife's previous marriage. Chris and Deanna have been married since 2000.

Daughtry and his rock band of the same name just wrapped a European tour last month.

Josh Groban Annonces On-Line Event

Go buy your new Josh Groban CD now, because that's the only way you'll get to see this...

Josh Groban Announces Exclusive Live-Streaming Concert Event for Fans Who Purchase Physical Copy of New Album "Illuminations"

Fans Who Purchase a Physical CD of "Illuminations" Will Be Able to View an Exclusive NYC Concert and Q&A With Groban on Ustream on December 2nd at 8 p.m. ET/ 5 p.m. PT

BURBANK, CA--(Marketwire - November 15, 2010) - A very special concert and Q&A with internationally renowned singer and songwriter Josh Groban will be broadcast live on Ustream exclusively for fans who purchase a physical CD copy of Groban's new album Illuminations. The concert and interactive Q&A will take place on December 2^nd at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT. 

Fans who purchase the Illuminations CD, which will be released by 143/Reprise Records on November 15^th, should look for a sticker on the album that will include a special code that is needed to view the live stream of this special one-time-only event. This is the first time an artist has offered consumers the opportunity to watch an intimate online performance of the songs on the album they have just bought and is Groban's way of giving his devoted fans more value for their purchase.

Groban recently performed several intimate shows, featuring just him on piano and accompanied by his guitarist as a way to involve the audience in the initial planning stages of his Illuminations World Tour in 2011. 

The 29-year-old Los Angeles native displays both artistic and personal growth on Illuminations -- the rewardingly surprise-filled result of the unexpected teaming with veteran producer Rick Rubin, known for his iconic work with Metallica, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Johnny Cash, and the Dixie Chicks, among many others.

The unprecedented partnership saw both Groban and Rubin stepping out of their respective zones to come together and create an entirely new zone where art meets intimacy and immediacy meets timelessness. Most importantly, Groban -- who ranks as Billboard Magazine's 14th top-selling artist of the 2000s with more than 20 million units in the U.S. alone -- was free to express himself at his fullest by tapping into a new range of expression and emotional connection with lyrics drawn straight from the heart. Lead song "Hidden Away," which is currently available from all digital service providers, provides the album's emotional and artistic center -- its plea for a romantic ideal given a musical setting that highlights the raw honesty and natural gifts of Groban as a singer, musician, and writer.

Groban first broke through in 2001 with his self-titled 5x-platinum self-titled debut, followed by 2003's 5x-platinum Closer and 2006's 2x-platinum Awake. In 2007, Groban became the best-selling recording artist of the year thanks to sales of Awake and his blockbuster 5x-platinum Christmas album, Noël, which spent five consecutive weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard album chart. Groban and his recordings have been nominated for more than a dozen awards including an American Music Award, a World Music Award, a Juno Award, two Grammy Awards, and an Academy Award for "Believe" from the 2005 film Polar Express. He has sold more than 25 million albums worldwide.

The 27’s – Mia Zapata 1965 - 1993

Part 27 in a series on “The 27’s” – notable musicians who have passed away in their 27th year.

Mia Zapata was the lead singer for the Seattle punk band The Gits. She was born and raised in Louisville, Kentucky, where she learned to sing and play guitar. Her early influences were singers Bessie Smith, Billie Holiday, Jimmy Reed, Ray Charles, Hank Williams and Sam Cooke. She was on the forefront of the “foxcore” trend in the early 90’s, loud and aggressive female fronted groups.

While attending Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio, she co-founded the band, The Gits, and by 1989 the band had relocated to Seattle to take advantage of the emerging music scene there. In the early 90’s The Gits released a number of singles on indie labels and in 1992 their first album, “Frenching the Bully” was released. The reviews were good and 1993 found the band working on a follow-up album.

On the morning of July 7, 1993, around 2:00 a.m., Zapata was brutally murdered. The Seattle Times gave this timeline leading up to her death:

Mia got out of bed around 11 a.m. on July 6, 1993, a clear, warm Tuesday. Seattle was still picking itself up from the Fourth of July. Richard Zapata drove in from Yakima, where he lived, and took his daughter to lunch at a Thai restaurant on Queen Anne. Afterward, they walked to Tower Records and then drove to the Seattle Art Museum.


Father and daughter got together once or twice a month. Zapata did not condone the lifestyle his daughter had chosen. At times he was revolted by it. And he worried for her. "She was very naive about the life she chose," he says.


About 3 p.m. they said goodbye at the bottom of the steps of her Rainier Valley rental. Zapata told his daughter he would call her in a few days. Mia did laundry, walked the dog. At least one roommate was home at the time.


Around 6:30 p.m., she found her way to the Winston Apartments on Capitol Hill. In the back was a makeshift rehearsal studio. She rehearsed with her boyfriend's band, Hells Smells, for a couple of hours. Her boyfriend, whose name was tainted early in the investigation before police cleared him, asked that his name not be printed here.


At about 8:30 p.m., Mia walked over to the Comet Tavern, a loud, friendly, thoroughly lived-in watering hole a block away, on East Pike Street. The tavern was a hangout for The Gits and their circle. On one carved-up booth in the back, Mia's name is still inscribed in the wood.


She sauntered in wearing the same clothes she'd worn all day: boots, rolled-up blue jeans, a hooded black sweatshirt with "Gits" on the back. She carried a Walkman, and one of her calves bore a tattoo of a chicken in honor of her childhood nickname, "Chicken legs."

It is believed she encountered her murderer shortly after 2:15 am. According to the television show Unsolved Mysteries, a man two blocks from the Comet Tavern heard a scream around 3 am. A woman found her body in the street at around 3:30 am near the intersection of 24th Avenue South and South Washington Street in the Central District neighborhood. Her body was in a Christ-like position, which gave rise to the belief that it was a cult killing. According to the medical examiner, if she had not been strangled she would have died from the internal injuries suffered from the beating.

Her slaying, which remained unsolved for years, sparked outrage and fear among family, friends and fans. An all-night candlelight vigil was held in Zapata's memory and friends, includuing Kurt Cobain and members of Pearl Jam, raised money to hire a private investigator to help find the killer and start a women's self-defense group.

In 2003 Florida fisherman Jesus Mezquia was linked to the crime when a DNA profile was extracted from saliva left on in a bite mark on Zapata's body. Mezquia was born in Cuba, lived in Seattle at the time of the murder, and his home address was about three blocks from where Zapata's body was found. He had a history of violence toward women, including domestic abuse and assault and battery. A report of indecent exposure had been filed against him in Seattle two weeks before Zapata's murder.

Mezquia was convicted of the murder and sentenced to 36 years in prison. The average sentence for his crime was 18 to 28 years, but due to the extreme violent nature of the crime the judge imposed a much longer sentence. The Washington Court of Appeals overturned the sentence in 2005 based on a U.S. Supreme Court ruling known as the Blakely decision, which said that “any factor that extends a sentence beyond its standard range must be proven by a jury or admitted by the defendant.”

In 2009 Mezquia was re-sentenced to 36 years.

How James Blunt Prevented World War III

This just in from the BBC: James Blunt claims to have disobeyed an order that would have started World War III -

Singer James Blunt 'prevented World War III'

Singer James Blunt has told the BBC how he refused an order to attack Russian troops when he was a British soldier in Kosovo. Blunt said he was willing to risk a court martial by rejecting the order from a US General.

But he was backed by British Gen Sir Mike Jackson, who said: "I'm not going to have my soldiers be responsible for starting World War III."

Blunt was ordered to seize an airfield, but the Russians had got there first.

In an interview with BBC Radio 5 live, broadcast on Sunday, he said: "I was given the direct command to overpower the 200 or so Russians who were there.

"I was the lead officer with my troop of men behind us. The soldiers directly behind me were from the Parachute Regiment, so they're obviously game for the fight.”

"The direct command [that] came in from Gen Wesley Clark was to overpower them. Various words were used that seemed unusual to us. Words such as 'destroy' came down the radio."

The confusion surrounding the taking of Pristina airfield in 1999 has been written about in political memoirs, and was widely reported at the time.

But this is the first time Blunt has given an account of his role in the incident.

Blunt, who was at the head of a column of 30,000 Nato troops with his unit, told Pienaar's Politics it was a "mad situation".

He said he had been "party to the conversation" between senior officers in which Gen Clark had ordered the attack.

"We had 200 Russians lined up pointing their weapons at us aggressively, which was... and you know we'd been told to reach the airfield and take a hold of it.

"And if we had a foothold there then it would make life much easier for the Nato forces in Pristina. So there was a political reason to take hold of this.

"And the practical consequences of that political reason would be then aggression against the Russians."

Asked if following the order would have risked starting World War III, Blunt, who was a 25-year-old cavalry officer at the time, replied: "Absolutely. And that's why we were querying our instruction from an American general.

"Fortunately, up on the radio came Gen Mike Jackson, whose exact words at the time were, 'I'm not going to have my soldiers be responsible for starting World War III', and told us why don't we sugar off down the road, you know, encircle the airfield instead.

"And after a couple of days the Russians there said: 'Hang on we have no food and no water. Can we share the airfield with you?'."

If Gen Jackson had not blocked the order from Gen Clark, who as Nato Supreme Commander Europe was his superior officer, Blunt said he would still have declined to follow it, even at the risk of a court martial.

He said: "There are things that you do along the way that you know are right, and those that you absolutely feel are wrong, that I think it's morally important to stand up against, and that sense of moral judgement is drilled into us as soldiers in the British army."

Blunt left the Army in 2002 to pursue a career in music, later scoring a worldwide hit with “You're Beautiful.”

You can listen to the full interview on the BBC Radio 5 live website here.

Bruce Springsteen - "The Promise"

The Boss is back with a new set of previously unreleased songs.  “The Promise” contains 21 tracks that were recorded for “Darkness on the Edge of Town” but were never used. 

Of course, there is a story behind all this…

Springsteen’s first releases, “Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J.” and “The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle” did not chart well and Bruce needed come out strong with his next album.  Bruce began recording “Born to Run” which would eventually prove to be his breakout album.  During the recording Bruce was not satisfied with the way “Born to Run” was progressing and replaced Mike Appel, who had produced the first two albums, with Jon Landau.  Appel was also managing Springsteen, a role that Landau would also soon take over.

“Born to Run” was released and became the success that Springsteen needed, but in 1976 Appel sued Springsteen and for the next three years The Boss was tied up in a legal battle that prevented him for recording.  When the case was eventually settled out of court Bruce and the E Street Band went back to the studio with Landau and recorded a number of tracks.  This is what has become known as the darkness sessions.

During the darkness sessions, Springsteen wrote or recorded many songs that he ended up not using on the album.  For “Darkness on the Edge of Town” Bruce used the same philosophy in selecting the tracks and their sequence as he had on “Born to Run.”  Each side (remember, this was before CD’s, when an album actually had music on both sides) began with songs that were generally hopeful and encouraging, but as the side progressed the songs would be come darker and less hopeful. 

“Darkness on the Edge of Town,” released in 1978, was not immediately the commercial success of its predecessor.  There were no high charting singles, nevertheless the album remained on the charts for 97 weeks.  Overtime the album has gained respect, in 2003 Rolling Stone listed it as #151 of the 500 greatest albums of all time and that same year VH1 also named it the 68th greatest album of all time.

Says Springsteen, "Darkness' was my 'samurai' record, stripped to the frame and ready to rumble... but the music that got left behind was substantial."  Some of the unused material became hits for other artists, such as "Because the Night" for Patti Smith, "Fire" for Robert Gordon and The Pointer Sisters, "Rendezvous" for Greg Kihn and "This Little Girl" for Gary U.S. Bonds.  These songs says Springsteen, "could have, should have, been released after 'Born To Run' and before the collection of songs that 'Darkness on the Edge of Town' became." 

“The Promise” is vintage Bruce, a time-traveling trip to the past.   It releases on Nov 17^th, in multiple versions and box sets priced for any budget, but you can listen to the CD, in its entirety for a limited time, on AOL now by clicking here. 

The 27’s – Pete de Freitas 1961 - 1989

Part 26 in a series on “The 27’s” – notable musicians who have passed away in their 27th year.

Pete Louis Vincent de Freitas was born in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago and joined the Echo and the Bunnymen in 1979. Pete was not one of the founding members of the band, as he was brought into the band to replace the drum machine that had been used on their first album. He quickly proved that he was much more than an average drummer, providing the beats on the albums; Crocodiles, Porcupine, Heaven Up Here, and Ocean Rain.

In early 1986, Pete became disillusioned with the band and left for a new project called The Sex Gods. Pete went to New Orleans with the idea to work “totally off chance” and “to get away on holiday and come back with more than just memories.”

The New Orleans trip soon became less about the music and more about rock 'n' roll excess. De Freitas totaled two cars, two motorcycles, and nearly himself. He reportedly consumed mass amounts of drugs, alcohol and stayed awake for eighteen days straight.

Mars Williams, who was invited to join the group, remembers, “[De Freitas] was singing, and also decided that he was going to play guitar. We rehearsed a bit in the house, wrote and worked on songs, and then we went into the studio and recorded some of it. The thing that was really bad about the band was that Pete should’ve been playing drums, because he was a great drummer, and the guy that was playing drums wasn’t. And Pete was not a good guitarist, so who knows what he was trying to do. It was more like Pete’s friends hanging out”

During the summer the band recorded some songs, but this line-up wouldn’t last for long. As his finances dwindled, members of The Sex Gods began drifting home one-by-one, expressing concerns about De Freitas’ mental health. By the end of 1986 Pete had rejoined the Bunnymen for good and The Sex Gods disbanded.

The Bunnymen never found their way back to the success that they had once achieved. Vocalist Ian McCulloch left the band and the three remaining members started recording with a new singer. In 1989, the new line up were in rehearsals in Liverpool and Pete was on his way there when he crashed his motorcycle on a back road near Rugely in Staffordshire.

The 27’s – Jean-Michel Basquiat 1960 - 1988

Part 25 in a series on “The 27’s” – notable musicians who have passed away in their 27^th year.

Jean-Michel Basquiat was more known as an artist than a musician.  He was born in the Park Slope neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York, the first of three children to Matilde and Gerard Basquiat.  His mother was a Puerto Rican and his father was a Haitian immigrant to the United States. At an early age, Basquiat displayed an aptitude for art, and was encouraged by his mother to draw, paint, and to participate in other artistic activities.

When Basquiat was seven years old, his parents divorced and his mother suffered severe bouts of bipolar disorder due to the separation. She was deemed unfit to care for children, so Basquiat and his younger sisters, Lisane and Jeanine, were raised by their father in the Midwood neighborhood of Brooklyn. His father was alleged to be a violent alcoholic, and Basquiat would later claim that he endured physical and emotional abuse by his father.

When Basquiat was 15 years old, he ran away from home in order to escape his father.  He slept on park benches in Washington Square Park, supported himself by panhandling, drug dealing, selling T-shirts and homemade post cards, and working in the Unique Clothing Warehouse in the West Broadway district of Manhattan. Searching for a home, Basquiat was legally adopted by a friend's parents as he refused to be returned to the care of his father.

While a high school student, Basquiat and Al Diaz started spray-painting graffiti on buildings in Lower Manhattan, working under the pseudonym SAMO. The designs inscribed messages such as "Plush safe he think.. SAMO" and "SAMO as an escape clause.” In December 1978, the Village Voice published an article on the graffiti. The SAMO project ended with the epitaph "SAMO IS DEAD," inscribed on the walls of SoHo buildings.

In the late 1970s, Basquiat formed the punk rock band Gray with Vincent Gallo, Shannon Dawson, Michael Holman, Nick Taylor and Wayne Clifford. Gray performed at nightclubs such as Max's Kansas City, CBGB, Hurrah, and the Mudd Club. Basquiat starred in an underground film Downtown 81 which featured some of Gray's recordings on its soundtrack.

In June 1980, Basquiat participated in The Times Square Show, a multi-artist exhibition, sponsored by Collaborative Projects Incorporated and Fashion Moda. In 1981, Rene Ricard published "The Radiant Child" in Artforum magazine, which brought Basquiat to the attention of the wider art world.  He briefly dated then-aspiring performer Madonna in September 1982. That same year, Basquiat met Andy Warhol, with whom he collaborated from 1984 to 1986. He was also briefly involved with artist David Bowie.He was a successful artist in this period, however increasing drug addiction began to interfere with his personal relationships.

After Warhol died on February 22, 1987, Basquiat became increasingly isolated, and his drug addiction and depression increased.  After an attempt at sobriety during a trip to Honolulu, Hawaii, Basquiat died due to a heroin overdose in his SoHo studio on August 12, 1988.

Neil Young's on Fire!

SAN CARLOS, Calif. – A fire at a San Francisco Bay area warehouse early Tuesday damaged a vintage car and other memorabilia belonging to singer Neil Young, authorities said.

The 10,000-square-foot building in San Carlos contained only items belonging to Young and his family, including six vintage cars and paintings and what appears to be cases of musical equipment, said Belmont-San Carlos Fire Chief Doug Fry.

Some of the memorabilia was removed as the fire burned, but it's not clear how much was salvaged, Fry said. Young, an avid collector of classic cars, has more recently worked on a project to turn his 1959 Lincoln Continental convertible into an electric vehicle.

Young's family was also at the scene this morning, with a photographer to help document the damage.

Reports were first received at 2:55am for a fire burning at 595 Quarry Rd, according to the Belmont-San Carlos dispatcher. The building is estimated at 10,000-square-feet.

That address is associated with Fable Inc., a manufacturer of architectural metalwork for homes and businesses, according to the  manufacturer's website.

The manufacturer describes the warehouse as a 15,000-square-foot space devoted to the production of railings, gates, doors, and balconies.

The cause of the blaze is under investigation although it did not appear to be suspicious, officials said.

No one was injured.

Susan Boyle, Punk Rocker

It’s an odd song to include on a holiday album... Susan Boyle, the phenomenal singer discovered on Britain’s Got Talent, releases her new album, “The Gift” today. It’s packed full of festive treats that one might expect due the season, with the exception of one track, a cover of Lou Reed’s 1972 classic, “Perfect Day.”

If you’re not familiar with the original recording you might remember it from the 1996 movie, Trainspotting. The song is somber, melodic and dripping with nostalgia. It’s lyrics, "It's such a perfect day, I'm glad I spent it with you," reminisce about a day spent in the park drinking sangria where for a period of time the singer says, “You made me forget myself. I thought I was someone else, someone good.” Then the song takes a darker turn, with the closing chorus, “You just keep me hanging on,” and “You're going to reap just what you sow.”

Just incase you’ve forgotten the song (shame on you) here it is:



It’s a song about heroin addiction, about the drug and how for a time it makes you forget yourself, but in the end, when the high is over, you are left with your drug addicted self.

Not exactly a cheerful holiday classic. So, why does Susan Boyle include it on her album? Well, here is the story…

Earlier in the year Susan was asked to perform on the American version of the show that made her famous. She left her beloved Scotland and flew to Los Angeles to perform her cover of the Lou Reed song only to find, when she arrived, that due to copyright restrictions she could not sing it on the show. Rumor had it that Lou himself blocked the performance although he claims it was a rights issue with the label. Susan had this to say, “It was a bit childish on his part, a man of his caliber and his talent, a bit childish... Mr. Reed, I have respect for you as an artist but you ought to be more considerate."

Ouch!

So, perhaps as part apology Lou allowed Susan to put the song on her holiday album, and even went so far as to assist her with the video, co-directing as well as working out the concept, shots and locations for the video. "I wanted to create a beautiful and intimate piece shot in Susan's native Scotland and she quickly agreed," Reed explained.

The resulting video is nothing short of stunning. And Susan sings the song exceptionally.



It wasn’t an easy video shoot, strong winds and rain battled the Scottish singer, at one time blowing her wig off. Susan had this to say after the shoot, "I loved that Lou understood how much it meant to me to film in Scotland," she said. "I didn't mind how much it rained or blew a gale – I enjoyed every minute."

So while I’m still not sure why a song about heroin addiction belongs on a holiday album, I’m fairly sure that both parties involved in the America’s Got Talent incident wanted to make amends, and I’m glad that they did. The song is beautiful, the video is visually stunning and somehow it just fits.

The 27’s – Alexander Bashlachev 1960 - 1988

Part 24 in a series on “The 27’s” – notable musicians who have passed away in their 27^th year.

Alexander Bashlachev was a Russian poet, rock musician and songwriter.  He was born on May 27, 1960 in Cherepovets, Soviet Union.  In 1977, Alexander graduated from Cherepovets High School and then spent a year working at the Cherepovets Steel Mill.  In 1978, Bashlachev resigned and began to attend Ural State University in Sverdlovsk to study Journalism.

Bashlachev's first-known song appeared in 1983, titled "Griboyedov Waltz.”  Later, in 1983, Bashlachev graduated from the Ural State University. He returned to Cherepovets, where he worked for a year with a newspaper named "The Communist.”  In May 1984, Bashlachev visited the St. Petersburg rock festival, where he bought a guitar and in September of that year, at the apartment of a friend, he performed some of his songs.

At this point in Russian history, rock music was under extreme censorship. To get around this, artists played for small audiences, usually numbering in the single digits, at homes of friends. These small gatherings were called "kvartirniks."

In March 1985, Bashlachev appeared at a festival in Leningrad along with Yuri Shevchuk. The two played to an audience of six at the Leningrad Veterinary Institute. A recording of this concert was released under the title of "Kochegarka.” It was there that Bashlachev joined the Leningrad Rock Club and also performed at the legendary Kamatchka boiler. (The boiler was just that--a boiler) Bashlachev also performed at the Leningrad rock festival of 1987.

Shortly before his death, Bashlachev was struck by writer's block, rarely writing new songs and attempting to avoid performing old ones. His last-known song was titled "Cherry" and was written in 1986.

Bashlachev died on February 17, 1988, after falling from the window of the ninth floor of his home on Kuznetsova Avenue in Leningrad. The most plausible version of his death is suicide, but there is some uncertainty in that claim.

Bashlachev's son, Egor, was born after his death.

The 27’s – D. Boon 1958 - 1985

Part 23 in a series on “The 27’s” – notable musicians who have passed away in their 27^th year.

Dennes Dale Boon, aka D. Boon, was a singer, songwriter and guitarist influential in the punk scene of the early 80’s.  He formed is first band, The Reactionaries, with best friend Mike Watt 1978.  In 1980 the band broke up and Boon, along with Watt and Reactionaries drummer George Hurley, formed the punk trio Minutemen.    

The band became part of the punk scene that was emerging on Sunset Strip in Los Angeles and soon signed with Black Flag's SST label.  The Minutemen were one of punk's most politically charged bands and their philosophy of "punk is whatever we make it to be," connected with their young audience.  The band’s sound was characteristic of Boon’s style, he yelled his vocals and played guitar without distortion and most often with the bass turned all the way off and the treble all the way up.  From 1981 through 1985 the Minutemen toured constantly and released a number of albums for SST.  Their most successful album was Double Nickels on the Dime.

Boon's life was tragically cut short on December 22, 1985, when he was killed in an auto accident in the Arizona desert near the Californian border on route I-10.   He had been sick and laid down in the back of the band’s touring van.  Because he was lying down, he was not wearing a seatbelt when the van ran off the road.  Boon was thrown out the back door of the van and died instantly from a broken neck.

Mike Watt was devastated at the loss of his friend and the Minutemen immediately broke up, though Watt and Hurley would later form the band fIREHOSE.  Watt would also later join the Stooges as a replacement bassist.  His solo 1997 release, Contemplating The Engine Room, was inspired by and a tribute to his childhood friend, D. Boon.

New Radiohead Single!!!

Ever the innovators, Britain’s Radiohead has a new single releasing next week. The track, “2 Minutes Silence,” lives up to the title. A high profile video for the song featuring Thom Yorke of Radiohead, Bruce Dickinson (Iron Maiden) and Mark Ronson, alongside other celebs including Prime Minister David Cameron, Scottish tennis star Andy Murray and England rugby player Martin Johnson has already been shot and will be released along with the track.

Iron Maiden frontman and radio DJ Bruce Dickinson said, “My first thought about the 2 Minute Silence single was that it was the work of a madman – my second thought was no, it’s the work of a genius! It’s an honor to be involved with it.”

For a 10 second preview click on the link below.

So, for the remaining 1:50 you can expect more of the same. It’s a bit gimmicky, I know, but here is the story behind “2 Minute Silence.”

The common tradition in the UK and Canada is to observe two minutes of silence on Remembrance Day (aka, Veterans Day, Armistice Day or Poppy day) which is traditionally held the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month: 11am on 11 November – the anniversary of the end of hostilities of the first World War in 1918. Its purpose is to remember the members of the armed forces who were killed during war. The video will, of course, be snippets of all the participants as they observe the traditional two minutes of silence.

The supporting stars of the video are also trying to try to get “2 Minute Silence” to number 1 in the singles charts on Remembrance Sunday, 13 November. An official Facebook page has been created to support the campaign to get the silent single to the top of the chart.

“2 Minute Silence” goes on sale on Sunday 7 November for £1.00, for both the video and MP3. Funds will support serving & ex-serving troops and their families. The single can be purchased at www.silentsingle.com.

The 27’s – Jacob Miller 1952 - 1980

Part 22 in a series on “The 27’s” – notable musicians who have passed away in their 27th year.

Jacob Miller was born in Mandeville, central Jamaica on May 4, 1952 and was successful both as lead singer for the reggae group Inner Circle and as a solo artist. It's difficult to draw a distinct line between Miller's solo career and his work with Inner Circle, not only were many of his releases co-produced by himself and Roger Lewis (of Inner Circle) but most all of his solo work was backed by at least some of Inner Circle.

Inner Circle was an emerging reggae group made popular playing covers of American Top 40 hits. Bandleader Roger Lewis said Jacob Miller was “always happy and jovial. He always made jokes. Everyone liked jokes.” They signed with Capitol Records in 1976 and released two albums, “Reggae Thing” and “Ready for the World.” As a soloist he earned second place in Jamaica’s 1976 Festival Song competition with the song “All Night ‘Till Daylight” and produced his first solo album in 1978, “Dread Dread.”

Jacob had a charismatic stage presence and Inner Circle’s performance at Jamaica’s One Love Peace Concert in April 1978 put them in the international spotlight. During that concert Miller brought together rival gang leaders Claudie Massop of the Tivoli gang and Tony Welch of the Jungle gang. Miller also invited members of the Jamaican political coalition the 'Peace Committee' on to the stage for a rendition of “Peace Treaty Special.” After this concert the group was approached by Chris Blackwell of Island Records, for whom the group produced their third album, “Everything is Great,” which sold over a half million copies in Europe.

In March 1980, Miller accompanied Bob Marley and Island head Chris Blackwell to Brazil, to celebrate the opening of the label's new offices there. Meanwhile, the rest of Circle were preparing for their forthcoming American tour in support of the Wailers as well as preparing a new album, “Mixed Up Moods” that had not yet been released.

The trio returned to Jamaica on March 21, 1980 and the next day Miller performed at the Tower Street Correctional Facility. On Sunday, March 23, 1980 Miller was killed when his car crashed into a stoplight at the intersection of Hope and Waterloo roads in Kingston, Jamaica.

The 27’s – Chris Bell 1951 - 1978

Part 21 in a series on “The 27’s” – notable musicians who have passed away in their 27th year.

Chris Bell’s first love was the music of the British invasion and inspired by the Beatles he took up the guitar in his early teens. Born January 12, 1951 in Memphis, his musical interested fell well outside the mainstream of the Memphis music scene of the time.

In high school, Bell struck up a friendship with another young performer named Alex Chilton. Chilton soon rose to fame as the front man of the Box Tops and Bell became entrenched at Memphis' Ardent Studios, where he worked as a part-time recording engineer and also cut his earliest songs with friends Richard Rosebrough and Terry Manning.

The group that would later be known as Big Star stemmed from two of Bell’s band projects that began in the late 1960’s - Icewater and Rock City. These groups featured Rosebrough and Manning as well as musicians Jody Stephens, Tom Eubanks, Andy Hummel, Vance Alexander and Steve Rhea. Bell eventually asked Chilton to join and during a period of recording demos and tracks for their first album, the group settled on the name "Big Star."

The lineup for Big Star's first album was composed of Bell, Chilton, Hummel and Stephens. Bell and Chilton wrote most of the group's songs, with occasional writing contributions from Hummel and Stephens. Along with Terry Manning, Bell is also credited with much of the mixing and engineering work done on the first Big Star album.

The album, released in 1972, failed to achieve commercial success mostly due to bad marketing by the record label Stax, whose catalog was predominately soul oriented at the time. Crushed, Bell became suicidal and left the band, only contributing to a few tracks on the follow-up album. Chris’ brother David went with him to Chateau D'Herouville studios in France, where they recorded demos for a new album. After the tracks were cut the Bell brothers mixed the songs at producer George Martin's Air Studios in London.

Chris returned to the United States for a planned Big Star reunion tour, but when the reunion fell apart Chris dropped out of music all together, taking a job in father’s fast food restaurant where he continued to fight depression.

Bell died on December 27, 1978 at the age of 27 when he lost control of his car, sometime while on his way home from work. The car struck a wooden light pole on the side of the road, killing him instantly. His funeral was held the next day, December 28, the birthday of former band mate Alex Chilton.

Over the course of the following decade, the reputation of Big Star continued to grow and eventually Bell's long-unreleased demos were collected under the title “I Am the Cosmos.” The album was released in 1992 and quickly became a critical success, strongly influencing the singer/songwriter movement for years to come.

Taylor Swift Rules the Charts

It’s Taylor Swift’s world and we all just live in it.

Her new CD, "Speak Now" is number one on the charts selling 1,046,718 units in its first week. This is a dominating number as by comparison the number two artist this week was Sugarland whose album, “Incredible Machine,” sold 88,575 units – 958,143 units below Taylor. Rounding out the top ten was Michael Buble’s “Hollywood,” with 25,771 units sold. You do the math on that one.

Speak Now is officially the fastest-selling album in half a decade, beating out rapper Lil Wayne’s 2008 release "Tha Carter III," the last album to reach the one million mark in its debut week. Swift also posted the best initial-week figure since 2005 when rapper 50 Cent sold 1,141,000 copies of his album "The Massacre" in March 2005.

But wait, there’s more… "Speak Now" ranked as the biggest opening week for a female artist in more than a decade, since Britney Spears' "Oops! I Did It Again" sold 1,319,000 in 2000. The new album is also number one on the Digital Album chart with 277,977 units downloaded (the second best digital debut of all-time) and, of course, the #1 Top Current Country Album.

The first-week sales record still belongs to *NSYNC's release "No Strings Attached," in 2000, which sold 2.4 million copies in its first week.

The 27’s – Helmut Köllen 1950 - 1977

Part 20 in a series on “The 27’s” – notable musicians who have passed away in their 27th year.

German musician Helmut Köllen was born in 1950 and most notably the bassist and vocalist for the progressive rock band, Triumvirat. Helmut joined the already established band in time to the band’s two most famous albums: “Spartacus” and “Illusions on a Double Dimple.”

Helmut left Triumvirat at the end of 1975 after the "Spartacus" album to pursue a solo career. In 1976, the German group Jail released their only album "You Can Help Me,” which featured Helmut as a guest musician on some songs. Helmut briefly returned to Triumvirat, but nothing transpired from this reunion and Helmut began working on a solo album titled "You Won't See Me," named for one of The Beatle's songs that he liked the most.

Sadly, Helmut’s career was cut short. On May 3, 1977 Köllen went to his car to listen to some cassettes containing new tracks he had recorded. With the motor running and the car parked in his garage he asphyxiated and died of carbon monoxide poisoning. Whether his death was a suicide or an accident is anyone’s guess, however, suicide seems unlikely as work was being completed on his new album and there was no suicide note or reason to suspect it.

His debut solo album, “You Won't See Me” was released posthumously in October 1977.

The 27’s – Gary Thain 1948 - 1975

Part 19 in a series on “The 27’s” – notable musicians who have passed away in their 27^th year.

Gary Thain is best known for being the bass player for the band, Uriah Heep.  Gary was born in New Zealand on May 15^, 1948.  Growing up he was described as being quiet and brooding, but generally just an average teenager who liked music.  Gary’s first band was a group called “The Strangers.”  He wrote and released his first song, “I’ll Never Be Blue” with The Strangers in 1965 when he was only 16 years old.

After The Strangers split up Gary moved to Australia where he became part of a band called The Secrets.  The band released one single in 1966 with a track written by Gary, “You’re Wrong,” on the B-Side.  After the release of the single the band broke up and Gary joined a new band, Mee and The Others, who toured the UK with limited success.   Gary’s first real success was with a Jazz trio called New Nadir.  The band recorded an album, but it was never released and the trio broke up in 1968.

1969 found Gary in the Keef Hartley Band.  The band recorded six albums with Gary as well as playing Woodstock and the Bath Blues Festival.  Gary co-wrote much of the material for Keef Hartley and occasionally sang vocals on his songs.  In 1972 Gary was invited to join Uriah Heep, replacing bassist Mark Clarke.   Gary's first gig with Uriah Heep was on February 1, 1972 at the Whiskey A Go-Go in Los Angeles, California.  His first album with the band was "Demons and Wizards,” recorded only 4 months after his addition to the line up.

Unfortunately, on September 15, 1974, while on stage in Dallas, TX, Gary received an electrical shock during the song "July Morning.” Although the shock did not kill him it nonetheless left him with health issues and in January 1975 Gary left the band.  After continued struggles with health and drug problems, Gary died December 8, 1975, of respiratory failure due to a heroin overdose

Gary Thain recorded 5 albums and had participated in over 140 live performances all over the world with Uriah Heep in just three short years. 

American Idol Update – Chris Sligh

Chris Sligh has a new baby and a new CD. 

Chris Sligh and Wife Sarah welcomed their first child on Sunday, Oct. 31 at a Nashville hospital.  Two weeks past her due date, Keira Lennon Sligh was born at 6:06 a.m., weighing 7 lbs., 12 oz. and is 21.5 inches long.

Sligh says Keira was the only girl’s name he and his wife could agree on, while Lennon was a nod to the Beatles. “I’m a Beatles fan,” he says. “Luckily I managed to negotiate a Beatle into my child’s name.”

Chris’ new CD, “The Anatomy of Broken,” is a Christian based album that delves deep into the human condition and the profound need for a Savior.  Says Sligh, “The goal of what I wanted to do with this record is to communicate that it’s okay to admit that we’re fallen and broken, and if we weren’t broken, we wouldn’t need Christ.”

Sligh was eliminated from American Idol on March 28, 2007 and is the tenth-place singer in Season Six. The next day, Sligh said that he had not sought to win the competition and that he had considered quitting the show two weeks before, but stayed on the show in order to make it into the top ten so that he could go on tour with the other finalists.