Dylan goes DJ

Dec. 21, 2005

Dylan goes DJ
Beginning in March of 2006, Bob Dylan fans will be able to check out the singer-songwriter in something of a new venue - XM Radio, that is. Dylan has agreed to begin hosting a new weekly one-hour music show for XM Radio’s “Deep Tracks” channel this upcoming spring. It’s the first radio show that Dylan has ever hosted, he’ll be playing an eclectic mix of tunes hand-picked by none other than himself, and he’ll also comment on the tracks and interview guests. If you’re an XM subscriber and you’re lucky, you might even be able to get Dylan to respond to an email of yours; but with 5 million subscribers logging on to the satellite music system, it might take a while...

Singer-songwriter Rob Thomas raised the roof at Mt. Pleasant, Michigan’s Soaring Eagle Resort and Casino last week, in a live set that lasted over two hours and brought out not only Thomas’ new solo tunes (“Lonely No More,” “This Is How A Heart Breaks”), but also several Matchbox Twenty favorites. His set included Matchbox’s “If You’re Gone,” and “Push,” on which he called talented opening act Anna Nalick (you would probably recognize her song “Breathe 2 AM”) out on stage for an impressive unplugged duet. A slightly road-weary Thomas (“Where am I again? Point Pleasant?”) proved a strong performer, dressed down in a long-sleeved striped shirt and jeans, and he was accompanied by a sharp band and a morphing lightbox background on the spacious Soaring Eagle stage. Soaring Eagle’s outdoor amphitheater is already top-notch, and with the unusual seating layout in their concert hall (long tables as opposed to theater seats) plus drink service, the acoustically-sound indoor venue is also becoming an interesting place to see rock acts at, and will surely improve once audience members grasp the concept of table seating and remain in their seats so those behind them can properly view the show. Thomas, obviously bemused by the more lounge-like surroundings, stepped out onto those very tables a couple of times in an effort to better reach his audience while showcasing some of his influences in the songs he covered - a bit of The Pixies found their way into new Thomas song “About Me,” a rockin’ version of David Bowie’s “Let’s Dance” showed off his band, Thomas’ solo version of Matchbox’s “3 AM” included a snippet of John Lennon’s “Imagine,” and a nicely slowed-down version of the song (“Smooth”) that Thomas recorded with Santana proved his willingness to take a few risks. Thomas even received a bouquet of roses from a spectator, and Anna Nalick showed up outside the concert hall’s main doors afterwards to meet the fans...

Smiths duo Johnny Marr and Andy Rourke will reunite onstage for the first time since The Smiths broke up in 1987. The big event will take place at an equally big event, namely the Manchester Vs. Cancer concert, which will take place in Manchester, England on January 28 to raise charity funds. In addition to modern rock guitar hero Marr and Rourke, a host of other acts will also appear, including Badly Drawn Boy, Doves, and New Order, with more acts expected to be announced. Tix for the event are on sale this week; if you’re planning to be in the UK and you’d like to attend, log on to www.manchestervcancer.co.uk for more info...

And this time next year, legendary punk club CBGB (that has been fighting against eviction notices for months now due to a huge raise in rent) will likely no longer be in its current location. Although the club’s owner, Hilly Kristal, and the building’s landlord have reached an agreement to leave the club itself in place until October 31, 2006, the rent for the next year has been increased a whopping $16,000 a month (no, that’s not a typo), and it’s still uncertain where the club will go next November. A developing ground for new artists that spawned such American modern music legends as the Talking Heads, The Ramones, and Blondie, CBGB is an historical musical institution that would be a shame to lose - therefore, Kristal is looking into relocating the club to another New York City location. Keep on top of the latest at www.cbgb.com...

MINI BUZZ:
MTV’s 14th Annual New Year’s Eve TV bash will kick off at 10:30 pm on New Year’s Eve, will be co-hosted by a variety of MTV VJs, and will feature appearances from Fall Out Boy, the All-American Rejects, and Maroon 5’s Adam Levine; meanwhile, Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve will broadcast live from NYC’s Times Square and will feature performances from Sean Paul, 311, and more...
Michelle Branch’s next CD will be with her new project, The Wreckers, a country-tinged band on which she partners up with her backing singer Jessica Harp - the album is completed, but a release date has yet to be announced...
U2 headed up the list of Billboard’s Top Tours of 2005, with the Irish rockers bringing in $260 million during their sell-out tour; other hot live shows that made the year’s list included Paul McCartney and Green Day...
Sting is currently in the studio hard at work on his next studio album, which will include drumming from Sting tourmate Josh Freese...
Alt-rockers The Fray will hop on the tour bus for a new series of live dates beginning January 25 in Aspen, Colorado...
And Brit popster Robbie Williams will be listed in the 2007 edition of the Guinness Book of World Records now that he’s beaten out N’Sync (who were listed in the book for selling 1 million concert tix) by selling 1.6 million concert tickets in just one day...
And new this week (just in time to be plopped into Santa’s bag) are these music releases... ON CD: Isobel Campbell and Mark Lanegan’s Ramblin’ Man EP... Howie Day’s Live From... Fuel’s The Best of Fuel... The Timewriter’s Paintbox... American Idol Bo Bice’s The Real Thing... and Billy Joel’s My Lives box set... ON DVD: Sun Ra Arkestra’s Monreux and Lugano... Huey Lewis and the News Live... Ike and Tina Turner Live... and Marvin Gaye’s Behind the Legend... and that’s the buzz for this week’s Modern Rock.

Questions, comments, rants, raves about this column or your fave musicians? Send ‘em to Kristi at modernrocker@gmail.com!