Cash, Lewis, Presley, Perkins Worth a Million Bucks
“Million Dollar Quartet” is the title of a new musical that’s been test-running in Chicago before it heads to New York for a planned Broadway run in spring of 2010. The musical focuses on the real-life 1956 gathering of rock legends Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Elvis Presley, and Carl Perkins, who were brought together for a jam session at Memphis’ Sun Records by producer Sam Phillips. Included in the show are such retro hits as “Blue Suede Shoes,” “I Walk the Line,” “Fever,” and “Great Balls of Fire”...
Legendary British rocker Ian Brown (The Stone Roses) and fellow Mancunian Johnny Marr (The Smiths) have reportedly been collaborating on a TV soundtrack for a drama show being written by a mutual friend of theirs. The plan is for Marr to write the music, and Brown to pen the lyrics and the vocal melodies; the pair will also bring in a drummer and a bass player, and may enlist Brown’s former Stone Roses bandmate Paul Ryder (Happy Mondays) to take on the bass role...
In another big-name collaboration, The Shins frontman James Mercer and Danger Mouse have formed a new band together, which they’ve tentatively dubbed Broken Bells (www.brokenbells.com.) Although they say the name could change - and although they’ve yet to release any music on the website - they’re set to release Broken Bells’ debut album in early 2010. Mercer and Mouse previously collaborated on Dark Night of the Soul, a project that was helmed by Mouse with Sparklehorse’s Mark Linkous and that featured guest singers from Iggy Pop to The Strokes’ Julian Casablancas...
Influential ‘90s indie rock band Pavement are set to reunite next year, according to the band’s label, Matador Records; but it’s going to be something of a long wait for Pavement fans. No new recording sessions are scheduled for the band at this time, but they will reportedly get together for a tour that will kick off on September 21, 2010 in New York’s Central Park (nothing like planning ahead, right?) Pavement broke up in 2000, although their lead singer/songwriter Stephen Malkmus has since released solo work...
MODERN ROCK LINK OF THE WEEK:
‘80s artist Howard Jones is poised to make a comeback with his new album, Ordinary Heroes, which took two years to create and which is already being lauded as Jones’ best album in the past 20 years; take a listen to the set’s first single, “Love Never Wasted,” at www.howardjones.com...
MINI BUZZ:
The 52nd Annual Grammy Awards are set to return to L.A.’s Staples Center on Sunday, January 31, 2010; the awards are being run at an earlier date so that the eligibility year will be shortened by one month, and they’ll also be broadcast live on CBS TV at 8:00 p.m...
Groove Armada are keeping busy prepping their brand new album, Black Light, which they say is a good blend of sharper-edged and melodic music, and which is due in-stores in 2010...
The South by Southwest (SXSW) Music Festival has launched a new website for their 2010 event, which will take place in Austin, Texas on March 17 through the 21st - check it out online at http://sxsw.com/music...
In other festival news, techno music artist Carl Craig has been named Creative Director for the next edition of the Detroit electronic music festival Movement 2010...
In strange music news for this week, the new band Happy Birthday have already signed a record deal with Seattle’s Sub Pop Records - even though they don’t have a single song ready that anyone can listen to yet; the band just began recording music earlier this year...
In even more festival news, Rockstar ‘09 competition-winning Bristol band The John Vistic Experience has been announced as the first act confirmed to play at the 2010 Glastonbury Festival, which will take place on June 24 through the 27th...
And while you’re waiting for the snow to retreat and festival season to begin again, snag yourself a few of this week’s new releases... ON CD: Findlay Brown’s Love Will Find You... The Jackson 5’s Jackson 5... and The Cranberries’ Bualadh Bos - Live... ON DVD: VH1 Storytellers: Kanye West... and The Hip-Hop Project ... and that’s the buzz for this week’s Modern Rock.
Questions, comments, rants, raves, suggestions on this column or your favorite musicians? Send ‘em to Kristi at modernrocker@gmail.com
“Million Dollar Quartet” is the title of a new musical that’s been test-running in Chicago before it heads to New York for a planned Broadway run in spring of 2010. The musical focuses on the real-life 1956 gathering of rock legends Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Elvis Presley, and Carl Perkins, who were brought together for a jam session at Memphis’ Sun Records by producer Sam Phillips. Included in the show are such retro hits as “Blue Suede Shoes,” “I Walk the Line,” “Fever,” and “Great Balls of Fire”...
Legendary British rocker Ian Brown (The Stone Roses) and fellow Mancunian Johnny Marr (The Smiths) have reportedly been collaborating on a TV soundtrack for a drama show being written by a mutual friend of theirs. The plan is for Marr to write the music, and Brown to pen the lyrics and the vocal melodies; the pair will also bring in a drummer and a bass player, and may enlist Brown’s former Stone Roses bandmate Paul Ryder (Happy Mondays) to take on the bass role...
In another big-name collaboration, The Shins frontman James Mercer and Danger Mouse have formed a new band together, which they’ve tentatively dubbed Broken Bells (www.brokenbells.com.) Although they say the name could change - and although they’ve yet to release any music on the website - they’re set to release Broken Bells’ debut album in early 2010. Mercer and Mouse previously collaborated on Dark Night of the Soul, a project that was helmed by Mouse with Sparklehorse’s Mark Linkous and that featured guest singers from Iggy Pop to The Strokes’ Julian Casablancas...
Influential ‘90s indie rock band Pavement are set to reunite next year, according to the band’s label, Matador Records; but it’s going to be something of a long wait for Pavement fans. No new recording sessions are scheduled for the band at this time, but they will reportedly get together for a tour that will kick off on September 21, 2010 in New York’s Central Park (nothing like planning ahead, right?) Pavement broke up in 2000, although their lead singer/songwriter Stephen Malkmus has since released solo work...
MODERN ROCK LINK OF THE WEEK:
‘80s artist Howard Jones is poised to make a comeback with his new album, Ordinary Heroes, which took two years to create and which is already being lauded as Jones’ best album in the past 20 years; take a listen to the set’s first single, “Love Never Wasted,” at www.howardjones.com...
MINI BUZZ:
The 52nd Annual Grammy Awards are set to return to L.A.’s Staples Center on Sunday, January 31, 2010; the awards are being run at an earlier date so that the eligibility year will be shortened by one month, and they’ll also be broadcast live on CBS TV at 8:00 p.m...
Groove Armada are keeping busy prepping their brand new album, Black Light, which they say is a good blend of sharper-edged and melodic music, and which is due in-stores in 2010...
The South by Southwest (SXSW) Music Festival has launched a new website for their 2010 event, which will take place in Austin, Texas on March 17 through the 21st - check it out online at http://sxsw.com/music...
In other festival news, techno music artist Carl Craig has been named Creative Director for the next edition of the Detroit electronic music festival Movement 2010...
In strange music news for this week, the new band Happy Birthday have already signed a record deal with Seattle’s Sub Pop Records - even though they don’t have a single song ready that anyone can listen to yet; the band just began recording music earlier this year...
In even more festival news, Rockstar ‘09 competition-winning Bristol band The John Vistic Experience has been announced as the first act confirmed to play at the 2010 Glastonbury Festival, which will take place on June 24 through the 27th...
And while you’re waiting for the snow to retreat and festival season to begin again, snag yourself a few of this week’s new releases... ON CD: Findlay Brown’s Love Will Find You... The Jackson 5’s Jackson 5... and The Cranberries’ Bualadh Bos - Live... ON DVD: VH1 Storytellers: Kanye West... and The Hip-Hop Project ... and that’s the buzz for this week’s Modern Rock.
Questions, comments, rants, raves, suggestions on this column or your favorite musicians? Send ‘em to Kristi at modernrocker@gmail.com