You Go-Go girl

July 13, 2005

Former Go-Go‚s bassist Kathy Valentine is prepping to
release her solo debut album this fall, on which she
switches to guitar and takes on all the vocal duties. 
Named Light Years, the album also includes
contributions from former Kiss guitarist Ace Frehley,
Elvis Costello and the Attractions drummer Pete
Thomas, Blondie drummer Clem Burke, and several
session musicians.  The disc will feature 11
originals, including Valentine‚s own „Getting By,‰
plus a cover of Gary Myrick‚s „Guitar, Talk, Love and
Drums,‰ and is due out on September 6...
 
Randall‚s Island, New York is set to play host to
what‚s being billed as „the biggest mash-up concert
ever,‰ with a lineup headed up by an onstage
collaboration between Snoop Dogg and the Red Hot Chili
Peppers.  It‚s the first annual AmsterJam, it‚ll take
place on August 20, and the day long festival, which
will be hosted by Funkadelic bassist Bootsy Collins,
will also feature sets from 311, Garbage, Mos Def, and
several other performers that organizers say will be
announced soon.  Each artist will perform their own
set, and then return to the stage with one of the
other acts on the roster for a live, on-the-spot
mash-up, combining each artist‚s song into one mix. 
The AmsterJam will also include additional stages for
emerging artists, a film tent, lounge areas, and an
Amsterdam-themed area called the Green Light
District...
 
Dimension Mix is the name of the compilation album
that‚s been set up to feature various artists covering
and remixing tunes by electronic artists Bruce Haack
and Esther Nelson, and Beck, Stereolab, and The Eels
are just a few of the artists who have been tapped to
participate, with Beck covering Haack‚s „Funky L‚il
Song‰ and Stereolab putting their spin on „Mudra.‰ 
Dimension Mix will be out on August 23, with proceeds
benefitting charity...
 
And L.A. golden boys The Red Hot Chili Peppers are
back in their hometown, working hard on their upcoming
album with longtime Peppers producer Rick Rubin,
reportedly finishing up the final vocal tracks as you
read this.  Guitarist John Frusciante, in a recent
interview, said that there are both „beautiful
melodies‰ and a lot of heavier tracks on this next
RHCP effort. The band are also slated to play a live
show in Las Vegas on July 2 to help celebrate the
city‚s 100th anniversary - fans at that show can keep
their fingers crossed that the Peppers will choose
that special occasion to try out some of their snazzy
new songs...
 
MINI BUZZ:
Dutch DJ Tiesto will hit the U.S. for four tour dates
in the fall, including stops at New Orleans‚ Voodoo
Music Experience in late October and dates in
Washington DC and Miami TBA...
Kanye West‚s sophomore album has been dubbed Late
Registration, and is now due out on August 16, about a
month after its originally-announced July 12 release
date...
Singer Anastasia will be releasing a new album in
August, too, and she will also have a single,
„Everything Burns,‰ on the soundtrack for the upcoming
feature film „Fantastic Four‰...
Weezer and Foo Fighters are currently in discussions
to possibly team up for a fall tour - we‚ll keep you
updated as more details surface...
British Sea Power, The Thrills, and Yeti will play a
special one-off London gig on August 7 at the Ben &
Jerry‚s Sundae on Clapham Common...
While this year‚s V Festivals, which will also take
place in England at Staffordshire‚s Weston Park and
Chelmsford‚s Hylands Park, will feature the likes of
The Las, Sonic Youth, The Presidents Of The United
States, Rooster, Ozomatli, and Turin Brakes as part of
their event on August 20 and 21...
 
This week also has plenty of new releases for you to
check out...  ON CD:  Michigan‚s own Sufjan Stevens‚
Illinois... Mark Knopfler‚s One Take Radio Sessions -
Live... The Offspring‚s Greatest Hit... American Idol
John Stevens‚ Red... Pet Shop Boys‚ Back to Mine...
 and the Original Soundtrack to the new Tom Cruise
version of War of the Worlds...   ON DVD:  Juno
Reactor: Live in Tokyo... Elvis Presley‚s Fun in
Acapulco... Tindersticks‚ artistic project Bareback...
and Ultra Video 01 with tunes from Motorcycle, Martin
Solveig, Tocadisco, and Jason Nevins... and that‚s the
buzz for this week‚s Modern Rock.
 
Questions, comments, rants, raves about this column or
your fave musicians?  Send Œem to Kristi at modernrocker@gmail.com!

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