World's Forgotten Boy with Peter Lindblad

Gunning for a promotion

2008-05-15T16:24:51.6517363-04:00

One day, Dave Hart was a student at NYU Film School learning moviemaking from none other than Martin Scorsese and working as an usher at the Fillmore East, making peanuts. What a difference 24 hours makes.

Literally, the next day after negotiating for better pay for himself and fellow ushers at the venue with the grand poobah of concert promoters, Bill Graham, Hart found himself working as an agent for the likes of Janis Joplin and Santana.

"There was a week-long run of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, and the ushers who got paid $15 a night for doing two shows on a Saturday and two shows on a Friday, for instance, were only going to get paid $7.50 for each night, and so the ushers were all upset, because we had expenses," explains Hart, "and Bill, who is a mensch — a guy you could talk to — heard about the complaints and said, 'Meet me in the balcony after a show,' and we went upstairs, and I was the first to stand up and say, 'We still have the same expenses to get here to work, and we're not getting paid, so we'd like to get paid a little more for these one-show deals. The next day, I got called into his office, and he said, 'Congratulations. You won the negotiation. I'm going to raise the fee for the ushers to $10. And by the way, do you want a job."

The year was 1969, and Hart took Graham's offer. These days, Hart, in his fifth decade of concert promotions, is handling Ringo Starr's 10th All-Starr Tour this summer. So far, ticket sales are doing incredibly well, considering the economy.

"The Ringo tour, so far the ticket sales have been superb," says Hart. "The tour consists of Ringo's All-Starr Band. He's been doing this for 10 years and putting together great bands. And this one has Billy Squier on guitar, and Hamish Stuart on bass — Hamish from the Average White Band — Gary Wright on keyboards, and Edgar Winter on keyboards and saxophone and anything else that's available for him to play. It's quite a bunch of guys, it really is. The band always seems to respond to Ringo's direction, and we've had some great, great shows. A couple of years ago, we had Rod Argent in the band with Billy Squier and Richard Marx. So, we've changed it up a little with Gary Wright ... oh, and Colin Hay is in the band, from Men At Work."

Hart is still fascinated to see how they all defer to the former Beatle.

"It's really a great experience to put these guys who have history and who've had Top 10 singles, and put them together with Ringo, and they all seem to feel the same way: They turn around and they look at the drummer, and there is a former Beatle playing behind them," says Hart. "The other thing about it is, Ringo loves to play in a band, and that brings a sparkle, an excitement to everything that goes on on tour. It's just an absolute pleasure."

Hart talked with Goldmine about his long career in music and entertainment promotion. Watch www.goldminemag.com for a podcast of our Q&A with Hart. In it, you'll hear about an interesting stipulation in Billy Squier's contract rider, plus his early days with comedian Lewis Black, his favorite concert moment ever — here's a hint: it involves a certain New Jersey artist who's still alive and kicking — and other interesting observations on how the concert business has changed.

For more information on Ringo Starr's latest All-Starr Tour, visit www.ringostarr.com.

Robert Pollard, businessman

2008-05-08T17:18:03.7288415-04:00

Robert Pollard, former frontman for indie-rock heroes Guided By Voices, has heard all the criticism. His songs are too short, and just when he latches onto a strong hook, he lets it go off into the ether.

That's not going to be the case on Robert Pollard Is Off To Business, his umpteenth solo project, and what promises to be his most significant release in 2008. With GBV, songs like "My Valuable Bow Hunting Knife" and their classic "I Am A Scientist" flew by in about a minute, minute and a half, two minutes — something like that. And albums had somewhere in the neighborhood of 20-25 songs. Pollard chalks that up to his impatience as a songwriter.

Busier than ever, with an art book called "Town of Mirrors: The Reassembled Imagery of Robert Pollard" that features his the wild collages (pictured at right) he's been making for years, Pollard stretches out Robert Pollard Is Off To Business, producing only a compact 10 clocking in at 35 minutes of powerhouse rock guitar riffs, pristine production from recording partner Todd Tobias and Pollard's rough-around-the-edges vocals.

He explains the change in strategy.

"It's a departure," notes Pollard. "I purposely took a different angle on this record. I wanted to be a little bit more disciplined with this one, especially with my songwriting approach and rather than just kind of like going with the spontaneous way I go about writing songs and keeping them that way, I want to hammer at them a little bit and make them longer. And I'm going to do multiple verses and choruses, and kind of like work on finales, where different parts of the song come back in at the end and kind of overlap and make sort of in the style of the early- to mid-'70s kind of a classic-rock style record and then make it more compact — obviously at 10 songs, longer songs."

He's expecting to get flak for that.

"Some of the criticism, which I really don't listen to, is that as soon as I get into a hook, its gone and I don't repeat it and it's gone," explains Pollard. "My comeback for that is, you've got to listen to the record again if you want to get the hook again. My thing this time was, well if that's kind of the criticism, then I'm going to give it to them this time, and I will repeat the hook many, many times in the song. So, I kind of hammer you over the head with it ... there's enough to grab onto, and you know, my short thing, my short-song fixation is kind of like ... it's just my impatience in writing. I just like to write a lot of songs, and [when] it's good enough, I'm ready to go onto the next thing. On this one, I felt that I should be a little more disciplined as a songwriter, and so I did, and so, it's like 10 songs, and it's out there right now. A few people have gotten early copies and listened to it, and so far, the feedback's been pretty good. But there will be some people [who] have a problem with the short songs, and now, I'm sure there'll be people who have a problem with the long songs."

For more on what Bob's up to these days, visit http://robertpollard.net/news.html. And be sure to dig back and see what all the fuss was with Guided By Voices, one of the most collectible indie-rock bands of all time; their brand of catchy, quirky, British-Invasion inspired rock was a shining light in the '90s, and one of their early records that went for four figures was mentioned in a Market Watch in one of 2007's Goldmine issues (I couldn't find which one, but I know it was in there).

Scott Kempner's 'Saving Grace'

2008-05-05T10:31:23.5131250-04:00

If you haven't already done so, get thee to our podcast section at www.goldminemag.com and give a listen to our interview with Scott Kempner. No, don't say, "Yeah, I'll get to it later," and then forget all about it. Do it now, before that short attention span you have, thanks to the hours and hours of television you've watched over the years, has you moving onto something else.

In a former life, Kempner was the guitarist for New York City proto-punks The Dictators and Americana revivalists the Del-Lords. He has a new solo album out titled Saving Grace, and it features contributions from members of the Del-Lords and the Smithereens, plus rock 'n' roll legend Dion.

Kempner's relationship with Dion is just one of the myriad topics touched on in this exhaustive interview. He also talks about his borderline obsession with collecting sheet music, his triumph over a debilitating, rare nerve condition, The Dictators' friendship with Bruce Springsteen and The E-Street Band and how he used to buy records at a place that later became an Italian restaurant owned by none other than Al Lewis (who played grandpa on the TV show "The Munsters").

A great storyteller, whose fierce love of rock 'n' roll comes through loud and clear, Kempner is somebody you could listen to for hours — and this is an hour-long podcast, so you'll be getting your money's worth, even though we didn't have time to talk at all about the Del-Lords (I promise, that'll come later, when the planned Del-Lords reissues come to fruition). If you truly love rock 'n' roll, you owe it to yourself to listen to this interview, and if you ever, through some twist of fate, have the chance to sit down and have a beer with him, you better do it. It'll be a conversation you will never forget.

To hear a little bit of Kempner's new record — think old-school Springsteen — and to learn more about what he's up to these days, visit www.myspace.com/scott kempner

Scott Kempner's 'Saving Grace'

2008-05-05T10:16:01.2630000-04:00

If you haven't already done so, I would encourage you to zip right over to our podcast section at www.goldminemag.com and give a listen to our interview with Scott Kempner. No, don't say, "Yeah, I'll get to it later," and then forget all about it. Do it now, before that short attention span you have, thanks to the hours and hours of television you've watched over the years, has you moving onto something else.

In a former life, Kempner was the guitarist for New York City proto-punks The Dictators and Americana revivalists the Del-Lords. He has a new solo album out titled Saving Grace, and it features contributions from members of the Del-Lords and the Smithereens, plus rock 'n' roll legend Dion.

Kempner's relationship with Dion is just one of the myriad topics touched on in this exhaustive interview. He also talks about his borderline obsession with collecting sheet music, his triumph over a debilitating, rare nerve condition that I have no idea how to spell, The Dictators' friendship with Bruce Springsteen and The E-Street Band and how he used to buy records at a place that later became an Italian restaurant owned by none other than Al Lewis (who played grandpa on the TV show "The Munsters").

A great storyteller, whose fierce love of rock 'n' roll comes through loud and clear, Kempner is somebody you could listen to for hours — and this is an hour-long podcast, so you'll be getting your money's worth, even though we didn't have time to talk at all about the Del-Lords (I promise, that'll come later, when the planned Del-Lords reissues come to fruition). If you truly love rock 'n' roll, you owe it to yourself to listen to this interview, and if you ever, through some twist of fate, have the chance to sit down and have a beer with him, you better do it. It'll be a conversation you will never forget.

To hear a little bit of Kempner's new record — if you like old-school Springsteen, you'll dig it — and to learn more about what he's up to these days, visit www.myspace.com/scott kempner

Burning the Midnight Oil

2008-04-29T18:05:24.6030000-04:00

In 1988, an album of protest songs focusing on the rights of Aboriginies in Australia somehow found an audience in America. Reports of pigs flying must have overwhelmed the military.

With a push from alternative-rock radio, Diesel And Dust by Midnight Oil went platinum on the strength of its clean-sounding, rugged, fist-pumping anthem, "Beds Are Burning," a song that went all the way to #6 on the Mainstream Rock singles chart and #17 on the Hot 100.

To this day, Midnight Oil guitarist/keyboardist Jim Moginie still has a hard time believing that an album that tackled such controversial issues as the environment, nuclear war and the plight of native peoples did so well Stateside.

"You think about it, it's a bunch of white guys from Sydney, Australia, talking about the disposition of land, with the Aboriginal people and the colonial British coming in and taking it away," says Moginie, who co-wrote the "Beds Are Burning" with Peter Garrett and drummer Rob Hirst. "When you think about it, it's not the subject of rock music or the pop charts or anything, so we were as surprised as anyone when it did well. But, it did strike somewhat of a chord with people. It's quite interesting, because these things aren't supposed to happen, but here we are, 20 years later talking about it."

Two decades after its release, Diesel And Dust is getting the deluxe reissue treatment. From Columbia/Legacy comes Diesel And Dust: Legacy Edition, a CD/DVD package that includes the newly remastered version of the record that featured singles "Beds Are Burning," "The Dead Heart," "Put Down That Weapon" and "Dreamworld." Tacked on is the track "Gunbarrel Highway," which was inexplicably banned on the U.S. and Canada versions of Diesel And Dust because of the lyric "shit falls like rain on a land that is brown."

The DVD portion consists of the 1987 documentary "Blackfella/Whitefella Tour," which follows the band on a walkabout of remote Aboriginal settlements in Central Australia, the Western Desert and a place known as The Top End. It was a life-altering experience that spurred the band to make Diesel And Dust.

"We had this idea to go out and see what it was really like to be on Aboriginal land, and it was an eye-opening experience, it was a coming-of-age experience for us as people," says Moginie.

Just as Diesel And Dust was for a place half a world away that had barely heard of Aboriginies. Of course, America has had its own black mark in its dealings with its native peoples. Moginie talks about how the record made a connection with those concerned about the rights of the American Indian, the making of Diesel And Dust, Peter Garrett's new job as Minister for the Environment, Heritage & the Arts in the Australian Parliament and other matters regarding Midnight Oil in a podcast at www.goldminemag.com. Also, look for the interview to be broadcast on Goldmine Radio April 30.

For more on Midnight Oil, visit www.midnightoil.com/

What did you think of Diesel And Dust? Let me know with a little feedback.

Dead Boys reanimated

2008-04-25T16:47:23.7900000-04:00

It's Halloween, 1986, and The Ritz in New York City is set to explode. Joey Ramone walks out onstage and introduces the reunited Dead Boys, who plundered the city like bloodthirsty Vikings in the mid- to late''70s.

Playing to all manner of freaks, the Dead Boys tear into the venomous punk anthem "Sonic Reducer" and suddenly, a steady stream of stage divers and thrill seekers are getting in the band's collective face and then leaping — or being shoved by security — into oblivion. Even to a veteran of riotous punk shows like Dead Boys guitarist Cheetah Chrome, this development was a little alarming.

In the early days, "We were dodging spit or dodging bottles," laughs Chrome. "We didn't want them being part of the show."

Chrome and company had good reason to be wary of this kind of "in your face" audience participation. He remembers one time, back in the '70s, when someone in the crowd " ... ran behind the band and unplugged our guitars," says Chrome.

Chrome talked to Goldmine from his home in the country on Friday about all the craziness surrounding the Dead Boys' brief and the band's new DVD "Return Of The Living Dead Boys: Halloween Night 1986," out now on MVD Visual. A frenzied performance, with charismatic lead singer Stiv Bators sporting a leather outfit complete with a WWII German officers' hat, the show features the raw, primal rock 'n' roll that made the Dead Boys semi famous. Even though the picture quality isn't as sharp as anyone would like, it's impossible not to get goose bumps from the riff barrage unleashed by Chrome.

During the interview, which will soon be posted as a podcast on www.goldminemag.com, Chrome talked about how the band thought the recording of its debut album, Young, Loud and Snotty, would simply serve as a demo and not the final product. He also discussed the band's relationship with comedian John Belushi and why the Dead Boys turned down a chance to play Saturday Night Live, how the band formed from the ashes of Rocket From The Tombs and moved from its original home of Cleveland to New York City, the outrageous behavior of Bators, how Joey Ramone fit into the picture and how the band hoped that Lou Reed would produce its troubled second album, the one that eventually led to the Dead Boys' breakup.

For more on the Dead Boys, visit www.bomp.com/stiv.html; www.hillykristal.com/shrine/shriners/deadboys.htm; www.stivbators.com/

To find out how to order the DVD, visit www.mvdb2b.com/

Def Leppard's 'Lounge' act

2008-04-16T15:19:00.6700000-04:00

Still one of the most potent guitar duos in metal, Def Leppard's Phil Collen and Viv Campbell unleash an aggressive riff offensive on the band's new album, Songs From The Sparkle Lounge, that's more hungry and attacking than any they've previously plotted.

While Def Leppard doesn't stray far here from the combination of sweet, pop confections and dynamite-packed, sonic explosions that resulted in Hysteria, there is a sense on ... Sparkle Lounge that Collen and Campbell have added some bite to their solos and an incredibly powerful thrust to songs like "Go," "Cruise Control" and "Hallucinate."

How they actually work together and view what they do with Def Leppard is interesting. They talked about their partnership in a recent interview (posted as a podcast on www.goldminemag.com), and a story about Def Leppard and the new album will appear in the May 9 issue of Goldmine.

For Songs From The Sparkle Lounge, the pair recorded their guitar parts in real time together, and a lot of the songs for the album were recorded in a place called The Sparkle Lounge. In essence, it was a backstage area that served a tuning room on the band's last tour.

'It's a very honest title, and the genesis for those songs came from that room, and it was a different room every day," says Campbell.

While there was the spirit of collaboration was there, Collen says the album is really like "four little solo projects." Viv chimed in that there wasn't a lot of partnering up on the songwriting for the album.

One of Collen's pet projects was a song called "Tomorrow," which he wrote about the death of his father. A life-affirming ode to living every minute as if it's your last, Collen finds it therapeutic.

"I spent two months with my dad, and it was cancer actually, so it was really shitty," says Collen of the debilitating nature of the disease. "We had a really great time, apart from him being in really great pain. We laughed a lot, and it's one of the best times we ever spent together, actually. So, it was a bit of a weird one, and that's why I wrote about it. It was a bizarre experience, really. It was really sad by one token, and yet we had a great time just talking about everything. Marriage ... just everything, kids, the whole thing. We were just having fun, and I hadn't spent that much quality time with my dad in years."

To hear the full interview with Collen and Campbell, check out the podcast section of www.goldminemag.com. Among the subjects they discuss is Campbell's comparing his role in Dio with the part he plays in Def Leppard, and there's a wealth of conversation about the making of Songs From The Sparkle Lounge. Also, we'll be running the interview at 8 a.m. and noon on April 19 and 24 on Goldmine Radio.

And while you're scouring the Internet for more on Def Leppard, go to www.defleppard.com/ for tour dates, discographies, lyrics, multimedia files and a whole lot more.

2008-04-10T17:40:17.1610000-04:00

Heart of a lion

2008-04-10T17:39:00.1570000-04:00

America, meet Lion's Share. Lion's Share, meet America. Good, now that you've been introduced, it's high time you all met in person.

Headquartered in its home country of Sweden, Lion's Share — not to be confused with White Lion — is a melodic metal outfit that channels old-school headbangers like Dio-era Black Sabbath and Judas Priest. The band debuted in 1995, and then, it brought forth what many consider the band's masterpiece Two.

In January, Lion's Share returned from a six-year hiatus with Emotional Coma, a more aggressive, hard-charging record from a band known more for its melody and prog-metal — think Dream Theater — tendencies than the thrash mentality its guitar player and founder Lars Chriss has embraced in the new millennium. Songs like "Toxication Rave," "Trafficking" and "Bloodstained Soil" reveal Chriss to be a closet Megadeth freak.

Chriss explained the long layoff. "Well, we released our first record in '95, and we released another four albums through 2001," he says. "We did a lot of touring. We toured in Europe and Scandinavia with Dio, Manowar, Motorhead, Saxon, UDO, Iced Earth, Nevermore, etc. So, during this time, I was very busy with that, and I was also heavily involved in the writing, producing, speaking to labels, doing all the interviews and speaking to promoters. So, I felt burnt out at the end of 2001. I felt I needed some space to recharge my batteries, more or less. And also, I had the sound for Emotional Coma in mind, and I didn't think the lineup I had at the time would be the right one. I wanted a more mode of drumming style, for example. And the new songs are more fast, so I needed a bass player who plays with a pick. The old bass player played with his fingers, etc. So, it was time for a change."

And what a difference six years makes. Sounding more invigorated than ever, Chriss really sinks his teeth into Emotional Coma, unleashing a barrage of riffs and dizzying tempos that approaches the fury of Megadeth. Having new singer, and Ronnie James Dio sound-alike, Patrik Johansson on board helped Chriss realize his vision, and Chriss thinks audiences will embrace the more straightforward, balls-out approach — especially live.

There is a chance fans of Lion's Share's prog-metal past may balk at the new sound. Chriss accepts that and hopes to find new converts in the U.S. and Britain. The U.S. is virgin territory for Lion's Share. With Emotional Coma out on Locomotive Records, and the band closing in on finishing a new record, Chriss thinks the time may be right for Lion's Share to establish a beachhead in the U.S., a place the band has never played.

Keep watching www.goldminemag.com for a podcast of my interview with Lars. In the meantime, to learn more about Lion's Share, visit www.lionsshare.org/ and to find out more about Locomotive Records, go to www.locomotiverecords.com

The Clash's Revolution

2008-04-09T18:20:26.6400000-04:00

Explaining the difference between The Sex Pistols and The Clash, Don Letts put it this way: "The Sex Pistols made you want to smash your head against the wall. The Clash gave you reason to."

Meaning, of course, that The Clash, with the righteous, socio-political nature of its lyrics, made you think, and what they made you think about ... well, it was enough to cause such outrage as to make you not consider the health risks of banging said head against said wall.

Letts, an iconic filmmaker, DJ and one-time founder of Big Audio Dynamite with The Clash's Mick Jones, should know. He's been friends with members of the band since 1975, and in 2000, he directed — in my opinion, anyway — one of the best rock documentaries ever in "Westway To The World," which told the story of The Clash through recent interviews with the band and assorted friends and rare footage of the "only band that mattered."

I talked with Letts today about his new Clash DVD "Revolution Rock," which presents a variety of live footage of the band tearing through many of its classics. Letts, who noted that it was the DIY spirit of punk rock and The Clash that made him want to be a filmmaker, says the new DVD works as a companion piece to "Westway To The World."

"I think it's the perfect accompaniment," says Letts. "The only thing that bugged me about 'Westway' was that there wasn't enough music, and that was only because of budget and time restraints."

"Revolution Rock," due out April 15 on Epic/Legacy, sets out to right that wrong. For more of my interview with Letts, watch www.goldminemag.com for an upcoming podcast and watch our Dead Air schedule for a broadcast of the interview on Goldmine Radio.

Everclear goes under cover

2008-04-08T18:24:02.3980000-04:00

"We can live beside the ocean/leave the fire behind/swim out past the breakers/watch the world die."

For some reason, that line from Everclear's first real hit, "Santa Monica," a "shake your fist at the world" diatribe set to revved-up, roots-flavored punk that comes on like a reincarnated X, gets me every time. Maybe someday, some young band will think about covering it, just as Art Alexakis and company have remade some of their favorites in their own image for a new covers album called The Vegas Years.

Featuring retooled versions of Hall & Oates' "Rich Girl" and the Go-Gos' "Our Lips Are Sealed," along with Neil Young's "Pocahontas" and a smoking-hot blitz through Little Jimmy Dickens' "Night Train to Memphis," among other tracks, the album collects studio and concert recordings stretching as far back as 1994 of Everclear doing songs that Art grew up with. The album will be released on tax day, April 15.

Alexakis recently chatted with Goldmine about the upcoming LP and all things Everclear. Alexakis, who has a five-month-old baby in tow these days (just to keep him more busy than ever), explains why the time was right for a covers album.

"Well, we had a stock of about 24 covers, and we thought, 'Man, this would be a great thing. Fans would really like it, I think people would really like it, and there are some really great songs there. We went to Capitol — we're not on Capitol anymore — but we went to Capitol to see if they'd license some of them, and they listened to them and said, 'They're really great. We want to put them out.' And we said, 'Well, okay, but we have some songs ... 'cause the personnel in the band changed about five years ago, and we want to do some songs we have [with the reconfigured Everclear], and they let me produce it and gave me a little bit of money to re-mix some of them, and for not a lot of money, for like a fraction of what I used to spend making records, we put this together and made all these songs live together in a way that sounds like an album. There's old songs and new songs, and songs we did with the old band. It ties in the old with the new real well I think."

Alexakis has already gotten some feedback. He said that Darryl Hall of Hall & Oates liked Everclear's version of "Rich Girl" so much, he had his management call Alexakis to invite him to appear on a web cast Hall does.

To read or hear more of my interview with Alexakis, watch the podcast section on www.goldminemag.com for a podcast of our talk or wait patiently, and a story on Everclear will appear in a future edition of Goldmine. In the meantime, let me know what some of your favorite cover songs are, or tell me what songs haven't been covered that you think should be re-done.

For more on Everclear, who is plotting a new album of originals as we speak, and this release, visit www.everclearonline.com or www.myspace.com/everclear

OMD comes alive

2008-04-02T13:03:21.7510000-04:00

Making it stateside was such a high priority for Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark that the arty synth-pop group from England was willing to play just about anywhere, and just about any time of day or night, to build an audience in the U.S.

"In the 80s, in the mid-'80s, we seemed to do nothing but tour America," remembers Paul Humphreys. "We'd do our own tours, and then, we'd tour with Depeche Mode, we toured with the Thompson Twins, [and] we toured with The Power Station. In the space of about two or three years, we did about seven or eight tours, just going backwards and forwards, all the way through the country from New York to L.A., and then back again and back again. We seemed to be camped out in America for a while, basically trying to break America."

At that time, OMD had been huge in Europe. It wasn't until "If You Leave" broke out of the "Pretty In Pink" movie soundtrack and shot up to #4 in 1986 that OMD established a beach head in the U.S.

"So, we were kind of doing huge tours in huge arenas throughout Europe, and then in America, we were doing the tiny club in Long Island, N.Y., going onstage at two o'clock in the morning with people vomiting on your shoes, because they're so drunk," says Humphreys, laughing at the recollection.

The image of inebriated concertgoers spewing all over the stage of an OMD show doesn't exactly fit with the stylish image of the group, but when you start out playing little holes-in-the-wall, it's hard to stay out of vomiting range. Eventually though, after years of paying their dues, OMD did hit the big time with its majestic sound sculptures, experimental brilliance and romantic pop sensibilities.

With people nostalgic for anything '80s these days, OMD, which scored three Top 5 U.K. singles in 1981 from its album Architecture & Morality, reunited in 2006 with the original lineup — including Andy McCluskey, Malcolm Holmes and Martin Cooper — for a series of European shows.

One gala show at the Hammersmith Apollo in London was recorded, and a live CD of that show called Architecture & Morality & More is being released today (April 8) by Eagle Rock. Divided into halves that featured OMD playing the entire Architecture & Morality album on one hand and a handful of other OMD favorites on the other — including, of course, "If You Leave" — the CD documents an amazing evening of music. The sound is lush and full, and Humphreys' vocals are as warm and expressive as ever.

To catch up on what's happening with OMD, visit www.omd.uk.com/

Go to www.eaglerockent.com to find out how to purchase the CD, and the subsequent concert DVD of the same title, which is being released June 3.

CD track listing:

1. Architecture & Morality
2. Sealand
3. The New Stone Age
4. Georgia
5. She's Leaving
6. Souvenir
7. Joan Of Arc
8. Joan Of Arc (Maid Of New Orleans)
9. The Beginning And The End
10. If You Leave
11. (Forever) Live And Die
12. Pandora's Box
13. Locomotion
14. Sailing on the Seven Seas
15. Enola Gay
16. Electricity
17. Romance of the Telescope

Closing time

2008-04-01T17:26:53.6720000-04:00

Having spent my teenage years in the wilds of western Wisconsin in the '80s, I'm particularly partial to the Twin Cities music scene. And what a scene it was back then with The Replacements, Husker Du and others blazing a sonic trail that was fast, loud and sometimes ragged, but always with a sense of melody that prevailed over the crashing din.

Dan Wilson, and his power-pop trio Semisonic, wasn't a part of that '80s Minnesota scene. They came after. But, the band that made "Closing Time" a smash hit made some of the dreamiest, hook-heavy pop the Minnesota scene ever produced, and now, Wilson is going on tour (through April 19) to support his solo debut, Free Life.

An interesting cross-section of pop and country artists join Wilson on this record, including Sheryl Crow, who sings sweet harmony on "Sugar." Nickel Creek's Sean Watkins exercises his digits with some expert, finger-picked acoustic guitar on "Free Life," while The Jayhawks' Gary Louris — Minnesota represent! — plays a guitar solo on "Cry" and Benmont Tench of The Heartbreakers sprinkles in some piano throughout.

As of this writing, Goldmine is efforting an interview with Mr. Wilson. In the meantime, check the tour dates (below) and visit www.danwilsonmusic.com or www.myspace.com/danwilsonmusic

On the Hotel Café tour:
Apr 1 2008 Record Bar Kansas City, Missouri
Apr 3 2008 Fox Theatre Boulder, Colorado
Apr 4 2008 Bluebird Theatre Denver, Colorado
Apr 5 2008 Avalon Theatre Salt Lake City, Utah

Supporting Kathleen Edwards
Apr 10 2008 The Fillmore NY @ Irving Plaza New York, New York
Apr 11 2008 Rams Head On Stage Annapolis, Maryland
Apr 12 2008 The Fillmore @ Theatre of Living Arts Philadelphia, Penn.
Apr 14 2008 Birchmere Alexandria, Virginia
Apr 16 2008 Grey Eagle Tavern & Music Hall Asheville, North Carolina
Apr 17 2008 Headliners Music Hall Louisville, Kentucky
Apr 18 2008 WorkPlay Theatre Birmingham, Alabama
Apr 19 2008 Mercy Lounge Nashville, Tennessee

Closing time

2008-04-01T17:23:48.3290000-04:00

Having spent my teenage years in the wilds of western Wisconsin in the '80s, I'm particularly partial to the Twin Cities music scene. And what a scene it was back then with The Replacements, Husker Du and others blazing a sonic trail that was fast, loud and sometimes ragged, but always with a sense of melody that prevailed over the crashing din.

Dan Wilson, and his power-pop trio Semisonic, wasn't a part of that '80s Minnesota scene. They came after. But, the band that made "Closing Time" a smash hit made some of the dreamiest, hook-heavy pop the city ever produced, and now, Wilson is going on tour (through April 19) to support his solo debut, Free Life.

An interesting cross-section of pop and country artists join Wilson on this record, including Sheryl Crow, who sings sweet harmony on "Sugar." Nickel Creek's Sean Watkins exercises his digits with some expert, finger-picked acoustic guitar on "Free Life," while The Jayhawks' Gary Louris — Minnesota represent! — plays a guitar solo on "Cry" and Benmont Tench of The Heartbreakers sprinkles in some piano throughout.

As of this writing, Goldmine is efforting an interview with Mr. Wilson. In the meantime, check the tour dates (below) and visit www.danwilsonmusic.com or www.myspace.com/danwilsonmusic

On the Hotel Café tour:
Apr 1 2008 Record Bar Kansas City, Missouri
Apr 3 2008 Fox Theatre Boulder, Colorado
Apr 4 2008 Bluebird Theatre Denver, Colorado
Apr 5 2008 Avalon Theatre Salt Lake City, Utah

Supporting Kathleen Edwards
Apr 10 2008 The Fillmore NY @ Irving Plaza New York, New York
Apr 11 2008 Rams Head On Stage Annapolis, Maryland
Apr 12 2008 The Fillmore @ Theatre of Living Arts Philadelphia, Penn.
Apr 14 2008 Birchmere Alexandria, Virginia
Apr 16 2008 Grey Eagle Tavern & Music Hall Asheville, North Carolina
Apr 17 2008 Headliners Music Hall Louisville, Kentucky
Apr 18 2008 WorkPlay Theatre Birmingham, Alabama
Apr 19 2008 Mercy Lounge Nashville, Tennessee

Looking into the future

2008-03-28T18:18:53.1570000-04:00

Not exactly the best-kept secret in metal, Judas Priest has a big summer planned, what with the impending release of Nostradamus and extensive touring afoot.

In talking with lead singer Rob Halford on Friday, there is still no release date scheduled for the new record, which Halford calls "a massive endeavor." He did say, though, that the album should be out before the band starts its summer tour, and that begins June 3 in Finland.

As far as a setlist goes, Halford did give leak some details.

"There'll be a handful of songs that we always play for the fans, but there will be a lot of material that we've not played much before or put in our show for awhile," says Halford.

And where do things stand with Nostradamus?

"We're in the final mixing, and then we'll rush off to do masters," he says.

Watch for a podcast of my interview with Halford at www.goldminemag.com, and read Goldmine's metal issue, dated May 9, for a story on Halford.

Below are tour dates. For more information on what's happening with Priest or Halford's projects outside the band, check out judaspriest.com/ or visit www.RobHalford.com, www.HalfordMerchandise.com,www.HalfordMusic.com, or www.myspace.com/robhalford

JUNE 2008
3rd    ICEHALL, HELSINKI, FINLAND
5th    SWEDEN ROCK FESTIVAL/SOLVESBORG, SWEDEN
7th    TRONDHEIM ROCK FESTIVAL/TRONDHEIM, NORWAY
8th    BERGENSHALL, BERGEN, NORWAY
11th    ROCKHAL, LUXEMBOURG
13th    DOWNLOAD FESTIVAL, U.K.
15th    NOVA ROCK FESTIVAL/ VIENNA, AUSTRIA
16th    INCHEBA/BRATISLAVIA, SLOVAKIA
17th    CEZ ARENA, OSTRAVA, CZECH REPUBLIC
20th    KOBETASONIK FESTIVAL/BILBAO, SPAIN
22nd    TBA
23rd    PHILIPSHALLE, DUSSELDORF, GERMANY
24th    ZENITH, MUNICH, GERMANY
25th    NATIONAL SPORTZENTRUM,/HUTTWIL, SWITZERLAND
27th    GRASPOP METAL FESTIVAL, BELGIUM
28th    BANG YOUR HEAD FESTIVAL, STUTTGART, GERMANY
29th    GODS OF METAL FESTIVAL, BOLOGNA, ITALY
JULY 2008
1st    CASTLE FESTIVAL/BELGRADE, SERBIA
2nd    DOM SPORTOVA, ZAGREB, CROATIA
3rd    LIBEREC ARENA, PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC
5th    ROSKILDE FESTIVAL, DENMARK
9th    ROCKWAVE FESTIVAL/ATHENS, GREECE
11th    B'ESTFest AFTERSHOCK/ROMANIA, BUCHAREST
13th    TURKCELL KURUCEME ARENA/ISTANBUL, TURKEY

Vampire attack

2008-03-25T18:01:27.2410000-04:00

The inevitable backlash against Vampire Weekend has begun in earnest, and once again, another indie-rock hopeful is trashed on message boards across the Internet after some good, initial word-of-mouth.

Want to see the "flaming" — and by that, I mean 'Internet flaming," get it? — wreckage? Go to obner.org and read the post called F**k VAMPIRE WEEKEND. It's a message board I generally read on occasion to get a good laugh and find out what people of my ilk are digging these days, now that I'm a little out of the indie-rock loop.

Anyway, if you're not hip to Vampire Weekend, they're a hot little Brooklyn-spawned, Afrobeat-indie rock combo that sounds a little like The Talking Heads doing island music. Not sure why some have taken such an intense dislike of the band. Perhaps it's the fey beachwear they wore on a Saturday Night Live performance a few weeks ago. Perhaps it's the tricky little melodies they chase and how their music lacks the balls of full-throated rock, or how the Caribbean rhythms that give Vampire Weekend's energetic, wistful pop soda an unexpected, citrus-flavored twist.

Whatever the case, I just find it so interesting how the indie community eats its young. An interesting new band comes along. Word spreads like wildfire across the Internet and then, after the world discovers them, out come the wolves. Okay, so maybe the hype with Vampire Weekend was a little over the top at first. And if you don't like them, fine. But man, this happens so often, you can predict exactly what's going to come to a band like Vampire Weekend before anybody gets a taste of what flavor of the month is to come.

I say, give 'em a break, enjoy what they do and give 'em some time to develop. Remember how record companies and fans actually used to do that?

Interested in what Vampire Weekend is all about? Go to www.vampireweekend.com, and give the album a listen. Then, tell me what you think. That's how this blog thing is supposed to work after all. And watch for a review in a future issue of Goldmine.

Autumn leavings
Switching gears, I wanted to talk about an album from the fall of 2007 that I loved at the time and wanted to review for Goldmine, but just didn't have the time. It's by indie stalwarts Pinback and it's called Autumn Of The Seraphs.

Love the dynamic, stop-on-a-dime-and-change-directions musicianship. Love the unexpectedly melodic turns Rob Crow and company take on "From Nothing To Nowhere" and "Barnes." Love the smart hooks, wistful (there's that word again) tones and interwoven vocals of "Good To Sea." And speaking of tone, the rich guitar lines and piano of "How We Breathe" are evidence of the really smart, tasteful production found here. And yeah, I know I'm going through the first four songs of the record, but I don't care. From top to bottom, you can't find a clunker.

The guitars of "Walters" are heavy and dramatic, as simple piano figures wind around your ears like ivy. The agile guitar gymnastics of "Devil You Know" flip and tumble about like a series of acrobats, each one executing his routine as perfectly as the one before him. The intricate vocal movements are similarly executed.

Hope it's not too late to put in a good word for Pinback and Autumn Of The Seraphs. Consistently interesting and compelling from start to finish, it's an album that won't go stale after a couple of listens. Log on to www.pinback.com to learn more.

Poor little fool

2008-03-20T14:50:32.5650000-04:00

Sam Nelson is the son of the late '50s teen idol Rick Nelson. These days, he works as an A&R producer for Capitol Records. Recently, Capitol put out Greatest Love Songs, a collection of Rick's most romantic recordings. It was a project that Sam was involved with, and it served as an extension of his own personal journey of discovery.

"I actually didn't get more absorbed into what he'd done musically until after his death," said Sam in an interview for the April 25 cover story Goldmine is doing on the life and career of Rick Nelson. "So, after he died — and he died when I was about 11 years old — and, at that point, my mom and dad had gone through a pretty brutal divorce for many, many years, and I didn't get the opportunity to see him very much. So, I pretty much took the opportunity after he died to just really dive in head first and absorb everything, everything he'd done."

Going through Rick's rockabilly material on through to "Garden Party" was a revelation for Sam and a chance for him to get to know the man he called "pop" better. Rick died Dec. 31, 1985. Sam was 11 at the time.

"He passed away when I was really young, which is super unfortunate for anybody who's lost a parent that early, but I've had his music pretty much to be my record and kind of a big lesson book for a child to grow and learn from him directly through his music," says Sam.

Rick Nelson's Greatest Love Songs includes hits such as "Poor Little Fool" and "Hello, Mary Lou," among other lesser-known classics like "Lonesome Town."

To find out more about Rick Nelson's recording legacy, visit www.ricknelson.com

For more on Sam's memories of his father, and to read more from those who knew him best, read Goldmine's April 25 cover story. In it, you'll find out what John Wayne had to say about Rick's quick-draw abilities on the set of "Rio Bravo," plus other fascinating tidbits of information about Rick's music.

Goldfrapp: The glamorous life

2008-03-18T17:16:53.6430000-04:00

All glammed-up with plenty of places to go, Goldfrapp's sexy, glitter-splattered, electro-dance cabaret is wonderfully salacious entertainment. Their burlesque stage show has a Weimer vibe, and the synth-driven music goes from James Bond-theme, widescreen drama to robotic, carnal pleasure principle to majestic, emotional floods in the span of a few songs.

Suffice it to say, I'm a fan, and that may not be very, ahem ... Goldmine of me, considering our classic-rock orientation, but Goldfrapp rules, okay?

Goldfrapp's fourth album, Seventh Tree, is another stunner, though quieter and more acoustic than past efforts. On the heels of its release, the duo of Allison Goldfrapp, she of the pristine, breathy voice, and Will Gregory will perform at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, an event I've never been to but need to see before I die. Goldfrapp's performance at the Indio, Calif., festival takes place April 25.

The band will then play the Warfield Theatre in San Francisco on April 26 and the Beacon Theatre in New York City on April 29. Please see complete show information below.

Goldfrapp Spring U.S. Tour Dates:
April 25 Coachella Festival (Empire Polo Grounds) - Indio, CA
April 26 Warfield Theatre - San Francisco, CA
April 29 Beacon Theatre - New York, NY

In other Goldfrapp news, the group will also appear on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” on April 22 and KCRW’s “Morning Becomes Eclectic” on April 23.

Seventh Tree is available now on Mute Records. The followup to the million-selling, Grammy-nominated Supernature debuted at #2 on the U.K. album charts. It was recorded deep in the English countryside and serves as a more organic sister to the glitter-rock throb of Supernature. Seventh Tree’s first single “A&E” is available now for download and purchase in stores.

For more on Goldfrapp, visit www.goldfrapp.co.uk, www.mute.com or
www.myspace.com/goldfrapp.

Do you remember your first Kiss?

2008-03-13T17:02:36.6740000-04:00

Take it from Kiss memorabilia expert Jacques van Gool of Backstage Auctions: If you think you're going to someday collect anything and everything related to the "Hottest Band in the World" – that, of course, being Kiss — it's never going to happen, chief.

So, if you're just getting started in the Kiss collecting game, do what Jacques says and stick to what floats your boat.

"I think Kiss is too big to have it all, and I would almost say that if you are a starting collector, and this really is the most important thing, is to try to figure out early on in your collecting career what type of item you like and focus on that. If you're a vinyl person, then focus on that. If you're a poster person, then focus on that. If you're a paper person, then go after books and the magazines. Whatever your vice might be, try to figure that out and stick to that because trying to do it all, trying to have it all — and I'm an expert — it'll seriously drive you crazy, because there is simply too much to have it all, and I think you'll enjoy your collection a lot more."

In the April 11 issue of Goldmine, which features Kiss on the cover and a story about the band's earliest performances, van Gool provides a look at Kiss collectibles. We'll tell you what items are the holy grails for Kiss collectors, give you a rundown on what Kiss conventions to hit, and provide photos of Kiss items Backstage Auctions has sold over the years and a little bit of pricing information. So, watch out for that.

One thing you'll find out that might surprise you is that Kiss signatures don't fetch a whole lot of cash. But, you'll have to read Goldmine to see why.

For information on Kiss, visit www.kissonline.com/

Sparks are flying
For those L7 fans out there, my interview with co-founder Donita Sparks has been posted in the podcast room at www.goldminemag.com. She talks about her new solo album, Transmiticate, why L7 was not part of the "riot grrl" movement it was often linked with and her new music licensing experiment with Throwing Muses frontwoman Kristin Hersh.

Nice shot

2008-03-11T14:01:47.0910000-04:00

When somebody tells Frank Cavanagh "hey man, nice shot" these days, he's probably firing rounds at an inanimate target. At least, hopefully, in the future, that's all he's going to be shooting at ... for his sake.

Now an Army officer, Sgt. Cavanagh used to play bass for the band Filter, which had a huge hit in the '90s with the dark electronic nihilism and raging industrial guitars of "Hey Man Nice Shot," off the album Short Bus. Recently, Cavanagh flew to Kuwait to perform "Hey Man Nice Shot" with his former band for the Operation MySpace concert on the evening of March 10 that was arranged for the troops.

The U.S. Army gave its blessing for the reunion, as Cavanagh is due to begin his tour of duty later this month. Whatever your feelings about the War in Iraq, this is kind of a touching story, the kind you don't get much in rock.

"I love the Army and I love Filter," Cavanagh said. "To be able to join (Filter frontman) Richard (Patrick) and my former band for the first time in nearly six years is a huge honor. To perform this song with the band in Kuwait holds a truly special meaning for me, as I am able to share the musical part of my life with my brothers and sisters who are serving our country."

Patrick said, "It was an honor for us to perform for the troops in Kuwait at the Operation MySpace concert. Having my former bandmate and current enlisted Army Sergeant Frank Cavanagh on stage next to me made this a show that I will remember for the rest of my life."

Nowadays, Filter includes Patrick, vocals; Charles Lee (Loser), bass; Mika Fineo (Red Skeleton), drums; and Mitchell Marlow (He Is Legend), guitar. Filter performed Filter classics, plus tracks from Anthems For The Damned, a new Filter album due out May 13 on Pulse Recordings.

For more information on Filter and the Operation MySpace concert, visit www.officialfilter.com/, http://www.myspace.com/filter1 and http://myspace.com/operationmyspace.