MUSIC NEWS: WEDNESDAY, APRIL 1, 2015
JONI MITCHELL TAKEN TO HOSPITAL
Joni Mitchell has been taken to a hospital.
Los Angeles fire officials say paramedics answered an afternoon 9-1-1 call in Bel Air, where Mitchell lives. But officials didn't verify her identity. Mitchell's website and Twitter account reported last night that she was in the hospital. A statement on her website says ``Joni was found unconscious in her home.'' The statement adds, ``She is currently in intensive care undergoing tests and is awake and in good spirits.'' It wasn't immediately clear what illness she had. The 71-year-old singer-songwriter who was born in Fort Macleod, Alberta told Billboard magazine in December that she has a rare skin condition, Morgellons disease, which prevents her from performing.
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JUSTIN BIEBER GOES TO MEDIATION
Justin Bieber has attended a mediation session in an attempt to settle a dispute with a photographer who says Bieber's security roughed him up. Lawyers say the Canadian pop star spent five hours yesterday at a law firm in Miami with a mediator and photographer Jeffrey Binion. Binion is seeking unspecified damages in a lawsuit filed in 2013 in which claims he was assaulted by Bieber's bodyguard outside a recording studio. Binion's attorney did not say whether a settlement is near.
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ROLLING STONES ANNOUNCE TOUR
Keith Richards says he can't wait to get back on stage. The Rolling Stones will launch their ``Zip Code'' tour May 24th in San Diego's Petco Park. They will hit 15 stadiums. The stage design includes a thrust that extends into the audience. The tour begins the same week that the Stones will rerelease their ``Sticky Fingers'' album, which will include studio outtakes and live performances from that era. The super deluxe and vinyl deluxe editions will feature a working zipper, like the original cover had.
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SCOTT WEILAND'S GUITARIST DIES
The day before Scott Weiland released his new solo album, he got horrible news: the guitar player in his new band had died. Weiland's publicist confirms the death of Jeremy Brown, the lead guitarist and songwriting partner in Weiland's new band, the Wildabouts. Brown was 34. Weiland writes on Facebook the band became concerned when Brown did not show up for a rehearsal Monday.
He says an hour later, Brown's family called with the news of his death. A cause of death was not given. ``Blaster,'' the debut album from Scott Weiland and the Wildabouts, came out yesterday.
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SYSTEM OF A DOWN PLAN FOR FIRST ARMENIAN SHOW
System Of A Down are planning their longest set list ever for an audience they've never reached before. Frontman Serj Tankian says they're planning a special show with a three-part video presentation in Yerevan, Armenia, on April 23rd. The band's members are of Armenian descent and it's System Of A Down's first show in Armenia. April 24th will be the 100th anniversary of what's recognized as the start of the Armenian Genocide at the hands of Ottoman authorities. Tankian says the band wants to draw attention to the issue and push the Turkish government to recognize the genocide.
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POP MUSICIANS REMEMBER FIRST TIME THEY HEARD THEIR SONGS ON THE RADIO
Musicians generally don't forget the first time they heard themselves on the radio. The first time 5 Seconds Of Summer heard one of their songs on American radio, they took a picture of the radio. Drummer Ashton Irwin says they had just landed in Chicago and it was a great day. Jeremih (jayr-eh-MY') was also in Chicago when he first heard ``Birthday Sex'' on the radio, and it got played three times in a row. He says he'll never forget that feeling. Jason Derulo first heard his song ``Watcha Say'' on the radio at 4 A.M. while coming home from the studio and he thought, ``This is not happening!'' Adam Lambert says he first heard ``What Do You Want For Me'' on the radio in the car. He calls it ``surreal'' and ``an original high.''
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COUNTRY MUSICIANS REMEMBER FIRST TIME THEY HEARD THEIR SONGS ON THE RADIO
Jason Aldean remembers the first time he heard one of his songs on the radio because he refused to get out of his truck. Aldean says ``Hicktown'' came on the radio as he was getting out of his truck to go into a store. He says he kept driving around the parking lot to listen. Brian Kelley of Florida Georgia Line was home in Nashville when ``Cruise'' first was played on the radio and a friend called to tell him. Kelley says he jumped into his Tahoe, cranked up the volume and said, ``Thank you, Lord.'' Aldean says a moment like that ``changes your life,'' and Kelley says it's ``the coolest thing ever.''
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DAVID DUCHOVNY RELEASING ALBUM
An ``X Files'' star is moving in a new direction -- music. David Duchovny is releasing his first album. He says ``Hell or Highwater'' will include 12 tracks he wrote. But many people will always think of him as FBI agent Fox Mulder -- on the hunt for extraterrestrials. Duchovny's album will be released May 12th.
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LED ZEPPELIN RELEASE INTERACTIVE MUSIC VIDEO
Led Zeppelin have put out a video for a song released 40 years ago. The interactive video is for a previously unreleased rough mix of ``Trampled Under Foot,'' which had the working title of ``Brandy and Coke.'' It allows users to go inside the building pictured on the front of the ``Physical Graffiti''
album. Events are going on behind each window and some characters move through different rooms. The video features archival footage of the band's Earl's Court performance of the song. You can see the video on Led Zeppelin's website. The song ``Brandy and Coke (Trampled Under Foot - Initial Rough Mix)'' appears as a bonus track on the new deluxe edition of ``Physical Graffiti,'' out now.
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BUCKINGHAMS, PLAIN WHITE T'S, KRISTIAN BUSH GO TO WRIGLEY FIELD
The Buckinghams will sing the national anthem before next Tuesday's Cubs game against the Cardinals in Chicago.
Plain White T's will perform ``Take Me Out To The Ballgame'' during the seventh-inning stretch. On Wednesday, Kristian Bush of Sugarland will perform the anthem and the seventh-inning stretch song.
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BRANDI CARLILE REMEMBERS HER FIRST BAND
Brandi Carlile grew up thinking music was a treat if she was good. Carlile says her mother's band would rehearse at their house every week. If Carlile behaved, she was allowed to sing a song with them before she went to bed. Carlile says she would get so excited all week and write down the songs she wanted to do with the band. She was a big fan of old-time country and 1980s country, so she'd sing anything by Tanya Tucker or Mary Chapin Carpenter. She also liked Johnny Cash's ``Tennessee Flat Top Box'' and Willie Nelson's ``Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain.'' Carlile's new album, ``The Firewatcher's Daughter,'' is out now.
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MUSIC FESTIVALS BAN SELFIE STICKS
You'll just have to have long arms if you're taking a selfie at Coachella or Lollapalooza. Both festivals have banned selfie sticks, or what Coachella refers to as ``narsisstics.'' The devices allow users to hold cellphones out further for a wider shot. Some concertgoers complain they get in the way of their stage views. The Ultra Music Festival in Miami banned selfie sticks at last weekend's event, saying anyone who brings one ``will be turned away and we'll probably make fun of you.''
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FINAL FOUR CONCERT LINEUPS ANNOUNCED
Imagine Dragons, Rihanna and Zac Brown Band will perform for free this weekend in Indianapolis as part of the festivities surrounding the Final Four. Imagine Dragons and Weezer will perform Friday at the N-C-double-A March Madness Music Festival. Rihanna, Passion Pit and Bleachers will perform Saturday.
Zac Brown Band, Lady Antebellum, Kacey Musgraves and Cole Swindell perform Sunday.
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HUNTER HAYES WILL LAUNCH NEW EPISODES OF ``FRONT AND CENTER''
Hunter Hayes will kick off the new episodes of the P-B-S music show ``Front and Center.'' Hayes will be featured on Saturday's episode. Brandy Clark and songwriter Bob Piero will be featured on April 11th. Sara Evans and Martina McBride headline the April 18 episode, and Little Big Town will be on the April 25th episode.
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WILLIE NELSON ANNOUNCES LINEUP FOR JULY 4 PICNIC
Willie Nelson is bringing back his Fourth of July Picnic to Austin, Texas, for the first time in five years.
Beside Nelson, the performers include Eric Church, Merle Haggard, Kacey Musgraves, Asleep At The Wheel, Jamey Johnson, Leon Russell and Billie Joe Shaver.
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HANSON DO SECOND YEAR OF BEER FESTIVAL
Hanson will bring back their beer festival to their hometown of Tulsa, Oklahoma. Last year's festival attracted 30-thousand people, the biggest craft beer event in the state.
Taylor Hanson says they were blown away by the response but the message from guests was clear: ``more beer!'' They added more brewers, for 30 in all, and the festival will feature free performances from Hanson and the Polyphonic Spree.
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WILCO CALL OFF SHOW IN INDIANA OVER RELIGIOUS FREEDOM LAW
Wilco have cancelled their May 7th show in Indianapolis because of Indiana's Religious Freedom Restoration Act.
The band write on their Facebook page the law is ``thinly disguised legal discrimination to us.'' They say they hope to go back to Indiana ``when this odious measure is repealed.'' The law passed last week prohibits state laws that ``substantially burden'' a person's ability to follow his or her religious beliefs. Critics say the law allows discrimination against gays and lesbians.
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STEVIE WONDER SURPRISES MINNEAPOLIS CHURCH
Those who attended Sunday service at New Salem Baptist Church in Minneapolis got a surprise this week. Stevie Wonder was sitting in the front pew. WCCO-TV reports the Reverend Jerry McAfee is friends with Wonder and invited him to the service while Wonder was in town for a concert. Wonder sang a favourite hymn, ``I Won't Complain.'' He gave the church another surprise: a 10-thousand dollar donation.
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GENE SIMMONS GETS INTO MOVIE BUSINESS
Gene Simmons of Kiss and W-W-E Studios will join together to try to scare the bejeezus out of you. They have formed a partnership to create three horror movies. The first is called ``Temple,'' and it's about a team of trained operatives investigating a death inside an isolated military compound. Shooting begins this summer. Production on the second movie will begin later this year, but details on that film were not given.
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SELENA'S FATHER SAYS HE WILL NOT OBSERVE ANNIVERSARY OF HER DEATH
Today marks the 20th anniversary of the murder of Selena, but her father will not be marking the occasion. Abraham Quintanilla III says he's happy that people are remembering Selena, but he is a Jehovah's Witness and he doesn't celebrate deaths or birthdays. He says he does not want people to think Selena's family is behind the concerts, lookalike contests and dances that are marking the anniversary of Selena's death. He says the family does not get together on March 31st because there's nothing to celebrate.
Quintanilla has given his blessing to one event, the Festival de la Flor, set for Corpus Christi, Texas, on April 17th and 18th. He will perform, as will Selena's widower, Chris Perez.
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COUNTRY SINGERS SHOW THEIR ``GIRL CRUSH'' LOVE
Little Big Town are getting support from other country acts for their song ``Girl Crush.'' The song has come under fire after reports came out that some radio stations were shying away from it because listeners incorrectly thought it was about a lesbian relationship. Blake Shelton tweets, ``I got a song crush!'' with a photo of him kissing Miranda Lambert. They're both wearing ``Girl Crush'' hats. Kacey Musgrave, Reba McEntire and Ashley Monroe also tweeted photos of themselves wearing ``Girl Crush'' hats. Is the controversy blown out of proportion? Billboard magazine contacted several prominent country radio stations and found they have gotten zero or few complaints about the song.
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DEF LEPPARD WON'T ROAD-TEST NEW MATERIAL THIS SUMMER
Def Leppard didn't really mean to make an album, but one sort of appeared. Singer Joe Elliott says they got together in February of last year to record a few songs, maybe for an EP.
They had 12 songs and figured they had an album ``by accident rather than design.'' Don't expect to hear any of those songs on the upcoming tour with Styx and Tesla. Elliott says if they do, they will just end up on YouTube as really bad versions filmed on iPhones. A release date for the album has not been announced.
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BROOKS AND DUNN WILL PERFORM AT ACMS
Brooks and Dunn will reunite for the Academy of Country Music Awards. It's their first televised performance in five years. Other performers added to the lineup are Alan Jackson, Martina McBride, Brad Paisley, Lady Antebellum, Little Big Town and Rascal Flatts. Nick Jonas will do a duet with Dan and Shay, and Christina Aguilera will perform with surprise guests. Previously announced performers include Jason Aldean, Dierks (DURKS) Bentley, Garth Brooks, Luke Bryan, Kenny Chesney, Eric Church, Miranda Lambert, Reba, Blake Shelton, George Strait, Keith Urban, Florida Georgia Line, Sam Hunt, Thomas Rhett and Cole Swindell (swin-DEL').
The A-C-M Awards are April 19th.
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