The official event website sums it up this way…
The audience can expect unrivaled entertainment, brilliant guitar work, surprise guests and impromptu jams…featuring two nights of musical performances with once-in-a-lifetime guitar collaborations.  Source:  crossroadsguitarfestival.com

Here’s an prime example…Keith Urban and John Mayer performing “Don’t Let Me Down”

Eric Clapton online ericclapton.com

Crossroads Guitar Festival on Facebook facebook.com/CrossroadsGuitarFest

I found a great article on Willie in a most unlikely place…forbes.com

Willie just released a new album ‘Let’s Face The Music and Dance.’

Willie’s 4th of July Picnic @ Billy Bob’s in Fort Worth Texas/ticket info:  http://bit.ly/YpmMQw

Willie Nelson online:  willienelson.com

Wille on Facebook

Willie on the air: SiriusXM channel 56, Willie’s Roadhouse

It’s sweet because Bob played so many different styles of music as a blues guitarist, so his music is a wonderful mix of global styles and textures that have been touched by cultures from all over the world.

In fact Brozman has jammed and recorded about half of his amazing discography with various musicians from about sixty different countries.  He was a highly regarded player, educator, performer, and Ethnomusicologist.

What’s bitter about my discovery is that Bob Brozman just recently passed away, leaving behind a legacy of a lifelong musical journey, a timeline with countless appearances, concerts, shows, travels, and workshops, along with dozens of CDs, instructional DVDs, and books.

PRI’s The World posted a great article about Bob Brozman at theworld.org/2013/04/bob-brozman.

I’ve never heard “Crossroads” done quite like this before, but here’s Bob Brozman performing “Crossroads Blues” live in Brisbane in 2002.

His website describes him as ‘traveling the world of music…’

Bob Brozman is a guitarist like no other: an established and prolific recording artist, performer, producer, and author, Bob is a non-stop world traveler and tireless researcher in ethnomusicology. His work with musicians from around the world in the past several years has marked him as not only a virtuoso musician and slide guitarist, but also as a pioneer in finding a common thread among global musical cultures.  Source: bobbrozman.com

Here’s the most recent video I could find, an interview and workshop with Bob Brozman, published on Feb. 16, 2013…it’s a fascinating look into the heart and soul of this amazing musician who loved to share his music with the entire world, and did it with a sense of humor, a sharp wit, and lots of style.

Richards was instrumental in the success of a number of Motown artists, most notably The Jackson Five with their hit “I Want You Back” and Diana Ross & The Supremes “Love Child.”

ElmoreMagazine is a great resource of American music; the website says it’s for true music aficionados who see music as the sound track of their lives and identify with the creative people who are saving American music as our cultural calling card to the world.

rollingstone.com has a great article about this golden anniversary, which highlights some amazing facts, like…

The Beatles recorded ten songs for their debut album, all in one day-long session at Abbey Road Studios, with a budget of a mere 400 pounds…

Producer George Martin wanted to capture the group’s live sound in the studio, which they did with minimal overdubs…

The Beatles had already released two singles with B sides, so with those four songs already recorded, they just needed ten more songs to add up to the standard total of fourteen songs for an album…

“Love Me Do” and “Please Please Me” were the first two hit singles, with the latter reaching Number Two on the UK charts.

thebeatles.com has a great mini-documentary on ‘Please Please Me’…

Eric Clapton is about to embark on his 2013 tour, with the first show coming up on March 14th at the U.S. Airways Center in Phoenix Arizona, with North American dates running through mid-April.

The final two shows of the American tour will culminate at New York’s Madison Square Garden, April 12 and 13th, during the 2013 edition of the Crossroads Guitar Festival.

The tour then moves across the Atlantic and resumes in Dublin’s O2 on May 9th.

Detailed tour information can be found at Eric Clapton’s Official Website and also at the Eric Clapton Fan Club Magazine.

Other tour information is available at pollstar.com

However, here is another Pink Floyd milestone to consider…the band’s landmark album ‘Dark Side of the Moon‘ was released forty years ago this month!

The Dark Side of the Moon was an immediate success, topping the Billboard Top LPs & Tapes chart for one week.  It subsequently remained in the charts for 741 weeks from 1973 to 1988.  With an estimated 50 million copies sold, it is Pink Floyd’s most commercially successful album and one of the best-selling albums worldwide.
Source:  en.wikipedia.org/wiki

Find David Gilmour online on his website DavidGilmour.com and his blog DavidGilmourBlog.com

The following announcement is posted on his website alvinlee.com:

With great sadness we have to announce that Alvin unexpectedly passed away early this morning after unforeseen complications following a routine surgical procedure.

We have lost a wonderful much loved father and companion, and the world has lost a truly great and gifted musician.

Jasmin, Evi and Suzanne

Alvin Lee and Ten Years After scored the radio hit “I’d Love To Change The World,” but the band is most remembered for their live performance at Woodstock featuring Lee’s scorching guitar work.

Alvin Lee’s newest CD, Still On The Road To Freedom, embraces his love of roots music, from rock n’ roll to blues and jazz, and was released August 2012 on Rainman Records in the USA and on Repertoire Records in Europe.

Eric Clapton

Old Sock was produced by Clapton, Doyle Bramhall II, Justin Stanley and Simon Climie.  The new album is a collection of some of Slowhand’s favorite songs, presenting a wide range of classics from J.J. Cale, Peter Tosh, Hank Snow, Lead Belly, Otis Redding, and George Gershwin.

The new album features longtime collaborators Steve Gadd on drums, Willie Weeks on bass and Chris Stainton on keyboards, along with special guests JJ Cale on backing vocals and guitar on “Angel,” Steve Winwood on Hammond B3 on “Still Got The Blues,” (Gary Moore version,) Paul McCartney on bass and vocals on “All of Me,” Jim Keltner on drums “Our Love is Here To Stay,” and Chaka Khan on backing vocals on “Get On Over.”

Old Sock will be released on CD, vinyl and digital formats on Clapton’s Bushbranch Records label and distributed by Surfdog Records, and will be available on March 12th in the U.S.  Polydor Records will distribute the new album outside of North America with release dates later in March.

TRACK LISTING

Activist, artist, Beatle, father, guitarist, husband, poet, singer, songwriter…

Arrived on Earth October 9, 1940
Departed way too soon, December 8, 1980…

His music, songs and spirit live on and on…

From Lennon’s “Happy Xmas (War Is Over)…”

So this is Christmas
And what have you done
Another year over
And a new one just begun

And so this is Christmas
I hope you have fun
The near and the dear ones
The old and the young

A very Merry Christmas
And a Happy New Year
Let’s hope it’s a good one
Without any fear.

johnlennon.com

imaginepeacetower.com

facebook.com/johnlennon

Gary Clark Jr. turned in an incredible set of rockin blues last Sunday afternoon.  Clark and his band really cooked on Channel One of the webcast, where I caught his set.  These guys have been making the rounds at music festivals around the country, and played at one of my favs in 2010, Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Guitar Festival.

Clark’s new album, titled Blak & Blu, is coming out on October 22nd, and the band performed a couple of those tracks at ACL, “Ain’t Messin ‘Round” and “When My Train Pulls In.”   Official website:  garyclarkjr.com

Alabama Shakes reminds me of the sweet soul music of Motown and the rockin’ rhythms of Muscle Shoals.  Brittany Howard leads a very powerful band; I just love the horn section and the driving rhythms.  She’s got quite the vocal range and a captivating stage presence.  Good stuff!  Check ‘em out at alabamashakes.com

Best surprise I found from this year’s ACL festival is the group, He’s My Brother She’s My Sister.  Their sound is hard to describe, almost like a time warp where the Mamas & the Papas meet Jefferson Airplane,  performing a show under the big top at the circus.  I was immediately fascinated with drummer and tap dancer Lauren Brown, who has created a new way to establish a continuous rhythm with her feet, which act as a hi-hat and snare drum.  I’m still not sure how she gets that unique sound, but it’s amazing to watch her tap dancing on top of the bass drum as she pounds out a solid rhythm on the toms.  You have to see it to believe it, so here’s a link to their performance of  “Clackin’ Heels.”

I would have loved to have seen Neil Young and Crazy Horse perform last Saturday night, but of course the reviewers have been raving about the show and how tight the band was.  I can almost hear the guitars ringing from their encore of  ”Hey Hey, My My.”

Live Artist Tapings with On-AirStreaming featured The Civil Wars, among others, and fans got a chance to win tickets to live tapings.  The Fender Guitar Demo let you rock out on their live guitar demo station playing a Fender Stratocaster or Telecaster through their Mustang Floor digital effects board.

This was the first year that ACL launched a their Satellite Shop downtown, just a block from a shuttle station, that sold festival merchandise days before the gates opened, and offered fans exclusive “experience” packages, to get closer to their favorite bands and artists.  The Satellite Shop also gave away festival tickets and even some 3-day passes a week before the festival.

One of my favorite record stores, Waterloo Records’ tent sponsored artist autograph sessions, and posted their full schedule on the ACL Music Festival Facebook page.  A series of Late Night Shows took over some of Austin’s greatest venues and brought ACL bands and fans together in a loose late night setting.

The Official 2012 ACL Festival Mobile App & Instagram shots took advantage of mobile technology to connect fans with their friends, park maps and set schedules.   Official website at aclfestival.com

Just released on October 8th, the iconic Beatles film is available in three lavish packages, DVD, Blu-ray, and a special edition deluxe box set.

The special edition deluxe box includes both the DVD and Blu-ray, as well as a sixty page book with photographs and production memorabilia.

Unseen video footage and in-depth interviews feature the film’s cast and crew, including a director’s audio commentary recorded by Paul McCartney.

 A big bonus for record collector’s is a faithful reproduction of the mono double 7-inch vinyl EP of the film’s six “new” Beatles songs, originally issued in the UK to complement the film’s 1967 release.

The film was originally panned by critics in England  when it was shown by the BBC in B&W, but over the years has become another Beatles treasure, proving the group was on the cutting edge of pop culture.

For more information:  www.TheBeatles.com

Source:   www.rollingstone.com

The Dallas Morning News has posted a sad obituary…

Dallas saxophonist and former Blood, Sweat & Tears band member, Bill Tillman died Wednesday morning in Houston. He was 65.  Known for his flashy saxwork and husky vocals, Tillman dominated the stage, standing at 6-foot-4 and weighing in at nearly 300 pounds.

Also a gifted flutist, he recorded eight albums with Blood, Sweat & Tears and toured nationally with acts such as Roy Orbison, Gladys Knight and Chuck Berry.  From 1978 to 1980, he was a soloist with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra.  He then fronted the Bill Tillman Band for decades afterwards.

Blood Sweat & Tears was one of my favorite bands, and probably one of my earliest jazz influences.

Their second album, simply titled Blood Sweat & Tears featured some really adventurous songs at the time (1969,) including some of the band’s biggest hits…”Variations on a Theme by Erik Satie, Sometimes in Winter, And When I Die, God Bless the Child, Spinning Wheel” and “You’ve Made Me So Very Happy.”

Video:  Bill Tillman performing “Spinning Wheel” during Cool Jazz Nites

Video:  Bill Tillman performing with Blood Sweat & Tears

Lord was best known for his orchestral keyboard work Concerto for Group & Orchestra, which was first performed at the Royal Albert Hall with Deep Purple and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in 1969.

I’ve long admired Deep Purple’s huge symphonic sounds, that fused together hard rock and classic (almost baroque) musical forms, largely in part to Lord’s keyboard sound, mainly from his Hammond organ.

Jon Lord and drummer Ian Paice were the only constant band members during the band’s existence from 1968 to 1976, and from when they reformed in 1984 until Lord’s retirement from Deep Purple in 2002.

Video: Deep Purple – Jon Lord Solo + When A Blind Man Cries, Moscow, 1996.

Source:  jonlord.org

Now this is not just a country album; it’s also got bluegrass, blues and some good ol’ rock tracks on it.  You can preview ‘Traveler’ on the YouTube Channel for Koch Records.

The new album was produced by Russ Titelman, who has worked with and produced albums for Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood, among many others.

‘Traveler’ marks a first in Jerry’s career…
“For the first time in my career,” says Douglas, “I found myself ready to step completely out of my comfort zone to begin a solo recording project with a producer.  Giving someone else the controls of a personal endeavor to allow myself the freedom to focus entirely on what I would want to play in this new situation was something I had never allowed myself.  This record is the culmination of a long career spent making friends and lending my sound to theirs.  This time my friends have come onboard to lend their voices to me.”

Guest vocalists include Eric Clapton (on “Something You Got”), Keb’ Mo’ (on “High Blood Pressure”), and Marc Cohn (on “Right on Time.”)  Also lending their vocal talents on the album are Alison Krauss and Union Station, Paul Simon, and Mumford & Sons.

Guest artists include Bela Fleck on banjo, Dr. John on piano, and Omar Hakim on drums.  If you like to pick the guitar, you will love this album.

Source:  jerrydouglas.com

He’s got a rare interview with British recording engineer and producer Alan Parsons, talking about the second album by The Alan Parsons Project, I, Robot, which was released in 1977.

Interesting fact…Alan Parsons was using the studio almost like The Beatles did at Abbey Road, as a creative entity unto itself, by layering sounds and tracks until he created an album unlike anything else at that time.

Parsons also did not sing or play on the album, but preferred to work with musicians hired for just that project, and on I, Robot, he collaborated with the late great Eric Woolfson.  That pairing led to many other album projects for The Alan Parsons Project.

Check out the 35th anniversary of I, Robot at inthestudio.net

The duo just released a long-awaited new album last month (June 2012) entitled
“A Life Within A Day.”

Steve Hackett said, “Chris is a phenomenal bass player, but he’s also a great singer and songwriter.  So I had a great time working with him.  We selected the best of what we thought each other was capable of.  And we managed to work face-to-face writing.  Some things were brought in that were separate, originally, but stuff that was intended to be solo stuff or even Yes stuff or Hackett stuff, was kind of rewritten to make sense for this combined thing, Chris and myself and one other main writer on it, Roger King, who engineered and is the producer.  It’s that studio construction that he put together.  It was very relaxed.  We did a lot of it in my living room at home.”

Chris Squire added…”A very, very good drummer, Jeremy Stacey, who played with Sheryl Crow and Noel Gallagher from Oasis, added the big drum sound that’s on the album.  Jeremy is such a great drummer and his playing on the album is phenomenal.  You just don’t get Chris Squire and Steve Hackett, you get Jeremy Stacey.  And Roger King, as well, who is responsible for all of the keyboards and arrangements of keyboards.”

Preview some of the album tracks on Esoteric Antenna Music!

“A Life Within A Day” on Esoteric Antenna Music at Amazon.com

Artist Interview @ Pollstar.com

Produced by Jeff Lynne and Joe Walsh with Tommy Lee James co-writing some of the tracks, ’Analog Man’ contains ten new tracks, including one of my favorites “Lucky That Way,” which serves as a sequel to “Life’s Been Good.”

“Analog Man,” the album’s title track, addresses life in the digital age, and Joe’s place in it.  I can relate to the song’s  lyrics…”Welcome to Cyber-Space, I’m lost in a fog, Everything’s digital, I’m still analog.  What’s wrong with vinyl?  I think it sounds great, LP’s, 45′s and 78′s, But that’s just the way I am, I’m an analog man.”

“It’s been 20 years and I have a lot to say,” said Walsh. “These songs come from the heart.”

There is also a Special Edition of ‘Analog Man’ with a combo CD and DVD, featuring 3 Video Tracks…”Analog Man,” ”Lucky That Way” and “Wrecking Ball,” plus an Interview with Joe Walsh about the new album!

Joe Walsh joined the Eagles in the mid-seventies after having success with his earlier bands  The James Gang and Barnstorm.  Life has indeed been good during the forty years Walsh has entertained his fans; he is also a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee.  He’s just lucky that way…

Joe Walsh is also on Facebook!

Willie was immortalized in a bronze statue in Austin last week, and his exclusive SiriusXM 56 channel (Willie’s Roadhouse) will rebroadcast the unveiling ceremony at 6 pm ET, including Willie’s impromptu live performances of “On the Road Again” and “Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die.”

Hear Willie Nelson’s 79th Birthday Celebration on SiriusXM channel 56, Willie’s Roadhouse.

Willie’s new album features guest artists Merle Haggard, Snoop Dogg, Kris Kristofferson, Billy Joe Shaver, Sheryl Crow, Jamey Johnson, and sons Lukas & Micah Nelson.

The upcoming new album, Heroes, will be available on Tuesday May 15th from Legacy Recordings.

“Roll Me Up And Smoke Me When I Die” is one of the new songs on Heroes, featuring Snoop Dogg and Kris Kristofferson.

Produced by Buddy Cannon, Heroes was mainly recorded by Steve Chadie at Pedernales Recording Studio in
Austin, with the “Roll Me Up” Band featuring Kevin “Swine” Grantt on bass, Bobby Terry on electric and acoustic guitar, Jim “Moose” Brown on piano, Wurlitzer and B-3 organ, Mike Johnson on steel guitar, Tony Creasman on drums, Mickey Raphael on harmonica, and Lukas Nelson on electric guitar. Kris Kristofferson also contributes background vocals, along with Melonie and Buddy Cannon and Lance Miller.

Check out his Facebook Page for more information.

Willie’s 4th of July Picnic will return to Billy Bob’s Texas this year on Wednesday July 4th, ticket info here.

Willie’s Tour Dates are listed on his official website willienelson.com

Levon Helm had an amazing career going back to the origins of rock and roll.  Just read his bio on his website levonhelm.com and you’ll realize how important Helm’s contributions to music history really are.

Levon Helm was there when Bob Dylan went electric in 1965 and stirred up so much controversy over electric vs. acoustic guitars with the folk fans.

From The Band’s first album, Music from Big Pink, to their farewell concert at San Francisco’s Winterland in 1976, The Last Waltz, they were a huge part of the music scene.  The Band had played, recorded and toured with founder Ronnie Hawkins, Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, Dr. John, Muddy Waters and Ringo Starr, among many others.

The Midnight Ramble Sessions started up around 2004 in Levon’s home studio in Woodstock, New York, and drew in some of the best players in the business, plus scores of fans.  Recordings from the events became a best seller; Volume I and II of The Midnight Ramble Sessions, produced by Levon Helm Studios.

The Band with Levon Helm on drums, performing “Up On Cripple Creek” live in rehearsal, circa 1969.

Official Website: levonhelm.com