The Set List

Jane's Addiction Reunion Salvages NME Awards Show

Variety's Rich Nieciecki attended the Jane's Addiction reunion Wednesday, which came at the conclusion of the inaugural NME Awards USA. He filed this report.
The largest gathering of British accents in L.A. outside of Ye Olde King’s Head in Santa Monica queued up to the open bar before the presentations and the kudofest’s organizers were presumably hoping for a loose, rock ’n’ roll version of the Golden Globes. But what transpired at best wavered between a foul-mouthed C-list Friars’ roast and a high school prom/talent show (albeit one with killer music).
Whether it was host/Aussie comedian Jim Jeffries trading expletive-filled putdowns with presenter Kelly Osbourne or the terse “thanks” offered up by Lemonheads’ Evan Dando upon receiving his arbitrarily chosen Classic LP award for 1992’s “It’s A Shame About Ray,” the stage patter left a lot to be desired. Amid all the nonsense, however, some sincerity did occasionally poke through: Mick Jones, formerly of the Clash and B.A.D., seemed genuinely honored to be given the Inspiration award and rocked out on two songs with his current outfit, Carbon/Silicon; and Dando delivered two fine acoustic perfs from “Shame About Ray,” the title track and “My Drug Buddy.”
But clearly most in attendance, if they were paying any attention at all, eagerly anticipated the finale, when Jane’s Addiction was bestowed the Godlike Genius Award for Services to Music. the band proved they were deserving of such hyperbole with a four-song blast (“Stop,” “Mountain Song,” “Ocean Size” and “Jane Says”).
A particularly buff Eric Avery, who has resisted overtures of reuniting for years, locked his bass in step with the tribal drumming of Stephen Perkins, while guitarist Dave Navarro, in all his metal-glam glory, wailed away and spastic singer Perry Farrell strutted the stage in all black (and a full horse’s tail) — a muscular and sinewy musical unit once again. Too bad only a few hundred people witnessed it in person; it was streamed live on MySpace.
Show mercifully finished under two hours. The list of winners, as if it matters, after the jump.

NME Brings Awards to U.S.

The NME Awards are coming to the U.S.
NME will present the awards April 23 at the El Rey in Los Angeles. Categories voted on by visitors to nme.com include best band, album, track and live band. Other categories, including the famous Godlike Genius Award, are chosen by NME’s editorial team.
First round of voting starts today on NME.COM. This will result in a shortlist, which will then be voted on starting March 24. 
The U.S. NME Awards are a joint venture between the Brit music magazine NME and promoter Goldenvoice. Show will feature live performances as well.
The NME Awards is also sponsoring a tour headlined by  Kate Nash that runs April 15,in Atlanta, through May 13 in San Francisco.

Hubert Sumlin and Jimmy McCracklin Head 2008 Class At Blues Hall Of Fame

The Blues Hall of Fame, which appears to have a far greater grasp on the reality of deserving performers and achievements than their Rock and Roll counterparts, will induct this year Jimmy McCracklin and Hubert Sumlin, as well as late artists Johnny "Guitar" Watson, Peetie Wheatstraw, Jimmy Witherspoon, and the Mississippi Sheiks.
John Hammond and Paul Oliver will go in as non-performers.
Recordings selected for induction are “Back-Water Blues” by Bessie Smith; “Double Trouble” by Otis Rush; and “My Babe” by Little Walter. Albums to be honored: "Piney Woods Blues" by Big Joe Williams; "Members Only" by Bobby Bland; "Rocks the House" by Etta James; "Freddy King Sings" by Freddy King; and "I'm Jimmy Reed" by Jimmy Reed.
In addition, the play "Seven Guitars" by August Wilson, and the book, "Moanin' at Midnight: The Life and Times of Howlin' Wolf" by James Segrest & Mark Hoffman, were selected for HoF honors.
Induction ceremony will be held at May 7 in Tunica, Miss., the night before the 2008 Blues Music Awards.

One Final Oscar Rant: What's The Deal With The Song Category?

After a decade of various Oscar revisions that have increased the transparency of the selection process, the music committee is starting to look like the ultimate insiders’ club.
This year saw music branch members taking in songs in two screening sessions, one in L.A. and one in New York, to decide not only what should be included, but whether it should be three, four or five nominees based on the numerical scores given by each attendee.
Out of 59 tunes deemed eligible, three nominations went to Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz — precisely the number of tunes that were submitted and precisely the number of songs in "Enchanted" that were eligible.
Disney stalwart Menken and Broadway master Schwartz are certainly in the premier league of their craft, but there’s a persistence in Oscar’s music wing that the old way was the best way — songwriter, arranger, orchestrator, singer — as opposed to the more modern and inventive use of songs in films such as “Into the Wild” and “Walk Hard.” The longtime club members seem too insistent on wanting to honor one of their own.

Shortlist Assured Of Minimal Attention By Announcing Finalists On Oscar Day

The Shortlist Music Prize has whittled down its list to 10 finalists: Arcade Fire, Burial, Feist, Justice, LCD Soundsystem, M.I.A., Spoon,  Stars, Wilco and Working for a Nuclear Free City. Arcade Fire, Wilco and M.I.A. are receiving their second noms; the rest are first-timers.
But wait, you say. Didn't Working for a Nuclear Free City come out in October 2006? Yes it did. Actually, you probably said 'who?', did a Google search and, possibly, noticed there are only 57,663 albums selling more copies on Amazon right now.
Winner of the seventh annual prize which will be announced in February.
Five people nominated 54 albums, which were then reduced to 10.

Every Single Music-related Oscar Nomination In a Single Post

Beyond the Alan Menken three-way against a track from "Once" and "we're not sure just yet who wrote it" song from "August Rush," there are plenty of music-related Oscar noms.
Chief among them is Cate Blanchett's arresting portrayal of Bob Dylan - even though her character is not named Bob Dylan - in "I'm Not There."
Elsewhere we have:
ACTOR: Johnny Depp singing in "Sweeney Todd"
ACTRESS: Marion Cotillard portraying the French singer Edith Piaf; Ellen Page's character being the pregnant member of a band in "Juno."
SCORE: Dario Marianelli ("Atonement"); Alberto Iglesias ("Kite Runner"); James Newton Howard (Michael Clayton"); Michael Giacchino ("Ratatouille"); Marco Beltrami ("3:10 to Yuma")
ANIMATED SHORT: "I Met the Walrus" is based on Josh Raskin's meeting with John Lennon when the filmmaker was 14. David Bryant of Godspeed You! Black Emperor supplied music for "Madame Tutli-Putli." At the world premiere in London of "Peter and the Wolf" in September 2006, the Philharmonia Orchestra performed the Prokofiev classic.
LIVE ACTION SHORT: Dan Jones, who scored "The Tonto Woman," has produced orchestral arrangements for Alpha and Jarvis Cocker. Now if we could just confirm that the Allan Muller whose music graces "Tanghi Argentini" is indeed the Belgian singer-composer who recorded "Can't Stop Now," we'll be all set.

RIAA Declares Groban, Eagles Tops in '07

Josh Groban's Christmas album "Noel" was the highest certified album of 2007, according to the Recording Industry Assn. of America, which hands out Gold and Platinum awards based on albums sold and downloads sold.
The Eagles'"Long Road out of Eden" was right behind him with 3 million. "Eden" is the Eagles’ 11th multi-Platinum album; they are fifth on the list of highest-selling artists in the history of RIAA’s Gold & Platinum program.
Double Platinum certifications went to "Hannah Montana 2: Meet Miley Cyrus"; Carrie Underwood’s "Carnival Ride"; Kanye West’s "Graduation"; and Linkin Park's "Minutes to Midnight."
The most popular digital single of 2007 was Rihanna's "Umbrella," which sold more than 2 million downloads. 
The RIAA awarded a total of 276 albums, 106 digital single and 165 Master Ringtones in 2007. Complete lists of all album, single, mastertone and video awards can also be accessed at www.riaa.com.

Flight Of The Conchords Cop a Cabaret Award

The Nightlife Awards, which bills itself as the only "all-performance award show in the world," will hand over prizes to a few of my favorites on Jan. 28 at Town Hall in New York.
John Pizzarelli & Jessica Molaskey will take home the outstanding cabaret duo or group in a major engagement; Hank Jones will be named top jazz soloist; Anat Cohen and the Anzic Orchestra are the outstanding jazz combo; and Flight of the Conchords get the comic duo or group trophy.
Performers will include Pizzarelli & Molaskey, Carol Sloane, Allan Harris, Barb Jungr, Modern Man, Christine Pedi and Natalie Douglas.
Flying in from Kansas City, Mo., to sing is Marilyn Maye, who holds the record for the most appearances by a singer on "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson," 76 appearances.
Full list of winners, after the jump.

Grammys Name Bacharach, Day and The Band Among Lifetime Achievement Honorees

The Recording Academy has selected eight artists, two executives, a tech wizard and a tape recording manufacturer to receive the honorary Grammys at February's ceremony.
Lifetime Achievement Awards will go to  composer Burt Bacharach, the Band, bandleader Cab Calloway, singer Doris Day, violinist Itzhak Perlman, the late drummer Max Roach and bluegrass banjo pioneer Earl Scruggs.
Clarence  Avant, who ran Sussex Records and then Motown, Elektra Records founder Jac Holzman, and Memphis producer Willie Mitchell will be honored with the Academy's  Trustees Award.
AMPEX Corp. and the late recording expert John Eargle will receive the Technical Grammy Award.
A special ceremony will be held  Feb. 9, the day before the 50th annual Grammy Awards  telecast.

Oscars Whittle Down Best Song Contenders: Vedder, Lerche and 'Dewey Cox' Get a Shot

The Oscars might be inviting some cool kids - Marshall Crenshaw, Eddie Vedder, Sondre Lerche and Adam Schlesinger - to their party for song trophies.
Fifty-nine songs are being considered for the 80th Academy Awards,among them three Vedder tunes for "Into the Wild," Schlesinger's centerpiece from "Music and Lyrics" and three from “Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story.”
Only one film has four contenders - “August Rush” - while Lerche's tunes in "Dan in Real Life," “56 Drops of Blood,” Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz's "Enchanted" and “Good Luck Chuck” (songs by the Flaming Lips, Dandy Warhols and Aidan Hawken) joined “Into the Wild” and "Dewey Cox" with three competitors.
The music-centric pic "Once" has two of the songs from the Frames' Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova (“Falling Slowly” and “If You Want Me”) up for consideration.
Naturally, the new tune composed for "Hairspray," “Come So Far (Got So Far to Go),” is in the mix as is “China Doll,” the tune John Sayles and Mason Darling wrote for  “Honeydripper.”
"Walk Hard's" three contenders are "Beautiful Ride” by Dan Bern and Mike Viola; “Walk Hard” by Marshall Crenshaw, John C. Reilly, Judd Apatow and Jake Kasdan; and “Let’s Duet” by Charlie Wadhams and Benji Hughes.
Other pop and rock musicians being considered: Aimee Mann, John Legend, John Mayer, Kate Bush, Sheryl Crow, Roger Waters, Rob Thomas, Rufus Wainwright and the Eels.
On Jan. 15, the Academy will screen clips featuring each song, in random order, for voting members of the Music Branch in both Beverly Hills and New York City.  Following the screenings, members will vote to determine which three, four or five songs become nominees in the category.       
The list of original songs is after the jump:

The Lauding of Lyle Lovett

Lyle Lovett will receive the Americana Music Association's inaugural Trailblazer Award and perform at the org's 2007 Honors and Awards show on Nov. 1 at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville.
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum will also sponsor a keynote interview with Lovett on Nov. 2, during the Americana org's annual conference.
Trailblazer Award was established to recognize musical pioneers who have created timeless musical capsules of individualistic style and purpose. Warren Zanes, education adviser to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland, will moderate the discussion with Lovett.
The eighth annual Americana Festival and Conference runs Oct.31 through Nov.3. Artists scheduled to perform include Emmylou Harris, Guy Clark, Joe Ely, Ricky Skaggs, Bruce Hornsby, Todd Snider and others. The AMA President's award will be given to the late Townes Van Zandt, who coincidentally was a major influence in Lovett.

Eagles Booked For Country Television

The Eagles will make their first ever awards show appearance on Nov. 7 - on the 41st annual CMA Awards show, which ABC will broadcast. Band's first single, "How Long," from its forthcoming album has been climbing the country music radio airplay charts.
Don Henley appeared on the CMA kudoscast in 1993, singing a duet with Trisha Yearwood.

After the VMAs:What Happens in Vegas...

The unspectacular Video Music Awards drove the point that so much of modern music is disposable.
Highlighting songs with the shelf life of bread crumbs, Britney Spears' ill-prepared, lip-synch performance provided the perfect distraction. While Kanye West, Justin Timberlake and Foo Fighters will have long careers and make some of pop's most memorable  songs, there's little sense that these will be remembered as classics a decade from now.  Good as Kanye was, there's only one "Jesus Walks"; Timberlake  could get away with remaking "Sexy Back" for his next four albums and fans would probably not notice.
Meanwhile...
While West's performance was one of the better ones on the show, he says he will not appear on the network again. Ever. 
Roger Friedman says Britney Spears' horrid performance kills off hopes for significant sales of her Nov. 13 release - and he blames her manager.
Mark Caro come up with advice for other pop tartlets who see the VMAs as a comeback arena.
Time magazine's blogger had a good take on the deterioration of MTV.
Like an episode of "Cops," one scraggly tattooed longhair dude is charged with beating on another scraggly tattooed longhair. Rather than fighting over some crack addict, this gal was pretty.

Klaxons Win U.K. Mercury Prize

The Klaxons won the Nationwide Mercury Prize for best British or Irish album at a ceremony in London on Monday night.
The East London trio's debut album, ``Myths of the Near Future,'' was released in January in the U.K. Now in its 15th year, the Mercury Prize is worth 20,000 pounds ($40,250) and generally gives a significant sales boost to albums on the prize's shortlist. Geffen released the album in the U.S. in March.
The Klaxons start a 14-city North American tour in Boston on Sept. 23.
Amy Winehouse sang "Love is a Losing Game" at the ceremony, her first performance since finishign a stay in rehab. Among this year's nominees were Winehouse and last year's winners the Arctic Monkeys plus Dizzee Rascal, the View, Bat For Lashes and Jamie T. The ceremony took place at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London.
The band spoke with NME after their win.

Springsteen Enjoys The Magic of Vinyl: Will Others Enjoy Its Tricks?

The news has been out there for a week and it has even confounded some scribes. The vinyl edition of Bruce Springsteen's "Magic" will be released Sept. 25, one week ahead of the CD and the digital edition.
Where many retailers and fans complain that vinyl editions follow the release of a CD, by moving up the Springsteen album, the release date falls within the eligibility window for the 50th annual Grammy Awards.
Imagine, though, if Columbia stumbles into something here. Vinyl continues to grow in popularity despite the consistently high prices.Imagine a world, though, that would allow a fan to purchase a vinyl record for about $15 and a for a couple bucks more, provide them access to the digital edition of the album.
The Springsteen faithful who still own vinyl copies of "Born to Run," "Darkness on the Edge of Town" and "The River" might well want both, but have no interest in shelling out 20 to 30 bucks for the benefit of sound quality and portability. Might there be some sort of new-fangled business model hiding in there, especially for indie rockers with vinyl-loving fans? Makes more sense than previous vinyl-computer links.

Memphis, Gotham, Chi Honor Musicians

Individual chapters of the Recording Academy have set their lists of honorees to receive 2007 Recording Academy Honors.
Memphis chapter will honor Booker T. & The MG's, Willie Mitchell and Irma Thomas. The Special Legacy Presentation wil be given to Knox Phillips. Gala takes place Sept. 7 at the Memphis Cook Convention Center. Performing will be Donald Bryant and Ann Peebles, Joey DeFrancesco,  Aaron Neville,  John Prine,  Kenny Wayne Shepherd,  Angie Stone and Kirk Whalum.
New York will fete Bon Jovi, Alicia Keys,  Donnie McClurkin and the creators of "West Side Story" — Leonard Bernstein, Arthur Laurents, Jerome Robbins and Stephen Sondheim.Event will be held Sept. 26 at Cipriani Wall Street.
Chicago will honor Cheap Trick, Kanye West and Metro/Smart Bar owner Joe Shanahan. Producer Robin McBride (Bird Productions) will be acknowledged with a Special Legacy Presentation. Event will be held Oct. 11 at the Hyatt Regency on the Riverwalk.

BMI Toots Gabriel's Horn

BMI will fete Peter Gabriel at the performing rights organization's London Awards being handed out Oct. 16 at the Londons Dorchester Hotel, Park Lane. The London Awards honor U.K. and European songwriters whose works are among the most-played on radio and TV in the U.S.

Springsteen's 'Magic' Sitting Outside Grammy's Window: Might A Back Door Plot Be Devised?

Columbia Records has chosen to pit Bruce Springsteen against the return of Matchbox Twenty, Annie Lennox and Faith Hill's catalog rather than go up against the commercial juggernauts Rascal Flatts, James Blunt and the Foo Fighters.
But by choosing an Oct. 2 release date rather than Sept. 25, the first Springsteen and the E Street Band album in five years lands outside this year''s Grammy eligibility period. Even unheard, the album, with the rather dull title of "Magic," would be a prime contender for rock and general awards.
But I figure the Springsteen camp isn't about to let that happen.

will.i.am Solo Debut Timed For Awards Season

This year's Grammy Awards have a new major contender: will.i.am.
The first solo album from the Black Eyed Peas mastermind, "Songs About Girls," will be released  Sept. 25. That release date, as we have noted, is the last Tuesday before the cut-off for Grammy eligibility.
The first single, “I Got It From My Mama,” is being released  to Top 40 and Rhythm Crossover radio  this week. 
Will described the album to Rolling Stone as “Boy meets girl.  Boy gets girl.  Boy goes to strip club.  Boy gets caught cheating.  Girl leaves.  Boy and girl somehow get back together.”
The album has only one special guest: Snoop Dogg, who is featured on “Donque.”
Will explains: “I didn’t want to come out and say, ‘Hey, I’m a producer and here are all my friends.’I wanted to be my own man and do my own thing and really try out some ideas that have been bubbling in my head.”

The Familiar Ring of AC/DC: Oldies Phone in Profit

On a monthly basis, the RIAA likes to tout the number of singles, albums and ringtones that have hit gold and platinum status. Songs like “Buy U A Drank,” which has shipped – a term that gets mighty vague in the digital age – 2 million copies.
But beyond the awards given to Justin Timberlake, Rascal Flatts and T-Pain, there are those mastertones from the catalogs being rewarded with plaques on the wall. June’s oldies that kept phones and cash registers rigning were:
Platinum: "Sexual Healing" by Marvin Gaye and “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” by Cyndi  Lauper.
The Gold winners are: AC/DC's  “Thunderstruck,” “Highway To Hell,” “You Shook Me All Night Long” and “Hell's Bells”;Charlie Daniels Band’s “The Devil Went Down To Georgia”; Henry Mancini’s “Pink Panther Theme”; Van Morrison’s “Brown Eyed Girl” and the instrumental version – sorry Dave Bickler - of Survivor’s “Eye Of The Tiger.”

Mercury Prize Contenders: Amy, Arctic and the Unfamiliar

Former Mercury Prize winners Arctic Monkeys and Dizzee Rascal have made a return to the Mercury Prize Shortlist, a collection of a dozen albums competing to be named the U.K.'s best.
Along with recent discs from those two acts, Amy Winehouse's "Back to Black" is considered a front-runner for the prize. Rascal was nominated for "Maths + English"; Arctic Monkeys are up for "Favourite Worst Nightmare."
The list is largely bands that have yet to make any sort of mark in the U.S. Nominees are Bat for Lashes' "Fur and Gold" ; Fionn Regan's "The End of History" ; New Young Pony Club's "Fantastic Playroom" ; Klaxons' "Myths of the Near Future" ; the Young Knives' "Voices of Animals and Men"; Maps' "We Can Create"; the View's "Hats Off to the Buskers" ; Jamie T's "Panic Prevention"; and Basquiat Strings' "Basquiat Strings with Seb Rochford."
The winner will be announced Sept. 4.
Now in its 15th year, the Mercury Prize has become a significant prize for U.K. acts, helping boost sales at home and abroad.

Sept. 25: Here Comes the Grammy Flood

Sept. 25 will be the last Tuesday before the cutoff date for Grammy eligibility this year and the  stockpiling of releases on that day has begun.
Island Records confirmed today that PJ Harvey's “White Chalk” will be released Sept. 25, right on the heels of an announcement from RCA regarding the Foo Fighters' latest.
Also booked  for release that day is Rascal Flatts' "Still Feels Good," a Queen Latifah jazz album  "Trav'lin' Light,"  Raul Midón's "A World Within A World" and  Bettye Lavette's "The Scene Of The Crime."
Stay tuned for more, especially for the release of singles around that time. Lately, artists who have a song in rotation on radio during the voting period (chiefly, December) have reaped benefits come awards time.
Harvey's “White Chalk” is her first release since 2004's "Uh Huh Her."

Most Expensive McCartney Item on eBay: Denny Laine's Grammy for 'Band on the Run'

Feeling the McCartney Mania brought on in anticipation of tonight's show at Amoeba Records in Hollywood, it seemed like the right time to splurge on soemthing from Paul's past. Figuring a spin on eBay would generate some inetresting tidbits, I never thought I'd find this - a pop performances by a duo or group Grammy for "Band on the Run," arguably McCartney's finest solo album.

Listing figures the Grammy Award will fetch between $50,000 and $75,000 six days from now when the auction ends. Trophy was originally given to Denny Laine, the former Moody Blues front man who became guitarist-bassist-singer for Wings. he is spending the summer singing "Go Now" in Hippiefest, sharing the bill with balding longhairs the Turtles, Felix Cavaliere and the Zombies.

 

Mary J. Blige Honored for Songwriting

Mary J. Blige walked away with several honors Monday at the 20th annual ASCAP Rhythm and Soul Music Awards, held at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles.
Blige shared the title of songwriter of the year with Johntá Austin and Jermaine "JD" Dupri.  Austin was honored for "Be Without You," "Don't Forget About Us" and "Yo (Excuse Me Miss);" Blige for "Be Without You," "Enough Cryin" and "Touch It (Remix)," and Dupri for "Don't Forget About Us," "Grillz" and "Pullin' Me Back."  This is Dupri's sixth time being named ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Songwriter of the Year and his third consecutive win.
"Be Without You" also earned Austin and Blige this year's Top R&B/Hip-Hop Song award.
Blige also received the ASCAP Voice of Music Award.

Americana: Lucinda vs. Dylan

The Avett Brothers, Lucinda Williams and Patty Griffin are all up for three Americana Music Awards.

VH1 takes Clintons to Dark Side of the Moon

A proposed set list: "Us and Them," "What Shall We Do Now" and, of course, "Have a Cigar."

Roger Waters will perform at the VH1 Save the Music Foundation's 10th anniversary gala honoring Bill and Hillary Clinton. Event, at which Mariah Carey, NAMM and org founder John Sykes will be honored, too, will be held Sept. 20 at Gotham's Lincoln Center. Jon Bon Jovi and John Mayer will also perform but they don't have song titles that work as double entendres.

The Clintons are being honored for supporting music education efforts over the last 10 years and for appearances in conjunction with the organization.