The Set List

Dismissal of Yoko Ono's Lawsuit Paves Way For Re-Release of 'Expelled'

The film that was blocked by Yoko Ono's lawsuit over its inclusion of John Lennon's Imagine" will receive a theatrical re-release this summer.
"Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed," a documentary exploring one  the argument over where and how life began, is being made available to any group that could bring the film to a local theater. Producers are working  with the film's distributor Rocky Mountain Pictures hoping to get the film seen by groups of 250-300 people at a cost as low as $6 per ticket.
The film earned nearly $8 million during its initial run before the lawsuit took it out of theaters.Film stars author/actor/economist Ben Stein.
Shortly after the film's release, Ono filed a suit against the film's producers, Premise Media seeking damages for copyright infringement because the song had not been licensed for use in the film. On May 19, the parties agreed to a voluntary temporary restraining order while they awaited Manhattan U.S. District Court Judge Sydney H. Stein's ruling on Ono's motion to enjoin the showing and distribution of the film. The restraining order prevented the producers from making additional copies of the film for distribution. On June 2, Stein denied the injunction and noted that Premise Media was likely to succeed on its fair use defense.

Adding Transparency To A Critical Process: Let's All Go To The Rock 'n' Roll Movies

Give Arthur Lee credit for keeping his stories straight. The late legendary leader of Love was a voracious storyteller, the sort of man who could tell you three different tales in three days – all of them plausible – and ultimately only repeat the one that most closely resembled the truth.
It dawned on me while watching “Love Story,” a film Chris Hall and Mike Kerry that makes its DVD debut on July 29. Here was Arthur tooling around L.A. talking about walking from Dorsey High to the Capitol Records tower to deliver a demo tape; Bryan Maclean providing an anecdote about the Ben Frank’s diner; and orchestrator David Angel talking about Lee’s ability to verbalize how strings should sound despite his ignorance regarding musical notation. And then there’s the issue about the band members being underage when they signed their contracts and the day the session musicians showed up at a studio to replace the band.
The stories all align with anecdotes Lee gave me when I profiled him for LA Weekly and then wrote liner notes for Rhino’s Love boxed set. For a guy whose mind was allegedly messed up by copious drug use, when he stayed focused he had a remarkable ability to deliver specific details, often quite colorfully.
The Love DVD is part of a July deluge of documentaries on fascinating rock n’ rollers: Kerri O’Kane’s “The Gits” comes out July 8 on the heels of a theatrical release in several cities; the Joe Strummer film “The Future is Unwritten” is released the same day; and "CSNY: Deja Vu" hits theaters July 25.
All four films admirably cover their subjects; while “Love” and “Future” are purely musical, “Gits” chronicles a band and examines the murder of singer Mia Zapata and “Déjà Vu” weighs heavily toward anti-Iraq War efforts in the U.S., a number of which involve Neil Young and Stephen Stills.
The Love and the Gits movies concern possibilities more than celebrate achievement. Conversely, the Strummer and CSNY movies explore the adverse effects of success, from the sense of loss and isolation as fame creeps in and the expectations of fans.  Strummer is a mess once the Clash conquer America; he gets worse in the years after the band imploded. CSNY evolves, during a tour that finds many of its performances critically maligned, from a confused and bloated lot to a band unified around a concept and a leader. The reviews get better as the band takes greater control of the material and the message.
The eras covered tap recent history without slipping into the “Behind the Music” formula. The “redemption” chapter of “BTMs” would have some shifting definitions in these four pics. Lee’s incarceration in the 1990s is not mentioned so his return to the concert stage to celebrate “Forever Changes” is not as dramatic as it could have been. Zapata’s bandmates and family get a taste of closure when her murder is sentenced but the coda is not celebratory. The Strummer doc is remarkably invigorating — the sadness is his death at 50. By the end of “Déjà Vu,” on the other hand, the first three letters in CSNY are not in Young’s ballpark musically, a gap that does not close enough between the film’s beginning and conclusion.
All four of the films concerned eras of interest that have occurred during my lifetime. Naturally, I wish I had been a L.A. teenager in Love’s heyday; “Déjà Vu” and “Future is Unwritten” touch nerves that fuse the musical and the political as well provide nostalgia trips to my teen years; the Gits emerged at a time when those of us obsessed with rock ‘n’ roll were turning over every stone to find the next great American band. Each of them are inspiring in their own way: Artists who blaze their own paths wind up being the leaders who become memorialized. And it can still be done today.

Album list is getting too numerous due to a week's vacation. Concert list, however, is now at 63/179 in my quest to hit 100 concerts/300 acts.

Richie Havens To Open Cannes Fest

A tip of the hat to the 40th anniversary of the protests that shut down the 1968 Cannes Film Festival, Richie Havens will perform "Freedom" at the fest's opening ceremonies of the 61st edition on Wednesday.
Havens, whose marathon performance of "Freedom"' was one of the glorious moments at Woodstock 39 years ago, released his  27th album, "Nobody Left to Crown," in Europe in February. Announcement of a  U.S. release date and label is expected soon. Havens has U.S. dates into next year scheduled after the jump.

Largo Primps For Its Closeups

Largo, one of my favorite venues since it opened in 1992 and was booking acts like the Wild Colonials and Love Jones, will shutter its 120-seat Fairfax Avenue location after a final comedy show Monday and open June 2 at the Coronet Theater space on La Cienega. Aimee Mann, who will release an album June 3, will be the first performer.
Move is motivated by wanting to get away from the bar business and having more space.
“You get tired of turning people away,” Largo owner Mark Flanagan said while we toured the new space Wednesday afternoon. The news has been out there for a little while, but the renovations taking place in the two performance spaces make it clear this will quickly become a reality.
Since Flanagan took over as sole owner in 1996, Largo has been known as a haven for singer-songwriters, such as Fiona Apple, Grant Lee Phillips and Nellie McKay, as well as comedians.
The Coronet has been a legit theater since it was built in the mid-1940s and once housed the West Coast offices of Rodgers & Hammerstein. The bar space next door, the former Coronet Pub, is slated for renovation and reopening as well.
New venue boasts two performances spaces — a 280-seat theater and a smaller room that can accommodate up to 70 — as well as a lobby space and a courtyard. The stage from Largo will be placed in the Little Room as it is being called. Unlike the current venue, it will not serve food beyond pastries and gelato and will only have a beer and wine license for the smaller room. Tickets will be sold as they are now, via a phone reservation system, and through a box office that is expected to be open in the afternoons.
“Different is good,” said Jon Brion, the composer-performer whose Friday-night residency, which has lasted 12 years, will continue in the new home dubbed Largo at the Coronet. “Here it is obvious that (the evening) is about the performance. It will be more focused.”
Coincidentally, as the doors on the original Largo are closing, a documentary on the venue will be starting to make the festival rounds. “Largo” has been accepted at the Los Angeles Film Festival — screening June 22 —  and the Times BFI London Film Festival.
The trailer:

Placido Domingo Gets a 21-Screen Salute

Placido Domingo's concert celebrating his 40 years of appearing in Los Angeles opera productions will be shown May 11 on 21 Landmark theater screens.
L.A. Opera's gala concert on Friday featured Domingo, soprano Patricia Racette and James Conlon conducting the Los Angeles Opera Orchestra. Program included Domingo singing familiar roles such as "Gia nella notte densa" from Verdi's "Otello" in duet with Racette and "Wintersturme" from  Wagner's "Die Walkure." Program also included lighter fare, a duet on "Tonight" from "West Side Story" and "No puede ser" from Sorozabal's "La Taberna del Puerto." Quartet of encores included  the "Merry Widow Waltz."   
Program will be screened at 2 p.m. on the 11th at Landmark Theaters in Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, San Diego, Chicago, Seattle,  Houston, Boston, Philadelphia, Washington, St. Louis and Baltimore.
It is the first time an L.A. Opera presentation has been beamed into movie theaters. New York's Metropolitan Opera has been showing films of its operas in theaters for a few years.  L.A. Opera productions have been filmed in hi-def for several years and  last season's "Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny,"  and "La Traviata" have been released on DVD.
LA Opera chairman and CEO Marc Stern announced the theater deal at a dinner that followed the concert in the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, noting it is "an important
continuation of our commitment to bringing opera to all audiences."
Domingo made his L.A. debut Nov. 17, 1967 in the  New York City Opera's touring production of  Alberto Ginastera's "Don Rodrigo." Active as L.A. Opera's artistic consultant and artistic director, he was named general director in 2003.

Music Documentaries Fill L.A. Festival

For the seventh year, AFI will hold its Music Documentary Series throughout L.A. running April 2 to May 7.
On the slate are five new films: Scott Hicks's film on Philip Glass, "Glass: A Portrait of Philip in Twelve Parts," which opens the fest April 2 at Arclight Hollywood; Stephen Walker's piece on senior citizens performing punk and soul tunes in "Young@Heart" (April 7, Arclight Sherman Oaks); David Hausen's untitled doc on the Red Hot Chili Peppers (April 9, Arclight Hollywood); "Joy Division" by Grant Gee (April 23, Arclight Hollywood); and Andy Garcia's pic on the Cuban bassist and bandleader Cachao, "Cachao: Uno Mas" (April 30, Arclight Hollywood).
All films are followed by Q&As.
Also on the schedule: "Help! (April 14, Sherman Oaks); "Peter Tosh: Stepping Razor: Red X" (April 16, Hollywood); "Neil Young: Heart of Gold" (April 21,Sherman Oaks);"Purple Rain" (April 28,Sherman Oaks); and D.A. Pennebaker's "Don't Look Back" (May 7,Skirball Cultural center)

CSNY At Sundance Feeling Like They've Been Here Before

Watched a bit of "Rust Never Sleeps" over the weekend, marveling at how thin and clean-cut Neil Young looked on that 1978 tour.
It's a distant cry from the latest film from Bernard Shakey - that's Young's film alias - who also directed "Rust": That film was about a performance, "Deja Vu" is about the people attending the performance.
In one of the first reviews since "Deja Vu" closed the Sundance Film Festival on Friday, Variety is calling it "an aud-friendly, activist musical." 
Neil, David Crosby, Stephen Stills and Graham Nash were on hand at Sundance, where Young and Nash sang with Hisle and Stills said he is healthy following cancer surgery.
Neil told told USA Today "The idea of the whole project was just to stimulate debate." He told the Sundance Channel the film is indeed about the audience.

Stones Movie To Open Berlin Fest

The Rolling Stones will be attending the Berlin Film Festval with Martin Scorsese where their concert movie “Shine a Light” will open the fest on Feb.7. Fest director Dieter Kosslick said “Martin Scorsese has captured the pure essence of an iconic band on the big screen.”

Set List: U2 3D

Shot in Mexico City, Santiago, Chile, Buenos Aires and Melbourne, Australia, U2 performs 15 tunes in "U2 3D," which opens Jan. 25 after premiering at Sundance. Songs performed in the G-rated, 85-minute film, which boasts some impressive uses of 3D technology, are:

Vertigo / New Year's Day / Beautiful Day / Sometimes You Can't Make It On You Own / Love and Peace / Sunday Bloody Sunday / Bullet the Blue Sky / Miss Sarajevo / U.N. Declaration of Human Rights / Pride (In the Name of Love) / Where the Streets Have No Name / One / The Fly / With or Without You / Yahweh

Rolling Stones Coming to Theaters Soon

Apple has posted the first trailer for Martin Scorsese's Rolling Stones' docu, "Shine a Light." The movie also has an official website.

Denzel Washington Digs into the Blues With Youngblood Hart and Sharon Jones

It may be a long shot but would it not be wonderful it the soundtrack to "The Great Debaters" did for pre-WWII blues and gospel what "O Brother Where Art Thou?" did for old-time country.
Alvin 'Youngblood' Hart covers Blind Willie Johnson and the Mississippi Sheiks with an assist from the Carolina Chocolate Drops; Sharon Jones, who plays a juke joint singer in the pic,  belts out Tampa Red, Bessie Smith and traditional gospel; and the legendary Memphis session guitarist Teenie Hodges leads the rhythm section on the soundtrack to "The Great Debaters," which Atlantic Records will release on Dec. 11, two weeks before the pic hits screens.
David Berger and the Sultans of Swing cover Duke Ellington's "Delta Serenade" and vintage tracks from Marian Anderson, Art Tatum, and the Delmore Brothers round out the collection.
G. Marq Roswell & Denzel Washington produced the soundtrack.
The track listing:

1. "My Soul Is A Witness" - Alvin 'Youngblood' Hart & Sharon Jones
2. "That's What My Baby Likes" - Sharon Jones, Alvin Youngblood Hart & Teenie Hodges
3. "I've Got Blood In My Eyes For You" - The Carolina Chocolate Drops & Alvin 'Youngblood' Hart
4. "Step It Up and Go" - Alvin 'Youngblood' Hart & Teenie Hodges
5. "It's Tight Like That" - Sharon Jones, Alvin Youngblood Hart & Teenie Hodges
6. "Busy Bootin'" - Alvin 'Youngblood' Hart & The Carolina Chocolate Drops
7. "City Of Refuge" - Alvin 'Youngblood' Hart & The Carolina Chocolate Drops
8. "Two Wings" - Alvin 'Youngblood' Hart, Sharon Jones w/Billy Rivers and the Angelic Voices of Faith
9. "Delta Serenade" - David Berger & The Sultans of Swing
10. "Rock n' Rye" - David Berger & The Sultans of Swing
11. "Wild About That Thing" - Sharon Jones, Alvin Youngblood Hart, & Teenie Hodges
12. "Nobody's Fault But Mine" - Alvin 'Youngblood' Hart & The Carolina Chocolate Drops
13. "How Long Before I Change My Clothes" - Alvin 'Youngblood' Hart
14. "We Shall Not Be Moved" - Sharon Jones w/Billy Rivers and the Angelic Voices of Faith
15. "Up Above My Head" - Sharon Jones w/Billy Rivers and the Angelic Voices of Faith
16. "The Shout" - Art Tatum
17. "Scoodle Um Skoo" - Papa Charlie Jackson
18. "I Ain't Got Nowhere To Travel" - The Delmore Brothers
19. "Begrussung" - Marian Anderson

Moby Music Free For Filmmakers

Between congratulating the Boston Red Sox, compiling a "best of David Lynch" list and DJ'ing in London, Moby is using his website to offer music for free to independent and non-profit filmmakers, plus "film students, and anyone in need of free music for their independent, non-profit film, video, or short."
Users register at his site where they can download the tunes.
Creators of a commercial film or short, can apply for "an easy license, with any money that's generated being given to the humane society."

Dylan's 'There' Found In Neil Young's Lair

Bob Dylan's recording of "I'm Not There" that appears on the soundtrack to Todd Haynes' film sounds plenty different from the version that appears on "Basement Tapes" bootlegs. Thank Neil Young's fanaticism and pack rat mentality for that.
The newly unearthed version clearly has the Band backing him as opposed to the popular bootleg version, a mostly acoustic reading by Dylan with a bit of rhythmic thumping in the background.
"It's pretty much just a sketch," Sonic Youth's Lee Ranaldo said in an interview for a piece on the soundtrack. "The lyric is open ended. It's hard to tell if (the words) make any sense."  Sonic Youth recorded a version of the song that runs over the end credits.
Soundtrack producers and Haynes were creating 5.1 mixes of songs and still using a bootleg copy of the tune when the suggestion arose that they find a better copy of the title track.
Joel Bernstein, a rock photographer who has been shooting Dylan and Young since the early '70s, was working with the team as an archivist and he suggested contacting Elliot Mazer. Mazer, who has produced a number of Young's albums, had worked with Dylan's manager in the '60s, Albert Grossman.
After Dylan's period of inactivity following his 1966 motorcycle accident, Grossman began to work on the publishing side for Dylan and started amassing a collection of tapes of songs that were not released over the next several years. Naturally, copies of the tapes were made; the Band's Garth Hudson even brought in a collection for the "I'm Not There" team to sift through.
Mazer, it turns out, had made a copy for his friend Young, who had tucked it away.
Randall Poster says his partner on the soundtrack, Jim Dunbar, "had to be Sam Spade, trying to make all these connections. What helped us get it quick was having the support of the Dylan camp."
What struck recording engineer Greg Calbi, who has worked extensively with Dylan, was the distinctiveness of the version in Young's vault.
"Every engineer who ever got a copy would put their stamp on it," Poster said, relaying Calbi's observation. "It was mutated over the years. We got the raw version."
Coincidentally, Young revisits his unreleased past with "Chrome Dreams II," which was issued last week; the "I'm Not There" soundtrack is released Oct. 30.
 
      

Web Premiere For Dennis Wilson Docu

Billy Hinsche - the Billy of Dino, Desi & Billy for all of you 16 magazine readers in the 1960s - has produced and directed a documentary on the late Beach Boys drummer Dennis Wilson that will premiere Nov. 5 on Flasher.com.
"Dennis Wilson Forever," which is 80 minutes long, will be show in sections over the two weeks following Nov. 5. If Brian were the brains of the band, Dennis was the spirit - the one surfer in the group, the one who beleieved they should not fade into an oldies act in the 70s and the one who made a fabulous solo album. Of course, there's also that Manson connection and the fact that his mother forced Brian to include him in the band that have clouded his reputation. His legend has only grown since his death 25 years ago. I always thought it was cool that one of the best records of the 1980s, the Del Lords' "Frontier Days," was dedicated to his memory.
Hinsche is selling copies of the doc on DVD on his website.

AFI Fest Slips in Two Music Docs

Documentaries on Public Enemy, Sigur Ros and the comedians Patton Oswalt and David Cross will be screened at the AFI Film Festival at the Arclight in Hollywood.
"Public Enemy: Welcome to the Terrordome" will make its world premiere and "Sigur Ros – Heima Dir" and "Heckler" will screen during the fest's run of Nov. 1-11.

Calling All B.I.G. Actors

Christopher Wallace wanna-bes are in luck as Fox Searchlight has yet to find a suitable Biggie Smalls via its upload-a-video audition so they're taking it to the streets.
Do you look like this man?
Can you convincingly rap the lines:
"The doctor said I need about three weeks of recovery/
but the nurses is lovin me/
Sayin the best part of the day is my half/
Feedin me breakfast, and givin me a sponge bath."
Obviously no actor is willing to pull a "Raging Bull" like Robert De Niro and put on the pounds it would take to be a convincing B.I.G., which means Fox Searchlight continues to look for an unknown to play the deservedly heralded rapper.
All unattractive 6' 3", 300-plus pound actors and rappers can plead their case to play Notorious B.I.G. in the biopic  on Saturday between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. at City Stages, 435 W. 19th ST. in New York.

Otis Documentary Turned Loose

The documentary on Otis Redding, "Dreams To Remember: The Legacy Of Otis Redding," will receive its world theatrical premiere at Grauman’s Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood on Oct. 8.
Screening will be followed by a panel discussion with Zelma Redding (Otis’ widow), Wayne Jackson of the Mar-Keys, Stax historian Rob Bowman and the documentary’s directors David Peck and Phil Galloway.
Screening coincides with the release of "Dreams To Remember" DVD.
Redding died in a plane crash on Dec. 10, 1967.
"Dreams" includes a number of complete performances including  “Pain In My Heart,” “I Can’t Turn You Loose,” “I’ve Been Loving You Too Long,” “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction,”  “Try A Little Tenderness” and “Respect.”
Following the premiere of "Dreams to Remember" and the Otis panel will be a screening of the recently discovered Stax/Volt Revue Live in Norway, 1967, featuring Redding, Sam & Dave, Booker T & the MGs, Eddie Floyd, Arthur Conley and the Mar-Keys.

Petty Plays DJ Before Bigscreen Premiere

Tom Petty will resume his XM show, “Tom Petty’s Buried Treasure,” on Sept. 24.
The hourlong "Buried Treasure” features tracks from Petty’s personal collection, garage rock masterworks and live tracks plus Petty's commentary.
On this week's playlist are the great N'awlins singer Lee Dorsey doing “Ride Your Pony,” British Invasion rockers the Searchers’ “He’s Got No Love,” and the Pyramids’ surf classic “Penetration.”
Show will available all day every Thursday on XMX.
In other Petty news, Peter Bogdanovich's docu "Runnin' Down A Dream" will be shown in theaters on  Oct. 15. The one night only screening precedes the pic's TV premiere on Sundance Channel on Oct. 29.

Ramones Docu on Starz

Starz Cinema will air "Too Tough To Die: A Tribute To Johnny Ramone" on Sept. 15 at 10 p.m.
TV debut coincides with the third anniversary of the death of the Ramones' guitarist. Johnny  passed away just three days after this 30th anniversary concert tribute was staged.
Pic is directed by Mandy Stein. Yes, she's Seymour's daughter but she also made a glorious film about blues artists who reorded for Fat Possum, among them R.L. Burnside and Junior Kimbrough, titled
"You See Me Laughin'." (It was her debut).
"Too Tough To Die" includes performances by Tommy, Marky & CJ Ramone, Red Hot Chili Peppers, the Dickies, X, Eddie Vedder, Henry Rollins and Pete Yorn. Remembrances of Johnny are proffered by Lisa Marie Presley, Sonic Youth, Debbie Harry, Nicolas Cage and many of the participating musicians.

Lerche Scores Carell Pic

The soundtrack to Touchstone Pictures' "Dan In Real Life" will feature 11 new Sondre Lerche compositions and performances by Lerche, A Fine Frenzy and Regina Spektor.
Capitol will release the disc on Oct. 2. In addition ot the originals, Lerche covers Pete Townshend's "Let My Love Open The Door" and A Fine Frenzy does "Fever."
"Dan" director and co-writer Peter Hedges says he listened to 500 different artists while in pre-production, but kept returning to Lerche, who attended rehearsals with the actors before filming began. Pic stars Steve Carell.

'Help!,' with Ringo As Lord of the Ring, Comes To DVD

"Help!," the second film by the Beatles and the only one involving Ringo and an actual ring, will receive the deluxe DVD treatment and be released on Oct. 30.
The-disc set will feature a disc with the original film digitally restored with a newly created 5.1 soundtrack and a disc of bonus material. Disc  2 will include a  30 minute documentary about the making of the film with director  Richard Lester, the cast and crew; a missing scene featuring Wendy Richard, an in depth look at the restoration  process, two U.S. trailers and one Spanish trailer, and 1965 U.S. radio spots.
Film, which was screened over the weekend at the Telluride festival, includes seven songs:  'Help!,'  'You're Going To Lose That Girl,'  'You've Got To Hide Your Love Away,' 'Ticket To Ride,'  'I Need You,' 'The Night Before' and  'Another Girl.'
The trailer is here.

'Mask' the Musical Gets Pasadena Premiere

Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil, authors of legendary hits such as "You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling," "Walking in the Rain" and "On Broadway," have written the music and lyrics for the stage adaptation of the film "Mask," which will premiere at the Pasadena Playhouse on March 14.
"Mask" screenwriter Anna Hamilton Phelan has written the book.
"Mask," as if anyone needs to be told, was Cher's third well-received film in the early to mid 1980s. She played the biker mother whose son has a disfigured face.
In the coming season, the Pasadena Playhouse will first present "Ray Charles Live! – A New Musical." It opens Nov. 9.

Stones Start Showing Their Trailer

It takes a few clicks but rollingstones.com has posted a trailer for the Martin Scorsese-directed concert film "Shine a Light." Trailer captures Mick singing with Jack White and Buddy Guy and dancing dirty with Xtina. Pic opens in April.

'Stax Records Story' Gets DVD Release Date

One of the most impressive music documentaries to come down the pike in some time, "Respect Yourself: The Stax Records Story" will be released on DVD on Oct. 2.
Robert Gordon and Morgan Neville's finely assembled pic, which aired this summer on PBS’ Great Performances, features performances by Otis Redding, Isaac Hayes, Sam & Dave and Booker T & the MGs, Staple Singers, Rufus and Carla Thomas, Eddie Floyd and others. Doc impressively charts the rise of the Memphis soul sound during the Civil Rights Era.
DVD package also adds bonus content featuring footage from the Stax Reunion rehearsal at SXSW 2007 in Austin, Texas, featuring Floyd, William Bell and Booker T & the MGs.

'I'm Not There' Trailer Released

The Weinstein Co. has released the trailer for the Bob Dylan biopic "I'm Not There."

Scorsese's Stones concert film postponed

Bad news for fans of The Rolling Stones and/or Martin Scorsese (isn't that just about everyone?): Their collaborative concert film "Shine a Light" has been moved from this September to next April.

The film was shot over two nights at the Beacon Theatre in NYC last fall, where the band was joined onstage by Buddy Guy, Jack White and, um, Christina Aguilera.

In the meantime, kick back, relax and watch "The Last Waltz" every night between now and April.

Alejandro Escovedo ready for Demme treatment

Critically revered singer and longtime Austin fixture Alejandro Escovedo will be the subject of a documentary from Jonathan Demme, who has given us the stellar "Stop Making Sense" with the Talking Heads and the underrated "Storefront Hitchcock" with Robyn Hitchcock.

Demme will be shooting Escovedo's performance at Austin's Las Manitas Mexican restaurant (soon to be razed to make room for a new hotel). The concert film will feature songs from throughout his career including his most recent release, The Boxing Mirror.

Escovedo is also planning a summer tour in support of The Boxing Mirror, and plans to record a new album with producer Glyn Johns (The Who, Led Zep, The Clash, every other band who recorded in the '70s)

Dates:

8/16 - Los Angeles, CA - The Mint
8/17 - San Francisco, CA - Great American Music Hall
8/18 - Santa Barbara, CA - Lobero Theatre
8/24 - Birmingham, AL - Stokin the Fire
8/26 - Salt Lake City, UT - Red Butte Garden Amp.
9/7 - Louisville, KY - Headliners Music Hall
9/8 - Bowling Green, OH - Black Swamp Arts Festival
9/28 - Lexington, KY - Christ The King Octoberfest
9/29 - Chicago, IL - The Abbey Pub

Status Quo Ready For Their Closeup

British boogie rockers Status Quo are doing what any band would do after playing the same riff for for 30 years: Head to Thailand and make a movie. Band, which has no credits on imdb beyond a few TV appearances, will star in Thai-set comedy caper “Care Factor Zero.”

Cedric Swings With the Movies

An interesting program is on next week's Hollywood Bowl calendar.

Cedric the Entertainer will host the Jazz at the Movies program at the Hollywood Bowl on July 25.
Bassist Christian McBride, the Creative Chair for Jazz at the Los Angeles Philharmonic, is  music director for the evening; arranger and composer Vince Mendoza will lead a jazz orchestra performs along with clips.
Herbie Hancock's great score for "Death Wish" is on the bill as are the scores for "Anatomy of a Murder," "The Pink Panther," "Blazing Saddles," "The Blues Brothers," "Catch Me If You Can," "Mo' Better Blues," "Elevator to the Gallows,"  "Ocean's Eleven," "Austin Powers" and some  James Bond pics.
Trumpeter Wallace Roney will perform on "Elevator To the Gallows" and "Death Wish," and singer-pianist Jamie Cullum will perrform "Trouble Man."

Unreleased Dylan Hitched to Trailer

A trailer for Todd Haynes' Dylan pic "I'm Not There" has been posted on YouTube and features Dylan's recording of "I'm Not There (1956)," which he recorded during the Basement Tapes sessions but has never been released.

Sonic Youth has recorded a version of the song for the film.