Fellow bandmate generously offers to fall on his sword, too....

By Fred Mills

Good morning. Don't you relish those over-coffee-and-bagels moments, hopefully with the soft light of the a.m. sun peeking gently through the curtains, when you can ponder the random dirt ‘n' sleaze that populates this fine institution we call the music industry?

Today's scumline in the music biz bathtub is, surprise, Britain's Pete Doherty, the erstwhile Libertines/sometime Babyshambles gent who's made it his personal mission to see that his surname and the word "drugs" align as often as possible in news headlines. According to reports in the U.K. media, Doherty appears in a video posted to YouTube and is preparing to "smoke something from a small glass container" only to have a bucket of water dumped on his head by a female friend (i.d.'d as "Mary the cleaning lady") who comments, "I thought you'd given up that shit!"

Astonishingly, Doherty - who is, what, on ten different probations at this point? - has claimed that he has not been up to his old tricks.

In other Doherty-related reports, fellow Babyshambles member Mick Whitnall was arrested last weekend in London "for suspected drug offenses." Police arrested Whitnall at a club for possession of crack and later found more drugs at his home. Speculation is running high that Whitnall was directed by his band's frontman to get busted and direct the media glare away from Doherty, and while there's absolutely no evidence to support that theory, it's exactly the kind of harebrained scheme someone like ol' Pete would come up with, dontcha think?

Bush administration's "lies" gets his motor running...

By Fred Mills

This year's election ain't no easy ride, and legendary actor Dennis Hopper apparently realizes just that. Long admired for his screen work - by most estimations, one of the original mavericks, too, the kind that makes John McSame look like Howdy Doody  - but long reviled for his Republican politics and unwavering (until now) support for George Bush, Hopper is in the news today for coming out in favor of Obama, citing the Bush administration's "lies" as his reason for switching from red to blue.

Speaking to journalists in France at a career overview Hopper said, "I voted for Bush, father and son, but this time I'll vote for Obama. I was the first person in my family to have been Republican. For most of my life I wasn't on the left.

"I pray God, Barack Obama is elected."

We do too, Billy. Captain America loves ya.

Compiled by Blurt Staff

206 digital, satellite and hi-def channels and nothin' on? Not likely. Here are BLURT's top music television picks of the day. The time is followed by the network/cable/satellite channel, then the name of the program and/or featured artist(s). All times are EST. For a comprehensive hour-by-hour listing, go to the VH1 Rock On TV site. Note that for certain channels, shows frequently repeat during the day on or subsequent days.

TIME (EST) / CHANNEL / PROGRAM / ARTIST(S)

9:00 AM SYN: Live with Regis and Kelly: Queen Latifah

11:30 AM NICK: Yo Gabba Gabba!: Mya

2:30 & 5:30 PM FUEL: The Daily Habit: Kool Keith

3:00 PM VH1C: Tommy (1975)

5:00 PM RAVE HD: Kaiser Chiefs: Live at the Trabendo

8:00 PM TCM: Movie: High School Confidential! (1958) w/Jerry Lee Lewis , Mamie Van Doren

9:00 & 12:00 PM FUEL: The Daily Habit: CSS

9:15 PM IFC: The Henry Rollins Show:  Mars Volta , Henry Rollins , Toby Keith

9:30 PM TCM: The Gene Krupa Story (1959)

11:35 PM CBS: The Late Show With David Letterman: Blues Traveler

11:35 PM NBC: The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Kings Of Leon

12:05 AM ABC: Jimmy Kimmel Live: Kanye West

12:35 AM NBC: Late Night with Conan O'Brien: O.A.R. , Harry Connick Jr.

1:35 AM NBC: Last Call with Carson Daly: Serj Tankian

Pictured above: John McSame and Sarah Van Palen, ready for some ultraviolence...

By Fred Mills

It's true: we can see into the future. We're even reading newspapers from the future - specifically, the Asia Times, which posted a story online tomorrow (Oct. 15) declaring (kinda) that John McCain has lost his marbles. Or, might be on the verge of losing ‘em. And, if he does, he just might stand a chance of winning the election.

Confused? We are too! But in a good way. In a story titled "McCain's next trick can win," news analyst Muhammad Cohen speculates that despite the candidate's steadily dropping in the polls, "there's still time for McCain to turn things around, and at least some reasons to think he can."

Among the proposed strategies:

• Fire campaign manager Rick Davis, Steve Schmidt, his Karl Rove protege campaign strategist, and the rest of the George W. Bush hit squad piloting his train wreck.
• Bring in someone who suggests adult supervision and is loyal only to McCain.
• Extend the purge to vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin... she's clearly part of the wrong direction McCain's campaign has taken.
• Instead of name calling and phony charges that lead everyone off-track, McCain should say he'll talk about the real issues and his real solutions.
• Find a big platform to admit he's been untrue to himself by playing the Rove card, and that he regrets it.

Hey! Almost like a 12-step program!

"The political pros advise it is crazy to make change at this late stage of the campaign," concludes Cohen, of what McCain should say, "but it's even crazier to fail without being to true to lifelong principles."

Come to think of it, we'd prefer McCain to keep pursuing the same scorched-earth policy of the past couple of weeks. That proved he was not only crazy but unprincipled as well - and we kinda like it that way.

We think we have a new theme song for the McCain campaign....

All-star cast to appear at Oct. 26 concert in NYC.

By Fred Mills

Laura Kennedy, original bassist and founding member of legendary No Wave/punk-funk combo Bush Tetras, needs an immediate liver transplant due to Hepatitis C. To that end, a benefit concert for Kennedy is slated to take place at the Cake Shop in New York on October 26^th. Among those acts performing will be the Bush Tetras, Certain General, Band of Outsiders and, at the closing jam, Lenny Kaye (Patti Smith Group), Ivan Julian (Richard Hell & The Voidoids), Rob Norris (Bongos) and Deborah Frost (Brain Surgeons). Full details appear below.

You know about the Tetras, right? An influence in their own right, they remain "a major force" in today's ‘80s post-punk/new wave revival which includes The Slits, Sonic Youth, Pere Ubu, Mekons, Gang Of Four and James Chance. All proceeds on Bush Tetras CDs, LPs and shirts purchased through the ROIR website go directly to the Laura Kennedy Liver Fund. And for more information on Laura Kennedy and how to make a donation, go to the Laura Kennedy Liver Fund blog.

A second benefit is to take place Nov. 8 in Minneapolis, details tba. Kennedy has been unable to work since June 2008, and is now living on disability in Minneapolis. Without the needed transplant, she may live only another 8 to 12 months.

***

Laura Kennedy Benefit Show

October 26, 2008
8pm at Cake Shop
52 Ludlow Street
LES NYC

In order of appearance:

Bell Hollow
Sediment Club
Mikey IQ
Band of Outsiders
Certain General
Command V feat: PAT IRWIN (RAYBEATS, 8-EYED SPY, B-52'S)
Radio i-ching
Julian Stockdale
Bush Tetras w/special guests James Chance & Nona Hendryx
All star jam feat. Lenny Kaye (Patti Smith Group), Ivan Julian (Richard Hell & The Voidoids), Rob Norris (Bongos), Deborah Frost (Brain Surgeons) & more...
DJ dirtytrickpony

Admission $15 minimum donation

The Bush Tetras on Myspace: www.myspace.com/bushtetras

Americana retailer "calls a time-out"and "considers the future."

By Fred Mills

A collective gasp went up this morning when venerable Americana/alt-country retail specialist Miles Of Music posted to its website news that it was shutting down. According to MoM head Jeff Weiss factors involved in the decision - characterized as "a time-out" - included the current state of the economy and changes in how consumers get their music. The business, which started in 2001, was located in North Hollywood and employed a staff of 8, serving customers in 26 countries.

Unfulfilled orders have been cancelled and refunds are being issued. See the full post below.

For those not in the know, Miles Of Music was one of the most enduring music portals for lovers o' twang and it rode the alt-country zeitgeist ushered in by No Depression, connecting music fans with bands and artists while demonstrating a true connoisseur's appreciation of rock, folk, country, bluegrass and all things rootsy. Whether you wanted a record by Steve Earle or some obscure artist from the Netherlands, chances are you could find it at MoM. Under the diligent watch of co-founders Weiss and Corrie Gregory, MoM flourished even as it enriched a lot of lives.

Yours truly still remembers the cool little publication they dubbed the "MoMzine" which they'd mail out every month or so. It was far more than just a catalog - crammed with record reviews, artist profiles, cool trivia and the like, it literally was a ‘zine, one that you'd hang on to and file away for reference after you'd made your selections and mailed in your dough. Later, Miles Of Music made a fairly seamless transition to the Internet and became a leading purveyor of Americana music long before anyone ever even heard of iTunes or MySpace music.

Musicians themselves consistently touted MoM as a retailer to whom they could sell their wares and receive fair treatment and an honest accounting. The company also went above and beyond in order to help the artists, often providing them with a list of likely journalists and media outlets that might be inclined to cover them. I'll never forget the first time I got a CD in the mail addressed to "Fred Mills - music writer and cool papa": The "cool papa" bit derived from a casual conversation I'd had in 2001 with one of the MoM staffers about the then-recent birth of my son, and as a nice salute that's how they entered my name onto their media list that they circulated.

Well, from this so-called cool papa, on the behalf of BLURT I extend my condolences to Miles Of Music and my sincere wishes that they are able to return from their time-out bigger and stronger. Man cannot and should not exist on a diet of iTunes alone.

***

From MoM's Jeff Weiss:

We aren't throwing in the towel so much as calling a time-out. For now, though, we are closed for business.

We've come to a pause in an era. The economy, the credit crunch, the changing way people consume music have all lead us to today.

All existing orders have been cancelled. Orders paid by Paypal are being refunded.

Now is it time to clean up, clean out, and consider the future.

There are many terrific places to purchase music on-line. Please continue supporting independent artists.

That creaking, groaning sound? It's the Man In Black rolling in his grave.

By Fred Mills

Hey kids! Remember a decade or so ago when every creep with a sampler and a laptop fancied himself to be the next Arthur Baker? Wasn't it cool how every week some new remix effort hit the record bins and sheeplike consumers lapped ‘em up regardless of quality - or, for that matter, whether or not there was any logical rationale behind the project? And how a bunch of Einsteins at record labels figured they could get some extra mileage out of their heritage artists' back catalogs by bringing in some hotshit techno deejays to recast the music for a younger generation?

You KNOW you wanna hear some Fleetwood Mac, Heart, Led Zep and Pat Benatar remixes, right? (If the answer is yes, we have a stack of those Pink Floyd remix discs that were purportedly created by The Orb we'll sell ya... but we digress.)

Sob! Where's Bill Laswell - the only cat to credibly pull these sorts of things off, with his Miles Davis and Santana sets - when we need him? Hint: there's a REASON we call these people "heritage artists" and their music "timeless." And that translates into "please don't fuck with the tunes."

Undeterred, however, is Compadre Records/Music World Music, which just announced "bold new interpretations" of Johnny Cash.

Johnny Cash Remixed, due Jan. 27, is billed as "a tribute to the legacy of an American music icon whose work has touched every contemporary genre," and to that end  "top music remixers and producers who were recruited to take the original master recordings and infuse them with the sounds and technology of modern music styles such as hip hop and dance music." Among the guilt parties: Snoop Dogg.

The project has the "blessing and support of the custodians of Johnny Cash's legacy," including Johnny's son John Carter Cash, who said in a statement, "My father made his stead by defying the expected and accepted way of things. He set the standard at the same time.  He would have loved this remix record.  While it stays true to the original recordings, this CD touches on undiscovered ground.  This is what my father was about: staying true to tradition while creating groundbreaking new music."

Wow. This is just wrong in so many ways we don't know where to begin. The photo above will suffice.

Anyhow, for those of you who lap this kinda stuff up, read on to get the scoop from the label. But don't say you weren't warned by BLURT first.

***

 
Johnny Cash classics were licensed from Cash's first record label, the legendary Sun Records, also the first record label home of luminaries such as Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis and Roy Orbison. The original tracks, recorded with Cash's first band the Tennessee Two from 1956-1959, were pure and stark, with only the essentials; guitar, light percussion and Johnny Cash's unmistakable voice and presence. The new mixes maintain this fantastic charm and personality while filing out the sound and creating daring re-interpretations.  

 
The remixed tracks (and remixers) include "I Walkte The Line" featuring Snoop Dogg (QDT, the new production team led by Snoop Dogg - featuring Snoop, Teddy Riley and DJ Quik), "Country Boy" (Sonny J, whose album was released in August on Astralwerks US), "Get Rhythm" (Philip Steir, the only remixer allowed to work with the Reprise Records Frank Sinatra collection), "Leave that Junk Alone" (Alabama 3, creators of The Sopranos theme song), "Folsom Prison Blues" (the legendary Pete Rock), "Hey Porter" (Mocean Worker, whose remix of Elvis Presley's "Burnin' Love" was used as a soundtrack to Honda's Superbowl TV commercial), "Sugartime" (Kennedy, cornerstone of the new UK Dirty Pop movement), "Trail To Mexico" (indie favorite Mexican Institute of Sound/MIS), "Doin' My Time" (The Heavy, critically-acclaimed UK-based band) and "Wide Open Road" (Count de Money) among others.

 
A documentary following the making will be included with the album, and was produced by Phear Creative in NYC.  This short film features interviews from select remixers, filmed in their home studios, including Snoop Dogg captured at the Cash Recording Cabin in Hendersonville, Tennessee.
 

Tear the roof off the... aw, you know...

By Fred Mills

Halloween night, 1976, Houston: George Clinton and Parliament-Funkadelic were in the house at the Summit venue, just about to tear the roof off the sucka. We're talking prime Mothership Connection/Clones of Dr. Funkenstein-era P-Funk w/GC, Bootsy, Bernie and the crew giving up the funk.

Now comes a 1 ½ hour DVD documenting the show, courtesy Shout Factory, which advises us thusly: "The P-Funk collective were riding the success of their first Top 5 R&B hit, "Give Up The Funk (Tear The Roof Off The Sucker)," a  track that had earned them the kind of radio play that would bring the masses out to see them  live in a stadium-sized arena. The group was  only five dates into the tour when they arrived in Houston, but they were definitely ready to take it to the stage for an out-of-this-world show like no other."

You betcha.

It's set to hit stores Nov. 18. Happy thanksgiving, y'all.

Track Listing:

Cosmic Slop

Do That Stuff

Gamin' On Ya!

Standing On The Verge Of Getting It On

Undisco Kidd

Children Of Productions

Mothership Connection (Star Child)

Swing Down Sweet Chariot

Dr. Funkenstein

Comin' Round The Mountain

P-Funk (Wants To Get Funked Up)

Give Up The Funk (Tear The Roof Off The Sucker)

Night Of The Thumpasorus Peoples

Funkin' For Fun

Plexifilm will release documentary theatrically this Fall, on DVD Nov. 18

By Blurt Staff

Plexifilm has announced Fall theatrical release and a Nov. 18 DVD date for Wild Combination: A Portrait of Arthur Russell, Matt Wolf’s documentary about the prolific late singer-songwriter-composer-cellist-producer. The film will be bolstered by commentary from Allen Ginsberg, Philip Glass, and “other Russell collaborators and loved ones, as well as 65 minutes of rare bonus material including 25 minutes of archival performance footage, footage of Ginsberg chanting a mantra at Russell’s funeral, an audio letter from Russell to his parents, and covers of Russell songs by Jens Lekman, Verity of Electrelane, Joel Gibb of Hidden Cameras, and Arthur’s Landing.

From the press release:

Before his untimely death from AIDS in 1992, Arthur Russell prolifically created music that spanned an extraordinary diversity of styles and won the love of artistic communities that would seem utterly disparate. His collaborators and most ardent supporters ranged from Philip Glass and Allen Ginsberg to rock bands like The Talking Heads and The Modern Lovers; the pre-Studio 54 disco-party scene of Nicky Siano’s Gallery and David Mancuso’s Loft; and DJ-producers like Francois Kevorkian and Larry Levan, among others.

Just as Russell’s music had a relevance much broader than the avant-garde, Matt Wolf’s film about him, Wild Combination, appeals much more universally than just to fans of Russell’s music. It is a universally resonant love story, a film about the experience of being gay and confronting AIDS, a document of the compelling cultural history of New York in the 1970s and ‘80s, and a testament to the cathartic process of making art and pursuing popular success at a time when those goals were mutually attainable.

Since its world premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival—in festivals including the Edinburgh Film Festival, among many others around the world—Wild Combination has garnered considerable critical praise. Filmmaker just named Wolf one of 25 New Faces of Independent Film. Amy Taubin of Film Comment called Wild Combination a “finely tuned, remarkably affecting and informative portrait.” The Los Angeles Times called it "resourceful and refreshingly open-minded... a rich, complicated picture."

65 MINUTES OF DVD EXTRAS:

• Rare archival footage of two full-length live performances, “Soon To Be Innocent Fun/ Let’s See” (1985) and “Calling All Kids” (1989)

• Allen Ginsberg: A Memorial for Arthur Russell (1992)

• 1970 recording of an audiocassette letter sent from Arthur in San Francisco to his parents

• Tribute performances of Arthur Russell songs by Jens Lekman, Verity Susman (Electrelane), Joel Gibb (Hidden Cameras), and Arthur’s Landing (Ernie Brooks of Modern Lovers, Joyce Bowden, and Steven Hall)

TECHNICAL SPECS:

USA, 2008, 71 minutes (+65 minutes of extras), English, Color, HD, Super8, VHS, 1.78:1 (original ratio), Widescreen, 5.1 Surround, Dolby Digital, NR, NTSC

Catalog # PLX-033 UPC: 82354004620 Price: $24.99

For more information, see www.arthurrussellmovie.com

Williams pays homage to Todd on "Rarity" from Little Honey.

By Matthew Recchia

On Gea, Mia Doi Todd's newest album, the singer-songwriter taps into her expressionist and idealistic side to bring the audience her most sensitive and passionate album yet. She probably didn't anticipate the affect it would have on Lucinda Williams.

In an interview with Newsday, Williams said that "Rarity" from her new album Little Honey (Lost Highway) was written for Todd, her fellow L.A. based singer-songwriter. "I was just really impressed with her-how poetic her songs were, how sophisticated her writing was, the beauty of her voice."

Dealing with the destructive forces that surround a "lover of life," Todd's lyrics show hints of the desperation and hopelessness that follow a vulnerable, helpless romantic. From the opening strums of Todd's guitar, the album flows beautifully, accompanied by the beats of Andres Renteria's hand drums and thumping bass lines from Joshua Abrams. Instrumentalist/composer Miguel Atwood-Ferguson also helps out by contributing the sounds of woodwinds, brass, and string arrangements to add a mystical and organic element to the album

The future looks bright for this relentless romantic, who is off the road after an exhausting US tour that saw her perform twenty-seven times in a span of thirty three days.

To listen to Mia or find information on upcoming performances, check out her Myspace page or website.