Benefit and tribute concerts are a dime a dozen these days, but every now and then one gets thrown together that still tips the wow-o-meter. Expect that to happen April 6 when U2, Bruce Springsteen, Emmylou Harris, Willie Nelson, Lyle Lovett, Kris Kristofferson, Trisha Yearwood and Rosanne Cash toast Rosanne's dad, Johnny Cash, at New York's Hammerstein Ballroom. |
The "All-Star Tribute to Johnny Cash" is part of TNT's Master Series, which debuted last year with "Burt Bacharach: One Amazing Night." Additional artists will be added to the lineup in the near future, though it's uncertain whether the Man in Black will climb out of the audience and play himself. Cash, who suffers from a degenerative nervous system disease and is currently recuperating from a bout with pneumonia, does hope to go back into the studio in March to begin work on his third album with producer Rick Rubin . . .
Jewel, who is now identified on press releases as poet, best-selling author, actress and, oh yeah, multiplatinum recording artist, expanded her weighty resume last night at a New York press fete with the announcement of her new charity, Higher Ground For Humanity. The brainchild of Jewel's mother/manager/look-alike Nedra Carroll, HGH aims to promote "global community and individual action to inspire positive change," with funds to be dished out to various humanitarian organizations. Jewel will spread the HGH gospel at a series of benefit concerts sponsored by Vogue magazine, which hosted the festivities. The first show will be in Aspen, Colo., this Friday (Jan. 22), and will be taped for a VH1 special airing March 6 . . .
Some might call it karma, others a post-modern version of "the dog ate my homework," but either way, we have to admit that we had to stifle a chuckle at news that Rob Garza, frontman of ambient-electro combo the Thievery Corporation claims to have been robbed at gunpoint over the weekend -- with the baddies absconding with sizable portions of the band's forthcoming second album.
Garza allegedly was leaving his girlfriend's apartment in Washington, D.C.'s Adams-Morgan neighborhood on Saturday (Jan. 16) morning when he was approached by an armed man who demanded he surrender all his valuables. Since the producer/multi-instrumentalist falls into the dreaded "critically acclaimed" category, he wasn't able to cough up much in the way of actual cash. Nevertheless, Garza is feeling a hole in his pocketbook, since he'll have to re-enter the studio in order to re-record masters for the as-yet-untitled disc, which was slated to be released in March. Diehard fans -- or those who're feeling charitable enough to toss a few extra bucks to the Thievery boys -- can assuage themselves with the soon-to-be-issued Abductions and Reconstructions, an album featuring Garza remixes of tracks by David Byrne, Rockers Hi Fi and a host of others. Our irony desk suggests that the weekend's events might prompt Garza to try a re-christening in order to change his luck. Might we suggest "The Guy Who Found A Big Bag of Unmarked Bills on the Sidewalk"? . . .
To date, 1999 has not been a banner year for Chicago. First, the Windy City gets buried beneath two feet of snow; then Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman bolt from the Bulls; and now -- as the least of three evils -- Frank Orrall, leader of hometown Poi Dog Pondering, has divided the group as wide as Moses did the Red Sea. Orrall sent a note via the band's Internet listserv explaining that Poi Dog needs to go through some changes. "There is a feeling when an entire group is on the same musical page and everything is flowing forward -- and we enjoyed that for years -- unfortunately that feeling has been lost," he wrote. Poi Dog, the eleven-piece "rock orchestra" that's hosted U2-sized crowds in the Chicago area, was whittled down to a mere five members earlier this week, leaving space for, among other positions, a guitarist, bassist and drummer. Fans needn't worry: A source close to the group promises that, in addition to their forthcoming album, Natural Thing, hitting stores on April 20, Poi Dog will play a series of shows at Chicago's Vic Theater to bid farewell to this current lineup of musicians . . .
The RSN Staff (Jan. 21, 1999)