SOURCE: Summit Daily News

By Kimberly Nicoletti
summit daily news

Songwriter Hall of Fame member John Oates wants to help budding musicians, & he’s creating a big opportunity this year.

Oates has set up a musical home for himself in Aspen, & for the last two years, he has co-produced, & performed in, the 7908 Aspen Songwriters Festival, a five-day event at the Wheeler Opera House. Shawn Colvin, Donavan Frankenreiter, Keb Mo, Sam Bush & plenty of others have joined Oates in the intimate 7908 shows, but this year, Oates is opening up the stage to unknowns.

Six Colorado towns will hold preliminary competitions this month, bringing six finalists to Aspen to perform during the first three days of the 7908 Aspen Songwriters Festival March 21-25.

Each finalist will win three nights lodging in Aspen, perform in several of Aspen’s bars in three evenings, & receive a full festival pass for the 7908 event & an invitation to all after-show parties.

The overall winner garners two extra nights of lodging & will perform at the 7908-finale concert, featuring Matt Nathanson, with a special introduction by Oates.

“It could literally be life-changing,” said festival spokesperson Katharine Richardson.

“It is very important to me personally to nurture young songwriters & give them an opportunity to interact & collaborate with professionals & more experienced writers,” Oates said through an email interview. “Songwriting is the life blood of the music industry, & our mission is to assure that the wellspring of talent have a creative ‘home’ from which the future of music can emerge.”

The 7908 Aspen Songwriters Festival evolved from a series of shows Oates did in 2008 called The Stories Behind the Songs in Nashville & New York, then brought it to Aspen. The City of Aspen asked him to expand the concept into a larger format in partnership with the Wheeler Opera House, & now Velocity Television network broadcasts the festival nationwide. Recently Oates helped form the 7908 Foundation, a nonprofit organization created to fund scholarships, provide mentors & perpetuate the art and craft of songwriting, he said.

“This year’s Colorado-wide songwriters’ contest is the first step in the educational component of our festival & hopefully will expand nationally and internationally for the future,” he said.

Tickets go on sale Jan. 23. For more information, visit www.wheeleroperahouse.com/default.asp?wheeler=39.

SOURCE: AllVoices
PIC SOURCE: Belfast Telegraph

By Sherrill Fulghum

(Los Angeles, CA) There was a time when an artist would take a week off, or two at the most, from playing live gigs; enter the studio; & record an entire album ready for release in only a few weeks. Today it takes artists months & even years to complete an album.

Whether musicians… or fans… believe the world is scheduled to come to an end, quite a number of singers & groups have planned new album releases in the coming year.

Material girl Madonna is scheduled to play the halftime show at the February 5 Super Bowl & in March she will release a new album.

The boys of Van Halen have announced a reunion tour with David Lee Roth, Eddie Van Halen & his son Wolfgang. Along with the tour the rockers are releasing a new reunion album on February 7.

Depending on which band member you listen to, the boys of U2 may or may not be releasing an album this year. The boys have been in the studio with two different producers & reportedly have quite a few songs ready for an album; but there has been no word on an approaching release.

After the death of longtime friend & band member Clarence Clemmons, “the Boss” Bruce Springsteen was unsure as to whether or not to continue. Ultimately, “the Boss” made the decision to keep making music & a new album is also set for release sometime in the coming months – reportedly the first quarter of the year.

After much balking about a reunion, Ozzy Osbourne has agreed to join up with Geezer Butler, Bill Wark, & Tony Iommi to reunite Black Sabbath. In light of the announcement, a new album is expected for sometime in the autumn.

“Chimes of Freedom” is a compilation of songs originally recorded by Bob Dylan. Over 80 artists have covered Dylan’s songs to honour 50 years of Amnesty International. The album set for a February release includes Elvis Costello, Sting, Pete Townsend, & Patti Smith.

Although no release date has been issued, the boys of Aerosmith have reportedly been working on a new album – their first since “Honkin’ on Bobo” in 2004. Since that time, Aerosmith has threatened to break up , had numerous medical issues, & has seen the band’s leader – Steven Tyler – taking on a new job as a judge on “American Idol”.

On February 7th, Sir Paul McCartney will release the album he has been wanting to make for some fifty years, an album of standards – the music his Dad used to listen to when Sir Paul was a young lad.

The collection will include two new songs written by Sir Paul himself. While there has been no word on exactly which songs Sir Paul has recorded for the album, Sir Paul will be joined by Eric Clapton, Stevie Wonder, & Diana Krall on the album.

Fellow surviving Beatle Ringo Starr also has an album set for release at the end of January.

–
Sherrill Fulghum is based in Niagara Falls, New York, United States of America, and is an Anchor for Allvoices.

SOURCE: Marietta Daily Journal

by Gloria Love
glove@mdjonline.com

MIDTOWN — In crafting the new musical “Ghost Brothers of Darkland County,” author Stephen King & musician John Mellencamp set off down the twisted roads of the Southern Gothic & were led to Midtown’s own Alliance Theatre.

The tale of tragedy in a tiny Mississippi town is scheduled to premiere in April to close the theatre’s 2011-12 season.

During a developmental workshop at the Alliance in December, King said he began work on the project 12 years ago after Mellencamp contacted him with a ghost story from his home state of Indiana.

“What a long, strange trip it’s been,” King said. “One of the reasons I got into this and said yes is, first of all, I respect John as a musician and as someone not content to stay in one place.

“I’m in my 60s now. I’m not a kid. … I wanted to try something a little bit risky and something outside my comfort zone.”

King penned the story of two brothers and a young girl who meet a mysterious end — and their interaction with the event’s one living witness.

Mellencamp stepped in with music and lyrics and brought in legendary producer T Bone Burnett as musical director. Burnett provided similar direction for the 2000 film “O Brother, Where Art Thou?”

King and Mellencamp sought a regional theatre to stage the show, and decided an Atlanta location offered unique advantages.

“We wanted a place that was cosmopolitan but not out of touch with country roots. Atlanta seemed like the middle of the bulls-eye,” King said. “You know that song, ‘If you can make it here, you can make it anywhere?’ That’s how I feel about Atlanta and this show.”

The pair also wanted the benefit of working with Susan Booth, the Alliance’s artistic director, who “has forgotten more about the theatre than John and I know,” King said.

“The only other play I wrote was for the Boy Scouts,” he said. “I was 10.”

King and Mellencamp started to stage the show two previous times, once at the Alliance and once on Broadway, but called those productions off for various reasons, Mellencamp said.

Now, they are solely focused on creating one great Atlanta production, he said.

And after Atlanta?

“I personally don’t care if we go to Broadway or Washington, D.C., or to the moon or Indiana,” Mellencamp said.

“Ghost Brothers” is set to run April 4 to May 13 at the Alliance Theatre at the Woodruff, 1280 Peachtree St. NE, Atlanta. Tickets are $45 to $85.

For more information, call (404) 733-5000 or visit www.alliancetheatre.org/ghostbrothers