Mevio Music

All of us at MEVIO Music were saddened to learn of the death of Steve Jobs. After suffering a long battle with pancreatic cancer, he passed from this life yesterday at the age of 56.

He profoundly changed the worlds of business, music, film and communications – perhaps most of all the world of music. He helped make it possible for us to take our music with us wherever we go, and also helped to bring musicians and their fans closer together in ways that had previously not been imagined.

You can read our farewell to Steve over on MEVIO Tech. You might also want to check out a special Steve Jobs tribute channel containing videos that celebrate and reflect on his life and legacy. New content will be included from time to time, so if you’d like to subscribe to the RSS feed for the channel you’ll get the most recent videos the moment they’re added.

Rest in peace, Steve.

Jackie, Dorian and Eddie chat about the music they heard this year at the Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival on this episode of The Rad Report. The festival was held in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park from August 14th through the 18th.

On Friday, Dorian got to check out some of the set from Foster the People. “We only actually heard Pumped Up Kicks and then some covers, but then we saw Ellie Golding. She was amazing.”

The highlight for Jackie was Saturday’s performance from MUSE.

On Sunday, Eddie was finally back from Los Angeles, but since he forgot his wallet, he had to borrow money for the festival (and he still owes Jackie ten bucks, by the way). On the schedule for the day was The Decembrists, and then Arcade Fire. “It’s the first time I’ve ever seen them. They’re such a powerful band. All such talented musicians. Also, they had the sickest backdrops i’ve ever seen of any band,” says Eddie.

Eddie and Jackie both gave the festival and 8 out of 10. Dorian went with a 7, only because the beer lines were incredibly long, and with the limit of two beers per customer, you barely get out of the line and you have to get back into it again. Despite that, they all agreed that they had a great time, and can’t wait for the festival next year.

Now, about that ten bucks…

Music artists lead creative, exciting lives right? They spend endless hours perfecting their craft, writing songs, laying down tracks in the recording studio, and then bringing their music directly to thousands of adoring fans with their live shows. It’s got to be non-stop fun and thrills. Or so one might think.

In reality, wedged in between all the hard work and the obvious pleasure of pursuing your dreams, there’s also a lot of – well – downtime. Sound-check? Can you guys just hang loose for a minute while we rig these lights? Thanks. Where are we playing tomorrow? A thousand miles away somewhere? No problem. Let’s all pile into the bus. When’s the next interview? Three o’clock? Okay. Maybe another iced tea.

You get the idea. It’s a life of frenzied activity punctuated by hours of complete boredom, especially on the road.

What if someone could help musicians harness some of that downtime to do something positive that they believe in? That’s exactly what Downtime does. The brainchild of music industry veteran Jay Harren, Downtime provides some simple tools for musicians to promote their favorite causes in the spare time between other creative pursuits.

I realized that I too had some time to give, and I wasn’t doing anything with it. That became my cause – connecting others who had influence with charities and nonprofits that could really use the help.

Jay Harren, Downtime Founder

Downtime was created as a very simple and unobtrusive way for musicians to link up with nonprofit organizations and draw attention to the good cause of their choice on Facebook. The Downtime app makes it easy for the band to do some good during “hurry up and wait” moments, and makes it easy for the fan to contribute to the cause. Everybody wins.

So far, top acts like Manchester Orchestra, Anberlin, Mayday Parade, Grouplove, Hey Monday, Butch Walker, Sleeping at Last, The Starting Line, We The Kings, AWOLNATION, Charlotte Sometimes, Kevin Devine, Matthew Mayfield, Aaron Gillespie, Feather & Belle, Zach Williams and the Bellow have all joined in. They’re supporting causes as diverse as the Humane Society, Little Kids Rock, Compassion International and Falling Whistles (a charity that promotes peace in the Congo).

Take a look at what Mayday Parade is doing in their Downtime.

Want to get involved? You can get more information about Downtime on their site at http://www.mydowntime.com.

Rock legends Foreigner are set to release a brand new 3-disc collection titled Feels Like The First Time on September 13th. The album will contain brand new digital recordings of their greatest hits, an entire disc of acoustic renditions and a DVD of the band in concert captured in High Definition.

You can get a sample from the album as a free MP3 Download of Juke Box Hero, their anthem to the Rock ‘n’ Roll struggle that originally hit the Billboard Top 40 in 1982. The new recording from Mick Jones, Kelly Hansen, Jeff Pilson, Tom Gimbel, Michael Bluestein and Mark Schulman is one of the tracks on Disc Two: Juke Box Heroes from the new album. The disc includes beautifully re-recorded versions of their best-loved songs, along with a brand new track, Save Me.

The 3-disc set from Razor & Tie Records also includes Disc One: Acoustique: The Classics Unplugged, and Disc Three: Live In Chicago, an 80-minute concert DVD that will air on PBS this fall as part of the Public Television Rocks! series. The DVD also includes back stage footage and more bonus acoustic versions of Foreigner’s classic hits.

Here’s the full track listing.

CD One: Acoustique: The Classics Unplugged
Long, Long Way From Home
Cold As Ice
The Flame Still Burns
Double Vision
Fool For You Anyway
Say You Will
Starrider
Waiting For A Girl Like You
Feels Like The First Time
Juke Box Hero
That’s All Right (Bonus Track)

CD Two: Juke Box Heroes: Brand New Digital Recordings of Foreigner’s Greatest Hits
Save Me (Bonus Track – New Song!)
Feels Like The First Time
Cold As Ice
Long, Long Way From Home
Hot Blooded
Double Vision
Head Games
Dirty White Boy
Urgent
Waiting For A Girl Like You
I Want To Know What Love Is
Juke Box Hero

DVD: Live in Chicago
Double Vision
Head Games
Cold As Ice
Waiting For A Girl Like You
When It Comes To Love
Blue Morning, Blue Day
Dirty White Boy
Starrider
Feels Like The First Time
Urgent
I Want To Know What Love Is
Hot Blooded
Juke Box Hero

Click here for your free MP3 download of Juke Box Hero.

Tour dates and more information is on the official Foreigner Website at www.foreigneronline.com.

Share Ross covers the Kings of Leon disaster, the Cheap Trick collapse, Meatloaf’s fainting spells and the immortalization of Chuck Berry – all on this episode of Rock’n'Roll TV.

After a disastrous concert in Dallas that saw lead singer Caleb Followill leave the stage in the middle of the show after repeatedly complaining about the heat, Kings of Leon have cancelled the remainder of their U.S. Summer Tour, reportedly at the cost of some $15 million dollars to their insurers. The band cited “vocal issues and exhaustion” as the reason for cancelling, although rumors have been circulating that the frontman is being encouraged by bandmates to enter rehab for alcohol-related problems. A band spokesman has denied that, saying “The reason for the cancellation of the tour is Caleb is under doctor’s orders for vocal rest. They feel terrible about cancelling. They look forward to getting back on the road at the end of September.”

The band is scheduled to appear in Vancouver on September 28th as the first date of a Canadian tour.

In addition to being bandmates, of course, the members of Kings of Leon are also relatives – three brothers and a cousin. They named their band after their grandfather (and three of the boys’ father), who were both named “Leon,” the younger of which was a Pentecostal minister with whom they traveled much of the South as children.

With regard to the band’s current difficulties, youngest brother (and bassist for the band) Jared Followill said “There are problems in our band bigger than not drinking enough Gatorade.”

Brooklyn based singer songwriter Kevin Devine has signed to Razor & Tie Records.

New Album “Between The Concrete and Clouds” To Be Released On September 13TH, 2011

His new full length album, Between the Concrete & Clouds, will be released September 13, 2011 via Razor & Tie / Favorite Gentlemen.  Devine will head out this fall on a headlining tour with The Features as direct support on its first leg.  The tour will kick off on September 6th in Pittsburgh, PA at Club AE and make stops nationwide, concluding in Upland, CA at The Wire.

Download the tile track for free

mp3: Between The Concrete and Clouds

According to his press release:

Between The Concrete & Clouds is a record full of firsts for Devine, both sonically and technically.  Perhaps best known for his solo acoustic musings, this is the first record he’s made that is fully backed by a band.  After settling back home in Brooklyn after being on tour for most of 2009 and ’10, Devine spent time in his rehearsal space playing around with ideas on his own, bringing shape to the songs by recording them as acoustic demos, something he hasn’t done since high school.
Produced by longtime collaborator Chris Bracco and mixed by Rob Schnapf (Beck, Elliott Smith, Dr. Dog), Between the Concrete & Clouds was recorded in 10 days over a span of a month.  The 10 track album features musicians Brian Bonz (keyboard), Chris Bracco (bass, keyboard), Mike Fadem (drums, percussion), Russell Smith (electric guitar), and Mike Strandberg (guitar, mandolin).  This is the first recording Devine’s done with his version of this band, and it had an inspired impact on the final product.
“The combination of Chris and Rob on this record kind of marries the best aspects of everything I’ve tried to do over the past ten years,” said Kevin.  “I tried to explore a bit musically and make an album that still has a lot to chew on, but serves it with a scoop of ice cream,” said Kevin.  “I took the lyrical density of what I typically write – which are not-simple stories about not-simple people, or what I feel life is most accurately like – but give them more of a traditional pop structure.”
Devine has received numerous accolades from press and fans alike over the span of his nine year career.  His discography includes several EPs and live albums, as well as past full-lengths Circle Gets the Square (2002), Make the Clocks Move (2003), Split The Country, Split The Street (2005), Put Your Ghost to Rest (2006), Brother’s Blood (2009), and Bad Books (2010), a side project Kevin worked on with Andy Hull and other members of Manchester Orchestra.  Kevin has played with top artists including Bright Eyes, Manchester Orchestra, Okkervill River, Earlimart, and many more, and has performed at the following festivals: Coachella 2010, Bonnaroo 2010, Bamboozle 2010, Lollapalooza 2009, Austin City Limits 2007, and Soundwave 2008 (Australia).

LINKS
www.facebook.com/KevinDevineMusic
www.kevindevine.net
www.twitter.com/KevinDevineTwit

www.razorandtie.com

TOUR DATES
Sept 6 – Pittsburgh, PA – Club AE
Sept 7 – Akron, OH – Musica
Sept 8 – Detroit, MI – Magic Stick
Sept 9 – Chicago, IL – Bottom Lounge
Sept 10 – St. Louis, MO – Old Rock House
Sept 11 – Kansas City, MO – Record Bar
Sept 13 – Denver, CO – Marquis Theater
Sept 14 – Salt Lake City, UT – Kilby Court
Sept 16 – Seattle, WA – El Corazon Lounge
Sept 17 – Portland, OR – Bunk Bar
Sept 19 – San Francisco, CA – Bottom of the Hill
Sept 20 – Upland, CA – The Wire

The Summer Set will release their highly anticipated new album, Everything’s Fine (Razor & Tie) on July 19th.  The 11 track album was recorded in Los Angeles with super-producer John Fields (Jimmy Eat World, Jonas Brothers, Switchfoot, Andrew W.K.). The first single, “Someone Like You,” is now available on digital service providers – to purchase it now click here on iTunes http://bit.ly/TSSSLY

Watch an Interview with The Summer Set

Watch an interview with John from The Summer Set at Warped Tour

THE SUMMER SET TOUR DATES:
July 10 – Eureka, MO – Six Flags St. Louis
July 12 – Tulsa, OK – The Marquee
July 13 – Austin, TX – Emo’s Alternative Lounge
July 14 – San Antonio, TX – Six Flags Fiesta Texas
July 16 – Arlington, TX – Six Flags Over Texas
July 19 – Houston, TX – Warehouse Live
July 21 – St. Petersburg, FL – State Theatre
July 22 – Jacksonville, FL – Freebird Café
July 23 – Atlanta, GA – Six Flags Over Georgia
July 26 – Agawam, MA – Six Flags New England
July 27 – New York, NY – Gramercy Theatre
July 28 – Jackson, NJ – Six Flags Great Adventure
July 30 – Columbus, OH – Newport Music Hall
Aug 2 – Pontiac, MI – The Crofoot
Aug 3 – Chicago, IL – The Bottom Lounge
Aug 4 – Milwaukee, WI – The Rave
Aug 5 – Palatine, IL – Durty Nellies
Aug 6 – St. Paul, MN – Station 4
Aug 7 – Iowa City, IA – The Blue Moose Tape House
Aug 9 – Denver, CO – Marquis Theatre
Aug 10 – Salt Lake City, UT – Club Sound
Aug 12 – San Francisco, CA – The Regency Ballroom
Aug 13 – Anaheim, CA – House of Blues
Aug 14 – Mesa, AZ – The Nile
Aug 15 – Tucson, AZ – The Rock
*Friday Is Forever Tour with We The Kings, The Downtown Fiction, Hot Chelle Rae & Action Item

THE SUMMER SET LINKS
www.everythings-fine.com     www.facebook.com/thesummerset
www.twitter.com/the_summer_set
#everythingsfine

Artist/Producer/Director and Eurythmics co-founder, Dave Stewart’s new album, The Blackbird Diaries is set to be released on Tuesday, June 28th 2011. Recently completed in Nashville, the album was produced by Dave Stewart and Mike Bradford and was recorded and mixed by John McBride at his famed Blackbird Studio. The Blackbird Diaries is set to feature all new material including a co-write with Bob Dylan as well as duets with Stevie Nicks, Martina McBride, Colbie Caillat and features The Secret Sisters. Dave is backed throughout the album by a stellar assortment of musicians on the album including guitarist Tom Bukovac, drummer Chad Cromwell, bassist Michael Rhodes, steel guitarist Dan Dugmore and Mike Rojas on piano. As an integral part of Stevie Nicks new album, “In Your Dreams,” (he was co-producer, co-writer, photographer, performer and movie director) Dave has been invited by Stevie as her special guest to perform at Webster Hall in New York City on May 4th.

Watch exclusive trailer about the upcoming companion film The Blackbird Diaries

mp3: Download free song “Magic In The Blues”

“This was my favorite time ever in the studio, I wrote most of the songs on the spot and recorded all of them in one incredible session lasting 5 days and nights!,”  explains Dave Stewart.  I made an unusual film of the process that not only features all the musicians and performers but also gives away some of my writing secrets which involves both a well known fortune teller and hypnotist who allowed themselves to be filmed in session with me.”

Dave Stewart’s The Blackbird Diaries is unlike anything he has embarked on during his illustrious 30 year music career both with Eurythmics and as a solo artist. With an American flare and rooted in rock, country, and blues, the album is in the vein of recent releases by Bob Dylan and Neil Young – masterful recordings mixed with rich and detailed lyrics.  The Blackbird Diaries showcases a very different type of songwriting for Stewart with more story-driven autobiographical lyrics, which is a departure from the pop/rock sounds which have made him one of the most successful and revered songwriters/collaborators of all time. Tales of loves conquered and loves lost, Dave gets intimate, personal with words while he allows his music to rock free on an album that might just prove to be this artist’s second, and perhaps finest, act.

A multi-media entrepreneur, Dave Stewart is recognized as one of the most respected and accomplished talents in the entertainment industry today.  His career spans more than 30 years and more than 100 million album sales, plus a Lifetime Achievement Award with Eurythmics partner Annie Lennox. With Lennox, Stewart delivered ingenious pop/rock hits such as “Here Comes The Rain Again,” “Would I Lie To You,” “Missionary Man,” and “Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)”.  One of the most sought-after writers and music producers, Dave has crafted songs for and collaborated with the likes of Mick Jagger, Bono, Tom Petty, and Gwen Stefani (to name a few) and has shared the stage with everybody from BB King, U2, Eric Clapton, Bruce Springsteen and Bob Dylan. Stewart has won Best British Producer four times and Best British Songwriter five times, as well as numerous Grammy, MTV, and European awards.  A highly-regarded artist and filmmaker, Stewart has scored and penned the title songs for many hit movies throughout the years, including the Mick Jagger collaboration for the film Alfie, which won the pair a Golden Globe. He produced the award-winning documentary Deep Blues, and his feature directorial debut Honestpremiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 2000. Stewart and songwriter/producer Glen Ballard recently wrote a musical adaptation of the 1990 Jerry Zucker film Ghost, which opens in London’s West End in June this year. This Year Stewart also co-wrote and co-produced Joss Stone’s new album as well as Stevie Nicks’ new album “In Your Dreams” which marks the first occasion Nicks has ever collaborated on a solo album.

“We feel very fortunate to have the opportunity to work with Dave.  He is a legend who has been associated with all kinds of quality music for years and the Blackbird Diaries is an amazing accomplishment.  We will hunt and kill for him, adds Cliff Chenfeld, Co-Owner Razor & Tie.
Dave Stewart is the latest addition to join the leading independent label Razor & Tie and the diverse and acclaimed roster that includes such artists as Foreigner, Vanessa Carlton, Richard Ashcroft, Nicole Atkins, Angelique Kidjo, Dave Barnes, All That Remains, Norma Jean, Dweezil Zappa, Dar Williams, Chelsea Grin and The Summer Set.  The New York City-based label is one of the fastest growing independent record companies in the United States, and has garnered both Platinum sales and Grammy awards in its 20-year history.

The Blackbird Diaries Tracklisting:
1.     So Long Ago
2.     Beast Called Fame
3.     Magic In The Blues
4.     All Messed Up (featuring Martina McBride)
5.     Stevie Baby
6.     Cheaper Than Free (featuring Stevie Nicks)
7.     The Gypsy Girl and Me
8.     One Way Ticket To The Moon (featuring The Secret Sisters)
9.     Bulletproof Vest (featuring Colbie Caillat)
10.  Worth The Waiting For
11.  The Well
12.  Country Wine (featuring The Secret Sisters)

Produced by Dave Stewart and Mike Bradford
Mixed & Engineered by John McBride
Associate Producer: John McBride
Executive Producer: Dave Kaplan
Mixed and recorded at: Blackbird Studio, Nashville, TN

Share Ross reports on a reunion of sorts for The Rolling Stones and their long time bassist Bill Wyman on the latest episode of Rock’n'Roll TV.

Wyman joined the band to record a track for a tribute album being put together by Ben Waters called “Boogie 4 Stu” in honor of original band member Ian Stewart. Stewart died of a heart attack in 1985, and proceeds from the album will benefit the British Heart Foundation.

Wyman, along with current Stones members Charlie Watts, Ronnie Wood, Keith Richards and Mick Jagger, recorded a cover version of Bob Dylan’s “Watching the River Flow” for the album, which is scheduled to be released on April 19th. The album will also feature songs from PJ Harvey and Jools Holland, as well as some other contributions from Wood, Watts and Richards.

Bill Wyman retired from the band in 1992 after the Steel Wheels and Urban Jungle tours, amidst speculation that there was tension brought on by the publication of his biography Stone Alone. Since that time, Darryl Jones has joined the Stones on bass both in the studio and on tour, although he is considered a “hired hand” and not a full member of the band.

Wyman continues to tour with his own band, The Rhythm Kings, and continues his work as an author and internationally acclaimed photographer at the age of 74.