Paul McCartney broadcast 2 songs live into space on November 12th to wake Astronauts who were finishing up 44 consecutive days above the earth. This was the first time this had ever been done. The performance featured ”Good Day Sunshine,” an old Beatles standard and ”Time for Tea,” from his most recent album.

For the CBC article click here.

One of Jimmy Page’s recent projects was a collaboration with veteran rocker, Jerry Lee Lewis. What was Jimmy’s contribution? How about ”Rock ’n Roll.” A sound clip is available through the link below, or just click here.

More Details on a New Zealand Jerry Lee Lewis, AKA ”The Killer,” page.

Prior to the kickoff for this year’s Stones’ tour at Boston’s Fenway Park, they ”pre-launched” in Toronto. A prize awaited those who waited over 24 hours outside the Phoenix Concert Theatre–1973 prices. About 1000 people bought tickets to the show for only $10.00!

Rolling Stone Article

Fan Article

”Maggie´s Farm”

Here’s a cute little site where you can read recent reviews from Bob Dylan’s 2005 tour. I liked this little snippet about Dylan’s opener, ”Maggie’s Farm.”

Apart from the fact that we can hardly expect a different opener these
days and weeks (with Dylan still suffering from Amazon-timeloopiness),
there is nothing negative I could say about its standardized setlist
positions in general, and surely nothing about this version in special.
From the second verse on you could tell that Dylan was willing and able to
look for something in his vocal delivery. There were some beautifully
nasty phrasings full of relish that were a delight to hear (”ain´t gonna
work for Maggie´s maaaaaaaaa no … more!” – with ”more sounding like a
little piece of garbage that he almost forgot to throw after the event).
The song was very tight and almost too short for my liking.

A Guardian article reflects on Dylan’s relevancy for 2005 (click here).

… or click here for another Guardian write up.

Here’s a review from the NJ concert, 2005, with pictures

American Life in Poetry: Column 030

BY TED KOOSER, U.S. POET LAUREATE

Naomi Shihab Nye lives in San Antonio, Texas. Here she perfectly captures a moment in childhood that nearly all of us may remember: being too small for the games the big kids were playing, and fastening tightly upon some little thing of our own.

Boy and Egg

Every few minutes, he wants
to march the trail of flattened rye grass
back to the house of muttering
hens. He too could make
a bed in hay. Yesterday the egg so fresh
it felt hot in his hand and he pressed it
to his ear while the other children
laughed and ran with a ball, leaving him,
so little yet, too forgetful in games,
ready to cry if the ball brushed him,
riveted to the secret of birds
caught up inside his fist,
not ready to give it over
to the refrigerator
or the rest of the day.

Reprinted from ”Fuel,” published by BOA Editions by permission of the author. Copyright © 1998 by Naomi Shihab Nye, whose most recent book is ”A Maze Me” Harper Collins/Greenwillow, 2004. This weekly column is supported by The Poetry Foundation, The Library of Congress, and the Department of English at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. This column does not accept unsolicited poetry.

American Life in Poetry: Column 029

by TED KOOSER, U.S. POET LAUREATE

Many of you have seen flocks of birds or schools of minnows acting as if they were guided by a common intelligence, turning together, stopping together. Here is a poem by Debra Nystrom that beautifully describes a flight of swallows returning to their nests, acting as if they were of one mind. Notice how she extends the description to comment on the way human behavior differs from that of the birds.

Cliff Swallows

Is it some turn of wind
that funnels them all down at once, or
is it their own voices netting
to bring them in—the roll and churr
of hundreds searing through river light
and cliff dust, each to its precise
mud nest on the face—
none of our own isolate
groping, wishing need could be sent
so unerringly to solace. But
this silk-skein flashing is like heaven
brought down: not to meet ground
or water—to enter
the riven earth and disappear.

Reprinted from ”Torn Sky,” Sarabande Books, 2004, by permission of the poet. Copyright © 2004 by Debra Nystrom, an Associate Professor of English at the University of Virginia. This weekly column is supported by The Poetry Foundation, The Library of Congress, and the Department of English at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. This column does not accept unsolicited poetry.

Bob Dylan will begin his first concert tour of Sweden in 40 years next week. The picture above is about that old. In keeping with Bobby’s MO not much is known about the venture. Good luck in Stockholm!

Though offered many, Dylan has accepted two honorary doctorates to date: one from Princeton University in 1970 and one from St. Andrews in Scotland (Prince William’s school), in June of 2004. Did you know that Bob Dylan has also been a frequent contender for the Nobel Prize in Literature? Check it out at CBS.

Joe Satriani played in Phoenix on April 6th, a make-up engagement after cancelling in December due to pneumonia. He was warmly apologetic at the outset and the nearly full house responded enthusiastically.

I was secondarily entertained by the audience, a rich mix of twenty-somethings all the way up to obvious AARP card carriers. Quite a few simply could not stay in their seats and each time that the revolving stage circled by, were on their feet: one swinging a large, pendulous (but soft) object as though it were some arcane battle mace and others signifying with obscure hand gestures–all for a smile or perhaps even a flung guitar pick from Satch himself.

The music was great. Some of the concert was carried by a drummer, a bassist and Satriani though a second guitarist joined for much of the performance. As far as power trios go I’ve heard none better. Where ZZ Top fades into a incoherent blare of Marshall stacks, Satriani was clear, precise, defined and most definitely in control of the sound. ”Masterful,” is an inadequate adverb for his axe handling skills.

What could have made this concert better? Not much, unless it included sometime, band-mates, Steve Vai and perhaps either John Petrucci or Eric Johnson. Other than that it couldn’t be beat.