The JS20TH (shown above) is the rarest of the models, with only 150 being made available in the US. The JS20TH celebrates the 20th anniversary of Joe Satriani's Surfing With the Alien CD and 20 years with Ibanez, features special 3D Silver Surfer graphic inlay, JS Prestige neck,DiMarzio® PAF Pro® and Fred® pickups. Includes a special JS20TH case and extra goodies. The list price for this model is $7,999.99.

The other model, the JS20S has a standard Silver Surfer graphic, IBZ Axis pickups and the Edge III tremolo. List price for this model is $1733.32.

Here is what Ibanez has to say about the whole series:

• New Premium Silver finish adorns the JS1600.
• Multi-radius Prestige neck (JS1000/JS1200) is an
• exact digital rendering of the neck on Joe’s favorite axe.
• High pass filter on JS1000 and JS1200 volume pots maintains highs at low volumes.
• Combination of 25 1/2” inch neck scale and DiMarzio or Ibanez Axis pickups provides wide dynamic range and versatility.
• JS20S features Surfer graphic (decal), IBZ pickups and Edge III bridge.

You can see the entire series of Satriani 20th Anniversary guitars here.

In case you were not aware, Christie's Auction House is auctioning off 329 pieces of James Brown memorabilia on Thursday, July 17th.  You can find all of the items up for bid at the auction on the Christie's Website.

Here is their description of the auction:

Christie’s Iconic Collections will present the James Brown Collection on 17 July. Encompassing the entertainer’s legendary life and historic career, this sale offers the rare opportunity to acquire personal effects of this titan of the 20th century. Nearly 350 lots will be offered in the sale of personal and stage clothing, musical instruments, jewellery, awards and ephemera, as well as furniture and décor from his home.

My favorite items?

A collection of sunglasses - Comprising several sunglasses and reading glasses worn by James Brown
Estimate: $2,000-3,000

Blue cape - A blue satin cape with Thy Name is the Godfather of Soul in rhinestone, sequin, and metallic embellishments Estimate: $15,000-20,000

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Award - A Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Award presented to James Brown in 1986 as one of the original inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Estimate: $15,000-20,000

Don't say you didn't know or have a chance to bid on these items and many more items.

Today, MTV Games and Harmonix, the masterminds behind Rock Band, announced that it is releasing the greatest hits of legendary band The Who, available for download online. "The Best of the The Who: Rock Band Edition," is set for release on July 15 and will provide fans with a dozen of The Who's best songs, including classics "Amazing Journey," "Baba O' Riley," and "Sea & Sand," three songs from the Live at Leeds Album, and more.

"We are very excited to be working so closely with [The Who] on this release for Rock Band," says Paul DeGooyer from SVP Electronic Games and Music for MTV. "The Who is consistently one of our most requested bands, and it is great to be able to bring this exclusive compilation of their music to the Rock Band community."

Each song will be available for $1.99 on July 15 at the Xbox Live Marketplace for Xbox 360 and at the Playstation Store for Playstation 3 or for $19.99 for the entire collection of tracks.

Via: App Scout

Your shows, your music and your message are truly fun and always worth seeing!  Happy Birthday and I look forward to future shows and albums from you for years to come.

Matisyahu Live on Letterman

If you don't know who Bob Gruen is (You Should!), here is his description from his own website:

Bob Gruen is one of the most well known and respected photographers in Rock and Roll. By the mid '70s he was already regarded as one of the foremost documenters of the scene working with major attractions such as John Lennon & Yoko Ono, Tina Turner, The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Elton John, Kiss etc., and also covering the emerging New Wave and Punk bands including The New York Dolls, Patti Smith, Clash, Sex Pistols, Ramones & Blondie.

Just walking through the exhibit was a walk through Rock & Roll history from the 70's to the present with pictures of The Clash, Sex Pistols, Blondie, Kiss, Elton John, John Lennon and so many more. If you consider yourself a fan of rock music and all the history that goes along with it, you owe it to yourself to go check this exhibit out. It is free and well worth the trip down to The Bowery.

(Photo Copyright Bob Gruen)

Here is the info from The Morrison Hotel Gallery site:

The Morrison Hotel Gallery Presents Bob Gruen's 'Rockers'

280 Photograph Installation - Featuring Iconic Images Of John Lennon, Led Zeppelin, The Clash, Debbie Harry And Others - Opens At The Morrison's New 313 Bowery Location (Formerly CBGB's Gallery)

WHAT: Rockers - The Photography Of Bob Gruen

WHERE: Morrison Hotel Gallery, 313 Bowery, NYC, 212.677.2253

Noon - 7pm (Sun - Wed)
Noon - 9pm (Thurs - Sat)
Closed on Mondays

ADMISSION: FREE TO THE PUBLIC!

The Morrison Hotel Gallery, the world's leading purveyor of fine art music photography, is proud to present 'Rockers,' the largest-ever installation by one of the most respected photographers in rock & roll, Bob Gruen. Totaling some 280 photographs, many of them never before exhibited in the United States, from John Lennon to John Lydon, Bob Dylan to Bob Marley, 'Rockers' opens April 24 at the Morrison's new 313 Bowery space, former home to CBGB's Gallery.

'Rockers' was originally presented in 2007 at the FAAP University Museum in Sao Paulo, Brazil, where it drew over 40,000 visitors. The Morrison has commissioned acclaimed architect Tito Ficarelli, who designed the 'Rockers' exhibit in Brazil, to transform the new 313 Bowery space as well.

Bob Gruen's work has shaped the iconography of rock & roll. A native New Yorker, he served as John Lennon and Yoko Ono's personal photographer in the 1970s, a position that would yield two of his best known, and best loved, images of John Lennon wearing a New York City t-shirt and flashing a peace sign while standing in front of the Statue of Liberty. During that time Gruen was also chief photographer for Rock Scene Magazine, where he specialized in candid, behind the scenes photo features. He toured extensively with emerging punk and new wave bands including The New York Dolls, Sex Pistols, The Clash, Ramones, Patti Smith Group and Blondie, while also photographing the biggest artists of the era, including Led Zeppelin, The Who, David Bowie, KISS, Elton John and Alice Cooper. Gruen still carries a camera wherever he goes, and continues to add to a body of work that spans over forty years.

The Boston Traveler reported yesterday about the John Lennon art show taking place this coming weekend at The Hotel Indigo in Newton Mass. this coming weekend.

Here is what Imagine Peace has on their site regarding the show:

JOHN LENNON: POWER TO THE PEOPLE
The Artwork of John Lennon in Newton, MA

Legacy Fine Art Productions, in conjunction with Yoko Ono, are pleased to showcase the Artwork of John Lennon in the exhibit’s anticipated return to the Boston area.

'Power to the People' is an opportunity for fans from all generations to see the truly artistic side of Lennon. This exhibit will feature hand signed pieces, as well as limited edition prints.

John’s message of peace, hope and love still resonates through his artwork and is even more powerful and provocative on the 28th year of his untimely death.

This ever-changing exhibit has been one of the highest attended art showings in America for the past fifteen years and has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for charities throughout the world. This particular event will benefit The Boston Boys and Girls Club which provides enrichment programs to children at risk in the area.

This internationally acclaimed exhibit includes the largest collection of Lennon’s works on paper ever assembled:

~ Over 100 pieces of art created by John Lennon, encompassing the years 1968 through 1980 featuring selected NEW RELEASES… “Come Together” – “Land of Milk and Honey” – “United We Stand”

~ Rare works from the controversial “Bag-One” suite signed by John in 1970

~ Serigraphs, lithographs, copper etchings and aqua tints of John Lennon’s drawings, signed by Yoko Ono including Song Lyrics and the “Real Love” children’s drawings sketched for his son Sean during the last few years of his life

For a look at john’s art, click here

Exhibition details:
Hotel Indigo
399 Grove Street
Newton MA USA
June 27-29, 11am - 6pm

Tel: 888-ART-1969

Facebook event here.

The NY Post reported on Thursday that the new Yankee Stadium would be getting a Hard Rock Cafe.

Here is part of the article:

The new Yankee Stadium opened its doors and held its first official press conference yesterday, where it was announced the Hard Rock Café will inhabit part of the ground floor of the stadium, along with a new joint-venture steakhouse, NYY Steak.

Both restaurants will be open to ticket-holders and non-ticket-holders alike, and will be located at the end of a 31,000-square-foot glass-enclosed concourse called "the great hall." The field cannot be viewed from either restaurant, and as for a lot of the new stadium, the great hall's main purpose is to serve non-baseball events, lined with concession stands and high-definition televisions.

"This whole area is going to be a true high-definition screen," Yankees COO Lonn Trost said yesterday as he stood and pointed at a 290-foot curving wall. "We're trying to utilize all the resources we can so the fans can mill about and have the best experience possible."

What did we find this morning on the RSS feed? Our good friend Scott over at Hidden Track did the posting that we had planned on because he was contacted as well. Scott and I spoke and we decided that the best thing for us to do was offer the same contest on both of our blogs at the same time, twice the fun and twice the chances of scoring a ticket to what looks like a real cool place to see a show on a summer night.

So here we go:

Photo by Nicholas Tolson

If you’ve never been to The Yard, picture an outdoor stage located amongst trees in a secluded location on the banks of the Gowanus Canal.

Our version of the giveaway is a little different, we are looking for someone who is such a Duo fan that they can report back to us with an I Saw the Music story from the show. Your entry to us can be how many times you have seen The Duo, how far you have traveled to see them, great stories from the GRAB tour or just why you want to write a show review for Runaway Dinosaur. We just want to get our tickets into the hands of the most deserving person whoever that may be.

Just leave us a comment below in 50 words of less. We’ll pick one entry at random this Friday, so be sure to get your comment up by Midnight on Friday morning. Good luck and we look forward to seeing you at this very cool show!

T Rex & jroxx

Here is the HIdden Track post for their ticket giveaway

A lot of fans Saw the Music this past weekend down in Manchester, Tennessee. Our good friends over at Hidden Track have done a fantastic job of compiling all the great You Tube clips from the weekend and there are some real gems in the collection. From all accounts this year's Bonnaroo was nearly flawless except for one asshole consumed with his glow in the dark bullshit. Great job Scotty and crew for compiling this great list for all of us.

Hidden Track Bonnaroo Clip Galore.....Click Here.

Last Friday, the Stax Museum of American Soul Music sent this message out to their friends and supporters who want to keep updated on what is going on with the Museum.

Here is their message:

"Hey everybody: text the word SOUL to 25827 to get special updates, event news, and other exclusive info sent right to your cell phone."

jroxx note: I did and got a text message right away letting me know that I was subscribed. Nice move Stax!!

Only at Bonnaroo would Chris Rock be the opening act for Metallica who then would be the opening act for My Morning Jacket. "Opening with the title track from the new album, 'Evil Urges,' and getting right down to business with 'Off the Record,' the Jacket performed virtually the entire new album and a smorgasbord of everything else under the sun including covers ('Get Down on It'), a horn section (feat. Jeff Cotton from Bela Fleck's Flecktones), and, um, oh yeah - -did we forget to mention that Metallica's Kirk Hammett sat in during 'One Big Holiday'? He did. And it was great. But the actual highlight was whatever it was they played between taking the stage at midnight and taking their final bow around 4 in the morning.-Spinner

I'm seeing these guys for the first time on Friday night at Radio City and they announced this week they were going to play the Garden and it was only 2002 that they were playing the Mercury Lounge in New York City. This band is on fire and I can't wait to finally see them.

Headliners Pearl Jam and Kanye West were to play late Saturday night. West's set was moved until 2:45 a.m. local time because the rapper wanted to showcase his glow-in-the-dark stage performance.

Blues elder statesman B.B. King played on the main stage Saturday and was there awarded the key to the city of Manchester.

Also to play Saturday were Jack Johnson, Ben Folds, Phil Lesh and Friends and Sigur Ros. Sunday, the last day of the four-day festival, was to wrap things up with Robert Plant & Allison Krauss, Death Cab for Cutie and Widespread Panic, among others.-Associated Press

Written & directed by Jonathan Levine

Breaking news via Associated Press:

NEW YORK - The classic rock band Yes has canceled its 40th anniversary tour following frontman Jon Anderson's severe asthma attack last month.

The 63-year-old singer, who's since been diagnosed with acute respiratory failure, was ordered by doctors last weekend to rest for at least six months "or suffer further health complications," it was announced Wednesday in a statement released by representatives for the band and Live Nation, which was presenting the tour.

That means no hitting the road for Anderson, who was to kick off the band's 26-city summer tour in Quebec on July 12.

"I'd like everyone (to) know how deeply disappointed I am by this turn of events," Anderson said in a statement. "I was looking forward to celebrating our music with the amazing family of Yes fans once again; but as we all know, health must come before anything else."

Bassist Chris Squire, who formed Yes with Anderson in 1968, said Anderson's health was the band's primary concern, though he was "especially regretful of the fact that ... many of our fans and friends have probably laid out nonrefundable airfares and hotels, etc., in order to enjoy the Yes shows this summer."

Ticket refunds, however, will be available.

The tour, called "Close to the Edge and Back," the band's first outing in four years, included concerts in Toronto, Chicago, Detroit, Boston, Miami, Atlanta and Seattle. It was to close in Universal City, Calif., on Aug. 22.

Anderson and Squire were to be joined by guitarist Steve Howe, drummer Alan White and Oliver Wakeman on keyboards. Wakeman's father is former Yes keyboardist Rick Wakeman.

Luxist posted this package today for Lollapalooza taking place August 1st to 3rd this year.

Gotta say if I had the cash I would be signing up for this right now....

Here's the package:

The best way is to go VIP. If you are interested in attending the famous Lollapalooza in Chicago this summer, August 1-3, the James Hotel makes it easy. Their VIP package includes a guestroom at The James and two VIP tickets to Lollapalooza which lets you skip out on all the heat and lounge in the shade at the LollaLounge which has lounge seating, a private viewing platform, lunch and dinner buffets, refreshments and the all-important air-conditioned restrooms. The James will even drive you their in a private car, give you a choice of one of the headliner's CDs (Radiohead, Rage Against the Machine, Kanye West, Nine Inch Nails, Wilco, The Raconteurs), and offer you a continental breakfast each morning. The three-day package starts at t $2,299 (a cheaper package with general admission tickets is $1.099).

John Bonham 5/31/48 - 9/25/80

R.I.P. Bonzo

John Bonham - Moby Dick

John Bonham - Kashmir

Plant/Bonham - Interview 1970

]]> http://runawaydinosaur.wordpress.com/?p=1358 Thu, 22 May 2008 11:07:37 +0000 jroxx http://runawaydinosaur.wordpress.com/?p=1358 There are very few songwriting pairs in music history that deserve the status of icons. Of course there is Lennon & McCartney but right behind them is the unique partnership of Elton John & Bernie Taupin.

Today we celebrate the life, lyrics and legacy of Bernie Taupin who has written the words to countless songs that the entire world knows by heart and have etched in a wonderful place in our memories. Bernie was born Bernard John Taupin on May 22, 1950.

Bernie's whole life changed when at the age of 17, he answered an advertisement that led to his collaboration with Elton John and as they say....The Rest is History

How many of Bernie's songs do we know and love?

Here is a listing of some of the songs that Bernie Taupin has written the lyrics for:

Bennie and the Jets
Border Song
Burn Down the Mission
Candle in the Wind
Country Comfort
Daniel
Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me
Empty Garden (Hey, Hey Johnny)
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
Harmony
Honky Cat
Levon
Madman Across the Water
Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters
Philadelphia Freedom
Rocket Man (I Think It's Going to Be a Long, Long Time)
Sad Songs (Say So Much)
Saturday Night's Alright (For Fighting)
Someone Saved My Life Tonight
Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word
The Bitch Is Back
Tiny Dancer
Your Song

I don't know about you but I can pretty much recite every lyric from the songs listed above. The world would be a very empty place without the magical words that Bernie Taupin has given us over the last 40 years.

Watch the videos below and LISTEN to the lyrics, they are truly moving and the work of a legend.

Elton John - Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word (1976)

Elton John - Levon (1971)

Elton John - Border Song (1970)

Elton John - Mona Lisas And Mad Hatters (2007)

Elton John - Empty Garden (2007)

]]> http://runawaydinosaur.wordpress.com/?p=1355 Wed, 21 May 2008 01:45:01 +0000 T Rex http://runawaydinosaur.wordpress.com/?p=1355 Ticketmaster debuts paperless ticketing service

Ticketmaster on Tuesday announced the launch of a new paperless ticketing service, wherein customers will no longer carry any paper tickets, and instead present their credit card and photo ID to gain entry at a venue. The new Paperless Ticket will first be utilized on Tom Waits' "Glitter and Doom" tour this summer, and the company says it plans to begin installing capabilities to offer the service at major venues in the U.S. over the next year and a half.

A new fine art and memorabilia exhibition, "A Tribute To Miles Davis and Carlos Santana " (tickets) opened in San Francisco May 15 at Lush Life Gallery, which is part of The Jazz Heritage Center in The Fillmore, according to a press release. The art show was scheduled in May to coincide with Davis' birthday month and with the release of Santana's new career-spanning 2-CD set, "Multi Dimensional Warrior."

"A Tribute To Miles Davis and Carlos Santana," which runs through July 30, features multimedia works of art including limited edition photographs and sculptures, and original paintings. Rare artifacts and memorabilia related to Davis and Santana also will be on display.

Santana is set to perform two club dates, May 20-21, at The Fillmore to celebrate his new release and the exhibition's opening.

via: LiveDaily

Full Press Release on: PRNewswire

I found this masterpiece of the Death Star and rainbow connection to Dark Side of the Moon over on Wired's Listening Blog.

What lies beyond the edges of some of the most famous album covers of all time?

The collaborating minds over at B3ta held a Photoshop contest in which the goal was to expand cover scenes to include their surroundings.

Check out all the entries here.

First came his announcement on April 18th that he was reuniting with Brian Eno for an album of "Electronic Gospel" and that he and Eno will tour in support of the album. The tour will consist of over 40 % of Talking Heads material which put smiles on long suffering TH fans for sure.

Then on May 5th, David announced via his journal an ambitious new project called Playing the Building. It is a 9,000-square-foot, interactive, site-specific installation. It will transform the interior of the landmark Battery Maritime Building in Lower Manhattan into a massive sound sculpture that all visitors are invited to sit and “play.” Byrne’s project will consist of a retrofitted antique organ placed in the center of the building’s cavernous second-floor gallery that will control a series of devices attached to its structural features—metal beams, plumbing, electrical conduits, and heating and water pipes. These machines will vibrate, strike, and blow across the building elements, triggering unique harmonics and producing finely tuned sounds. As Byrne explains, it is an elaborate system for “activating the sound-producing qualities that are inherent in all materials.”

All this on top of his magical performance of Walt Disney's When You Wish Upon A Star from Hal Wilner's Stay Awake 20th Anniversary at St. Ann's Warehouse in Brooklyn on April 2nd (which I had the distinct honor of attending the rehearsals on April 1st and got the opportunity to meet and speak with David for quite a while.)

I have to say to all David Byrne fans, if you have never seen David's Live at Union Chapel DVD seek it out. I recently lent my copy to T Rex for a cross country flight he had to take and he was mightily "blown away" by it.

So on behalf of anyone that loves David Byrne & The Talking Heads, we wish David a happy 56th birthday. Please continue to share your unique and wonderful music vision with us for many years to come!

David Byrne - Nothing but Flowers (Live at Union Chapel)

Happy Birthday Burt!

What is so amazing about Burt Bacharach's long and illustrious career is that there are so many songs that we all have come to know and love over the years and a good portion of them emanated from just one man. It is a rare day that somehow, somewhere, somebody does not hear a Burt Bacharch song.

This is just a brief list of songs performed by other artists that were written by Burt Bacharach:

The Beatles - Baby, It's You
The Carpenters - (They Long to Be) Close to You
Aretha Franklin - Say A Little Prayer
Dionne Warwick - Walk On By
B.J. Thomas - Raindrops Keep Falling on my Head
Tom Jones -What's New, Pussycat
Dusty Springfield - The Look of Love
Christopher Cross - Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)
Neil Diamond - Heartlight
Michael McDonald with Patti Labelle - On My Own
That's What Friends Are For - Dionne Warwick, Stevie Wonder, Gladys Knight & Elton John
Naked Eyes - (There's) Always Something There to Remind Me

Oh and to top it all off, what does he do in his late 70's? He works with Dr. Dre!

Here is an amazing series of clips from PBS TV's Great Performances in 1995 that show Burt's entire career. It is just mind boggling the amount of artists he has worked with, the amount of songs he has written and the long lasting effect his songs have had on us for years and years. This is the story of a genius and a legend!

Burt Bacharach - Great Performances - Part 1

Burt Bacharach - Great Performances - Part 2

Burt Bacharach - Great Performances - Part 3

Burt Bacharach - Great Performances - Part 4

Burt Bacharach - Great Performances - Part 5

Burt Bacharach - Great Performances - Part 6

Burt Bacharach - Great Performances - Part 7

Burt Bacharach - Great Performances - Part 8

Burt Bacharach - Great Performances - Part 9

U2 is one of the few bands that has managed to keep the same members from day 1. It all began on September 25th, 1976 when Bono, The Edge (David Howell Evans), Dick Evans, and Adam Clayton responded to an advertisement by fellow student Larry Mullen Jr. to form a rock band.

Bono is the only person to have been nominated for an Academy Award, Golden Globe, Grammy, and Nobel Peace Prize.

We can only hope that Bono and U2 will continue to make groundbreaking music and tour for years to come.

Here are some highlights of Bono & U2's career from their first US television appearance to some very unique duets....

U2 on Tom Snider Show 06/04/1981

U2 featuring Mary J Blige - One

U2 & Bruce Springsteen - I still haven't found what I'm looking for

U2 & Paul McCartney - Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band

Bono & Pavarotti & - Ave Maria

If you had any doubts about how much Robert Johnson influenced modern music, read the following passage from his Wikipedia page:

When Keith Richards was first introduced to Johnson's music by his band mate Brian Jones, he replied, "Who is the other guy playing with him?", not realizing it was all Johnson playing on one guitar. Clapton described Johnson's music as "the most powerful cry that I think you can find in the human voice."

He is ranked #5 in Rolling Stone's list of the 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time, ahead of Stevie Ray Vaughan, Jimmy Page, Keith Richards, Jeff Beck and Carlos Santana.

Just a few Robert Johnson originals that we have come to know and love from versions by modern rock & blues artists:

George Harrison (with Eric Clapton & Leon Russell) - Come on in My Kitchen

Rolling Stones - Love In Vain

Gov't Mule - 32-20 Blues

ZZ Top - Dust My Broom

Red Hot Chili Peppers - They're Red Hot