Just how much Doors fans care to know the sordid details on the long running feud between John Densmore and the other surviving members of the group is highly questionable - but that's not keeping the drummer from putting them down on paper.  The Doors Unhinged - Jim Morrison's Legacy Goes on Trial will detail the battle of the band members over what should and shouldn't be done with songs and other things with an eternal association with the group's charismatic front man.  The row stems back to the Densmore's objections to guitarist Robby Krieger and keyboard player Ray Manzarek touring under the name The Doors of the 21st Century and also involves the drummer blocking a big pay day for the former Doors members when GM reportedly offered millions to use Doors music in Cadillac commercials.
Jam.Canoe.Ca

MORE DOORS INSIGHTS

Ringo Starr pulled into Nashville last July for a performance at the historic  Ryman Auditorium that featured appearances by Music City veterans including Vince Gill and Brad Paisley with his All Starr Band.  The 26 song set gets released in DVD format on March 19.  In addition to a number of Beatles tracks, the performance includes songs members of his annual touring outfit rose to prominence through during their careers - Black Magic Woman and Everybody's Everything features Santana and Journey veteran Greg Rolie, Toto's Steve Lukather stars on Rosanna and Africa,  Joe Walsh on Rocky Mountain Way, and Todd Rundgren on Bang The Drum All Day.  Also in the lineup that night were All Starr Band alums Felix Cavaliere of the Rascals and Richard Marx.
Examiner.com

MORE RINGO STARR INSIGHTS

Eric Clapton reunites with some familiar friends on a new album scheduled for a March 12 release.  Old Sock, a collection of several of EC's favorites by other artists, will include two new Clapton originals - Every Little Thing and Gotta Get Over.  Guitarist JJ Cale sings and adds his guitar to the song Angel, Steve Winwood, Clapton's band mate in Blind Faith and, more recently, a frequent collaborator and touring partner of Eric's, adds Hammond B3 parts to Still Got The Blues, Paul McCartney sings and plays bass on All of Me.  Other contributers include drummer Jim Keltner on Our Love Is Here To Stay and Chaka Khan, vocals on Get On Over.  EC regulars Willie Weeks (bass). Steve Gadd (drums) and Chris Stainton (keyboards) play on multiple tracks.
WheresEric.com

MORE ERIC CLAPTON INSIGHTS

The annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, the biggest full throttle biker party on the planet, will Rock this year to the tunes of ZZ Top and Queensryche.  The July 29 - August 11 conclave in South Dakota presents Queensryche on Friday, August 2. The Top takes the Buffalo Chip stage on Sunday, the fourth, and Toby Keith performs August 6th.  Now in its 7th decade, the full-tilt-biker-boogie is packed with plenty of other diversions, including the the Zip The Chip zip line that will carry fans directly over the concert, the Pro Hill Climb, a shooting range where bikers packing the right permit can cut loose a military grade machine gun, Midget Bowling, a Bikini Contest and dozens of showcase events and demonstrations.
BuffaloChip.com

Duane Allman made far too early an exit, but during his relatively short time making music professionally the guitar great from the Allman Brothers Band managed to record sessions with Derek & The Dominos, Aretha Franklin, Delaney & Bonnie, Boz Scaggs, Laura Nyro, Wilson Pickett, King Curtis, Ronnie Hawkins and many, many others.  A compilation culled by Duane's daughter, Glaldrielle, pulls together highlights of those guest sessions, many of her father's best recordings with his own band and a sampling of some of the pre and side Allman Brothers Band projects he took part in, including The Escorts, Allman Joys and Hour Glass.  SkyDog: The Duane Allman Retrospective, a 7 disc collection, is due March 5 on Rounder.  Scott Schinder, producer of  project's extensive liner notes, says, '...Duane Allman remains a towering figure whose stature has only increased in his absence. His influence lives on, not only in multiple generations of guitarists who have been motivated by his input, but also in the legions of listeners who have continued to find inspiration in his vibrant vision of American music, which remains as fresh and truthful today as when it was created'.

MORE DUANE ALLMAN INSIGHTS

Tommy Aldridge will fill the vacancy created when drummer Brian Tichy announced he was leaving Whitesnake to join a group fronted by Joss Stone (story).  Aldridge is well acquainted with Whitesnake material, having been the drummer for David Coverdale's hard Rockin' outfit for two previous stints.  David says that band members all had Aldridge at the top of their list of potential replacements.  Tommy kept the beat for Whitesnake between 1987 and '91 and again from 2002-2007.  He was plenty busy between those periods too, drumming for Thin Lizzy, Ted Nugent, Motorhead and others.
ClassicRockMagazine

The first full-scale concert the Allman Brothers Band did after the death of Duane Allman and a May, 1973 concert recording from a Nassau Coliseum show get released on Feb. 12.  The Feb. 11, 1972 recording from the City Auditorium in the group's home base of Macon took place less than four months after the guitarist's death in a motorcycle crash in the Georgia city and a couple of months ahead of the release of the Eat A Peach double album.  By the time the Long Island concert was staged, the band had lost bassist Berry Oakley to a similar bike tragedy, added Lamar Williams to replace him and recruited Chuck Leavell as a second keyboard player.
Four of the tracks from this recording have not been featured on previous archive releases ( Jessica, Come & Go Blues, Wasted Words and Ramblin' Man). None of the tracks on the 1972 recording have received prior official release.  BroadwayWorld.com

   MORE ALLMAN BROTHERS INSIGHTS

The members of U2 has put their money where their mouths are to the tune of more than $8 million dollars to subsidize access to instruments and music lessons for children in Ireland.  A statement from the band released through the Ireland Funds reads, 'As a band, we believe music tuition should be available to anyone who wants it. We want to help make this happen for Ireland's children and young people - our 'music generation' of the future.'  The big contribution from the band represents nearly half of the total for the campaign. The Edge says the goal of making musical training readily available to children is important to him and the other members of U2 because, 'Over the years, there has been a tendency for music not to be the top priority, but the great thing about Music generation is that it's putting it back to where it needs to be. We really wanted to put our name to it, we feel strongly about this.'
Irishcentral.com

MORE U2 INSIGHTS

Strong demand for tickets for the recently announced Fleetwood Mac North American tour has resulted in an additional 13 dates being added to the itinerary.  Pollstar reports that more than 325,000 tickets were snapped up within days of going on sale for the first round of concerts.  The added nights will keep the band on the road from June 14 (Rosemont, Ill.) through July 6 (Sacramento, CA.).  The legendary group also recently joined the lineup for the 2013 New Orleans jazz & Heritage festival (story).

6/14 – Rosemont, Ill., Allstate Arena
6/15 – Cleveland, Ohio, Quicken Loans Arena
6/18 – Montreal, Quebec, Bell Centre
6/19 – Albany, N.Y., Times Union Center
6/21 – Mansfield, Mass., Comcast Center
6/22 – Wantagh, N.Y., Jones Beach Theater
6/24 – Charlotte, N.C., Time Warner Cable Arena
6/26 – Des Moines, Iowa, Wells Fargo Arena
6/29 – Spokane, Wash., Spokane Arena
6/30 – Portland, Ore., Rose Garden 
7/03 – Los Angeles, Calif., Staples Center
7/05 – San Diego, Calif., Viejas Arena
7/06 – Sacramento, Calif., Sleep Train Arena

MORE FLEETWOOD MAC INSIGHTS

Def Leppard fans could have some new music to listen forward to in the not too distant future.  The band plans to do some recording during its residency at the Hard Rock in Las Vegas from March 22 - April 10.  Joe Elliott told Rolling Stone that the stertch in Glitterville will be the first time all members have been in the same place in a long while.  According to the guitarist, the plan is to get an extra room at the Hard Rock Hotel they can fashion into a studio during the residency.  Depending on where DL registers on your chart, a room next door or over/under would be heaven or hell.
HenneMusic.com

MORE DEF LEPPARD INSIGHTS

The Rock Hall of Fame induction on April 18 in LA will include Dave Grohl and Taylor Hawkins of the Foo Fighters doing the presentation of Rush, Don Henley stepping up on behalf of Randy Newman,  Soundgarden veteran Chris Cornell  doing the honors for fellow Seattle Rockers Heart and John Mayer handling the induction of the late Albert King.

The long process of getting a movie about Bon Scott off the ground is finally making headway. JR Getches has shot some footage in preparation for the trailer promoting the movie that will feature Rob Liotti in the title role.  The director calls the life story of the AC/DC front man that died 30 years ago a 'classical tragedy', calling Scott '...a misfit who found his place in Rock music and became immortal pursuing his dream.'  Whether the full film ever comes to fruition remains to be seen.  The production company behind the project sees the trailer as an important step toward getting financial backers of the project interested in investing in the movie.|
HeneMusic.com

MORE AC/DC INSIGHTS

There are multiple reasons Bono could have come to Jason Bond's mind when he was thinking of a name for a new species of trapdoor spider.  The U2 front man and The Edge provided music and had a big influence on the Spider-Man Broadway musical, the singer almost always sports goggles that make him appear rather bug-eyed, some people consider him creepy... but the real reason is probably because the band's biggest album, The Joshua Tree, was named for the place the Auburn University biologist came across the 33 new species of the crawlers.  The A. bonoi joins the ranks of other critters Bond has named after celebrities, including spiders with variations on the names of Stephen Colbert and Angelina Jolie.
IrishExaminer.com

MORE BONO INSIGHTS

A most unlikely lineup of collaborators took to a stage at the Sundance Film Festival Saturday (1/19) to rip through a set in celebration of the film directing debut of drummer Dave Grohl.  The connecting thread for the wildly diverse bunch of players assembled by the Nirvana and Foo Fighters drummer is that all recorded at Sound City, the southern California studio commemorated in the Grohl documentary Sound City: Real To Reel (see trailer).
At various times the stage was occupied by Stevie Nicks, John Fogerty, Rick Nielsen of Cheap Trick, Slipknot's Corey Taylor, Rami Jaffee from the Wallflowers, Rage Against The Machine's Brad Wilk, Jessy Greene of the Jayhawks, Rick Springfield, and Grohl's bandmates in the Foo Fighters, Chris Shiflett & Taylor Hawkins and Nirvana, Pat Smear & Krist Novoselic.
Noise911.com

 

The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival continues to extend its reach into multiple genres. The 2013 gathering at the Fairgrounds Racecourse takes place April 26-28 and May 2-5, and will include appearances by Fleetwood Mac, Billy Joel, the Dave Matthews Band, the Black Keys, Patti Smith, Dr. John, Gary Clark Jr., Sonny Landreth, Ben Harper, Willie Nelson, BB King, Earth, Wind & Fire, the Nevilles, Jimmy Cliff, Daryl Hall & John Oates and dozens more. Advance sale single day tickets are a steal at $45 through Jan. 29. They bump to $50 after that and remaining tix will be $65 at gates.
NOJazzFest.com

 

Tom Morello contributed guitar work to Bruce Springsteen's latest album and has been an occasional on stage guest during the Wrecking Ball tour.  His presence will be heard nightly when The Boss and his E Street Band hits Australia.  Morello won't be trading licks with Steve Van Zandt, though.   Van Zandt  is unavailable for the Down Under dates because of filming commitments for the Lillyhammer TV series he has a role in and is not expected to hook back up with the E Streeters and Bruce until the tour  plays Oslo on April 29th.
Rolling Stone   NME.com

 

The annual Northeast festival Warren Haynes of the Allman Brothers Band and Gov't Mule co-presents is out of the gate with the initial acts in the 2013 lineup.  Mountain Jam 9 at Hunter Mountain in Hunter, New York June 6-9 will be headlined by the Mule, Phil Lesh & Friends and Widespread Panic.  Other notables in the first round of artists announced include Gary Clark Jr., Primus and Amy Helm.  Many additional acts will be added in the coming weeks.  Tickets for the tickets are on sale, with early discounts available for a limited time.

 

Moody Blues guitarist Justin Hayward ventures into solo territory for the fist time in 17 years with the Feb. 26 release of Spirits of the Western Sky.  The writer of Nights In White Satin, Question, Tuesday Afternoon Your Wildest Dreams and several other Moody's classics recorded the new project in both Nashville and Genoa, Italy.  The album reunites Hayward with orchestrator Anne Dudley, who he credits as, '...one of the true greats' of her field.'  Also onboard but coincidentally was  Kenny Loggins who sings with Justin on the song On The Road To Love, a tune the pair wrote after running into each other at a hotel while touring. 
With his band having recently announced that the Moody Blues have no future writing or recording plans, Western Sky could be as close to new Moody's music  fans are likely to get. 

The Sundance Film Festival will debut two documentaties about fabled recording studios this year.  Sound City, a film about the Van Nuys, California studio that closed in 2011 after a steady stream of great recordings over its four decades in biz, including Fleetwood Mac's Rumours, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers Damn The Torpedoes, Neil Young's After The Gold Rush and director Dave Grohl's own band, Nirvana's groundbreaking Nevermind.  Grohl has assembled quite an unlikely group of superstars to share the same stage to perfrom at the festival (story).





The other film Rockers will flock to is Muscle Shoals, the documentary that recounts the rivalry and successes of two great Alabama studios that made Muscle Shoals a gotta get to destination for generations of major musicians, and  between, them produced amazing influentail music, including treasured releases from Aretha Franklin, Wilson Pickett, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Paul Simon, the Staples Singers, Rolling Stones, Paul Simon and many, many others.  the Muscle Shoals Sound Studio, and Rick Hall's FAME Studio, a place Keith Richards described as Rock & Roll Heaven.
HitFix.com

The live version of Stairway To Heaven that brought Robert Plant close to tears during the Led Zeppelin Kennedy Center Honors late last year has been released through iTunes.  The rendition, performed by Ann & Nancy Wilson of Heart backed by Jason Bonham, son of the late Zeppelin drummer,  was a highlight of the program.  Big fans of the Mighty Zep, the Wilson sisters often include a Zeppelin tune in Heart concert sets.  Of the opportunity to do the anthem live in front of the members of the group and other Kennedy Center honorees, Ann Wilson wrote, 'It was an honor to be asked to do it before an audience like that.  My main goal though was to please Jimmy Page, Robert Plant and John Paul Jones... especially Plant, since all these many years he has taught me so much about singing from the soul and has given me so much pleasure in his lyrics.  What a high night it was.  Never to be forgotten!'
Heart gets honored with induction to the Rock Hall of Fame April 18 in LA.  Highlights from that ceremony air on HBO May 18.  Be fitting for Plant to be there to join them on Magic Man.
HenneMusic.com

MORE HEART INSIGHTS   MORE LED ZEPPELIN INSIGHTS

OnEarz has added an AC/DC set of cans to its Legends headphones series.  The company promises the black (of course) model will deliver an optimal listening experience through a powerful driver providing 108dB sensitivity and a frequency response of 20-20.000Hz.  The company's Listen With Legends series also includes headphone designs modeled for Elvis Presley and James Dean.  They retail for around $160 US.
OnEarz.com

MORE AC/DC INSIGHTS

A scheduled appearance of Lynyrd Skynyrd during the Republican National Convention in Tampa was cancelled due to concerns over Hurricane Ivan. This weekend, the Southern Rock institution will show some non-partisan spirit by performing at Ball celebrating the inauguration of Barack Obama.  Skynyrd headlines the Sunday (1/20) 2013 Heros Red, White & Blue Inaugural Concert Ball.  The invite-only celebration honoring members of the military is being hosted by Speaker of the House John Boehner and will include members of the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors, the Warrior Transition Brigade of Walter Reed Medical Center and the Tuskegee Airmen.

LynyrdSkynyrd.com

MORE LYNYRD SKYNYRD INSIGHTS

A dispute over money caused drummer Bill Ward to opt out of rejoing Ozzy Osbourne, Tommy Iommi and Geezer Butler for the Black Sabbath reunion album.  The vacancy created by Ward's hold-out was filled during recording sessions by Brad Wilk of Rage Against The Machine.  Whether Wilk participates in a tour scheduled to begin in Australia in April remains to be seen.  The album, titled 13, will get its US release in June.
LambGoat.com

The 1974 Roll Royce that Freddie Mercury owned from 1979 until his death in 1991 brought a top bid just under $120,000 at an auction in Birmingham, UK Sunday (1/13).  A Russian bidding by phone claimed ownership of the car for a price apparently 7x higher than auctioneers had expected it to bring.  While 39 year-old Rolls falls well short  of a modern luxury car, it seems surprising that the auction house was caught off guard by the added value a previous owner like Freddie Mercury would add to the vehicle.  If the new owner feels any buyer's remorse, he can make use of the box of Kleenex Tissues that is purported to have been in the Rolls since Freddie was last onboard.
HenneMusic.com

MORE FREDDIE MERCURY INSIGHTS

The New York Post is quoting an unidentified source close to Steven Tyler and Erin Brady as saying that the relationship between the Aerosmith front man and the woman he was reportedly close to marrying is '...over for good this time.'  Reports of a rift between the pair emerged a few months ago.  Tyler's turbulent life stabilized considerably after regaining sobriety,leaving Ameican Idol and recociling with his Boston band mates, but there were suggestions that he had returned to his partying ways.  While the engagement is over, the source says the couple remains friendly.
NYPost.com

MORE STEVEN TYLER INSIGHTS

 

Even if Hawaii-Five-0 isn't a regular view for you, Hendrix fans might want to make an exception or set the TiVo to capture the special Sunday, January 20 episode. Seven songs from the guitar great will be featured on the CBS show.  Inserted into the action of the cop show revival will be versions of Bleeding Heart, Crash Landing, Hey Gypsy Boy, Mojo Man, Somewhere and Inside Out - all songs that will be included on the March 5 release People, Hell and Angels.
TheWrap.com

MORE JIMI HENDRIX INSIGHTS

Someone looking for a particularly unique yet practical Rock collectible could do Levon Helm's family a solid by taking ownership of the late drummer's RoadTrek.  The luxury Mercedes Benz model has less than 10k on the odometer and is loaded with extras, including a 5:1 home theater surround sound system, flat screen HDTV, a power rear sofa that converts into a bed and a convection oven. Proceeds from the sale of the 2010 high-end RV will be used to help pay off debt that piled-up during the years that Helm battled cancer.  The family hopes to raise around $90,000 from the sale, but a post on the Levon helm web site encourages offers.  Offers and requests for further information can be directed to roadtrek@levonhelm.com

MORE LEVON HELM INSIGHTS

  LevonHelm.com

After years off the road, Bob Seger will spend a fair amount of time touring for the second year in a row.  The Seger & Silver Bullet Band North American 2013 trek opens Feb. 27 in Toledo, OH and runs through an April 2 date in Denver. It includes stops in Grand Rapids (3/5), Green Bay (3/7), Winnepeg (3/12), Calgary (3/19), Edmonton (3/21), Saskatoon (3/23), Vancouver (3/27), Seattle (3/29) and Portland (3/30).  Gaps in the early dates in places close to Detroit could be to allow Bob and the Band to operate out of home instead of needing to stay on the road - or to allow for additional nights to be added at venues that sell out.
We are still awaiting info on when the album Seger has been working on for well over a year will see the light of day.
Freep.com

MORE BOB SEGER INSIGHTS

Foo Fighter drummer Dave Grohl has pulled together a diverse bunch for a one-off appearance celebrating the premier of his first film at the Sundance Film Festival Sunday (1/13). Dubbed the Sound City Players, Grohl will be joined by John Fogerty, Stevie Nicks, Cheap Trick's Rick Nielsen, fellow former Nirvana member Krist Novoselic, pop singer Rick Springfield and Rage Against The Machine's Brad Wilk.  All of the guesting musicians appear in the movie, which chronicles the goings on in a fabled Van Nuys, California recording studio.
ContactMusic.com
 

David Bowie didn't just retire from touring and recording - he virtually disappeared. Just as suddenly, the enigmatic Rocker has returned. At the stroke of midnight on his birthday (1/8), a revamped davidbowie.com announced a new song, vedeo and album for the New Year.  Where are We Now, a haunting, piano accompanied song, is the lead track and became immediately available through iTunes.  The album, Bowie's first in a decade and 30th overall, is titled THE NEXT DAY and will get released in March.  It will be available in two configurations; a 14 song issue and a Deluxe edition including 3 additional titles.

MORE DAVID BOWIE INSIGHTS









 

Less than a month after finishing a farewell tour, Scorpions members have announced that the band is staying together.  Vocalist Klaus Mein attributes the change of heart to the reception the group's 2010 album received, claiming that the release and touring generated a whole new generation of fans for his hard Rockin' band.  In comments to Classic Rock Magazine, Mein likened the experience to attending parties where you can't find the door.  The suddenly unretiring group plans to mine some unfinished songs from the early 1980's for its next album.

Prospects that Scott Weiland will get welcomed back by Velvet Revolver got shredded by Slash, who called comments by the recently ousted Stone Temple Pilots member 'rantings' and says, 'None of us has a clue about what he's talking about... We're not buying it.'  In case that statement left any doubt, the guitarist added, 'Scott is completely speaking out of his ass', and '...he's on his own. And he deserves it too'.
ClassicRockMagazine.com

Starting Tuesday (1/8), Peter Gabriel fans of the Apple persuasion will get the opportunity to create their own remixes of songs from his 1986 release So.  The MusicTiles app was created by Professor Henril Lund and includes both the original mixes of songs from the album as well as electronica and industrial versions that can be deconstructed and reconstituted using modular tiles on iPhones, iPads and iPods.  Gabriel says he likes empowering those on the receiving end of his music to reinvent his songs, saying, '...music and art should be fully open media from which no-one is excluded', so that creativity is not, '...the exclusive province of the high priests armed with 'Talent'.  Plenty of Gabriel fans using Android devices will hope that Peter sees to it that it is not also the exclusive province of Apple users.
PeterGabriel.com

MORE PETER GABRIEL INSIGHTS

Looks like fans that shelled out big bucks anticipating that the O2 Arena, Barclay Center and Prudential Center Rolling Stones concerts would be the last chance to see the band can put their bragging rights on the shelf.  Mick Jagger, Ron Wood and Keith Richards are all indicating that the Stones are fielding offers for 2013 dates - and that possible festival appearances are in the mix.  Jagger says 'There have been quite a few offers. I'm going to see what's on the table and discuss it with everyone.'  Glastonbury and Coachella are the two festivals likely to be be front runners to land the Stones for a headline slot. As for speculation that the band will call it quits after the next round of dates. Don't bet on that either. Woody says the band won't fold until the members have no other choice.
TheSun.co.uk

MORE ROLLING STONES INSIGHTS

Brian Tichy has vacated the drummer spot in Whitsnake.  The Billy Idol, Ozzy Osbourne and Foreigner veteran stick man moves on to a new outfit named Something Unto Nothing (SUN) that includes powerhouse vocalist Sass Jordan, who Tichy backed during her 2004 tour.  There are no hard feelings involved.  Whitesnake front man David Coverdale said, 'We are truly sad to see him go', and added, 'His fearless drumming brought a relentless driving edge to our music that we fully embraced.  Good lick Brian - may the SUN shine brightly on you.'
ClassicRockMagazine.com

Bruce Springsteen gets honored as MusiCares Person of the Year during a Gala thrown by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences charitable organization in LA two nights before the annual Grammy Awards ceremony. The honor crediting a musician for their artistic and philanthropic contributions was established in the late 1980s. The already sold-out Feb. 8 event hosted by the Daily Show's Jon Stewart will include tributes to The Boss performed by Neil Young, Billy Joel, Elton John, Mumford & Sons, Kenny Chesney and Natalie Maines of the Dixie Chicks.  A good guage of how much money Springsteen passes along to causes he feels are important is the fact that, despite his massive earnings, he is nowhere near the top of the list of wealthiest Rockers.
NJ.com

MORE BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN INSIGHTS

The Allman Brothers Band is back in residence at the Beacon Theatre in New York City this March.  The seminal Southern Rock group has booked a 10 concert run between March 1 & 16.  Allman Bros. runs at the Beacon have been taking place since 1989 on a nearly annual basis and regularly feature a number of pre-announced and surprise guests.  The 2013 concerts take place March 1,2,5, 6, 8, 9, 12 ,13, 15 & 16.  Tickets for the shows will be available at 10am (Eastern) on Friday, 1/11 through Ticketmaster and www.beacontheatre.com or by phone at 800-745-3000. The group returns to the Big Apple for back-to-back nights at Madison Square Garden April 12 & 13 and returns to the annual WANEE Festival in Live Oak, Florida April 19 & 20.
HenneMusic.com   AllmanBrothersBand.com

MORE ALLMAN BROTHERS INSIGHTS

U2 is in the early stages of working on a new release with a working title of 10 Reasons To Exist.  Not much more about the album was revealed by Bono during a conversation with Amanda Bunker, host of Amanda's World on Sunshine Radio, other than the fact that the project has a long way to go before it sees the light of day.  Bono also said he'd been slowed by a bout of the flu over the Christmas holiday but added that he, '...loved being home', adding that he, '...had the best Christmas ever.' 
IrishCentral.com

MORE U2 INSIGHTS

One of America's longest running bands will be down a major member in the new year when Paul Barrere spends time away from the band to recover from Hepatitis C.  Diagnosed in 1994, the guitarist has been able to manage the virus for nearly two decades but agrees with doctors that the time is right to go on offense and try to drive the virus out of his system.  Barrere plans to begin his health leave shortly after the annual Little Feat Fan Excursion to Jamaica, which takes place in March.  The down time will also give him a chance to put the finishing touches on a solo project he has been working on since 2005.  In a post on the group's web site, Barrere assured Feat fans he has no intention of abandoning his role in the band, writing, '...this isn't goodbye by any stretch of the imagination.  It's just another crossroads to pass. I intend to get through this in the best way possible and get back to pickin' and playin' as soon as I am able.'
We send rapid rebound wishes to Paul - an outstanding musician and as nice a guy as there is in any band.
JamBands.com

MORE PAUL BARRERE INSIGHTS

MySpace.com/PaulBarrere