RIP Mike Peters. Alarm front man Mike Peters passed away Monday (4/28) following a courageous 30 year battle with blood cancer. Inspired by attending a 1976 Sex Pistols concert, Peters formed a group dubbed the Toilets and, subsequently, teamed with Eddie MacDonald, Dave Sharp and Nigel Buckle aka Twist to form a group called Seventeen, which later morphed into the Alarm. Photo cc 4.0 Mike Dickinson.

Photo: cc 4.0 Mike Dickinson

Richard Manuel: His Life and Music from The Hawks and Bob Dylan to The Band, an official biography written by Stephen Lewis is slated for publication on June 17. The somewhat reclusive member of The Band only granted a handful of interviews during his life, but the author gained lots of fascinating insights about Manuel by consulting family members, friends, and fellow musicians including Van Morrison, Eric Clapton and Corky Laing to gain insights into Manuel's musical genius and the influence he quietly brought forth in studio sessions and in concert. Laing's appreciation of Manuel grew out of "Having spent many a long night with Richard." The Mountain member lauds the book, saying it "...beautifully captures the essence of the brilliant musician to an extra ordinary detail."

Grateful Dead Publicist and author Dennis McNally wrote of the Lewis book, "...though other band members got more attention, Richard Manuel's voice and classic blues piano were at the very core of that music" and praises the biography as one that deserves "serious attention" as one that "...fills a major gap in our understanding" of his musical role.

Zak Starkey has apparently been drummed out of his position as the Who's drummer following what Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend apparently deemed to be an unacceptable performance during the band's concerts at Royal Albert Hall this past weekend. Starkey, the son of Ringo Starr has been behind the kit for close to three decades, told Rolling Stone he was "...surprised and disappointed anyone would have an issue with my playing that night", adding, "Filling the shoes of my Godfather, 'uncle Keith' (Moon) has been the biggest honor and I remain their biggest fan."

Photo CC2.0 Kubacheck