Rumours and Downright Lies

Rumour of the week: It's likely that velvet-throated crooner Tom Waits will be in Dublin this summer. I'll be the one down the front with the bull horn and the jack hammer.

From the complete bollocks department comes the whisper that Bowie will be at the Electric Picnic. I would put this suggestion up there with the notion of me being made president -both good ideas that would bring pleasure to a lot of people but highly, highly unlikely.

Another hero who won't be knocking around Ireland this summer, at least not to my knowledge, is Elvis Costello, and more's the pity. Console yourself by checking out an awful lot of his music here. The highlights are too many to mention but do check out the underrated "Brutal Youth" as well as "King Of America".

Talking of Tom Waits and David Bowie (clever link this), Scarlett "Horn On a Concrete Elephant" Johansson has an album of Tom Waits covers coming out next month, with Bowie providing backing vocals on a couple of tracks. How nice it is to see these two old men help out a young women in this manner, with absolutely nothing in it for them. Anyhow, the first single's knocking around the web, I don't think much of it (you can't be blessed with everything young lady!) but have a listen here.

Winwood

I like this

Close To The Edge

Miss the interview with The edge on The View last week? Watch it here.

In other '2 news, Rolling Stone reports that the first three albums are getting the double disc release treatment. Only a matter of time so before the mighty "Unforgettable Fire" finally gets a fresh coat of paint.

By the way, I went to see U2-3D and it really is something else. The effect of the extra D is such that if I had been half cut and it had been raining in the cinema, it would have been just like the real thing.

Who's Next

Some truths we hold to be self evident, one of those being that the Who are the greatest. Another fact that you should be aware of is that "Raising Sand", the Robert Plant and Alison Krauss album produced by T-Bone Burnett, was one of the albums of last year.

Burnett was also the brains behind the glorious "Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?" soundtrack so it's pretty fantastic news to hear that he's going to be working on the new Who record. This is unlikely to be a pig's ear.

If you're not in the know, you can listen to "Raising Sand" here. And then go out and buy it, you fool!

More T-Bone news: He's only gone and done an album with B.B. King and all! Does the man ever sleep? There's a solo album in the works too, go here for a free mp3.

Hey Carty, What's The Story With The Electric Picnic?

Tickets came out last Friday and, not being one to wait, The Coff and I bought one each, at a very tasty €246 each! I expected a sell out but that certainly hasn't been the case. Have the Irish public finally started to get sick of shelling out more and more money for these things, an opinion voiced in the Irish Times' Ticket, or is it the fact the line-up leaves a bit to be desired thus far? Bit of both I think.
In my opinion the line up is okay so far, I'm sure there's more to come but it'll be interesting to spend a weekend knocking around listening to the likes of Grinderman, the Sex Pistols, Tinariwen, George Clinton, Candi Staton, The Waterboys, Duffy (who put on a great show in the Academy recently), Goldfrapp, Kila and, yes!, Hayseed Dixie. Anyway, the music is only part of it, excuse me for going a bit brown rice here, but it's all about the VIBE MMMAAAAANNNN! Don't miss it.

Sad to say, the other great festival weekend I had last year is not going to be repeated, as it seems the Midlands Music Festival is not to be this time, which is a real shame as the Sunday of it was possibly the greatest fest experience I ever enjoyed. It's hardly surprising though, there wasn't many people there and every second person you met had got in for free (not us of bloody course).

Legend

Christ, check this out

He's the new Marvin Gaye, says I. His first album's great but Once Again is an absolute corker. Forget about his association with the detestable Kanye "Aren't I great?" West and go get his records, they're that good.