Today In Music, November 2nd

From the Rockmine Almanac for today (Sunday 2nd November):

Birth

1941. Bruce Welch (The Shadows) born Bruce Cripps in Bognor Regis, Sussex.

On The Street

2003. P. Diddy spent today pounding the pavement and riased $ 2 million for New York children’s AIDS charities. The rapper entered the New York marathon under his real name of Sean Combs. He completed the 26 mile course in 4 hours 14 minutes and 54 seconds and came home in 11,359th place.

In Court

1998. Sarah McLachlan appears for the first day of a three week trial at court in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. She is being sued by Darryl Neudorf, recording engineer on her first album, “Touch” who claims he provided parts of the songs “Vox”, “Streaming”, “Sad Clown” and “Strange World” without credit or payment. Neudorf, ex-drummer with Canadian rockers, 54-40 is playing tough. He’s scheduled witnesses from October Game a band McLachlan was in as a teenager who will testify that she has since claimed credits for songs that were written by other members of that band. Despite fans gathering for the event, proceedings are being held in closed court with no public access.

In Hospital

1998. Ska pioneer Roland Alphonso (The Skatalites) collapses onstage during a gig at the Key Club in West Hollywood. He is rushed to Cedars Sinai Medical Centre in Los Angeles. Despite being kept in hospital for tests and treatment, he will slip into a coma on November 17th and die on November 20th.

On Television

1998. Rockpalast (WDR, Germany) R.E.M. (Club Grünspan, Hamburg)

Death

1996. Bluesman William “W.C.” Clarke dies in a Fresno hospital after surgery for a bleeding ulcer. He had collapsed yesterday in his hotel room shower hours before he was due onstage for a club date in the city.

 

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© Copyright 1995 – 2008 Rockmine Archives. Use of this content is prohibited unless licensed by Rockmine Archives.

Today In Music, August 8th

From the Rockmine Almanac for today (Friday 8th August):

Birth

1958. Chris “Chrissie Boy” Foreman (Madness) born in London.

On Tour

1992. Metallica‘s James Hetfield is seriously injured by a pyrotechnic on stage at Montreal’s Olympic Stadium. He is rushed to hospital where he is found to be suffering from second and third degree burns on the back of his left hand, and first degree burns on his right arm. Although he continues the tour as lead vocalist, he is unable to play guitar and a temporary replacement, Metal Church‘s John Marshall is brought in.

The concert later ends in a riot when Axl Rose walks off after only twenty minutes suffering from throat trouble. Fans set fire to parts of the stadium, destroy seating, and ransack shops before leaving. Outside, they overturn cars and uproot street lights. Police regain control using tear gas. Two police officers are taken to hospital, 20 people are injured and 25 arrested.

In Custody

1983. Harold Melvin and three members of The Blue Notes are arrested on charges of possessiong cocaine in Atlantic City, New Jersey. They are bailed for $ 100,000.

In Court

1991. Eric Clapton is banned from driving and fined £ 200 at Guildford Magistrates Court. Clapton admitted speeding on the A3 near Wisley in Surrey in April. He had been driving his silver Ferrari at 103 miles an hour after visiting a friend to talk about the death of his son, Connor.

On Television

1994. Late Show With David Letterman (CBS, U.S.A.) Show #0210. Musical guest: Celine Dion with “River Deep, Mountain High”. 4m 33s.

Death

1975. Jazz great Julian “Canonball” Adderley dies of a stroke, aged 46.

Babble

As I said yesterday, I thought I’d give you a taste of what the exhibition space/cafe at the Ballerina Ballroom Cinema Of Dreams will look like. Here’s how it looked when I left on Wednesday:

I spent yesterday afternoon in Edinburgh grabbing some culture at the Festival and had a wonderful time at the city’s Fruitmarket Gallery. They were staging an exhibition called “The House Of Books Has No Windows” by Janet Cardiff and George Bures Miller. There were six installations, each in their own room and it really was a delight. The highlight for me was “Opera For A Small Room”, a mixed media installation involving 8 record players, 24 loudspeakers and 2,000 records.

It was a celebration of the joy of being alone with a record collection and merged opera, the sounds of rain and a train, the footsteps of the mysterious inhabitant of the room and rock music. Set in a darkened space where often it was too dark to see where to move, it was a voyeuristic fantasy, constantly drawing you closer when the lights erupted. A doorway, several small windows and a large opening reminiscent of a recording studio window, allowed the viewer to glimpse the world of the inhabitant. Each viewing position revealed more quirky things illustrating the moods of the mysterious owner.

For any collector who struggles with piles and chaos it was a heartwarming evocation of life as we’d like to live it. Immersed, maybe even submerged within our collections, how much do we long to live our lives in the sounds we can manipulate? Definitely a must see. 

 

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© Copyright 1995 – 2008 Rockmine Archives. Use of this content is prohibited unless licensed by Rockmine Archives.