W♥M

R.I.P. David Johansen (New York Dolls, Buster Poindexter) / R.I.P. Angie Stone

(Read more Musicians who died in 2025)

R.I.P. David Johansen

Singer/songwriter David Johansen, known best as the frontman of the glam rock proto-punk band the New York Dolls and also as his 80’s lounge singer alter-ego, Buster Poindexter, died at his home on Staten Island at the age of 75, as confirmed by his stepdaughter, Leah Hennessey.

Johansen had been in declining health- having very recently revealed that he was suffering from Stage 4 cancer, a brain tumor and a broken back. Morrissey of The Smiths fame, became an early fan, witnessing the band in Manchester, UK in 1973 at the impressionable age of 13. It made an immediate impact on him and Morrissey soon became the president of the band’s UK fan club.

The New York Dolls were known for their swaggering lipstick-smeared glam looks, playing trashy fast riffs in outrageous clothes, all with the intent to shock and to provide a very memorable performance. Johnansen would re-invent himself in the 80s and 90s as an ever-smiling, pompadoured tuxedo-clad, crooning lounge singer, Buster Poindexter.

He had his biggest hit as Poindexter with a 1987 remake of “Hot Hot Hot” and a foray into acting found him in a key role alongside Bill Murray, in the 1988 Christmas-themed film, “Scrooged”.

Sex Pistols manager Malcolm McLaren also briefly managed the Dolls as they began to fall apart amongst creative differences and addictions, with the band breaking up in 1975 while on tour in Florida, although Johansen and the late Sylvain Sylvain (r.i.p. 2021) carried on with replacements for a time following.

Morrissey managed to reunite the three living Dolls in 2004 (Johansen, Sylvain, and Arthur Kane) for a couple London shows with Kane passing soon after, with the remaining two going to record three more New York Dolls albums.

R.I.P. Angie Stone

Longtime R&B and soul singer, three-time Grammy Award nominee Angie Stone was killed in an automobile accident in Montgomery, AL, while on tour and en route to their next show in Atlanta, per Stone’s representative, Deborah Champagne. Nine other passengers were in the Sprinter tour bus, with Stone being the only fatality. 

Stone was born in Columbia, SC and got her musical start as a teenager, forming the hip-hop trio, The Sequence, who had a Top 15 hit with “Funk You Up” and were the second rap act signed to Sugar Hill Records.

When that group broke up in 1985. Stone went on to sing with the likes of Mantronix and Vertical Hold and did co-writing and studio work for Lenny Kravitz and D’Angelo. Arista Records chief Clive Davis signed her and released her debut solo album, “Black Diamond”, in 1999.

She moved with Davis to J Records and continued releasing acclaimed albums and singles including, “Wish I Didn’t Miss You”, “More than Woman” with Joe, and “I Wanna Thank Ya” with Snoop Dogg, among others.

Stone ventured into acting and the stage in the 2000’s, appearing in a dozen films such as “The Hot Chick” and “The Fighting Temptations”, and played prison warden Big Mama Morton on stage in “Chicago”.

In addition to the Grammy nominations, Stone won two Soul Train Lady of Soul Awards and in 2021, was given the Soul Music Icon award at the Black Music Honors. Last year, she was a featured vocalist on Damon Little’s single, “No Stressing”, which topped Billboard’s Gospel Airplay chart. Stone leaves behind several children (including a son with D’Angelo) and grandchildren.

John C ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ X / twitter.com

Morrissey vs The Cure

Morrissey 2025 Tour Read More Morrissey The Morrissey: 40 Years of Morrissey show in Perth, Australia, has been cancelled due to logistic reasons. Thanks to James, who writes .…

Morrissey
morrisseycentral.com

Legendary Mancunian singer Morrissey announced a brand new 2025 tour on his official website. Of course, the top comment on his official Facebook page is “I’m too scared to buy a ticket. Last time I did months in advance, had my hotel and days off of work just to have him cancel the week of the concert.”

To be fair, despite the rough start of cancellations of early 2024 dates, Mozzer ended strong with a string of one-off dates (with no cancellations).

There are some interesting cities on this tour, including very rare Bakersfield and Fresno appearances. I used to live in Fresno, and I had to drive to either San Francisco or Los Angeles to see bands. Just to tie it back to Morrissey, I once had tickets to see Morrissey in Los Angeles, at a boxing arena called Olympic Auditorium, in 1994. It was cancelled not only once, but twice! In April and September.

The tour ends just five days shy of Morrissey’s 66th birthday.

Morrissey 2025 Tour Dates:

April 26 Reno, NV - Grand Sierra Resort

April 28 Fresno, CA - Warnors Theatre

April 30 Bakersfield, CA - Fox Theater

May 1 San Diego, CA - San Diego Civic Theatre

May 3 Rancho Mirage, CA - The Show

May 5 Tucson, AZ - Centennial Hall

May 8 San Antonio, TX - Boeing Center

May 10 Oklahoma City, OK - The Criterion

May 12 St. Louis, MO - The Factory

May 14 Atlanta, GA - Fox Theatre

May 16 St. Petersburg, FL - Duke Energy Center

May 17 Hollywood, FL - Hard Rock Live

Songs Of A Live World : Troxy London MMXXIV Read More The Cure One of the greatest band of all time, The Cure will be headlining the Xcel Energy Center next Tuesday, June 7th. The legendary band has numerous hits (expect them to play them all!) …

The Cure
thecure.com

Last November, we saw The Cure’s critically acclaimed album, Songs of a Lost World, released… the band’s first first new studio record in 16 years and their first #1 album in the UK since 1992. The night of the album’s unveiling, The Cure performed it in full to 3000 fans at Troxy London and to more than a million on a free global stream.

The live recording, entitled Songs of a Live World: Troxy London MMXXIV, was made available to purchase on Fiction/Capitol Records, with all The Cure’s royalties benefitting War Child.

For record collectors, on Valentine’s Day (Feb 14), you can now get Songs Of A Live World : Troxy London MMXXIV 1LP on Clear Vinyl, and Songs Of A Lost World/Songs Of A Live World Troxy London MMXXIV 2LP on Vinyl.

Songs Of A Live World : Troxy London MMXXIV tracklisting

1. Alone
2. And Nothing Is Forever
3. A Fragile Thing
4. Warsong
5. Drone:Nodrone
6. I Can Never Say Goodbye
7. All I Ever Am
8. Endsong

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R.I.P. Marianne Faithfull

Read More Marianne Faithfull Marianne Faithfull, yes that 60s girl pop singer, is doing three rare performances at New York's City Winery: December 18th, 19th, and 20th. Tickets are on sale to the general public now. .…

Singer and actress Marianne Faithfull, the girl on the motorcycle, has died at the age of 78, according to the BBC.

The Rolling Stones’ manager Andrew Loog Oldham gave Faithfull the song “As Tears Go By” (first song ever written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards) at the age of 16. She recorded and released it in 1964, and the song became a massive hit. People knew her for being the girlfriend of Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger and inspiring songs like “Wild Horses” and “You Can't Always Get What You Want.”

Her debut album North Country Maid was grouped together with the “British Invasion” in the mid-60s.

Morrissey is a huge fan, his first record he ever purchased was Marianne Faithfull’s 1964 single “Come and Stay With Me”: “The first single I ever bought, Marianne Faithfull's 'Come And Stay With Me' [...] it was 1965 and I still love it... it's a great record. I memorised the words and I would sing them very loudly. I thought she was incredible, I'm sure she still is, but then she was great. I was only six, I really didn't know what the words meant, I didn't know what she was singing about, certain lines I couldn't fathom at all. It was just something that was grabbing me in. It was the sound of her voice, the feel, the emotivemess and the freedom, and from that moment I just fell in love with pop music. I never stopped playing pop records.” (morrissey-solo.com).

Read more Musicians Who Died.

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R.I.P. Ed Banger (The Nosebleeds, Slaughter and the Dogs)

Read More Morrissey The Morrissey: 40 Years of Morrissey show in Perth, Australia, has been cancelled due to logistic reasons. Thanks to James, who writes .… The Cult As expected, The Cult played their Electric album in its entirety… starting off with the sing-along chorus of "Wild Flower". The great energy between the two original two original band members, singer Ian Astbury and guitarist Billy Duffy is great …

I just found out that Ed Banger (real name Eddie Garrity) had passed away. The name might not mean anything to anyone, but I know that he, or she (as Edweena Banger), was the singer of the Manchester punk group The Nosebleeds. Most fans will know Eddie as the singer who replaced Wayne Barrett in Slaughter and the Dogs, but I only know Eddie as the singer to The Nosebleeds.

Morrissey joins the Nosebleeds (1976)

No one outside of Morrissey fans will know who the Nosebleeds are. I first learned that Moz joined the Nosebleeds, with a crazy punk Morrissey photo, courtesy of Johnny Rogan’s brilliant book Morrissey & Marr: The Severed Alliance. This book is a must-read for any dedicated Morrissey fan. Anyway, Morrissey in the Nosebleeds didn’t last very long, as he would go on to form The Smiths with Johnny Marr. Trivia, Billy Duffy who was also in the Nosebleeds, would later go on to form The Cult. Vini Reilly would join the Durutti Column, and Toby Toman would join Primal Scream… basically this group paved the road to major stars in the music world!!!

The Nosebleeds didn’t last long, just two years (1976–1978) before breaking up. Banger tried to revive the group as Ed Banger and the Nosebleeds in 2013 with drummer Brian “Mad Muffet” Grantham, bassist Steve Wilson, and guitarist Al Crosby on lead guitar.

So, yeah, sad to hear of Edweena Banger passing… Rest in peace.

Read more Musicians Who Died.

vu ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

New Year, New Jax City

Read More Jon McLaughlin Speaking of album signing, Jon McLaughlin just signed with Razor & Tie Records for a new studio album, Promising Promises, out on May 22nd (incidentally that's Morrissey's birthday). … Eric Hutchinson 2017 release. If there is an overriding theme to Eric Hutchinson's career, it is his relentless pursuit of the kind of feel-good music that will make his fans dance and sing while still managing …

Now that everything is settled down in Jacksonville, I will be looking to explore the city in 2025. I am only here until March, however, eventually, the plan is to make a final move to Jax sometime in late 2025, if we can sell the house in Minneapolis.

Unfortunately, I hate to say it, but based on my research of the area, there doesn’t seem to be much of a music scene in Jax. If you disagree, please email me ( [email protected] ) and let me know what I’m missing.

I will spotlight some upcoming shows in the next few months to give you an idea of the venues and shows they book.

Please note: I have not been to any of these venues. Most of the venues are in downtown and you can do free street parking on the weekends and on the weekdays after 6pm (the meters aren’t enforced after that time).

The one major venue that books national acts is the Florida Theatre (floridatheatre.com), which is a historic theatre-style venue with about 2,000 seats. They have a ton of good bands, unfortunately pricing is generally a little high for my budget. I have already written and spotlighted some shows in November 2024. The Minneapolis equivalent is the State Theatre.

FIVE is a new venue, will open in February 2025. That seems like the best venue (based on my music preference). I’ve already written about them in December 2024.

Eric Hutchinson at Mall of America (15 Apr 2017)

Jack Rabbits (jaxlive.com) seems like a dive-bar. Descriptions online indicate that it is a small place and “the bathrooms are a wreck”. They have local bands and Karaoke, and some national acts. The Minneapolis equivalent is like the 7th Street Entry or Triple Rock Social Club.

The co-headlining show of Jon McLaughlin and Eric Hutchinson on Jan 21, 2025, looks fun. We saw Hutchinson in April 2017 and wrote, “The affable Washington DC native is a Twin Cities favorite, regularly stopping by on tour and has played almost every venue in the metro, returning to the Zoo for his own headlining appearance on Sunday, August 20. He’ll be in support of latest full-length, Easy Street (Let’s Break Records/Kobalt) which was released last August. For his brief twenty-minute solo appearance, Hutchinson made the most of his time, showcasing a few songs from his latest, as well as working in the songs that most people are familiar with him from, beginning with ‘Dear Me’, a letter to his younger self, from the new record.”

Ordinary Boys at Underbelly (23 Jan 2025)

There is a BBQ placed called Underbelly (underbellyjax.com), which was previously known as The Elbow, which closed in 2015. They re-opened as Underbelly in 2020, with a new updated stage for live music in 2021.

The only band I recognized on the listing is a cover lover band called Ordinary Boys (Florida’s only Morrissey/Smiths tribute band). They will play Underbelly on January 23, 2025. I hate to say it, but the song “Ordinary Boys” by Morrissey is a little slow and it’s not one of my favorite songs from Viva Hate. God, I hope they don’t play that song on their set. A good Moz set should include “Disappointed”, truly truly truly.

Trivia: Other Smiths cover bands that I know of: Sweet and Tender Hooligans, The Sons & Heirs, These Charming Men, The Smyths, and The Nguyens. They should unite and take over.

Agent Orange at Kona Skatepark (18 Feb 2025)

The Kona Skatepark (konaskatepark.com) is the world’s oldest skatepark. My brother is a skater, he would love this place. They seem to book mostly punk-ish bands, as you would expect from a skatepark.

They have Agent Orange upcoming up on February 18, 2025, for $25. Other bands on the bill: Chalk Tiger, Suburban Clay, Keepy Tikis, and the Debt.

We saw Agent Orange in 2014 and wrote, “When Agent Orange took the stage things took a decidedly more punky turn. Their set included many of their classic songs, together with several covers including songs by Johnny Rivers ("Secret Agent Man"), Jefferson Airplane ("Somebody to Love"), The Who ("Shakin’ All Over"), and the Dead Kennedys. The audience responded with major enthusiasm, though some of the usual punk show activities were rendered somewhat more dangerous by the lack of crowd density. That didn’t keep people from trying, though. Happy to report that none of the sometimes scary-looking falls, crashes, and tumbles seemed to result in serious injury. Agent Orange included two encores in their super high energy hour and a quarter set. They were clearly into it, and so was the audience.”

vu ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Mozziest Time of the Year

Read More Morrissey The Morrissey: 40 Years of Morrissey show in Perth, Australia, has been cancelled due to logistic reasons. Thanks to James, who writes .…

Morrissey

We look to Moz Angeles, for the language we use. London is dead, London is dead!

The Pope of Mope, Morrissey, announced three dates in Los Angeles, to close out a successful 2024 year. December 28-29 at the United Theater on Broadway, and a New Year Eve show at the Hollywood Palladium (or as my friends like to call it, the “Get-laid-ium”).

Although Mozzer cancelled the first two months of 2024 due to “physical exhaustion”, it looks like he’s been cured since his entire US November tour dates were all fulfilled with no cancellations.

It looks very positive; I do not think these three Los Angeles dates will be cancelled.

Also, in recent news, Morrissey gave a rare interview to Billboard, talking about the failed The Smiths reunion. I’ve been following Morrissey for over thirty years and every interview I’ve ever read, it is Morrissey that was anti-reforming the Smiths… and here he is, wanting to re-unite with Johnny Marr.

I suppose it makes sense, given that Morrissey is getting old, and it could be a final goodbye and thank you to all the Smiths fans. It would be nice, plus the money would be a bonus.

Tour Dates:

Dec 28 Los Angeles, CA - The United Theater on Broadway

Dec 29 Los Angeles, CA - The United Theater on Broadway

Dec 31 Los Angeles, CA - Hollywood Palladium

Read More Firefox AK The original Firefox is back with a new album, If I Were A Melody, to be released this month. I call her the original, because Andrea Kellerman was using that as her stage name before she was forced …

Mozfest

It’s safe to assume most people uses either Chrome or Window’s Internet Explorer (or the new Edge) or Safari (on Apple computers)… but I’m a Firefox user. I am a fan, going back to Netscape. If you didn’t know, the maker of Firefox is Mozilla, and every year, for the past 15 years, they hold an annual Mozilla Festival, or Mozfest for short.

This year’s Mozfest just wrapped up in late November, and if you’re interested, you can go to their website mozillafestival.org and read or watch some keynotes.

This year’s theme and focus seems to be on Artificial Intelligence, or A.I., and took place on MozFest House Zambia. Tickets were free, but unfortunately, flying to Zambia might be a little costly… but if you live in the area, you should go.

In recent Firefox news, Firefox turned 20 years old in November, and they recently removed the “Do Not Track” feature.

Trivia: Singer/songwriter Firefox was forced to change her stagename to Firefox AK to avoid confusion with the web browser.

Read More Mozzy Mozzy, June 25, Blvd Nights. $50-$100 Bluegrass in the Bottoms, June 25-26, Grinders. $80-$150 Styx and Collective Soul, June 25, Azura Amphitheater. $49.50-$137 …

Mozzy + Kalan.FrFr

Sacramento’s Mozzy and Los Angeles’ Kalan.FrFr have teamed up to release Lucky Her… arriving on December 20, 2024, via Empire.

Mozzy has built a reputation as one of the best street storytellers and earned two Gold certifications from the RIAA for “Excuse Me” and “Sleep Walkin.” The later was featured in a pivotal scene in Ryan Coogler’s Black Panther. Rolling Stone lists Mozzy as one of the 100 Best West Coast Rap Songs of All Time.

Kalan.FrFr’s hit single “Scoring,” was featured on many NBA broadcasts, and this year joined on the Make the West Great Again project with his friends and fellow Angelenos YG and Ty Dolla $ign, plus G Herbo and Spooky Jay. This Summer he was part of DJ Hed’s set in Kendrick Lamar’s notorious L.A. rap celebration, “The Pop Out: Ken & Friends,” broadcast live on Amazon Prime, performing his local hit “Right Wit It” with G Perico.

Now the two collaborated with this Lucky Her release to close out a great year for both Cali rappers.

vu ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Billy Bragg at First Ave (05 Oct 2024)

05 Oct 2024 Billy Bragg at First Avenue Billy Bragg Setlist The Wolf Covers Its Tracks The World Turned Upside Down (Leon Rosselson cover) She's Got a New Spell King Tide and the Sunny Day Flood Freedom Doesn't Come for Free Jeane / That's Entertainment (The Smiths and The Jam covers) Sexuality Mid-Century Modern Levi Stubbs' Tears All You Fascists Are Bound to Lose (Woody Guthrie cover) Rich Men Earning North of a Million Greetings to the New Brunette Do Unto Others The Buck Doesn't Stop Here No More The Milkman of Human Kindness To Have and to Have Not A New England There Is Power in a Union Waiting for the Great Leap Forwards -- Encore -- Way Over Yonder in the Minor Key I Will Be Your Shield Tank Park Salute Read More Billy Bragg Modern day troubadour and activist Billy Bragg is well known in the music world for his passionate topical songwriting. In the vein of late heroes and colleagues like … .…

Billy Bragg’s “The Roaring 40” concert stopped by First Avenue, in Minneapolis, on Saturday night.

We’ve already written in details about this tour at the San Francisco show on Sep 26, 2024, so I suggest reading that to understand what a Billy Bragg show is like. What I can do is add a little more detail about The Smiths and The Jam covers (“Jeane” and “That’s Entertainment”). The “Jeane” cover dates back to 1985 when Bragg played the 7th Street Entry.

Billy Bragg and Johnny Marr in Vancouver (20 Sep 2024) photo courtesy of @billybragg

Bragg mentioned that he, and Johnny Marr, and Paul Weller, were all in Vancouver on 20 Sep 2024, but they were all playing their own headlining gigs. Marr and Bragg decided to get lunch together, which resulted in that viral photo. He also added that a fan was there and asked if he was Johnny Marr. The fan was described as “a young man, about 50.”

It was hard to understand Bragg’s accent, but it sounded like he ran into Paul Weller earlier and everyone knew who Weller was… but wasn’t sure who Billy Bragg was. Then, Bragg, in a loud voice, joked, “Billy Bragg? That old bastard, is he still going?”

I have joked in the past that a Billy Bragg show is about 40% music and 60% Bragg’s wisdom and stories. I have exaggerated the ratio, but there’s no denying that Bragg does talk a lot and he has plenty to say. Everything from American politics (JD Vance looks like “Interview With a Vampire”) to women’s rights. They’re all related to his songs and lyrics.

In addition to his stage banter, he also has a lot to write about. I want to say that he’s basically writing a tour diary, but they’re often about his personal history of the venues he’s about to play. I leave you now with Billy Bragg’s own writing about the history of First Avenue:

Tonight’s show in Minneapolis couldn’t be more of a contrast venue-wise. First Avenue was built in 1937 as a Greyhound Bus depot and continued in that use until 1968. Two years later it opened as a nightclub with a set from Joe Cocker’s Mad Dogs and Englishmen.

By the time I first came to the Twin Cities in 1985, First Avenue was famous for having staged the concert footage that featured in Purple Rain, the hit movie made by local mega star Prince. I always thought of the place as a rock club, home to the likes of The Replacements and Husker Du, but looking at a flyer from the time of my first appearance, I was surprised to find that the night before I played, the venue hosted the Tannahill Weavers, a band that plays only traditional Scottish folk music. Wonder if they took the opportunity to film some footage for their movie Purple Dreich?

Note: There was no opening band.

Remaining tour dates:

10/06 - Barrymore Theatre - Madison, WI

10/07 - Vic Theatre - Chicago, IL

10/10 - The Majestic - Detroit, MI

10/11 - Massey Hall - Toronto, ON

10/12 - Kodak Center - Rochester, NY

10/17 - Lansdowne Theatre - Philadelphia, PA

10/18 - Webster Hall - New York, NY

10/19 - The Atlantis - Washington D.C.

10/20 - 9:30 Club - Washington D.C.

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Billy Bragg at First Ave (05 Oct 2024)

vu ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore

That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore by The Smiths Park the car at the side of the road You should know Time's tide will smother you And I will too When you laugh about people who feel so very lonely Their only desire is to die Well, I'm afraid It doesn't make me smile I wish I could laugh But that joke isn't funny anymore It's too close to home And it's too near the bone It's too close to home And it's too near the bone More than you'll ever know ... It was dark as I drove the point home And on cold leather seats Well, it suddenly struck me I just might die with a smile on my Face after all I've seen this happen in other people's lives And now it's happening in mine Read More The Smiths Sad news earlier today as the world found out that Andy Rourke, former bassist for The Smiths, passed away at age 59 after a battle with pancreatic cancer at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Center in New York. .…

With the recent announcement that Liam and Noel have reunited for an Oasis reunion, Morrissey decided to release this statement:

WAR IS OLD, ART IS YOUNG
August 29, 2024

In June 2024 AEG Entertainment Group made a lucrative offer to both Morrissey and Marr to tour worldwide as 'The Smiths' throughout 2025.
Morrissey said Yes to the offer; Marr ignored the offer.

Morrissey undertakes a largely sold out tour of the USA in November.
Marr continues to tour as a special guest to New Order.

Now, anyone who has followed Morrissey and Johnny Marr over the years, as I have, I can tell you that without a doubt that this is just Morrissey’s twisted sense of humor. This press release is a joke, particularly if you read the last two sentences, which I’ll sum up as “Morrissey has a successful sold out tour and Marr is playing second fiddle to New Order.”

The real meaning behind the statement is that he’s blaming Marr as the one who is holding up The Smiths reunion. I don’t know why Moz would go through such lengths to take a jab at both Oasis and Marr, but the truth is that the Smiths will never reform because of both Morrissey and Marr.

According to Marr’s book Set the Boy Free (which I do own a copy), Marr mentioned that he met Morrissey in Manchester for a drink in September 2008 and talks about reforming came up: “Suddenly we were talking about the possibility of the band re-forming, and in that moment, it seemed that with the right intention it could actually be done and might even be great. I would still work with the Cribs on our album, and Morrissey also had an album due out… For four days it was a very real prospect. We would have to get someone new on drums, but if the Smiths wanted to re-form it would make a hell of a lot of people very happy, and with all our experience we might even be better than before.”

Meanwhile, Morrissey, in Aug 2007 confirmed that he “declined a $75 million offer to tour as the Smiths in 2008 and/or 2009 even though the only requirement was that Johnny Marr also be a part of the reunion.”

If Morrissey said NO to The Smiths in 2007, why would he say absolutely YES to 2025? It doesn’t make any sense... it is only to confirm that The Smiths will never reform.

Read more Morrissey.

vu ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Smiths is it!

Blitz Vega: Northern Gentlemen (2024) Read More Blitz Vega I know I’m late to the party, but I just got around to hearing Blitz Vega’s “Strong Forever”, the November 2022 single from FutureSonic Records/CEN/The Orchard. What is incredibly important about this single is that it features a team-up of Andy Rourke and Johnny Marr .…

Blitz Vega
facebook.com/BlitzVegamusic

In celebration of the late Andy Rourke, Blitz Vega announced his final album Northern Gentlemen. This was Rourke’s last project with Kav Blaggers.

If Blitz Vega sounds familiar, that’s because we were super excited about Rourke teaming up with former The Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr for the song “Strong Forever” in November 2022.

That song, along with “LA Vampire” and “Lost & Found”, can be found in Blitz Vega’s debut album, Northern Gentlemen, set to be release on April 26, 2024, via FutureSonic Records/CEN/The Orchard.

To keep Andy’s name alive, the band and label will be re-releasing their exclusive 2023 Record Store Day 12" vinyl, Strong Forever, to all stores this month. The EP includes two remixes by Daybreakers and Will Kennedy, the single version by Z-Trip Mix, and the original version by Jagz Kooner on Side A. You can purchase the vinyl on Rough Trade.

The band recently played UK’s This Feeling Fest and planning on doing a promotional tour in the USA. Stay tuned for any US dates announcement.

Johnny Marr: Spirit Power: The Best of Johnny Marr Read More Johnny Marr Godlike guitar genius Johnny Marr is headlining the Varsity Theater on Monday, September 17th, in support of his new album Call The Comet. …

Johnny Marr
johnnymarr.com

Spirit Power: The Best of Johnny Marr is a greatest hits album from guitarist extraordinaire Johnny Marr came out last year. Unfortunately, no The Smiths songs on the tracklisting. This is probably due to rights issue and most likely because they wanted to keep this strictly Marr’s solo work.

Still, ever wonder what shaped Marr’s music? Well, in an article that was published today (Feb 27) on Far Out Magazine, they lists his favorite songs. Read the full article at faroutmagazine.co.uk.

Johnny Marr’s favorite songs:

T. Rex – ‘Jeepster’

The Stooges – ‘Raw Power’ (Iggy Pop Mix)

The Kinks – ‘All Day and All of the Night’

Savages – ‘The Answer’

Telegram – ‘You Said You Saw Us’

Man Made – ‘Raining in My Head’

Thee Oh Sees – ‘Flood’s New Light’

Holy Fuck – ‘Xed Eyes’

Buzzcocks – ‘What Do I Get?’

Magazine – ‘Shot By Both Sides’

The Animals – ‘It’s My Life’

Buddy Holly – ‘Not Fade Away’

Django Reinhardt – ‘Belleville’

The The – ‘This Is The Day’

The Hollies – ‘Bus Stop’

Sister Sledge – ‘Lost In Music’

Iggy Pop & The Stooges – ‘Gimme Danger’

Pet Shop Boys – ‘Love Comes Quickly’

Morrissey: Morrissey Peace Sign Harrington Jacket Read More Morrissey The Morrissey: 40 Years of Morrissey show in Perth, Australia, has been cancelled due to logistic reasons. Thanks to James, who writes .…

Morrissey
morrisseycentral.com

The official Morrissey merchandise store, Mporium is offering a limited-edition Morrissey Peace Sign Harrington Jacket for £85 pre-order (shipping in April 2024). Unfortunately, this is only offered on their UK website. I kind of want it, I would’ve ordered it, but unfortunately, I don’t live in the UK.

In other Morrissey news, remember how Morrissey cancelled his entire 2024 tour? According to the producers of the Brazil shows, Morrissey has not returned the money that was advanced to him. You can read the translation on morrissey-solo.com (Morrissey banned / ejected the owner of the website from attending his shows).

Excerpt: “Although Free Pass, the company that took care of the São Paulo show, confirmed the refund for those who purchased the tickets, the producer requested a period of up to 90 days to return the money to the public. This is because the amount, as provided for in the contract, was passed almost entirely to Morrissey in advance and, to date, he has not returned the amount.”

In even stranger news, there’s a cryptic message from Morrissey, published today (Feb 27)

The 'new' Morrissey interview and accompanying photographs at Pestana Palace are a hoax. Morrissey has not been to Portugal for many years, and does not give interviews unless at gun-point.

Digging into it, apparently Morrissey did an interview about 10 years ago for Wink #8 (published on Dec 31, 2014), and these photos were recently posted online. Someone please tell Morrissey it’s not AI-Generated.

vu ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com ♥ bsky.ap

Mojo Nixon: Girlfriend in a Coma

Mojo Nixon: Girlfriend in a Coma Read More Mojo Nixon "Girlfriend in a Coma" (covered by Teddy Blanks and Mixel Pixel). Let's just face it, as far as "Girlfriend" is concerned: Mojo Nixon did it best. …

My friend, Melinda, was a massive Mojo Nixon fan (not a surprise, considering her love for DJ Lebowitz). I know if Melinda was still alive (Mel passed away in 2010), that she would’ve written an article to honor Mojo Nixon.

I’m no Mojo Nixon expert, but was exposed to his music and humor through Mel, and did love what I heard. He had a couple of hits, like “Elvis is Everywhere” and “Debbie Gibson Is Pregnant with My Two-Headed Love Child”, but it wasn’t until I heard his cover of The Smiths’ “Girlfriend in a Coma”, that it really hit me how funny Mojo Nixon was.

The original Smiths classic is a nice, sad, sweet song about Morrissey’s girlfriend in a coma. Mojo Nixon’s version is upbeat and completely opposite of the original song. It’s honestly one of the best Smiths cover song I’ve ever heard.

In the middle of the song, Nixon starts commenting in the song: “Yeah well, don’t blame me, blame the writer of this song, Morrissey. You know that fruitcake that sings in the Smiths? Ah, he’s celibate. Oh well, I’m Mojo Nixon and I’m the Anti-Morrissey. Can’t you see that I am the Anti-Morrissey. ‘Cause I’m a meat eater. I like my meat, I like it sweet. I like to get laid, and I always get paid. Hey Morrissey, kiss my big hairy butt.”

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