MUSIC NEWS: THURSDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2017
FOREIGNER-MUSICAL
It's been 40 years since Foreigner released its first album and now the songs of the legendary rock group are being made into a musical. ``Jukebox Hero'' will tell the story of the hard-hit town of Blaydon, Pennsylvania that is saved with the emergence of a rock group that helps bring in new industry. Speaking in Calgary yesterday, Mick Jones, the founder of Foreigner, said he ran into singer Diana Ross 20 years ago and she suggested to him that the song ``Jukebox Hero'' should be made into a musical. He said it's been on his mind ever since. Jones said about a dozen of the group's songs will be in the musical, including ``I Want To Know What Love Is,'' ``Waiting For A Girl Like You,'' ``Hot Blooded.''
``Urgent'' and of course, ``Jukebox Hero.''
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UNIVERSITY-ARCHIVE
The largest music archive in Canada is being preserved at the University of Calgary and contains compilations from some of this country's most well-known artists that have never been heard before. E-M-I Music Canada gave the university more than 55-hundred boxes full of music and artifacts that document its history from 1949 to 2012 and a two-million dollar grant will help the team to preserve the rare collection. E-M-I brought a number of the world's most famous artists to Canada including The Beatles and Pink Floyd and a cover by Tom Cochrane, which has never been heard before, was found among the thousands of recordings in the diverse collection.
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TRUMP SILENT ON EMINEM RAP ``THE STORM''
President Donald Trump has not responded to Eminem's freestyle rap ``The Storm'' that rips Trump apart. The video for ``The Storm'' shows Eminem in a parking garage referring to Trump as a ``racist 94-year-old grandpa.'' In four and a half minutes, Eminem berates Trump for the N-F-L anthem protests, his plan to build a wall to keep out immigrants, double standards on the military and lack of action on Puerto Rico hurricane relief and reforms on gun laws. Eminem says he's drawing a line in the sand for his fans who support Trump, and if they're split on which side to stand, he'll profanely tell them where to go.
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RHIANNON GIDDENS: ``BIIIIG PLANS AFOOT!''
Rhiannon Giddens says she's proud to be among the 23 other ``fine folks'' who have been named MacArthur Fellows. The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation announced the so-called genius grants to people who show exceptional creativity in their work. The grants are each for 625-thousand dollars over five years and may be spent however the winner chooses. Giddens says she's not saying yet how she'll spend her grant but ``biiiig plans afoot!'' There is no application process for the grants and winners are nominated by an anonymous pool.
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U2 - SOCCER GAME
As if U-2 wasn't already beloved in Argentina: the band postponed their concert so fans could watch Argentina's World Cup qualifying game. U-2 confirm they delayed the start of their Buenos Aires concert to accommodate viewing of the Argentina versus Ecuador game on Tuesday. U-2 even put the game on the big screens inside the stadium. Once the whistle blew to signal the end of the game, the lights came down and the band began playing. Argentina beat Ecuador 3-1.
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PHISH'S JON FISHMAN - LEAD POISONING SCARE
Phish drummer Jon Fishman is urging awareness of lead poisoning in older homes after his young son had elevated levels of lead in his system. The Bangor Daily News reports Fishman and his wife, Briar, found out two years ago their son, then a toddler, had high lead levels in his blood. The Fishmans say a contractor had tested their 200-year-old farmhouse in Lincolnville, Maine, for lead in 2006 and assured them it was fine. Briar Fishman says they have spent 30-thousand dollars get rid of surfaces with lead paint, and they still missed some spots. Lead exposure can cause cognitive disabilities in children, but the Fishmans say their son has not shown symptoms of that.
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ROGER DALTREY PLANS BOOK
Roger Daltrey is writing his autobiography and so far he does not have a title. The book is scheduled to come out next August. According to publisher Henry Holt and Company, Daltrey will not just write his life story, but observations on how Britain has changed in his lifetime.
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PETE TOWNSHEND - MUSICAL
Pete Townshend will take an acting and singing role in a musical called ``The Seeker,'' written by his wife, Rachel Fuller. He will portray The Ferryman, a character that Townshend describes as ``an old bloke with a boat.'' No word on when or where Townshend will appear. The musical includes a few songs Townshend wrote. The story is based on the Herman Hesse book ``Siddhartha.''
An album of songs from ``The Seeker'' will be released next year, with Townshend as The Ferryman and music by The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.
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CHRIS KIRKPATRICK IS A DAD
Chris Kirkpatrick of `N Sync and his wife, Carly, are new parents. Kirkpatrick writes on social media his wife gave birth to their first child, a boy, on Tuesday. They've named him Nash Dylan Kirkpatrick.
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(The Associated Press)
