MUSIC NEWS: TUESDAY, JANUARY 20, 2015
CROSBY, STILLS AND NASH WILL PLAY THE QE2
Crosby, Stills and Nash are about to become cruise line entertainment. They will be the featured performers aboard the Queen Mary 2 during its trans-Atlantic crossing September 4th to the 11th. They will perform concerts, do question-and-answer sessions and sign autographs. Graham Nash says it will be a unique experience for the band and they look forward to making music, bringing back memories and making new ones. Find out more at www.Cunard.com .
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BEASTIE BOYS WANT MORE MONEY FROM MONSTER
The Beastie Boys won a court victory against Monster Energy drink. Now they're going back to court to get Monster to pay up even more. In June, a federal court jury in New York awarded The Beastie Boys 1.7-million dollars after Monster used five of the group's songs without permission in a video that was online for five weeks. A judge upheld that ruling in December. The Beasties say the award doesn't even cover their legal fees because Monster failed to engage in good-faith negotiations and ran up the legal bill by trying to overturn the verdict after an eight-day trial. The Beasties say they should be awarded 2.38-million dollars in attorney's fees. Lawyers for Monster did not respond to calls for comment.
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TLC LAUNCH KICKSTARTER CAMPAIGN FOR NEW ALBUM
TLC are asking fans to help fund their next record. T-Boz and Chilli are already writing it, and they're hoping to raise 150-thousand dollars through Kickstarter. Chilli says people may say, ``Hey, you are celebrities. Why can't you just pay for it yourself?'' She says it doesn't work that way. She says they also want to bring their fans into the process so they can see how it's done. Supporters of the album can make donations that will get them free music, VIP concert tickets, a custom-recorded voicemail from Chilli and T-Boz, or even an in-person fitness class taught by Chilli. They hope to have the record out by May when their tour starts.
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AARON TIPPIN GETS HIS OWN WINE
Aaron Tippin has now become Aaron Tippin'-one-back. Tippin has teamed with Stonehaus Winery in Crossville, Tennessee, for the Aaron Tippin Country Jam wine. It's a blackberry wine that will be on sale Valentine's Day. Tippin will perform at the winery and meet with fans on that day.
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JIM ED BROWN RELEASES FIRST ALBUM IN THREE DECADES
It's a big week for Jim Ed Brown. For one thing, Brown is releasing his first album in 30 years. It's called ``In Style Again'' and it features Vince Gill, Bobby Bare, The Whites, the rest of The Browns and his longtime duet partner, Helen Cornelius. For another thing, Brown also had a follow-up C-T scan yesterday to see how his cancer treatments have been going. Brown is feeling good and is hoping for a clean bill of health.
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KONGOS ARE CITIZENS OF THE WORLD
If you listen to the way the brothers in Kongos talk, it's hard to tell where they're from. Bassist Dylan Kongos says they have ``messed-up accents'' because three of them were born in London, then they moved to South Africa, where guitarist Danny Kongos was born, and now they live in Phoenix. Danny Kongos says Phoenix is home but he gets the most nostalgic for South Africa. He says they're stuck with the background they have, but he thinks a diverse background would help anybody.
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PJ HARVEY RECORDS ALBUM AS PUBLIC ART PROJECT
P-J Harvey is letting fans watch her create a new album without being able to see them. Harvey is recording an album at London's Somerset House within a glass box that has one-way glazing so she and her producers won't be distracted. She is selling tickets that allows fans to watch for 45 minutes at a time. No word on when Harvey plans to release the album.
