Guitarist Domenic Troiano dies
TORONTO - Veteran Canadian guitar player Domenic Troiano has died after a decade-long battle with cancer.
Troiano, who played in groups ranging from the Guess Who to Bush to the James Gang, was 59. He passed away late Wednesday.
"His absolute skill as a musician, certainly in the '60s, it was unsurpassed," long-time friend Larry LeBlanc, Billboard's Canada bureau chief, told the Canadian Press. "Everybody wanted to be Troiano."
Starting his career in the 1960s, Troiano carved out a reputation in musical circles as a musician's musician. He played in a long list of bands, including an early stint as a backup player for Ronnie Hawkins. He spent 1974-75 with the Guess Who and played for countless non-Canadian performers, including blues legend Etta James, Joe Cocker and Diana Ross.
"He could play anything. And he was so good at it," said Toronto broadcaster John Donabie, who interviewed Troiano in the 1960s when he was a member of the pioneering Canadian group the Mandala. Along with other members of that group, Troiano founded Bush, which released one album in 1970.
"Domenic Troiano lived for making music," said LeBlanc. His hits included Bush's I Can Hear You Calling.
Known to his friends as "Donnie," Troiano was born in Modugno, Italy, and became a naturalized Canadian in 1955. He spent the rest of his life in Toronto, except for a brief period in the 1970s when he called Los Angeles home.
In the 1980s, the prolific guitarist turned to composing for television programs like Night Heat, Hot Shots and Diamonds. He served as a producer for Moe Koffman and others, and in 1996 his skills as an axeman were recognized when he was made a member of the Canadian Music Hall of Fame.
Troiano's recent credits include doing the soundtrack for the video game Fahrenheit in 1995.
"Every guitar player in Canada knows of Domenic Troiano," said LeBlanc. "And most of the guitar players in Canada will sit back and pause a bit today."
Troiano is survived by his mother, brother and sister. He was married briefly to singer Shawne Jackson, but the relationship ended in divorce about 10 years ago.
A funeral is planned for Monday in Toronto.
Barenaked Page Goes Solo
Barenaked Ladies co-frontman Steven Page will release his first solo album under the name Vanity Project on June 21st. The Toronto-based Page wrote eleven of the twelve tracks with British musician Stephen Duffy (a.k.a. Tin Tin), best known for the Eighties club hit "Kiss Me."
Page discovered Duffy -- who was Duran Duran's original drummer and who currently serves as Robbie Williams' music director -- by picking up a Tin Tin record as a teenager. "I got a sense just from the album sleeve that there was something more to it," Page says. "It was classic, romantic, slightly maudlin singer-songwriter stuff about unrequited love. It was a perfect fifteen-year-old-boy record."
So perfect that Page was moved to write Duffy a fan letter, and the two began a correspondence that spawned a two-decade friendship. Page even sent over early Barenaked Ladies demos, and Duffy provided feedback and encouragement. The two met for the first time in 1989 when the scholarly Page attended a summer program at Cambridge University, and Duffy invited him to hang around for a few days while his then-new band, the Lilac Time, recorded.
"Someone from the NME came to interview him, and he introduced me as a 'poet from Canada,'" recalls Page with a laugh. "That was pretty cool -- as opposed to, 'This is a kid who's a fan of mine.'"
On the diverse, self-titled Vanity Project album, Page strays from Barenaked Ladies' trademark bouncy pop. The opener, "Hit and Run," is a hard-edged, electric-guitar-driven track; the jangly, harmony-laden "Wilted Rose" evokes early R.E.M.; while the atmospheric single "That's All That's All" is a ballad built around acoustic guitars and a drum machine.
Page hopes that the new project will draw new listeners. "I think there are a lot of people who would like Barenaked Ladies music, but don't realize that they would," he says. "Maybe our radio hits or the image of the band have marred their view of what we really are about. The biggest success I could hope for with this record is that it might bring in some of those people."
The Barenaked Ladies faithful will be happy to know that Page and his mates are busy writing material for their next album, to be produced by Jim Scott, the engineer on 2000's Maroon.
Page is planning a solo acoustic tour in support of The Vanity Project late this summer.
Live Aid Organizer Confirms Another 'Big' Concert Is Coming
Rumors have been swirling for weeks that former Boomtown Rats leader Bob Geldof is secretly planning a massive sequel to the 1985 Live Aid concerts that raised millions to combat famine in Africa.
Geldof had repeatedly denied the rumors until Thursday. While attending the Ivor Novello Awards for songwriters in London, Geldof finally tipped his hand and said "there's something brewing ... it's big," according to The Associated Press. He cautioned that the event to fight poverty in Africa was unique, and "there's never going to be a Live Aid II."
The U.S. spokesperson for the concert, Elizabeth Freund, said Geldof will preside at a press conference announcing all the details on Tuesday in London, with a possible second conference in New York. Rumors have had everyone from Madonna and U2 to Paul McCartney, Oasis, the Rolling Stones, Elton John, Eminem, Sting and a reunited Pink Floyd performing in both London and Washington, D.C., though Freund would not confirm or deny the speculation.
So far, only Sting has confirmed his participation. Also speaking at the Novello ceremony, the singer said, "Bob called me up and said I was doing it. He doesn't ask you, he tells you."
Freund would not reveal the date of the show, but a spokesperson for England's Prince's Trust said last week that the charity had canceled it's annual Party in the Park concert in London's Hyde Park on July 3 so that the Geldof concert could take place.
The concert, referred to as "Live 8" in the English press, is believed to have been timed to coincide with the gathering of the world's richest countries in Scotland for the G8 summit (July 6-8), at which they are to discuss alleviating Third World debt.
Geldof said planning the event has been exhausting, adding, "it's as petrifying as the buildup to Live Aid, if not more so. We'll have all the biggest names we can find. But it's not just about big names, it's about making a point. ... What started 20 years ago is coming to a political point in a few weeks."
The original Live Aid took place in Wembley Stadium in London and in Philadelphia's JFK Stadium on July 13, 1985, and raised $245 million for famine relief in Africa. It was watched by more than 1.5 billion people worldwide and featured sets from Elvis Costello; B.B. King; Black Sabbath; Run-DMC; Sting; Crosby, Stills and Nash; Judas Priest; U2; Queen; David Bowie; the Who; Santana; Elton John; Madonna; Paul McCartney; Bob Dylan; Neil Young; and a reunited Led Zeppelin with Phil Collins on drums.
Raitt Returning In Fall With New Album
Bonnie Raitt eschews the 12-bar blues of her past on the new album "Souls Alike," due Sept. 13 via Capitol. For the first time, the artist also takes the production reigns in tandem with Tchad Blake (Pearl Jam, Crowded House).
Tracks include first single "I Will Not Be Broken," "The Bed I Made," "I Don't Want Anything To Change," "Deep Water" and "Crooked Crown," penned by what the label describes as unnamed, "lesser-known writers."
"Some of the songs are clearly terrain that people have come to know and appreciate from me, but the rest are about finding some new direction and something new to say," Raitt says.
"Souls Alike" is the follow-up to 2002's "Silver Lining," which has sold more than 539,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan. Raitt will tour in support of the album this fall.
In related news, Eagle Rock Entertainment will on Tuesday (May 31) release the DVD "Live at Montreux 1977," featuring Raitt's early hit cover of Del Shannon's "Runaway." Four songs from her 1991 return to the famed Swiss festival are included as bonus tracks.
Crow Whipping Up Something 'Good'
Sheryl Crow's as-yet-untitled new album will arrive Sept. 27 via Interscope, and will be preceded a month before by the single "Good Is Good." According to the artist's official Web site, the new album will include 10 tracks and will be accompanied by a tour that is in the planning stages.
Crow exclusively revealed to Billboard in December that she was hoping to release two separate albums in 2005, one that she described as an "artist" record, and the other pegged as a "pop" record. But based on the Sept. 26 release date, it appears unlikely that Crow would release a second set before year's end.
The artist admitted her relationship with championship cyclist Lance Armstrong has made an obvious impact on her new material.
"I am writing a lot more love songs because I'm really happy in my life, and I'm in a really positive relationship, but there's also so much stuff to write about in the world," she said. "It's a really interesting time to be an artist."
While working on her own music, Crow has also recorded tracks for three upcoming tribute albums. Her rendition of "For Free" will appear on a Joni Mitchell tribute, while a cover of "I Need Your Love So Bad" is pegged for a B.B. King collection and "To Love Somebody" is being earmarked for a Bee Gees' covers set.
THE FORCE IS STRONG!
Analysts estimating that Star Wars: Episode III--Revenge of the Sith will surpass the $200 million mark on Thursday.
Mariah Makes Move on Elvis
The single life looks good on Mariah Carey.
This week, Carey scored her 16th number one single on Billboard's Hot 100 with "We Belong Together"--putting her in rarefied company.
Only the Beatles, with 20, and Elvis Presley, with 18, have had more Billboard number ones.
Carey, who has surpassed the likes of Michael Jackson (13 number ones) and the Supremes (12), as well as rival pop divas Whitney Houston and Madonna (11 apiece), is "the most successful female artist of all time," her label, Island Def Jam, touted in a press release Thursday.
Island Def Jam has reason to crow--the label has effectively resurrected the career of Carey, who fell on hard times after signing what the New York Daily News called "the biggest recording contract of all time" with Virgin in 2001 and then sustaining an "emotional and physical breakdown" as her Glitter movie and album tanked.
After the relatively lackluster sales of 2002's Charmbracelet, Carey, 35, has bounced back with The Emancipation of Mimi. The album debuted at number one in April, bouncing long-running chart champ 50 Cent. It has already been certified double platinum and spawned two hit singles, the lead track, "It's Like That," and the current hit, "We Belong Together."
"It is with a combination of pride and awe that I congratulate Mariah on accomplishing what no other female in modern pop history has been able to do--no one is more deserving than Mariah Carey of sharing the pantheon with the greatest of the greats," gushed Island Def Jam boss Antonio "L.A." Reid.
The singer played the modesty card upon learning the news. "I didn't know what to expect when I put this record out except I knew that it was a good record and I was happy with it," she told the Associated Press.
Carey is next scheduled to perform at the MTV Movie Awards June 4 in Los Angeles. The ceremony will be taped for broadcast June 9.
Tarantino, Rodriguez "Grind" It
Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez are in the house. Make that Grind House.
The directing buddies, who have previously collaborated on the recent thriller Sin City, along with the 1995 film anthology Four Rooms and 1996's bloody vampire flick From Dusk Till Dawn, are ready to tag team on a new horror film.
Each filmmaker write and direct a 60-minute frightfest that will be coupled together and released under the title Grind House next spring by Harvey and Bob Weinstein's new company.
The Weinsteins announced the project as part of their upcoming slate of post-Miramax films. The brothers will begin distribution films via their new venture, tentatively called the Weinstein Company, beginning in September, when they officially exit Walt Disney.
"We have said all along that we would hit the ground running and we are confident that this slate will represent and deliver the kinds of movies that audiences will love," the Weinsteins said in a statement.
As part of the Grind theatrical presentation, Tarantino and Rodriguez will create interstitial material, including trailers, and will incorporate bits from other filmmakers that will pay tribute to the grindhouse flicks of old.
Tarantino and Rodriguez have had strong relationships with the Weinsteins for more than a decade.
Tarantino's first two features, 1992's Reservoir Dogs and 1994's Pulp Fiction, helped put Miramax on the map as a major Tinseltown player, while Rodriguez's hit Spy Kids series became a big moneymaker for the studio's genre arm, Dimension Films.
Miramax also released Four Rooms and Dimension, From Dusk Till Dawn.
Tarantino and Rodriguez forged their friendship on the indie film circuit in the early 1990s, when Reservoir Dogs and Rodriguez' El Mariachi solidified their status as wunderkind directors. Tarantino played a supporting role in Rodriguez's 1995 El Mariach remake/sequel Desperado and costarred with George Clooney in From Dusk Till Dawn, which he wrote and Rodriguez directed as an homage to B-movie horror flicks. Rodriguez also contributed a song to Tarantino's Kill Bill, Vol. 2.
No word yet on the Grind House plots, but expect buckets of blood and cheap thrills.
The announcement also ends speculation on what Tarantino's next project would be after directing the season finale of CSI, which aired last week to monster ratings.
He recently shot down speculation that he wanted to helm a new Friday the 13th installment. He also has been tweaking his script to his long-in-the-works World War II epic, Inglorious Bastards. (Longtime Tarantino collaborator Michael Madsen told British movie site EmpireOnline that he was going to costar along with fellow Reservoir alum Tim Roth and Adam Sandler and Eddie Murphy.)
As for Rodriguez, he announced at Cannes earlier this month that he is developing Sin City 2. His next film, The Adventures of Shark Boy and Lava Girl in 3-D, is due out June 10.
Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood Engaged
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. - Garth Brooks stole the show Wednesday night when he got down on one knee in front of 7,000 fans and proposed to fellow country music star Trisha Yearwood. She said yes — and the crowd went wild.
The occasion was the "Legends in Bronze" event at Buck Owens' Crystal Palace, where 10 larger-than-life bronze statues honoring country stars were unveiled, including one of Brooks.
After his big moment, Brooks popped the question.
The marriage will be the second for Brooks, who has three children, and the third for Yearwood, said Brooks' spokeswoman Nancy Seltzer.
Brooks, 43, is credited with widening the genre's appeal in the 1990s by merging traditional country with honky tonk, pop, folk and rock. His "Ropin' the Wind" album was the first such country recording to debut at the top of the pop music charts. His latest album, "Scarecrow," went triple platinum.
Yearwood, 40, was named the Country Music Awards female vocalist of the year in 1997 and 1998. Her latest album is "Jasper County."
Other musicians honored with bronze statues were Buck Owens, Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, Hank Williams, Bob Wills, Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley, George Jones and George Strait.