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Posts Tagged ‘Derek’

Derek Hough Taking Break From “Dancing With The Stars”

When talent show hit Dancing With the Stars waltzes its way back to ABC’s primetime lineup this March, the popular series will be missing one major fixture: Three-time Mirrorball Trophy champ Derek Hough. Hough — the most-decorated pro dancer in DWTS history — is taking Season 12 off to concentrate on filming Cobu 3D, a [...]

Derek Trucks & Susan Tedeschi Band | NYE | Review

Words by: Scott Horowitz | Images by Ray Proetto

Derek Trucks & Susan Tedeschi :: 12.31.10 :: Florida Theatre :: Jacksonville, Florida

Derek & Susan by Ray Proetto

Derek Trucks and Susan Tedeschi put their solo acts on hold in 2010 to write and make music together with a fresh new band. In April they began playing new songs, trying to find their identity. Ten months later they have evolved into a cohesive unit, putting out sets of music that flow as majestically as the nearby St. Johns River into the Atlantic Ocean. Their New Year’s Eve celebration took place near the river banks of Jacksonville, Florida.

After an opening set from Scrapmatic, the Derek Trucks & Susan Tedeschi Band began their NYE set with “Don’t Let Me Slide” followed by my personal favorite “Midnight in Harlem,” a hopeful tune with a comforting and familiar feel. Derek & The Dominoes tune “Anyday” saw Trucks sliding up and down his guitar, evoking cheers from the attentive audience. The show took a turn down Funky Street with “Love Has Something Else to Say.” Brothers Oteil (bass, Allman Brothers Band) and Kofi Burbridge (keyboards, Derek Trucks Band) emanated fun-loving grooves from their corner of the stage all night long, making way for some patrons to sashay in their New Year’s attire up the aisles of the Florida Theatre (until being told to sit down by security).

Horn section by Ray Proetto

Kebbi Williams flowed through his saxophone across the stage, inspiring impressive leads from Oteil. Though this marked only the second show with the horn section, put together specifically for this New Year’s run, it seemed as if they had been in the band since April. Joining Williams, on trombone, was Saunders “Service” Sermons and Maurice “Mo’ Betta” Brown on trumpet.

The execution of the Eric Clapton arrangement of “Presence of the Lord” had more and more people finding their way to their feet. However, most in the audience remained unsure of what to do with themselves physically, most remaining seated and grooving cerebrally. Mike Mattison took lead vocal duties on Taj Mahal‘s “Leaving Trunk,” which made way for new blues number “That Did It”. The verses have Mattison and Mark Rivers laying down playful background vocal harmonies with Motown-esque Aah-ooh’s while Susan sings a soulful tale of heartache.

It is no secret that Susan is a world class vocalist, but on “That Did It” her guitar skills were front and center. She laid into her instrument with enough soul and power to make the ghost of Sister Rosetta Tharpe proud. Her approach to the six-string is a no-gimmick, loud and subtle reminder that she is the mother of Derek Trucks’ children.

Derek Trucks’ role as bandleader is performed perfectly. He gives everyone else onstage the space they need to become who they are musically. At times, when all eyes turn to him for a solo, he will defer the moment to someone else. Once everybody has found themselves in their given space, Trucks’ bright red Gibson SG is implied. With a meditative expression on his face, Derek tears sonic holes in the universe; each one providing grist for the mill of his spiritual journey with a guitar.

“Learn How to Love” is a thick swamp-fueled song that Derek and Susan wrote with Eric Krasno. Max Roach’s “Garvey’s Ghost” made an appearance late in the set featuring a powerful, tribal and lyrical drum solo which started with Tyler “The Falcon” Greenwell on groove duty while JJ Johnson took lead until handing it off to Greenwell, which led to both drummers playing off of each other with brilliant melody. The other band members gave the drummers their full, conscious attention during the drum solo, including Trucks, who took a knee center-stage as if to show respect for the most ancient form of musical expression.

Derek & Susan Band by Ray Proetto

The best, and rarest, quality of a good drummer is selflessness. Johnson and Greenwell pull selflessness out of each other creating a huge seamless rhythmic foundation on which the rest of the band rests upon. The end of “Garvey’s Ghost” began a cover of Joe Cocker’s “Space Captain.” which Derek and Susan recorded earlier in the year with Herbie Hancock at their backyard home studio.

The triumphant vocals at the beginning of Delany & Bonnie’s “Coming Home” started the countdown to midnight. Smiles, hugs, and kisses welcomed in the New Year as the band celebrated with Ray Charles’ “Night Time is The Right Time” and Mattison’s song “Bound for Glory”. Aretha Franklin’s “Spirit in The Dark” encored the evening and sent the North Florida faithful strutting into the night.

The band is due to release their first album in June of 2011 and has dates booked in April for Australia and New Zealand.

May the best of last year be the worst of this year.

Derek Trucks & Susan Tedeschi Band Tour Dates :: Derek Trucks & Susan Tedeschi Band News :: Derek Trucks & Susan Tedeschi Band Concert Reviews

JamBase | River City Namaste
Go See Live Music!


Ben Stiller Dishes On “Zoolander 2″

Listen up, Film Fans! Funnyguy Ben Stiller is dishing a few delectable deets on the long-awaited sequel to his 2001 cult comedy, Zoolander. Zolander 2 will be set in Europe and will follow male models Derek and Hansel 10 years after the events of the first film. “We’ve completed the script, Justin Theroux and I, [...]

Pretty Lights Launches Record Label; Announces New Releases

NEW MUSIC FROM BREAK SCIENCE AND PAPER DIAMOND DUE OUT JANUARY 25


Pretty Lights

Fresh off an incredibly successful year, Derek Vincent Smith (aka Pretty Lights) is ready to give his
fans a gift to start the New Year off right- the announcement of his own record label,
Pretty Lights Music, which will release
free new music in early 2011. Derek’s objectives are simple- he wants to
supply his fans, and fans of electronic music at large, with free music from the artists he believes in and
supports.

Today, he’s thrilled to announce two new digital releases (in addition to Michal Menert) on Pretty Lights
Music, both
due out January 25. Break
Science
will be releasing their new EP, Further Than Our Eyes Can See, and Paper Diamond will be dropping his
debut EP, Levitate.

Download Paper Diamond’s MP3 “From Now Till” here

Download Break Science’s MP3 “Zion Station” here

Pretty Lights
Tour Dates

::
Pretty Lights News
::
Pretty Lights
Concert
Reviews


Cheryl Cole ‘planning to move to Los Angeles’

Cheryl Cole 3Cheryl Cole will apparently move to Los Angeles as soon as the 6-million-pound Surrey mansion she shared with love-rat footballer Ashley is sold. The ‘Girls Aloud’ singer had also clinched a one-year 3-million-pound deal to be a judge on the US version of the X Factor. American dancer Derek Hough’s stepdad Aaron Nelson recalled how [...]

Sat Eye Candy: Delaney & Bonnie

MUSIC FOR THE SAKE OF IT

While The Band have been gathering accolades as for their role as a primary influence on rock ‘n’ roll that followed, another group from the same era had almost as big an impact on the movers & shakers in the 60s & 70s (and subsequently since then). Delaney & Bonnie were a then-husband & wife rock ‘n’ soul revue that put the zap on Eric Clapton, George Harrison and scores of others. The undeniable groove and spirit of their homegrown, deliciously earthy music brought rock down from its big stages and reconnected some of the biggest players of the day with what it meant to make music for the sake of making music. This gift still reverberates in the work of Derek Trucks & Susan Tedeschi, Mofro, Lucero and countless others. We love giving credit to worthy ancestors at JamBase and wanted to offer up a smattering of their fine music to enrich your weekend. (Dennis Cook)

We begin with a corker featuring Clapton and Harrison along with the future rhythm section for Derek & The Dominoes.

While Dave Mason had the hit with this one, D & B do it great justice.

An early music video from the band.

The Black Crowes have taken this tune up in recent years.

There’s not much sexier than Bonnie’s wicked smile and joyous jiggling and Delaney’s slinky ass guitar work in this clip. The slide solo near the end is just ridiculous!

Another one from the same television appearance.

We conclude with a glimpse of Delaney and Bonnie Bramlett performing without one another. Delaney passed away in 2008 and Bonnie Bramlett continues to make great music today. Still, few fires that burned as briefly as theirs have been brighter or more warming to music as a whole.


Jennifer Grey Wins “Dancing With The Stars” Season 11

Jennifer Grey is having “the time of her life” after dancing her way to victory and taking home the coveted Mirrorball Trophy during Tuesday night’s 11th season finale of Dancing With The Stars. “I didn’t think I was going to compete tonight and I’m really glad I did,” the Dirty Dancing actress tearfully said upon [...]

Sat Eye Candy: Duane Allman

TRULY A HOLY ROLLIN’ SOUND

Duane Allman would have turned 64-years-old today. We couldn’t let the day pass without tipping our hat to Skydog and honoring the ever-lingering legacy of one of the 20th Century’s most influential musicians. (Dennis Cook)

We begin with some insights into Duane’s genius and contribution to music.

The combination of Duane Allman and Dickey Betts remains one of the finest, most unique pairings rock has ever produced. Here’s the pair in flight together.

Besides the Allman Brothers and his extensive session work, Duane was also a key ingredient in another of rock’s all-time greatest ensembles, Derek & The Dominoes. There’s no decent footage of him playing with the band but here’s an interesting outtake that shows Clapton and Allman sparring nicely.

Let’s jump on the stage with ABB back in the day. This is what one calls “putting your back into it.”

Another succinct blast of Duane’s studio brilliance.

Just the audio but what audio it is! This pairing of the Dead and Duane on a signature blues standard shows what honest, gritty interpreters of the blues these young cats were.

We wrap with a few more Allman Brothers moments with Duane. Rest in peace, buddy. We miss ya more than we can ever express.


Las Tortugas V | Review | Pics

Words by: Dennis Cook | Images by: Chad Smith

Las Tortugas – Dance of the Dead V :: 10.28.10-10.31.10 :: Evergreen Lodge :: Groveland, CA

Las Tortugas V by Chad Smith

We are pulled through this life by small miracles. One needn’t be religious or even spiritual to understand this. The muck of bosses, bills and bullshit we trudge through would be simply unbearable if not for the oases along our trek. For several years, a nigh-perfect music festival in the lush Yosemite woods has proven such a blessed respite for a growing tribe, and the fifth anniversary installment was far & away the finest outing yet, one of those small miracles that makes all the weary miles fade and invigorates us for the rocky road ahead.

Las Tortugas V, like previous outings, miniaturized and refined all the best aspects of a festival, throwing an incredible four-day party with an extraordinary soundtrack. While other fests may have bigger names and carnival rides, Tortugas focuses on serious musicians who overflow with passion and heartfelt artistry. This is a showcase for some of the best music coming out of California today paired with kindred spirits from around the country, a place where veterans embarking on a new thang (7 Walkers), utter pros seeking one of the most engaged, joyful audiences they’ve ever encountered (Yonder Mountain String Band), workingman’s lifers (The Mother Hips, ALO, Cornmeal) and crazy talented comers (Nicki Bluhm & The Gramblers, Antioquia, Big Light, Pimps of Joytime) mingle. A feeling of creative freedom and smiling connection with all the things that originally got these players into the music game floats in the air.

And this palpable, happy charge buzzes in equal amplitude from the attendees. Perhaps more than any other festival I’ve experienced, Tortugas creates a beautiful crucible that burns hot and bright because EVERYONE throws a pinch or two into the pot (Jam Cruise is the only thing that compares, though each gathering is singular & beautifully strange in its own way, and something any serious music geek should experience at least once, like Glastonbury, Bonnaroo and a handful of others). With most folks bringing different costumes every day and an all-in enthusiasm that hums loudly before the first set kicks off, Tortugans are a rare breed. The near total absence of thievery, sketchiness and rudeness common at most music fests immediately sets Tortugas apart in a big way. It’s not to say that everyone is cool but un-cool moments are quickly defused, and there’s so much obvious love and care bouncing around the tents and trees that even grumps inclined to kick up dust are charmed into grinning contentment. The depth of conversation and generally open-handed attitude that abounds at Tortugas is a glimpse of our better angels, the way the world might be if we shared our bounty and lived with less fear and worry.

If this seems like an overreach for a music festival it isn’t. Las Tortugas is a playground for music loving people with an amiable synergy that relaxes muscles, eases minds and lifts spirits. Scoff if you must – modern cynicism is hard to shake – but four years running I’ve witnessed this vibe grow & grow & grow, seeing it put the zap – in the best way – on the heads of first timers that leaves them pleasantly shaken by weekend’s end. It is why the vets scheme all year long on how we might delight others, tickling fancies and pricking up ears in any way we can dream up, and then sharing that dream with anyone willing to jump through the looking glass with us.

Nestled in one of the most unique, idyllic settings in the United States (Evergreen Lodge), Las Tortugas situates about a 1000 people in a world apart and lets them share in a fully communal shindig. Each year a couple tunes spring into my head during the course of my wooded walks, a few lines that repeat like mantras as I gather up as much Tortugas mojo as I can before heading homeward. This year it was these verses from Jackson Browne’s “Farther On” and the Grateful Dead’s “The Music Never Stopped.”

Las Tortugas V by Chad Smith

Adrift on an ocean of loneliness
My dreams like nets were thrown
To catch the love that I’d heard of
In books and films and songs
Now there’s a world of illusion and fantasy
In the place where the real world belongs
Still I look for the beauty in songs
To fill my head and lead me on

AndÂ…

There’s a band out on the highway.
They’re high-steppin’ into town.
They’re a rainbow full of sound.
It’s fireworks, calliopes and clowns

And everybody was dancing, drink hoisting blurs of color and laughter that convinced one that the world might not be so bloody awful after all.

What follows are some musical highlights, pointers towards sweet new bands, and a whole bunch of great pictures from Chad Smith, heavy on Tortugans and their mirthful ways. Even if every band isn’t mentioned it’s important to point out that EVERY band that graced a stage at Tortugas V was the real deal, dedicated craftsmen born to meld melody and verse. Where one might wonder at other fests why a band made the lineup, Tortugas only presents quality, ranging from the newly born to the well-seasoned. It’s a formula that’s generated a lot of connections between the bands, resulting in some of the finest sit-ins one can find in the festival world. The sense that we’re ALL in this together – both for this weekend and in a much larger sense – is inescapable on both sides of the stage at Tortugas.

Continue reading for Thursday highlights…

Thursday Highlights

See the full gallery for Thursday here

Theme: Gypsy Circus

Lebo by Chad Smith

1. Lebo :: 2:15-3:30 am. :: Terrapin Big Top Stage

With a shortened introductory day, it wasn’t hard to stay up for the first rousing late night set in what turned out to be Tortugas’ finest night owl programming to date. As usual, Thursday felt like a Saturday here, and ALO’s guitar shredder and a special rhythm section were the flaming cherry atop everything. Flowing loose ‘n’ heavy, Dan Lebowitz, playing a hollow-body electric instead of his usual axe, gave us a commanding showcase that reaffirmed his place amongst today’s very best guitarists. Backed by ALO bandmate Dave Brogan (drums) and Tracorum‘s jaw-dropping rhythm section, Ian Herman (drums) and Mark Calderon (bass), Lebo stirred up his own Band of Gypsys roar, jamming with impunity and instigating some of the fiercest rhythm work heard all fest. Lebo’s versatility as a singer also shown through, and the obvious camaraderie these guys displayed made for some of the least predictable, most immediate music I’ve heard from any of them.

2. Poor Man’s Whiskey :: 9:15-10:30 pm :: Terrapin Big Top Stage

PMW pulled off a real neat trick: Playing the iconic, deeply held music of Old & In The Way – an obvious root source for their music – while authoritatively putting their own stamp on the material. For one thing, bassist Aspen holds his own against John Kahn’s original bass work, and he’s got a whole new sonic range to explore with drummer George Smeltz, bringing a whole new beat to things. As great as the musicians were in Old & In The Way, they weren’t exactly forthcoming performers. By contrast, PMW boasts two natural born rock stars in multi-instrumentalist/singers Eli Jebidiah and Josh Brough, who have that thing that gets everyone in the room off. Ably goosed by guitar-mandolin whiz Jason Beard, the boys made the well-tread newly furrowed and showed once again that Poor Man’s Whiskey is one of the premiere country-rock outfits today, a wild bunch that could have handily shared bills with the Flying Burrito Brothers, Goose Creek Symphony and Garcia and his picking pals.

Allie Kral by Chad Smith

3. Cornmeal :: 11:45 pm-1:00 am.:: Terrapin Big Top Stage

I like when Chicago’s Cornmeal get weird and they certainly did on this inaugural eve. There’s no doubting their hard strummin’ might – bluegrass doesn’t get more blue or grassy – but like a lot of quality acts lumped into the string band basket, Cornmeal have a LOT more variety in their Crayon box, and they didn’t hesitate to color outside the lines at Tortugas. Especially impressive was their ability to move from incredibly melodic strains to downright psychedelic runs, each feeling a part of the other instead of bordered off segments. The many raised glasses and elevated bonhomie in the tent spoke to their pronounced ability to lift heels, and the whole lot of them is goddamn charming as hell. Extra gold stars for ever-compelling violinist Allie Kral, who seemed possessed in a lovely way at several junctures, and dead-on-it drummer JP Nowak. Also, I’m kind of in love with their easy flowing songwriting and the entire delivery and style of banjoist-singer Wavy Dave Burlingame after this set.

Ones To Watch

Jack Grace Band
Full of good time, bohemian energy of the sort Tom Waits left behind when he grabbed a bullhorn, Grace and his slinky compatriots are a bar band in the archetypal sense, specializing in Latin tinged, gold standard song craft instead of by-the-numbers boogie, but still perfect for tossing back a few. First band to play the Tuolumne Hall and one I came home anxious to explore further.

Dead Winter Carpenters
With members of Montana Slim, it’s no surprise these cats ‘n’ kittens twang a bit, but they do so very winningly, and while their set on Thursday was appropriately uptempo, their recent self-titled debut shows a knack for slower, more meditative fare. They’re still getting their feet fully under them but there’s already some very appealing things happening in this band.

Continue reading for Friday highlights…

Friday Highlights

See the full gallery for Friday here

Theme: Decade Dance (retro looks from TV, history, etc.)

ALO & Friends by Chad Smith

1. ALO :: 2:00-4:00 am. :: Terrapin Big Top Stage

What other band could meld Steely Dan’s “Reelin’ In The Years” with snippets of The Four Seasons’ “December 1963 (Oh, What A Night)” with the whole panoply of pop past & future sandwiched in between? Dressed in the outfits from the Man of the World photo/video shoot, ALO lived up to every part of their name at this dawn chasing performance. In fact, keyboardist-singer Zach Gill even got so in touch with his animal side that he started talking to the stuffed birds on the branches decorating the stage late in the set. When these boys are on – and believe you me, this was as ON as I’ve ever seen them – music feels alive and organic, something to be touched and tasted, savored and slathered all over. That its also incredibly tuneful and you can dance to it speaks to their great talent and dedication to making even outside-the-norm music conform to something more sophisticated and thoughtful. After spending the better part of the summer and fall opening up for pal Jack Johnson, ALO played like men balling without a condom for the first time in a LONG time – liberated beasts whose bite set a good many of us free, too.

2. New Monsoon :: 6:15-7:30 pm. :: Terrapin Big Top Stage

For a band that doesn’t play out that much anymore, New Monsoon commanded the stage like utter professionals. There’s so much damn talent in this quintet that it remains shocking to me that more people don’t know and adore them. But regardless of stardom, San Francisco’s New Monsoon demonstrated how adept they are at commingling styles and giving all of them rock ‘n’ roll oomph in this early evening set. Filled with rhythm and force, their mix of originals and tasty covers (and a whole lot more well-picked, well-executed covers on Saturday from ZZ Top and more) goes down so smoothly that the many hours of woodshedding and sweat that lay before each performance are invisible. What we got at both sets this Tortugas was a band fully in control of their instruments and material, able to knock it out with aplomb at a moment’s notice. Drinking in electric guitarist Jeff Miller – long a personal favorite – renewed my desire to see him form a Derek & The Dominoes tribute band since he’s one of the few axe slingers who could generate the same guitar magic as Clapton at his inarguable peak.

Pimps of Joytime by Chad Smith

3. Pimps of Joytime :: 8:45-10:00 pm. :: Terrapin Big Top Stage

Dressed as ragtag cowpokes, the Pimps offered a master class in funk and its roots, showing equal flair for gutbucket blues, silky soul and myriad other variations on what seem like overplayed, boring forms in lesser hands. This band knows groove, way down in their bones, and they move with harnessed power and abundant natural charisma. Every single time I see the Pimps I like them WAY better. Shooting straight, I haven’t been this wholly charmed by a band in the funk-rock vein since I first saw Prince back in the day. Only Seattle’s Staxx Brothers are competing in the same arena, and rather than play favorites, I’ll just say that anyone who likes to get more than knee-deep as they howl about atomic dogs and funky drummers should get familiar with both. Quickly.

4. Antioquia :: 10:15-11:45 pm. :: The Tavern

With the propulsive energy of Remain In Light Talking Heads and political dance-mindedness of The Clash, SF’s Antioquia turned heads in their Tortugas debut. Admittedly, it wasn’t just their reach-out-and-grab-ya sound alone that did the job. The band set a new fest record for the most exposed flesh by dressing as the cock-socked Red Hot Chili Peppers with lead singer Maddy Streicek dolled up like an actual chili pepper. In their veins flows the sticky stuff that agitated early Brian Eno, the initial wave of jazz-fusion cats, Captain Beefheart and his Magic Band and similar inspired wackos. In so many ways, this set showed that Antioquia is exposed, fearless and free of boundaries, and they’ve got the chops to back up the bravado with substance and style.

Continue reading for Saturday highlights…

Saturday Highlights

See the full gallery for Saturday here

Theme: Monsters vs. Aliens

1. 7 Walkers :: 4:00-7:15 am :: Terrapin Big Top Stage

Bill Kreutzmann by Chad Smith

Bill Kreutzmann returned to Tortugas with his new labor of love, 7 Walkers. Hitting the stage in the middle of the night and playing till well after sunrise, Billy, Papa Mali, George Porter, Jr. and Matt Hubbard took us into the thickest, headiest swampland, brimming over with bayou shuffles, primal rock, psychedelic sparks and other rich, earthy textures. The only break any of them had during this three-hour-plus journey – and if you took the whole trip you really felt like you’d conquered a major peak – was when Papa and Matt paired off for some harmonica pierced deep blues and tender balladry followed by a bass-drums conversation between Bill and George. Each is a marvel in their own right but the chemistry in 7 Walkers just bowled folks over during this set, where they offered almost all of their fabulous self-titled debut, Dead & New Orleans chestnuts and fat-free jams that pounced and tore at one like a hungry gator. 7 Walkers feels vibrantly alert, alive in all the ways that count, and this only seems like the beginning of more and better music to come. [The band killed it again on Sunday night, only 13 hours after this set, where they leaned more heavily on Dead tunes like "I Know You Rider" and a great "Sugaree" with George on lead vocals. What's so cool about this band is how the familiar numbers feel freshly washed and ready to be pushed into service in the way they handle them. The final encore of "Iko Iko" lit up the tent with a light that comes from within, steering our ragged conga line into folklore and festivity with sure hands and hearts.].

2. Guitarmageddon:: 3:00-4:15 pm :: Terrapin Big Top Stage

Under the new leadership of PMW’s Eli Jebidiah, this starts-over-the-top celebration of shred science topped themselves with this Prince themed set. Any serious fan of His Purple Mounted Majesty would have stumbled away grinning ear-to-ear after this display that launched with a sizzling reading of “Let’s Go Crazy” but then weaved into killer recent tunes (“Chelsea Rogers,” “Musicology,” “Guitar”), the infamous Black Album (“Rockhard in a Funky Place”) and the choicest medley ever (“Raspberry Beret > Kiss > Sexy MF > Little Red Corvette > 1999″). The core band consisted of Eli (guitar, vocals), absolutely stunning heavy hitter Daria Johnson (drums, vocals), bassist Mark Calderon (doing some primo tough-funk bass faces), Tracorum keyboardist Fletcher Nielsen (the “Doctor” suited up in scrubs!) and guitar marvel Sean Leahy, who also summoned up a host of voices to fill different Prince-ly holes. Guest six-stringers included former Guitarmageddon leader Josh Clark (TLG), NM’s Jeff Miller, Newfangled Wasteland’s Chris Haugen, Tracorum’s Louis XIV-attired Derek Brooker and Big Light’s Jeremy Korpas, with each cameo suiting the songs to a tee and showing off how much amp-rattling guitar talent resides in Northern California today. The material was well rehearsed but not so much so that flashes of inspiration didn’t prevail. The whole gliding, intoxicating set ended in Gold Experience standout “Endorphinmachine.” Let’s hope that tapers were active during this one because the Minneapolis faithful just gotta hear this performance. One of the absolute best times all weekend.

3. Nicki Bluhm & The Gramblers :: 4:15-5:15 pm :: Tuolumne Hall

Nicki Bluhm by Chad Smith

It’s a blast to watch an audience be warmed by Nicki and her gifted Gramblers. It starts slow, the potency of their songwriting and their leader’s obvious vocal pow scooping one up, pulling them in close, and whispering sweet, softly wise things in their ears. Once snuggled in, well, they’ve got you and good. Bluhm is a throwback to classics like Bonnie Raitt, Linda Ronstadt and other strong women who carved their place in the largely male rock game. She’s a far cry from the manufactured divas and half-talents that pass for “female artists” in the mainstream today, and it’s her abiding quality, natural gifts and good instincts for collaborators that are making her an artist to watch VERY closely. The new songs from her forthcoming sophomore album were uniformly excellent, and as ever guitarist Deren Ney is a haunting knockout, especially when he works a slide. Nicki Bluhm & The Gramblers are the full package, and they left Tortugas with a LOT of new fans this year.

4. Sean Leahy Trio :: 12:00-1:45 pm :: The Tavern

Leahy may be one of THE best guitar players you’ve never heard. His cult amongst Northern Cali musicians and serious music nuts is well established, but it probably wouldn’t have taken more than a single tune at this blazing trio set to win over almost anyone with a six-string boner. Lean, fast and highly interactive, Leahy’s trio consists of himself on electric guitar and lead vocals with Tortugas all-star Mark Calderon on bass (only ALO/Big Light bassist Steve Adams worked as many sets) and drummer Daria Johnson, equally fantabulous here as her Guitarmageddon stint earlier in the day. The gal is a real talent and a show unto herself – just watch her face if you want a whole movie to accompany the music. Blues, classic rock, fleet-fingered jazz and more were explored in this set, and all of it packed with thick, ropy muscle. When Leahy lets go and trusts in his abilities, as he did here, he’s positively superhuman and a joy to watch. Johnson and Calderon are perfect foils, and they even made time for a brief M80 Mailbox cameo, a Leahy project with Dave Brogan and Josh Clark, that included a bruising cover of Rage Against The Machine’s “Killing In The Name Of.”

Ones To Watch

Five Eyed Hand
The Tavern seemed wonderfully afloat when this SF unit unleashed their energetic, free flowing music on Saturday night. For sure there’s a foundation of rock ‘n’ roll but things sizzle and switch around with the technically possessed feel of Weather Report taken down to “Shakedown Street.” Mix in the phased dynamics of Bill Frisell, the swerving violin of Mahavishnu and more than a dollop of quality space rock and you’re getting closer to the ballpark. Five Eyed Hand showed being hard to place is a virtue, and jam kids looking to do some traveling between their ears should definitely investigate their self-titled album and fine live show.

Continue reading for Sunday highlights…

Sunday Highlights

See the full gallery for Sunday here

Theme: The Masquerade Ball – Halloween

1. The Mother Hips :: 5:30-7:00 pm.:: Terrapin Big Top Stage

The Mother Hips by Chad Smith

Having seen a ludicrous number of Hips shows (quickly approaching triple digits and spread over the group’s entire history), it’s heartening and more than a little shocking that these guys can still completely blow me away. That’s what happened at this late afternoon set that began with a surprising cover of “Long Black Veil” and seemed like it was going to be one of the band’s cozier, country-tinged daytime sets (“Whiskey On A Southbound,” “Later Days”). Then, they took a wide left turn with a stunning reading of “Young Charles Ives,” fired up the over-thrusters and charged into the unknown, unleashing all the brilliance they possess in a rock show that knocked far more than me back on our heels. Other highlights included “October Teen,” “Chum” and “Precious Opal,” but for sheer audacity and skill it’s hard to beat the rush from “Mission In Vain” into Grateful Dead classic “The Other One,” which the Hips made their own, layering on hard guitar and limber rhythms in a way that nailed the original and infused it with newness. After The Mother Hips recent barnburner at The Fillmore, it’s clear this band is on a very nice tear right now – one more reason to fully commit to one of America’s best bands, as if folks really needed more inducements with the Hips!

2. Yonder Mountain String Band :: 11:00 pm-12:45 am.:: Terrapin Big Top Stage

A couple things struck me quite poignantly at this Yonder performance: 1) What a massively satisfying sound, and 2) how little this music relates to bluegrass despite the stupid label they’ve been given. For just four guys, playing rather quietly, YMSB generates voluminous waves of music, each player accenting and commenting on the lead lines in a clever, unobtrusive way that nonetheless supports the main thrust at all times. In about two hours, one heard echoes of small group jazz from the 20s/30s, 60s modal exploration, hardcore traditional folk, good ol’ fashioned rock, early country music and some of the free-ranging stylistics Oregon introduced to acoustic music.

Yonder Mountain String Band by Chad Smith

There was none of the showy, dick measuring, spotlight grabbing qualities one finds in most actual bluegrass bands, and even when they took solos, they didn’t go on endlessly or freeze out what everyone else was doing. Where at times I’ve found some of Yonder’s selections a little jokey, today’s YMSB came off as relatively serious and considered, but not too much so. There’s no being overly stuffy when you’ve got a natural born court jester like Jeff Austin dancing on the needle’s head, and though a touch jet-lagged, Austin didn’t disappoint. He makes everyone feel welcome and serves as the chief ambassador to Yonder Mountain, though never staying so long in the foreground that the other three guys are overshadowed. Like most aspects of their music, there’s a hearty balance that’s refreshing and worthy of a lot of respect and genuine enthusiasm.

And jeezus can these guys play! As pickers, each is a blast and perfectly attuned to their brethren. A delight in all ways and one of the best closing night exclamation points ever at Tortugas.

3. Tracorum :: 12:45-1:45 am.:: Tuolumne Hall

Sometimes we listen to music without really hearing it. However, when we’re ready to open up and experience a thing as it truly is, well, it can feel like a baptism. Such was my experience with Tracorum on Sunday night. Having enjoyed them at previous Tortugas, this time I got it in a huge way. What they do is rock ‘n’ roll but done so fundamentally right it makes you want to kiss them when they power down their instruments. This night, as the festival raged like we’d never seen before on a Sunday eve, Tracorum embodied our collective high spirits and unspoken ache at this experience coming to a close and put those elements to work in some of the best boogie-minded, straight-great rock heard all weekend. Comparisons to The Band and studio aces The Wrecking Crew flitted through my brain as I danced to the heart of this fleeting makeshift town next to my loose-limbed sisters and brothers. Every aspect was right on the money and every man showed himself a massive talent on their respective instruments, pouring soul into every note, their conviction becoming our own. While they display a lighter hand and more Latin-y hips on their new album, The Lesson, live this band exudes legend-making magic.

4. Big Light :: 12:45-2:00 pm.:: Tuolumne Hall

Big Light belongs on big stages. They are rapidly outgrowing small spaces, pushing their already appealing material into skyward reaching constructs that need room to breath and cavort. A modern rock band to be sure, Big Light betters the majority of the Pitchfork darlings by being able to deliver in a salacious, snarling way live, which is exactly how they charged at folks on this afternoon. A guest turn from Izabella keyboardist Jeff Coleman stirred up the best “Panther” to date, and nothing else was less than excellent. An ever-forward arching NEED to be better is what’s fueling Big Light’s rapid growth. Seeing them onstage in a set like this is to watch evolution take place in real time. It’s exciting and more than a little fun to behold. Based on showings like this, only expect more and finer music from this quartet in the future.

Ones To Watch

Kate Gaffney

Gaffney is a real emerging talent, filling The Tavern with songs that were easy to like but filled with nuances that make you want to hear them again right away. She’s got an instantly likeable voice that’s only growing more subtle and powerful the longer she plies her craft. She’s surrounded herself with top-notch players and keeps adding interesting material to her songbook. So, in short, there’s nothing not to dig about this Bay Area lady.

Newfangled Wasteland

A Beck cover band is a clever idea. Better still is a Beck cover band that plays nearly unrecognizable versions of Beck’s tunes. Dave Brogan, Chris Haugen, Steve Adams and TLG’s Trevor Garrod hit a sublime groove in their Sunday night set, showing that the longer they toy with these mutations the more they become their own. Said it before but it bears repeating: Festival bookers need to pay attention to this band.

The Hydrodynamics

The Hydrodynamics are the new project of former Blue Turtle Seduction chief songwriter/singer/guitarist Jay Seals. While his old band gave folks warm fuzzies in their festival one-off reunion, it’s clear this is where Seals’ heart is. Filled with hooky, bouncing melodies and abundant female energy, The Hydrodynamics were a touch ragged in their Tortugas debut but it was still evident that this is catchy stuff, pulling from the pop side of The Clash and marrying it to smoother vibes. A young band worth putting on your radar.

Epilogue

There’s no real way to say goodbye to Las Tortugas. Life over these four days is so wonderfully intense and happy that disconnecting from it and returning to time sheets and business calls is inevitably a shock to the system. Still, it’s incredible that Tortugas exists at all. What one finds at Tortugas is the sheer capacity for human beings to share and cavort is FAR greater than we might imagine. This feeling stays with us if we’re conscious about it and nestle away a portion in our breast for the long haul that awaits us beyond Evergreen Lodge. Everywhere one turns at Tortugas is evidence of human ingenuity and compassion delivered with melody and harmony. If you didn’t get kissed, bear hugged or otherwise lovingly groped it’s because you didn’t open your arms. But, as we revel, we’re given chances for revelation, too, and these deeper currents make Tortugas more than just a good time. The idea that we might be better citizens of the world – more loving neighbors, more welcoming strangers – is writ large at Las Tortugas, interwoven with the notes hanging in the air, ephemeral but real all the same.

Continue reading for Thursday/Friday pictures…

var siteRoot=”http://www.jambase.com”;var newPhotoIndex=”16″;$(document).ready( function() { $(“#GalleryWidget”).load(siteRoot+”/Photos/Widget.aspx?galleryID=166″);}); 10/28/10 – 10/29/10 – Las Tortugas Dance of the Dead (Evergreen Lodge) (Groveland, CA) View Photos

Continue reading for Saturday pictures…

var siteRoot=”http://www.jambase.com”;var newPhotoIndex=”25″;$(document).ready( function() { $(“#GalleryWidget”).load(siteRoot+”/Photos/Widget.aspx?galleryID=167″);}); 10/30/10 – Las Tortugas Dance of the Dead (Evergreen Lodge) (Groveland, CA) View Photos

Continue reading for Sunday pictures…

var siteRoot=”http://www.jambase.com”;var newPhotoIndex=”60″;$(document).ready( function() { $(“#GalleryWidget”).load(siteRoot+”/Photos/Widget.aspx?galleryID=168″);}); 10/31/10 – Las Tortugas Dance of the Dead (Evergreen Lodge) (Groveland, CA) View Photos

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Cheryl Cole ‘was given just 24 hours to live after getting malaria’

‘X Factor’ judge Cheryl Cole has revealed that she was given just 24 hours to live after getting malaria. Cheryl, 27, collapsed during The X Factor auditions after contracting the disease on a trip to Tanzania in June with dancer pal Derek Hough as he tried to take her mind off her divorce from love [...]

Julianne Hough’s Brother Approves of Her Boyfriend…

…who just happens to be Ryan Seacrest.

Dancing With The Stars’ Derek Hough recently told People Magazine:
“He fits right in with my family.  We’re all kind of goofy and quirky, so it works out well.”
I’ll bet it works out for moon faced Derek who probably walks around with a 24/7 hard on for his sister’s man [...]

JJ Grey & Mofro: True Warhorses

By: Dennis Cook

JJ Grey by Darren Jackinsky

Maybe it’s the pounding soul of “All,” the slinky strut of “Diyo Dayo,” the synth-dappled, switchback funk of “Hide & Seek” or perhaps the crack-your-heart-open tenderness of “King Hummingbird” but something gonna get you on JJ Grey & Mofro‘s new slab, Georgia Warhorse (released August 24 on Alligator Records). Grey and his shifting ensemble specialize in ‘getcha music,’ the sort that runs its fingers through your hair, leaves lipstick on your collar and sometimes lifts your wallet and cell phone to run up a crazy bar tab and make calls to the other side of the world. Grey’s songs are earthy in all respects – lusty and impetuous yet rooted in soil tilled with the blood & sweat of generations. And he when he steps to the mic you’ll swear Otis Redding has an illegitimate white son. There are also echoes of the young Paul Rodgers who ignited Free and Bad Company – Grey shares his knack for slow burners and ability to make rock sound magisterial – not to mention a dash or two of Grey’s personal idols like Tony Joe White and Toots Hibbert. Put it all together and one’s body and soul warms when Mofro plays.

Hibbert along with Derek Trucks guests on Georgia Warhorse, helping make it the single strongest release in a catalog without a single dud. Without reinventing the wheel – as we’ll discuss in this chat – Grey and his collaborators, particularly producer-sidekick Dan Prothero, have crafted an album that sits up straight ‘n’ proud next to anything that came out of Muscle Shoals in its heyday. More impressive than Mofro’s gift for capturing the feel of Wilson Pickett, Otis, et al. is how they make it seem like that music never went away and has been growing up right along with Grey and his boys.

Grey is man enough to declare, “Hell no, I ain’t going down on my knees,” yet enough of a dreamer to ache out loud on simmering killers like “Gotta Know,” grind passionately like a Grade-A lover man on “Slow, Hot & Sweaty” or throw his whole being open on Georgia Warhorse‘s shattering closer “Lullaby.” In short, Grey is a grand revival shaman reuniting rock ‘n’ soul in a holy orgy for common folk.

JamBase: One of the things you’ve done from the beginning – and the new record certainly does it – is remember that rock ‘n’ roll has hips, which has been forgotten by a lot of your contemporaries. Soul music used to be a real close relative.

JJ Grey by Melanie Martinez

JJ Grey: Right, right, right. I want it to have the energy to rock and I want it to groove so you can dance to it. And I can’t dance worth a shit so I better find the funkiest players I can so I can get my groove on! These are all cats I’ve looked up to and I’m just lucky to get to play with them. They all understand my arrangements and the essence of what I’m trying to get musically. And with these kinds of guys playing, it’s easy. All I gotta do is show up.

JamBase: There’s been a lot of lineup changes in Mofro, and even your longest running partner, Daryl Hance, is no longer with you. How has that affected the music?

JJ Grey: Honestly, it’s always been my ship. Not to sound like an ego thing or nothing, that’s just the truth. Daryl has always supported me and now I can’t wait to help him in any way I can to help him with what he’s doing. He’s got his own tunes, like a lot of the other cats, and we will play together again. It’s hard to explain [the dynamics of Mofro] to people because it doesn’t really have an identity outside of who’s playing in it right at that moment. It’s like life – full of change.

You’ve always struck me as a road warrior. I’ve seen you a lot of times and even when you seem to be draggin’ before the show, the moment the music kicks in you spring back. Something seems to hit your bloodstream when you’re in front of a crowd.

Definitely! I tell people all the time, I never got paid a dime to play a show – all the money is just so we can get there, unload the equipment, etc. Playing the show itself is just therapy; that part’s free. Everything else is what costs us money.

Not everyone appreciates what a privilege it is to get to do what you love for living.

That’s what it’s all about, and the best way to do it is to not try to do it. Just let it happen. If you’ve got a cut it’ll heal itself if you give it time and space and let the body do what it does. It’s the same way with music. I don’t write tunes, they write themselves. I honestly can’t take credit for that. They just pop out of thin air like conversations.

I wanted to get into your longtime working relationship with Dan Prothero, who’s helmed every Mofro album with you since the start. I don’t think he gets near enough credit. Every time he works with a musician, including you, he seems to draw out the best in them.

Well, if somebody wanted to get technical about the original members of Mofro, it’d obviously be myself, Daryl and Dan Prothero. As far I’m considered, Dan is probably a bigger part of Mofro than any one individual cat that’s played with me. Luckily, Dan only wants to work with people who are 95-percent there so he only has to add about 5-percent. He wants to help you get the right sound, the right tone, and that’s what Dan’s done. It’s been great.

You’ve had this partnership over five albums. How do you think the sound has evolved? I can’t quite nail the exact differences but there’s something quite refined about the sound on Georgia Warhorse.

JJ Grey by Adam McCullough

With Blackwater [Mofro's 2001 debut] there was a lot of shoulder shruggin’ on my part and nervousness. I didn’t know what he wanted; he didn’t know what I wanted. I don’t even know how a record came out of those sessions, and that’s not because of the musicians involved. That was my fault. I wasn’t stepping up to the plate, not so much in my takes but with the whole process. And Dan was instrumental in pushing me towards my strengths and away from my weaknesses. And when I say weaknesses, I guess what I should say is pushing me towards honesty, the things that felt genuine and honest, and away from things that felt contrived or phony. He also convinced me to learn how to play instruments. I played an instrument enough to write a tune, but going on the road I couldn’t afford to bring along the kind of band I wanted to. I wanted horns and everything on the first record and tour behind it, but I just couldn’t afford it. And I’d never played and sang at the same time before and Dan said, “You just gotta do it.” He pushed me, pushed me, pushed me.

So, to go back and answer your question, I send him demos now that I’ve cut at home and it’s pretty close to how it sounds on the record, except we go into the studio and get someone who plays drums better than me [laughs]. We don’t go in as a band. I put the songs together and think of who I’d like to be on a cut, like Derek Trucks or whatever. I’m at a point where I can make that call. Derek was easy because he lives in Jacksonville, and Toots was easy, too. We just sent him the stuff down to Jamaica and he jammed on it and sent it back [laughs]. The point is that now with Dan we don’t have to go through a song critique period or nothing. We’re just ready to go in and do it and make it interesting with cool 70s synth sounds and such.

One picks up on the shared curiosity with cool sounds that you and Dan have. For all the production that’s layered on rock music these days, that inquisitive, distinctly human touch is often missing.

JJ Grey by Darren Jackinsky

Chasing rabbits down holes is always fun. I’ll tell you something else that’s cool, and don’t get me wrong, I love Pro Tools and Logic – I use those things to write with and in the process of making this record these things get used – but Dan taught me not to rely on them. When things are done in the box – the controlled, computer-based box world – it has a flatness to it. There’s no spikes, no pits. No matter how great the recording or the players, it will lose something if it’s not mixed through a console. All the [Mofro] records have been done on two-inch tape. Dan mixes down off two-inch tape as much as he can, and then dumps all that into Pro Tools and does last minute editing.

Jimmy DeVito’s Retrophonics studio, where we always record, is a museum of the best gear ever made. You move something aside and there’s something else that makes you go, “Holy shit!” So you start messing around and thinking, “This vintage ’72 keyboard would be perfect on this take!” Jimmy provides that space, and I think that’s a huge part of the sound, too – Jimmy’s two-inch tape machine, his vintage amplifier collection, his guitars, his basses.

A place like that allows instinct and inspiration to take hold in the moment. Things are too neat today. You’d never get those wonderful pushing-the-meter-into-the-red moments on the classic Aretha Franklin recordings now. But that bold, ragged rush is what those songs are all about.

That’s what I push for on every record. On all my favorite records like Tony Joe White and all that Muscle Shoals stuff, when the singer gets going the tubes start to smoke and the pre-amps sizzle and it all starts to fly apart on the heavy, high, loudest notes. I love that! That’s also when guitars changed and became distorted, when the guitar player is just playing it so hard and so loud things start to bust apart. What people like Dan and I are doing is pursuing that distortion. We’re looking for the distortion that sounds like butter, not the newer circuit board distortion, which kinda shits out and sounds awful.

It’s great to see this kind of music being made today instead of it being simply something from yesteryear. These records and this sound endures because it sounds so, so, so good.

One of the things I explain to people is volume does not translate well to tape. So, when you play live you just play louder and people can feel those huge, dynamic shifts. With studio recordings what happens is people have to turn up their stereos when you’re quiet and then turn ‘em back down when it’s too loud, which led to compression. But all those old compressors gave you a form and a feeling, whereas now a Celine Dion recording might be smashed into oblivion to the point where you look at it as a line on a computer and the block volume is massive compared to say AC/DC’s Back In Black, which has these peaks and valleys that look small, not one continuous fat block of volume. Well, we know what happens when you put both on a stereo, you’ll say the AC/DC record is louder. It just seems louder because there’s not an Amex on it. These are the things Dan has taught me. Some people will say, “That’s retro,” but I say, “No, it’s just good.” The wheel is retro. It was invented a LONG time ago but it works [laughs].

JJ Grey & Mofro are currently on tour. They play The Compound in Phoenix, AZ (9/22), Belly Up Tavern in Solano Beach, CA (9/23), The Fillmore in San Francisco, CA (9/24) and the West Beach Music & Arts Festival in Santa Barbara, CA (9/25). Find full tour dates here.

JJ Grey & Mofro Tour Dates :: JJ Grey & Mofro News :: JJ Grey & Mofro Concert Reviews

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Jennifer Grey Checks Into “House”

“No One Puts Baby in a Corner….” Dirty Dancing actress Jennifer Grey — who outdanced everyone with a raved-about Viennese Waltz on Monday night’s season premiere of Dancing With The Stars — will be heading over to guest star on FOX’s House. Other guest stars this season will be The Good Wife’s Dylan Baker, [...]

Robert Schimmel Dead — Comedian Schimmel Dies Of Injuries Sustained In Car Crash

Robert Schimmel, the controversial comedian best known for his envelope-pushing work on The Howard Stern Show and NBC’s Late Night with Conan O’Brien, died in a Phoenix hospital Friday evening as a result of injuries he sustained in a recent car accident, according to the comic’s longtime spokesman, Howard Bragman.Schimmel, 60, was the passenger [...]

Cheryl Cole, Derek Hough romance is a “cover-up”, says Amir Khan

Boxer Amir Khan has revealed that Cheryl Cole’s romance with dancer pal Derek Hough is a trick to keep paparazzi at bay. Amir, 23 said that Cheryl confessed to him she is not Derek’s girlfriend. The pair enjoy cosy nights in front of the telly but are more like brother and sister than lovers. “I [...]

Cheryl Cole and Derek Hough ‘are a couple’

Cheryl Cole and her dancer pal Derek Hough are a couple, says ‘X Factor’ pal. Show choreographer Brian Friedman, 33, has met up with them since they flew to Los Angeles nearly two weeks ago. “I’m very close to them both. They’re amazing people and make a great couple,” the Mirror quoted Friedman as saying. [...]

Adam Deitch Joins Pretty Lights

ADAM DEITCH REPLACES CORY EBERHARD



Adam Deitch

From www.prettylightsmusic.com:

“Derek will be performing along side a new drummer, Adam Deitch.
Adam is basically one of the illest drummers out there right now and when his style combines with the PL style, it
approaches sweet style overload. The combo of Derek Vincent Smith & Adam Deitch will undoubtedly bring the the
PL
shows to new heights… get ready. Find out more about Adam Deitch.”

Pretty Lights
Tour Dates

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Pretty Lights News ::
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Concert
Reviews


Derek Trucks Guests On New JJ Grey Album

TOUR STARTS AUGUST 21 IN HOXEYVILLE, MI


Georgia Warhorse

Guest guitarist Derek
Trucks
joins swampy, funky roots rock artist JJ Grey on “Lullaby,” a highlight of the new album Georgia Warhorse,
nailing his performance on the first take.

Grey says, “He’s a one take person. It sounded like the greatest take of all time. He insisted we do two, three more
takes but we used the first take. It was just awesome. To me, he’s in the category of Louis Armstrong.”

Trucks admires Grey’s abilities as a writer as well, saying, “It’s a real skill to be able to take your life and what you do
and just put it to music where it actually translates, where you can trace those threads back. I enjoy that about JJ’s
music.”

Grey’s new album Georgia Warhorse comes out August 24 on Alligator. His previous album Orange
Blossoms
hit #4 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart.

JJ Grey & Mofro
Tour Dates

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JJ Grey & Mofro News ::
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Concert
Reviews


Cheryl Tweedy says boyfriend Derek Hough saved her life

Girls Aloud member Cheryl Tweedy has revealed that had it not been for her boyfriend Derek Hough insisting that medics carry out further tests, she would not be alive today. Tweedy, 27, said that a medical blunder left her just hours from death, and that she only pulled through because Hough, 25, insisted on further [...]

Cheryl Cole eying to hit it big in US

Cheryl Cole is eyeing to become a US superstar and if all turns out well then she will be seen in American ‘X Factor’ as well as in ‘Dancing With The Stars’. Officially, she has told ‘X Factor’ boss Simon Cowell she will be ready to rejoin the show in the last week of August. [...]