The previously announced Show Of Peace Concert  due to be staged in Beijing next month has been postponed until October 10th 2010. A statement has been issued by the promoters that states that; “With the agreement of Ministry of Culture, the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC) and the organizers of the International Show of Peace Concert have discussed and decided to change the date of the concert to October 10, 2010 – 10/10/10.
“The concert, originally planned for April 17, will be held at Beijing’s Bird’s Nest Stadium. The CPAFFC has considered all aspects. To ensure the absolute success of the concert, the leaders concerned have deliberated and decided to adjust the date of the concert to October 10th, 2010.”

The concert line up has been in doubt for some time, particularly since with the exception of Jimmy Page, the promoters were unable to gather more top line acts, Lady Ga-Ga and the Black Eyed Peas all issued statements saying that neither had agreed to play and Joe Perry from Aerosmith also stated that he was unsure exactly what part he would play in the concert, if at all.

At one point organizer Rick Garson likened the status of the concert “to having a party at your house, where you invite 1,000 guests and only 100 show up.” As it stands no one will be coming to the party until October. More details on this as they unfold. See also news Show Of Peace story on www.ledzeppelinnews.com

In a recent interview on BBC 6 Music, John Paul Jones stated that the Vultures intend to the studio to record a second album with a possible release dated as early as late 2010. In a related story Dave Grohl has said that The Foo Fighters have started the process of recording a new album with an anticipated return to the studio in September.

Led Zeppelins gig at St Matthews Baths Hall in Ipswich in November 1971 has a review posted on line recently. The Suffolk edition of the Evening Star ran a story of how a rock fan, Vic Kemp who stumbled across a CD of the Ipswich gig at a local car boot sale. Hardly the rarest find as it’s be available on various bootleg CD’s for some years. He handed the CD over to journalist Jonathan Barnes who dually post his own review of the gig on his blog, click here Barnesys blog party .Expect his O2 review in 2046.

M.A.S Records, the Kidderminster record label fronted by former Band Of Joy/Priory Of Brion guitarist Kevyn Gammond has secured slots for its local Midlands acts at this week’s South By Southwest (SXSW) Festival in Austin, Texas.

SXSW is one of the largest music festivals in the United States, with more than 1,400 performers playing in more than 80 venues around Austin over ten days.

MAS Records’ Scott Garrett and Andrew Houston will oversee the label’s artists at this year’s festival.

A range of artists from the Midlands have travelled across the pond with the hope of attracting music industry interest. Access To Music and Rockschool Ltd. have joined up with Kidderminster College – where the label is based – to get the acts slots at the festival. Kevyn said: “Without the support of Rockschool Ltd. and Kidderminster college we would not be able to take advantage of these opportunities. This event is an important investment in exporting our music.”

The label is also teaming up with Kerrang DJ Emma Scott to stage a monthly band showcase at Birmingham’s O2 Academy.

An outdoor event is also planned for Bromsgrove over the Easter bank holiday. Go to the labels website at Mighty Atom Smasher.com  for more info.

Here is an exclusive promo clip featuring the label’s patron.

Paul Rogers has a “The Very Best Of Free & Bad Company Featuring Paul Rodgers” CD due out on March 29. The 15-track CD will also be released as a 26-track expanded iTunes version featuring solo tracks along with those by The Firm — Rodgers’ 1980s band with Jimmy Page, and The Law — his 1990s short-lived team up with drummer Kenney Jones. The full 26-track online version marks the first time Rodgers’ entire career has been chronicled on one collection.
The full iTunes track listing for “The Very Best Of Free & Bad Company Featuring Paul Rodgers” is:
BAD COMPANY:
* Can’t Get Enough
* Rock Steady
* Feel Like Makin’ Love
* Rock N’ Roll Fantasy
* Run With The Pack
* Seagull
* Shooting Star
FREE:
* My Brother Jake
* Be My Friend
* The Hunter
* Little Bit Of Love
* Fire And Water
* All Right Now
Other:
* Satisfaction Guaranteed (The Firm)
* Muddy Water Blues (acoustic) (Paul Rodgers)
* Soul Of Love (Paul Rodgers)
* Radioactive (12″ Mix) (The Firm)
* Live In Peace (Live) (The Firm)
* The Hunter (Live from BBC) (Paul Rodgers)
* Saving Grace (Paul Rodgers)
* Midnight Moonlight Lady (Live at Wembley 1985) (The Firm)
* Over You (Paul Rodgers)
* Laying Down The Law
* Missing You Bad Girl (The Law)
Rodgers told The Pulse of Radio that during his stints in all four bands — and on his own — the one musical inspiration has always been the blues. “You used to look around and think, ‘God, is there no other way?’, you know?” he said. “And then I heard these blues guys singing about jumping on the first train smoking, and heading out of town, you know, and my friends can have my room. And I thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be great if you could just do that?’ And that drew me to playing and singing blues. And it’s actually what I did, and I’m still doing.”

And finally, you may recall we reported a few weeks ago that Mary J. Blige  is to release her version Stairway To Heaven. Seems the R&B singer enjoyed it so much she also recorded a version of Whole Lotta Love . “Of course, there’s definitely an inner rock chick in Mary J. Blige,” she said. “Oh man I had a good time doing A Whole Lotta Love, the acting it out, being the rock and roll Mary was so much fun!”

 The two tracks can be found on her forthcoming album Stronger with Each Tear. I can’t wait! (GF)