Paul McCartney tickets might be selling out around the world for his Up & Coming Tour, but that doesn’t mean the former Beatle doesn’t have the time to help his common musician. While vacationing with then-wife Heather Mills, Paul McCartney came across entertainer Glenn Aitken a few years ago. The huge Beatles fan was performing at a resort in the Maldives when Sir Paul asked him to play them a song while they dined. McCartney was impressed with Aitken’s original music and vowed to help him win a recording contract when he returned to England. Aitken moved to London and is releasing his debut album, Extraordinary Lives, this year. McCartney even recorded a song with Aitken for the album.
The festivities in Manchester, TN have kicked off for this summer’s Bonnaroo Music Festival. The four-day festival has become one of the most popular in the United States for it’s diverse line up of talented acts. Headlining this year’s festival is the Dave Matthews Band, Kings of Leon, and Jay Z. The lineup ranges from jam music (Umphrey’s Magee), indie (Phoenix), rap (Kid Cudi), soul (Stevie Wonder), dance-punk (LCD Soundsystem), and comedy (Conan O’Brien). One highlight should be The Flaming Lips performance of Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon with Stardeath and the White Dwarfs on Friday night. Legendary artists Jeff Beck, Jimmy Cliff, John Fogerty, Kris Kristofferson, and John Prine will perform this year at Bonnaroo as well.
Things are getting bigger and bigger for Brooklyn’s finest, The National, with the release of their 6th album, High Violet. The National are currently signed to 4AD, a British independent record label, but the band is still recieving a new level of media attention with High Violet. Bandmates Matt Berninger, Aaron Dessner, Bryce Dessner, Bryan Devendorf, and Scott Devendorf are hitting the road hard this year with dates scheduled in the US and Europe from June through November. Critics have hailed High Violet, much likes its predecessors, as another fine example of the band’s brilliance saying “The National rarely miss; when they aim for powerful or poetic, they get there.” The National have also been frequenting the late night television seen playing “Afraid of Everyone” on Dave Letterman and “Anyone’s Ghost” on the Late, Late Show with Craig Ferguson. It’s great to see such a great indie band get the attention it deserves eleven years after their formation. Expect to be seeing a lot more The National.
