Musician Midge Ure has been presented with a lifetime achievement award at the Tartan Clef Awards.

The Band Aid co-founder and former Ultravox singer received the accolade at a ceremony in Glasgow.

The main award went to Hue and Cry, while newcomer Lucie Silvas was named as best breakthrough artist.

Alabama 3 won the best songwriters prize, while there were also honours for The Corries’ Ronnie Browne and percussionist Evelyn Glennie.

The awards are organised by the Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy charity, which helps people with disabilities.

Raising money

The ceremony is in its seventh year, with the prizes being presented this year by Lulu.

Previous winners have included The Darkness, Edwyn Collins and violinist Nicola Benedetti

Chairman Donald Macleod said: “The Tartan Clef Awards go from strength to strength each year, raising an astonishing amount of money for the charity.

“The generosity of people on the night is a true testament that music really does have a place in everyone’s heart, and that awareness of the charity and the power of music therapy continues to grow.”

Venue: Acme Game Store & Gallery 1988
Event: “I Am 8-bit” Art Opening
Address: 7018 & 7020 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90038 (Corner of Melrose & La Brea)
URL: http://iam8bit.net
Time: 7pm - ?
Cost: free?
Bar: Suicide Girls

Comments: This is the opening night party for the “I Am 8-Bit” art exhibit at Gallery 1988. The exhibit features tons of 8-bit video game inspired artwork. The samples we’ve seen so far are wicked awesome!

Read all about it at the Game Informer Online

8 Bit Weapon at The Echo

Venue: The Echo
Event: Hang the DJs
Address: 1822 Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90026
URL: Hang the DJs MySpace Page
Time: 9pm - ?
Cost: $?
Comments: 18+ !!! Performing with 8-Bit Rap Krew and other bands (we think)

:Link:

Kingston, ON - Avril Lavigne’s heart-felt song, “I’m With You", has been selected as the first song to fill the skies over Toronto, Canada in an upcoming acoustic magic show developed by Reichen Minogue of IMXLabs.com. Dubbed as the “show to end all shows", Minogue prepares the Canadian population for a “grand event” which will “dazzle humanity".

“The concept is a magical performance unlike any other prior magic-based stage production. Using advances in acoustic broadcasting and quantum sonic mechanics, we have eliminated the need for speakers outright. Music will literally engulf the entire greater Toronto area leaving no space void of Avril Lavigne’s voice. Her song will be heard in the middle of the night by no less than five million people during a single daily broadcast to be repeated over fourteen subsequent days", he stated during a recent telephone interview.

The show has been titled as ‘The Gabriel’s Trumpet Project’ and is currently still within pre-production in Cairo, Egypt by Artist Group Agency (AGA) and Reichen Group Corp (RGC).

No show date has been released.

Source: popmusic.org
Project Website: www.musicfromthesky.com

Just reminder that the 2005 NAMM show is coming up. So much music gear so little time!

NAMM Show Hours
Thursday January 20th 10 AM - 6 PM
Friday January 21st 10 AM - 6 PM
Saturday January 22nd 10 AM - 6 PM
Sunday January 23rd10 AM - 5 PM

:Link:

THE DARKNESS previewed five new songs for the opening night of their comeback arena tour in NOTTINGHAM last night (November 24).

The cock-rockers performed a 90-minute set for their devoted fans which included hits ‘Love Is Only A Feeling’,‘Growing On Me’, ‘Get Your Hands Off My Woman’ and ‘I Believe In A Thing Called Love’.

The band also played new tracks ‘Grief Hammer’, ‘Dinner Lady Arms’, power ballad ‘Seemed Like A Good Idea’, ‘English Country Garden’, which saw singer Justin Hawkins swap his guitar for an Eighties-style-guitar-keyboard, and ‘Buffet’.

The Darkness also performed two encores which featured a spectacular pyrotechnic and fire display.

During the first finale Hawkins circled the crowd twice on a floating tiger while performing an extended guitar solo during ‘Love On The Rocks (With No Ice)’.

Then at the end of the show, the band’s road crew, who were dressed in Santa costumes, decorated the stage with Christmas trees.

In the same manner as the warm up gig in Brixton the previous night Hawkins played the opening bars of Band Aid song ‘Do they Know It’s Christmas?’ before ending the show with the group’s own festive hit ‘Christmas Time (Don’t Let The Bells End)’.

The Darkness will perform their next show in Glasgow tomorrow (November 26).

The set was:
‘Grief Hammer’
‘Giving Up’
‘Stuck In A Rut’
‘Dinner Lady Arms’
‘Growing On Me’
‘Makin’ Out’
‘Physical Sex’
‘Love Is Only A Feeling’
‘Seemed Like A Good Idea’
‘English Country Garden’
‘Buffet’
‘Black Shuck’
‘Friday Night’
‘Get Your Hands Off My Woman’
‘I Believe In A Thing Called Love’
‘Love On The Rocks (With No Ice)’
‘Christmas Time (Don’t Let The Bells End)’

FRANZ FERDINAND will cap off a triumphant year in the US by headlining LOS ANGELES radio station KROQ’s ’ALMOST ACOUSTIC CHRISTMAS’ next month.

Night one of the annual holiday event will take place on December 11 at the Universal Amphitheatre. Franz will also be joined by Interpol, The Music, The Killers, Keane, Snow Patrol, Muse, Modest Mouse, The Shins, and Taking Back Sunday.

Night two will take place on December 12 and is headlined by Green Day, Velvet Revolver, My Chemical Romance, Incubus, Good Charlotte, Sum 41, Papa Roach, Chevelle, Hoobastank and Social Distortion.

Fans who are unable to attend either performance will be able to watch a webcast by going to kroq.com the night of the gigs.

The Streets’ Mike Skinner was on the verge of cancelling his American tour after gambling away the tour budget. The English singer says he’s lost thousands of dollars of his A Grand Don’t Come For Free album royalties, and has had to remortgage his house to finance a third album and the US tour. “It’s scary,” he says. “I’ve lost a lot. Basically, I was getting too drunk and betting lots of money. This year I’ve had to face that I’ve got a problem with everything outside music.”

(3/8/02, 10 a.m. ET) – The funkmaster Rick James is on the road, but don’t put off getting tickets–this is his farewell tour. James and his Stone City Band have played a handful of dates already, including one at the recently concluded Winter Olympics (news - web sites) in Salt Lake City, and they’ve got shows at B.B. King’s Blues Club in New York City tonight and tomorrow (March 8 and 9).Why this is a farewell tour? “I’m basically doing it for a couple of reasons,” he said. “One is, it’s an ego thing, to prove I can still do it. And the other side of it is to give people that didn’t get a chance to see a great band, the Stone City Band, and hear some really good music, and kind of take people back to a time that was simpler.”

More dates are being added to the itinerary that follows.

Rick James & the Stone City Band tour dates (subject to change):

March 8,9 - New York, NY - B.B. King’s Blues Club

May 1 - West Palm Beach, FL - SunFest

May 3 - Mashantucket, CT - Foxwoods Casino

May 4 - Atlantic City, NJ - Trump Marina

May 5 - Atlanta, GA - Music Midtown Festival

June 7 - Gulfport, MS - Grand Casino Gulfport

June 9 - Atlanta, GA - Chastain Park Amphitheatre

Every Last Friday of the Month Doc Martin’s Exclusive LA Residency with special appearances by his friends from all over the world.

This month’s guests: Harvey, founder of Black Cock Records, resident at Hawaii/London’s Quiet Storm and the new classics buyer for WAX. Harvey will be playing all night long!
Located at Blue in Hollywood1642 Las Palmas Ave,
Just south of Hollywood Blvd18 & Over, Full Bar for 21 & Over
Doors open at 9pm$10 Cover before 10:30pm, $20 afterInfo 323.993.3392
Lighting by Donovan (San Francisco)
Sound by Sound Factory Systems