News

A benefit concert can be tricky business. …It can go horribly wrong or it can be an illuminating, moving and exciting night worthy of the cause it supports and the money shelled out by patrons to benefit said cause. At Carnegie Hall last night, where the 24th Annual Tibet House US Benefit Concert took place, the evening quite certainly felt like the latter.

…The most excellent and fulfilling of the surprises came from Iggy Pop’s entrance on stage to perform a trio of songs with New Order. Dressed in an oversized black blazer, dress pants, and no shirt, Iggy Pop looked particularly buttoned up with only part of his bare chest peeking beneath the suit. He made a very Iggy Pop show of New Order’s “California Grass” before the evening’s most audience-rousing pair of performances arrived as the collaborators dove into two Joy Division tracks. Pop took over Joy Division’s “Transmission” as patrons jumped to their feet to “dance, dance, dance, dance, dance” as the song commands. Pop’s voice has aged nicely, even deeper and with more resonance as he perfectly delivered a vocal reminiscent of the late Joy Division singer Ian Curtis’ deep tone. Excitement heightened as they transitioned into “Love Will Tear Us Apart” and more people jumped to their feet and ran towards the stage to continue dancing and jumping and taking part in this truly remarkable moment.

Read more at The Village Voice. Photo by Loren Wohl.

Related Articles:

• Iggy Pop, Patti Smith, New Order Storm Carnegie Hall for Tibet – Rolling Stone
• Iggy Pop, Patti Smith and New Order: Photos from the Tibet House Benefit Concert – Time Out New York

The Stooges Guitar Legend James Williamson Announces The Release Of His New Exclusive Record Store Day Vinyl Single “Open Up And Bleed”/”Gimme Some Skin” On April 19th!

These Two New Takes Of Early Stooges Tracks Feature The Stooges (Sans Iggy) & Vocals From Texas Blues Singer & Guitarist Carolyn Wonderland

This Limited Single Is An Early Taste Of James Williamson’s Forthcoming Re-Licked Studio Album, Where He’ll Be Joined By Steve Mackay, Mike Watt & Toby Dammit Of The Stooges & Will Feature A Number Of Great Guest Vocalists Reinterpreting Lesser-Known Stooges Gems

While on a break from touring this year, the members of The Stooges (sans Iggy) got together and recorded songs that were originally penned by Iggy Pop and James Williamson in 1973/74. These songs were never properly recorded since the band didn’t have a record deal at the time.

James Williamson always wanted to revisit these songs and has done so with a powerhouse lineup of singers who don’t disappoint on his forthcoming album entitled Re-Licked. “Open Up & Bleed”/”Gimme Some Skin” is the first single from Re-Licked, which will be out later this year. The Stooges’ James Williamson, Steve Mackay, Mike Watt & touring drummer Toby Dammit are joined on both tracks by Texas blues singer & guitarist Carolyn Wonderland, who adds her own forceful and soul-drenching takes on these two rarely heard gems.

Re-Licked will also feature other lesser-known Stooges tracks properly recorded and mixed for the first time. Songs such as “I Gotta Right,” “Rubber Legs,” “She Creatures of the Hollywood Hills,” “Wild Love” and others will be fronted by a wealth of talented vocalists such as Jello Biafra, Mark Lanegan, Ariel Pink, Lisa Kekuala (The BellRays) and others to be announced soon.

James Williamson & Carolyn Wonderland’s new limited vinyl single “Open Up & Bleed”/”Gimme Some Skin” will be available at independent record stores worldwide on Record Store Day, April 19th.

FOR MORE INFO ON JAMES WILLIAMSON:
http://straightjameswilliamson.com

Gregg Foreman’s radio program, The Pharmacy, has an awesome playlist and James Williamson as a special guest this week. Read more and download the show at Dangerous Minds.

The 24th annual Tibet House U.S. Benefit Concert will feature a typically star-studded and diverse lineup of musicians. Iggy Pop, Joe Walsh and New Order are all slated to perform at New York City’s Carnegie Hall on March 11th. … Additional performers include Patti Smith and Her Band, the National guitarist Bryce Dessner, Tibetan singer-songwriter Techung and composers Nico Muhly and Philip Glass.

Read more at Rolling Stone. Tickets can be purchased at CarnegieHall.org.

We heard the awful news of Ron’s passing exactly 5 years ago today. Miss you.

Please visit the Ron Asheton Foundation.

Iggy Pop gets his Bing Crosby on with this straight from the heart, only a little wiggy, deep-voiced rendition of “White Christmas.” It’s from Psych-Out Christmas, a laudable new LP from the Cleopatra label where an international crew of lysergically-aware acts share their interpretations of those old Chrimbo faves.

Read more at MOJO. Psych-Out Christmas is available for purchase at Amazon, iTunes and the Cleopatra Records website.

Protests “Senseless Killing of These Majestic Animals for Sport”

Michigan native Iggy Pop, a music legend and member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, has endorsed the Keep Michigan Wolves Protected campaign to stop the trophy hunting of wolves and restore the right of Michigan voters to have a say over wildlife policy. Michigan’s first wolf hunt in decades begins tomorrow.

In a letter to Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder, dated Nov. 12, 2013, Pop writes: “As a Michigan native and someone who has cared about animals, both wild and domestic, for as long as I can remember, I was dismayed…that a bill you signed last May (S.B. 288/P.A. 21) gave Michigan’s Natural Resources Commission the authority to decide which animals can be hunted…which resulted in the first authorized wolf hunt since wolves underwent state protection in 1965.”

“To further compound the issue Mlive.com just unveiled several investigative reports that reveal the state used ‘half-truths’ and ‘falsehoods’ to support authorizing a hunting season on wolves in Michigan. The reports make clear that the decision to approve wolf hunting was based on fraudulent information and not sound science,” said Pop.

“I am asking all of my fans in Michigan to sign up and help gather signatures to reverse this decision and protect the wolf from future hunts,” Pop continues. “The senseless killing of these majestic animals for sport is a disappointment to the people of Michigan and a stain on its Government.” He called on Gov. Snyder to “do the right thing by staying the hunt and allowing the people’s voice to be heard” on the issue.

The endorsement by Iggy Pop, who was born in Muskegon and grew up in Ypsilanti, follows an investigation by Mlive.com revealing that lawmakers used details of a wolf sighting outside an Upper Peninsula daycare that never occurred; the Department of Natural Resources’ furbearer specialist lied in a radio interview about wolves threatening people outside their homes; the U.P. farmer who reported more than 60 percent of wolf-livestock incidents over the past three years baited wolves using deer and cattle carcasses in violation of state law; and the Natural Resources Commission asked for public input about the wolf hunt and then deleted or ignored more than 10,000 email comments on the subject.

Pop’s endorsement joins a long list of people and organizations that oppose the Michigan wolf hunt.

Last March, Keep Michigan Wolves Protected – a coalition of animal welfare groups, conservationists, veterinarians, business owners, faith leaders and Native American tribes – submitted more than 255,000 signatures of Michigan residents allowing voters to decide in the November 2014 election if the wolf should be designated as a game animal. Before the people even had an opportunity to vote on the issue, legislators and the governor hastily approved a second law (P.A. 21) allowing the unelected, political appointees of the Natural Resources Commission to designate the wolf and other protected animals as game species, which would no longer be subject to the voter referendum process.

Click here to view Iggy Pop’s letter to Gov. Snyder.

Keep Michigan Wolves Protected launched a second petition drive in August to overturn P.A. 21. Persons interested in volunteering, donating or learning more about the issue can visit KeepWolvesProtected.com.

BBC Radio 6 Music will be truly rocking the holidays this year with Iggy Pop presenting two programs -– the first on Christmas Day (1-3pm local time), the second on New Year’s Day (1-3pm local time).

Iggy Pop’s Radio Show will offer 6 Music listeners an exclusive insight into the mind of one of the most influential rock stars of the last 40 years. In the first show he’ll explore the theme of Rockin’ Rebels, and Heartbreak and Heartaches in the second.

“To come up with the tunes that fit the concept of each show, I’ve had to dig back to things that I haven’t heard in a long, long time, but that still carry memories of joy and compulsion. I thought I better check these old numbers to see if they still made the grade for me. They still do,” he said. “I was a little worried that the listening might feel ragged for the kind of people who can’t embrace Duane Eddy and, say, The Last Poets in the same hour with Doc Watson. Well, that’s too damn bad. I’ve listened to all this music for the shows and it all flows for me. I hope to reach out and touch you.”

Read more at BBC.co.uk.

Happy Birthday to our one and only, James Williamson!!! Please post your birthday wishes below and on the Iggy and the Stooges Facebook page!

Dear Iggy and The Stooges Fans,
It’s been a blast to play for so many of you this year! Thank you all and each one of you for yet another great concert season. Stay safe and don’t stop rockin’ out.

Here is Mike Watt’s recap of the Iggy and the Stooges tour so far, sans Korea and Toronto: http://www.hootpage.com/hoot_stooges-wattdiary2013.html. The picture above, from the tour recap, shows James Williamson in Berlin.

Happy Birthday to Scott “Rock Action” Asheton today! Please post your birthday wishes below and on the Iggy and the Stooges Facebook page!