MUSIC REVIEW ROB THOMAS, JEWEL
Singer-songwriters hit a few high notes
Thursday, June 15, 2006
Gary Budzak
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH


Rob Thomas and Jewel each made a point of saying, at a concert this
week in the Lifestyle Communities Pavilion, how much they like their
jobs.

And their performances Tuesday night were workmanlike — good but not
great.

The two singer-songwriters, on the same record label (Atlantic), are
promoting new albums.

Yet their individual work didn't represent the best part of the
show; instead, it came on a duet, when Jewel (sounding eerily like
Stevie Nicks) joined Thomas on Tom Petty's Stop Draggin' My Heart
Around. Wonder whether the duo knew that Petty and Nicks were to
appear last night at Germain Amphitheater?

Troubadour heartthrob Thomas headlined on a stage that resembled
white bathroom tile. In any case, the former and future Matchbox
Twenty singer possesses one of the best voices in rock and pop.

He sang songs from his debut solo album, Something To Be (jamming on
the hits This Is How a Heart Breaks and Lonely No More), some
Matchbox Twenty material and odds and ends such as Talking Heads'
Burning Down the House and David Bowie's Let's Dance.

When a headliner's 1980s cover songs come across better than his
originals, one wonders about the condition of popular music.

Thomas also took chances on his two best songs. He had a mellow take
on 3 A.M., playing an electric keyboard. On Smooth, he was joined by
two acoustic guitarists instead of replicating Carlos Santana's
blazing electric-guitar solos.

It was nice to hear Thomas reinterpret those well-worn hits in a new
way. Yet those quieter interpretations also took some of the juice
out of what could have been electrifying showpieces.

His portion of the concert had other flaws, including too many Elvis-
like "Thank you very much" comments, stage banter that either made
no sense or was hard to understand and an overly long bass solo.

Jewel Kilcher enjoyed some give-and-take with the audience during
her 70-minute middle set.

She worried about a shutterbug snapping photos because she didn't
want to show a double chin.

She explained that her family is Swiss and then yodeled. (Eat your
heart out, Jessica Simpson.)

Toward the end, she castigated a woman in the audience for talking
during the entire show.

"I wooed you all night long," she said.

Yet Jewel's own digressions detracted from her mostly good
performance.

With a solid rock band behind her, she made up for the lack of an
intimate setting with a refreshing intensity. Hands, Intuition, You
Were Meant for Me and Standing Still were great, and the new songs
Long Slow Slide and Satellite fit in well with the past hits.

Aside from being too brief, Jewel's set ended disappointingly. An
extended version of Who Will Save Your Soul started with her
complaining that she sang like Kermit the Frog on the original.
Next, she and her guitarist mistimed their parts. Then she screeched
and scatted the lyrics. Is that any way to treat the first song you
wrote?

Toby Lightman, a singer who sounds a bit like Joan Osborne, opened
the show.

She repeated her unusual name a lot but had about as much variety as
the pavilion's concessions — White Castle burgers (they're great if
you love them, but you're out of luck if you don't).

gbudzak@...
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Stevie Nicks brings tour to Tweeter

By LAUREN CARTER / SUN CHRONICLE STAFF

For those of you that haven't heard, Miss Stevie Nicks will be
joining Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers for their show at the
Tweeter Center on June 21. That's next Wednesday.

This is not just good. This is very, very good.
Trey Anastasio of Phish will be opening the show, and Miss Nicks
will join Tom & Co. onstage for a few songs in the middle of their
set, according to Petty's publicist.

To say I'm excit ed would be a major understate ment.

First off, let me say that I first got this information through a
good friend that is probably as much of a Stevie Nicks fan as I am.

Said friend enjoys teasing me with made-up tales of all the times
she's met Stevie backstage at some concert, traveled cross country
to attend one Stevie show after anoth er, touched Stevie's hand at
the end of a set, or felt her velvety five-inch platform heels while
standing in the front row of some concert I wasn't able to attend.
That friend's name is Stacey. I've come to disregard most of
Stacey's tales as outright lies, or at least highly embellished
truths. It's easier that way.

So when Stacey told me that Stevie would be appearing at Tweeter, I
naturally didn't believe her. I viewed it as yet another chance to
toy with my fragile emo tions.

Then I consulted the Internet. And the Internet said it was true--
Stevie would be joining Petty for nine dates on his tour, the show
at the Tweeter Center being the last.

Since I had already signed up to review that show, this would be an
added bonus. A GIGANTIC added bonus.

At this point all shades of pro fessional office decorum flew out
the window and I began expressing my excitement through a variety of
leaps, fist pumps and exclama tions.

Have I mentioned that I love Stevie Nicks?

I've been a fan since sophomore year of high school, when I discov
ered her as one-fifth of the pop/rock supergroup Fleetwood Mac. I
loved the group as a whole but to me Nicks always stood out, and
almost immediately she became my favorite music artist.

I considered her a paradox--straight out of a fairy-tale yet
simultaneously down to earth. And I love paradoxes.

I own most of her solo CDs as well as most of Fleetwood Mac's
albums, post-Peter Green, and have been to many of her shows. I
can't remember the exact number of times I've seen her live because
the surreal nature of the experi ences makes them all blend togeth
er in my mind. You scoff, but I'm serious.

As far as this particular show goes, the union between Nicks and
Petty is a natural one. They've already teamed up on songs like ``
Stop Draggin' My Heart Around,'' the lead single off Nicks' debut
solo album `` Bella Donna,'' as well as `` I Will Run To You,'' off
Nicks' follow-up record, `` The Wild Heart,'' and Petty and the
Heart breakers played the music on Nicks' moody `` Outside The
Rain,'' one of my favorites.

The pair are longtime friends and Petty's blues-tinged rock seems to
be the perfect counter point to Nicks' ethereal folk-rock goddess.

Unfortunately, the show at the Tweeter Center is sold out. I'm not
even sure if any local radio sta tions are having contests to give
away tickets. Maybe try eBay. This is a show you won't want to miss.

I'm happy to say I'll be taking Stacey along with me to the con cert.

Happy for two reasons. One, it'll be great to share the experience
with someone who's as big a Stevie fan as I am.

And two, I won't have to listen to any post-concert lies about
backstage conversations over bot tles of champagne, because I'll be
there to dispel them, or at least take part in the festivities.

rdrtrdrsrdrw15rsp160 LAUREN CARTER can be reached at 508-236-0339,
or at lcarter(at)(at)thesunchronicle.com

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Petty's distinct sound still enthralls
By Aaron Beck
The Columbus Dispatch
Thursday, June 15, 2006

JAMES D. DECAMP | DISPATCH
Tom Petty performs before a packed Germain Amphitheater crowd.

We all have gifts. Some are blessed with athletic prowess, some with
the patience to teach children, some with the capacity to endure
office work.
Tom Petty is blessed with a voice like no other, and a person who
has spent even the slightest time near FM radio since 1976 -- the
year Petty and the Heartbreakers released their self-titled debut --
can recognize that tobacco smoke-bred, nasal delivery coming at them
through the man's ample, seemingly clenched teeth.

It sounded rare then and -- in 2006, when can hear so many new
voices 24 hours a day on the Internet, satellite radio and beyond --
it sounds even rarer.

Rock 'n' roll fans should be thankful the Gainesville, Fla., native
is still gracious enough to share that instrument with us.

Petty and the Heartbreakers, on what they're hinting will be the
final big-venue hits parade, performed last night in a packed
Germain Amphitheater.

Petty, with drummer Steve Ferrone, guitarist-harmonica player Scott
Thurston, bassist Ron Blair and the two who have been with Petty
since 1975 -- guitarist Mike Campbell and keyboardist Benmont Tench -
- gave a performance suitable for a joint that holds 20,000.

There of course were hits and the set was packed with the familiar
from four decades, including Listen to Her Heart, from '78, with its
conspicuous Byrds jingle-jangle; You Don't Know How It Feels ('94);
I Won't Back Down ('89) and a duo of new tunes.

Those new songs, to be included on Petty's first studio album in
four years, Highway Companion, included Saving Grace. Carried by a
John Lee Hooker/Billy Gibbons-like guitar line, was sinister, bottom-
heavy rockabilly. Square One, with Petty on acoustic guitar, touched
on absolving one's self of mistakes and guilt, was something anyone
with age marks around the eyes ought to be able to understand.

There were surprises, including I'm a Man and Peter Green and
Fleetwood Mac's Oh Well.

And there was a guest: Stevie Nicks, whose husky, dusky pipes make a
perfect companion for Petty's twang.

Nicks' performance and presence really upped the energy of the show.
Twirling in her trademark frilly, friendly-witch garb, she belted
out Stop Draggin' My Heart Around ('81) and burned the barn down
with Petty and the Heartbreakers on I Need to Know ('78).

"We're just havin' some fun is all," said Petty. "Just having some
fun."

And it was. But what truly is exciting is the future. Hits-stoked,
two-hour amphitheater shows are fun, familiar and a good way to
persuade people to pay upwards of $80 a head to see them. If Petty
is serious about shelving the idea for a while, or for good, so be
it. The guy's discography is deep and lined with so many good rock
songs. Watching him play those in new ways in new venues and using
that distinct voice that is going to get only more distinct will
make for some real news to share.

A man with a not so distinct voice played first last night -- former
Phish guitarist-singer-songwriter Trey Anastasio. His previous band
played three-hour noodlefests and were known for covering an entire
album by, say, the Beatles.

Solo, Anastasio played it more straight-ahead, going for '70s soul-
rock vibe as he played not-so-distinct solos and singing in a voice
that if it were a color would be beige.

abeck@...
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Posted on Thu, Jun. 15, 2006email thisprint this
Thomas' solo gig could rekindle that Matchbox fire
BY ROSS RAIHALA
Pop Music Critic

Rob Thomas performs Sunday at Northrop Auditorium.Now in the middle
of a tour with Alaskan folkie Jewel, Rob Thomas is ready to wrap up
his current gig as a solo act.

"I think this is it for this record," Thomas said during a phone
interview last week from a tour stop in Washington, D.C. "I'm taking
a break."

But the Matchbox Twenty frontman, who issued his solo
debut "Something to Be" last year, said he has learned plenty during
his time alone.

While making "Something to Be," Thomas very consciously chose
collaborators who would push him in new directions, just as Thomas'
own partnership with Carlos Santana on the 1999 hit "Smooth" made
him a breakout star.

"For me, the album was the reverse of Carlos," Thomas
explained. "He's this incredible guitar player, and each time he
does a song, he finds a new vocalist.

"I looked at what I was doing as a duets record, but it was me
joined by all these musicians I love."

That meant inviting everyone from solo star John Mayer to former
Prince associate Wendy Melvoin to soul/hip-hop drummer Gerald
Heyward.

"It brought out my experimental side," Thomas said. "We were,
like, 'What would it sound like if we paired Tom Petty's guitar
player with Dr. Dre's bass player?' "

To re-create the album live, Thomas assembled a tight touring band
with the ability to turn on a dime and make the usually staid
Thomas — oh, yes — funky.

"We're not some jazz fusion group, but each individual instrument
has taken on its own life, and each night, the musicians can take it
into new directions," he said. "We still want to serve the songs,
but our goal is to get up there and genuinely have fun. I think that
becomes infectious."

With sets that hover around the two-hour mark, Thomas has been
playing some Matchbox Twenty material, with new arrangements, as
well as a fresh take on "Smooth." He has also built an ever-growing
pool of cover versions that includes songs from the Eagles, Talking
Heads, Smashing Pumpkins, Cyndi Lauper, Al Green and Maroon 5. (He
also invites Jewel onstage for a run through the Tom Petty/Stevie
Nicks duet "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around.")

"The covers change every night," Thomas said. "We'll go off on a two-
or three-song tear."

Sometimes it works, like his take on David Bowie's "Let's Dance"
that "just slams."

But there have been a few missteps, too.

"One night, we came out and did 'Always on My Mind,' " he said. "I
think we had gotten a little too high that night. It's such a
beautiful song, but Willie Nelson is the one who should sing it."

When Thomas returns to his day job with Matchbox Twenty, he figures
he'll have plenty of stories to share.

"After 10 years of being with the same guys, it's hard to feel
innovative and creative," he said. "But I think we're all going to
come back into this as completely changed musicians. It was good for
us to all go off and find the need to show off to each other again."

Pop Music Critic Ross Raihala can be reached at rraihala@
pioneerpress.com or 651-228-5553.

Who: Rob Thomas and Jewel

When: 7 p.m. Sunday

Where: Northrop Auditorium, 84 Church St. S.E., Mpls.

Tickets: $58-$38

Call: 651-989-5151
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Rock legend uncorks wine collection
By Sylvie Belmond belmond@...



PATRICK SHELBY/Acorn Newspapers HAPPY FAN-Michael Morrow of Canoga
Park is all smiles after receiving Mick Fleetwood's autograph at
Gelson's in Westlake Village recently. The drummer's John Hancock
was the final signature Morrow needed to complete his set of
Fleetwood Mac band members' autographs on his Rumors album cover.
Fleetwood was on hand to promote his Private Cellar wine
collection.

Andi Sherwin was overjoyed because Mick Fleetwood, one of the
founding members of Fleetwood Mac, was sitting a few feet away from
her at Gelson's Market in the Westlake portion of Thousand Oaks
recently.

Fleetwood was autographing bottles of his Private Cellar Col

lection wine for local residents who lined up for a glimpse of the
celebrity. Each visitor got to spend a few minutes talking with the
legendary rocker.

"I'm so excited," said Sherwin, who recalled that the Fleetwood Mac
song "Landslide" played at her wedding 28 years ago.

"The adventure with wine was pulled out of my fantasy wish list and
it has slowly become a reality," Fleetwood said.

Although he isn't a wine connoisseur, the rock musician explained
wine is something very personal for him. "It's been a lot of fun and
it's also been a learning process," he said.

"I've met some great people who have a passion about what they do,"
Fleetwood said, adding he's not doing this to boost his celebrity
ego. "I keep it simple and genuine and the wine is a reflection of
my style and journey," Fleetwood said.

"I have great options put in front of me, but keep a very closed
approach, in terms of: Is this what I like?"

Promoting the wine collection has many upsides, Fleetwood said.

"I've always had a lot of fun traveling, and talking to people is
something that comes very naturally," he said.

"We admired him for years," said Steve and Dana Geldman of Westlake
Village, who were also thrilled at the opportunity to meet
Fleetwood.

"If your wine is anything like your music, it's going to be first
class," Simi Valley resident Rich Cronin told Fleetwood when he
greeted the famous drummer.

"Music and wine," Fleetwood replied quietly as he chatted for a few
minutes with each visitor.

Most people showed up with a bottle of wine with the 58-year-old
rocker on the label, or with his latest CD, but 10-year-old Michael
Buchheit came with more. He brought his Fender Stratocaster for an
autograph.

"My favorite song is 'Don't Stop,'" the aspiring Westlake Village
musician said.

When he isn't performing with Fleetwood Mac or working on a music
project, Fleetwood drums up new entrepreneurial ideas with his
Westlake Village business partner Jonathan Todd, who owns Sabre
Entertainment.

Sabre Entertainment created Fleetwood Marketing, a corporation
devoted to marketing, licensing and branding products endorsed by
Mick Fleetwood. Todd is also co-executive producer of "Something
Big," The Mick Fleetwood Band's debut album.

From sample drum tracks for Sonic Foundry to collaborating with the
publisher of a unique collection of 12 hand-signed Salvador Dal
lithographs to developing new wines, Fleetwood's business ventures
are diverse.

He's found success in bringing his taste to the world, and
Fleetwood's private wine collection is no exception, Todd said.

Fleetwood came to personally introduce his Private Cellar label at
Gelson's because the small store chain committed to carrying the
brand, according to Todd.

"Mick enjoys wine and the concept was to find a wine that he can
serve to his friends," said John Henigin of Premium Distributors.

The wine's flavor is "earthy and oaky," Dana Geldman said.

Fleetwood's wines include Private Cellar Chardonnay, Mick Fleetwood
Private Cellar Cuvee and Mick Fleetwood Private Cellar Pinot Noir.
The wines come from California's Santa Ynez Valley and cost between
$15 and $30.

According to the Gelson market's press release, the Chardonnay is a
medium-bodied wine with flavors of tropical fruit and citrus. The
Cuvee is a rich, supple blend of 25 percent Cabernet Franc and 75
percent Merlot grapes, aged for 30 months in French Oak casks and 18
months in the bottle. The Pinot Noir Cuvee is a rich and mellow
blend of Pinot Noir grapes from Santa Barbara County.

Fleetwood's latest CD, "Something Big," was playing in the
background as people lined up in Westlake. The CD is The Mick
Fleetwood Band's debut album, which showcases the timeless yet
contemporary, rocking and eloquent sound of the band. Visit
www.MickFleetwood.com for more information.
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Newswires
Montreux Jazz Festival to Honor Atlantic Records: 40th Celebration
to Feature Star-Studded Tributes to Ahmet and Nesuhi Ertegun

By: Marketwire
Jun. 14, 2006 05:05 PM
Digg This!




NEW YORK, NY -- (MARKET WIRE) -- 06/14/06 -- In celebration of this
year's 40th Montreux Jazz Festival, two very special concerts will
be presented in honor of Atlantic Records. The first concert, a
tribute to Atlantic Founding Chairman Ahmet Ertegun, will take place
on Friday, June 30th, the opening night of the festival. The second
concert, on Sunday, July 2nd, will be dedicated to the late Nesuhi
Ertegun, the pioneering jazz producer, educator, and music
executive. Europe's premier annual music festival, the Montreux Jazz
Festival was founded by Claude Nobs, with the help of Nesuhi Ertegun
and Atlantic Records, among others.

The June 30th concert will feature some of the most important names
in contemporary music, including a number of Atlantic Records'
biggest stars, past and present. Among the artists slated to appear
are, in alphabetical order: Jeff Beck, Solomon Burke, Chic, Phil
Collins, George Duke, Chaka Khan, Kid Rock, Ben E. King, Bette
Midler, Stevie Nicks, Paolo Nutini, Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, and
Steve Winwood, plus the Nile Rodgers Orchestra and the Atlantic Soul
All-Stars featuring Les McCann, Cornell Dupree, Ronnie Cuber, Jerry
Jermott, and Buddy Williams.

July 2nd will be a jazz night, in honor of Nesuhi Ertegun's devotion
and contribution to the form. The evening will star the legendary
Ornette Coleman, Brazilian jazz master Sergio Mendes, vocalist
extraordinaire Chaka Khan, and a tribute to New Orleans jazz pioneer
Kid Ory featuring Wycliffe Gordon (trombone), Evan Christopher
(clarinet), Eddy Davis (banjo), Conal Fowlkes (bass/piano), and Joe
Sample (piano).

In addition, on the evening of July 1st, the Montreux Jazz Festival
will feature several artists associated with Atlantic Records,
including jazz greats Stanley Clarke, George Duke, and Klaus
Doldinger -- in a concert dedicated to legendary Atlantic producer
Arif Mardin -- and current Downtown/Atlantic recording group Gnarls
Barkley.

Since the first Montreux Jazz Festival in 1967, the event has grown
to encompass artists spanning a wide musical spectrum, including
jazz, blues, soul, R&B, gospel, rock, pop, hip-hop, and world music.
This year's festival will run from June 30th through July 15th -- 16
days of concerts taking place simultaneously at three different
venues. The Atlantic events will both be held in the largest hall,
the 3,500-seat Auditorium Stravinski.

The city of Montreux, Switzerland is situated at the foot of the
Alps on the banks of Lake Geneva, in the region known as the "Swiss
Riviera."

CONTACTS:
Sheila Richman
212-707-3063
Email Contact

Bob Kaus
212-707-2026
Email Contact



Published Jun. 14, 2006
Copyright © 2006 SYS-CON Media. All Rights Reserved.