MUSIC NEWS: THURSDAY, APRIL 2, 2015
BLUES TRAVELLER GET INTO COLLABORATIONS
Blues Traveler have gotten a lot of help for their new album, ``Blow Up The Moon.'' Every track on the album has a collaborator. The guest musicians include Jewel, J-C Chasez of 'N Sync, Bowling For Soup, Plain White T's, Thompson Square, 3OH!3 and Secondhand Serenade. They will perform the song ``Top of the World'' with Hanson on the ``Today'' show next Thursday. ``Blow Up The Moon'' comes out Tuesday.
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AVRIL LAVIGNE RECOVERS FROM LYME DISEASE
Canadian pop star Avril Lavigne reveals the reason she's been low-key the past year is because she's been bedridden for five months with Lyme disease. Lavigne tells People magazine she celebrated her 30th birthday with friends in Las Vegas and couldn't eat or get out of bed, but didn't know why. Months later, she was diagnosed with Lyme disease. She suspects she was bitten by a tick last spring. Lavigne says she sometimes wouldn't shower for a week because she could barely stand. She says she's
``80 per cent better'' now. Later this month she will release the single ``Fly,'' which will support Special Olympics.
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UNIVERSITY CANCELS COMMON AS COMMENCEMENT SPEAKER
Kean University in New Jersey wanted Common as commencement speaker for the music he's made. Now it's cancelled him because of the music he's made. The Record newspaper reports Common was announced as the speaker on Monday but university spokeswoman Susan Kayne says the announcement was made prematurely. Kayne says students expressed interest in Common because he composed the Oscar-winning song ``Glory'' with John Legend, who was their last commencement speaker. However, state troopers consider it a slap in the face to invite Common because of ``A Song for Assata.'' It's a track he did in 2000 about Assata Shakur, who was convicted of killing a state trooper in 1973.
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OBIT - CYNTHIA LENNON DIES
The first wife of John Lennon and mother of Julian Lennon has died. Her publicist says Cynthia Lennon died yesterday at her home in Mallorca, Spain, with Julian by her side. She died of cancer at the age of 75. Cynthia and John Lennon met at art school in Liverpool and married after she got pregnant with Julian. Their marriage was hidden to promote Lennon's image with female fans. The couple divorced in 1968 after John Lennon started seeing Yoko Ono.
Cynthia Lennon published two books about her relationship with Lennon, ``A Twist of Lennon'' and ``John.'' Paul McCartney calls Cynthia Lennon ``a lovely lady'' and ``a good mother to Julian.''
Ringo Starr tweets, ``Peace and love to Julian Lennon. God bless Cynthia.'' Ono says she's very saddened by Cynthia Lennon's death and adds, ``I felt proud how we two women stood firm in the Beatles family.''
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RINGO STARR REVISITS THE PAST FOR ``POSTCARDS FROM PARADISE''
There may be something familiar with the lyrics of Ringo Starr's latest single, ``Postcards from Paradise.''
It strings together Beatles song titles. Starr says he had a track and was thinking about the song ``Mr. Moonlight,'' and then thought about ``It Won't Be Long.'' He says he strung three or four titles together and decided he had something. The song is the title track on Starr's new album, out this week.
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MICHAEL JACKSON'S REPTILES DIE IN FIRE
Reptiles that once belonged to Michael Jackson have been killed in a fire at a zoo in Wynnewood, Oklahoma.
The Oklahoman reports a fire last Thursday killed seven alligators and one crocodile at the Garold Wayne Interactive Zoological Park.
The reptiles were retrieved from Jackson's Neverland Ranch after his death. Park owner Joe Schreibvogel says he believes animal rights activists are responsible for the fire. He says several electronic storage devices used for recording his independent T-V show, ``Joe Exotic T-V,'' were stolen by whoever set the fire.
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JONI MITCHELL
Joni Mitchell's famous fans are voicing their support and worry for the Canadian folk song icon while she is hospitalized in Los Angeles. ``Harry Potter'' star Emma Watson said Wednesday on Twitter: ``heard about Joni and haven't been able to concentrate all morning. So hope she's doing ok.'' Kiss lead singer Paul Stanley tweeted a recent picture of himself and the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, telling his followers to send her love and prayers. Kevin Bacon, Boy George, Bill Idol and Tori Amos were also among the well-wishers. Mitchell, who is 71, was found unconscious in her home Tuesday night and taken to a hospital by ambulance. She was later in intensive care and undergoing tests. There was no further word on her condition.
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MMVAs
British pop troubadour Ed Sheeran has been named co-host of this year's Much Music Video Awards. It will be the fourth consecutive MMVAs appearance for the 24-year-old singer, who will steer the show with help from Much personalities. Last year, he dropped by the streetside bash to perform his earworm hit ``Sing,'' a song that's since been certified double platinum in Canada. His sophomore album ``x'' topped charts here en route to similar double platinum sales.
Recent co-hosts of the show included Kendall and Kylie Jenner, Psy and LMFAO.
``Canada, can't wait to come back for my fourth MMVAs,'' Sheeran said in a release. ``I'm thrilled they asked me to host this year. I hope this isn't an early April Fool's joke.''
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Here's a list of some new CD releases for this week
8:58 _ ``8:58''
13th Floor Elevators _ ``Kingdom of Heaven''
Ryan Adams _ ``Blue Light'' (EP)
Jared Anderson _ ``Where I Am Right Now'' (EP)
Bjork _ ``Vulnicura''
Blackout _ ``Blackout''
James Blackshaw _ ``Summoning Suns''
Blancmange _ ``Semi Detached''
Boxed In _ ``Boxed In''
Circa Waves _ ``Young Chasers''
David Clayton-Thomas _ ``Soul Ballads''
Hannah Cohen _ ``Pleasure Boy''
Jason Crabb _ ``Through the Fire: The Best of Jason Crabb''
Alex Cuba _ ``Healer''
Death Cab for Cutie _ ``Kintsugi''
Death Grips _ ``The Powers That B''
Deke Dickerson _ ``Greatest Hits''
Eliane Elias _ ``Made in Brazil''
Faith Healer _ ``Cosmic Troubles''
Follakzoid _ ``III''
Robben Ford _ ``Into the Sun''
Fort Romeau _ ``Insides''
Full Devil Jacket _ ``Valley of Bones''
Godspeed You! Black Emperor _ ``Asunder, Sweet and Other Distress''
The Grateful Dead _ ``The Best of the Grateful Dead''
Rob Halford _ ``The Essential Halford''
Hall & Oates _ ``Live in Dublin''
Billie Holiday _ ``The Centennial Collection''
Hollywood Undead _ ``Day of the Dead''
Houndstooth _ ``No News From Home''
Ilium _ ``My Misanthropia''
Daniel Isaiah _ ``Come into Gone''
Jose James _ ``Yesterday I Had the Blues: The Music of Billie Holiday''
Janita _ ``Didn't You, My Dear?''
Jodeci _ ``The Past, The Present, The Future''
Simon Joyner _ ``Grass, Branch & Bone''
Angelique Kidjo with the Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg _ ``Sings''
Dayna Kurtz _ ``Rise and Fall''
Lost Boy? _ ``Canned''
Lower Dens _ ``Escape From Evil''
Ludacris _ ``Ludaversal''
Madeon _ ``Adventure''
The Maine _ ``American Candy''
Jesse Malin _ ``New York Before the War''
Marching Church _ ``This World is Not Enough''
Mia Martina _ ``Mia Martina'' (EP)
Missy Mazzoli _ ``Vespers for a New Dark Age''
Donny McCaslin _ ``Fast Future''
National Community Church _ ``You Alone''
NF _ ``Mansion''
Night Life Worship _ ``Arise''
Nightwish Endless _ ``Forms Most Beautiful''
Jerry Paper _ ``Carousel''
Plain White T's _ ``American Nights''
Polar Bear _ ``Same as You''
The Prodigy _ ``The Day is My Enemy''
Prong _ ``Songs from the Black Hole''
Quicksilver Messenger Service _ ``Live in San Jose, September 1966''
Reptar _ ``Lurid Glow''
Darius Rucker _ ``Southern Style''
Sareem Poems _ ``Beautiful Noise''
Boz Scaggs _ ``A Fool to Care''
Scharpling & Wurster _ ``The Best of the Best Show''
Selena _ ``Lo Mejor De Selena''
Ron Sexsmith _ ``Carousel One''
Sneaky Feelings _ ``Send You'' (re-release with bonus tracks)
The Soft Moon _ ``Deeper''
The Sonics _ ``This is the Sonics''
Speak Low If You Speak Love _ ``Everything But What You Need''
The Specials _ ``Specials'', ``More Specials'' and ``In the Studio'' (Special Editions)
Ringo Starr _ ``Postcards From Paradise''
The Staves _ ``If I Was''
Selah Sue _ ``Reason''
Sufjan Stevens _ ``Carrie & Lowell''
Three Days Grace _ ``Human''
Lee Tiger & The Tiger Tiger Band _ ``Chapter I: The Adventure Called Life''
Translator _ ``Sometimes People Forget''
Frank Turner _ ``The Third Three Years''
UFOmammut _ ``Ecate''
Van Halen _ ``Tokyo Dome Live in Concert''
Van Halen _ ``Van Halen'' and ``1984'' (remastered editions)
Various Artists _ ``Loose the Funk: Rarities From the Jewel/Paula Vault''
Various Artists _ ``Fire/Fury Records Story: Doo Wop Collection''
Various Artists _ ``Now That's What I Call The ACM Awards: 50 Years''
Le Vent Du Nord _ ``Tetu''
Wale _ ``The Album About Nothing''
Ryley Walker _ ``Primrose Green''
Scott Weiland & the Wildabouts _ ``Blaster''
William Elliott Whitmore _ ``Radium Death''
Link Wray _ ``The Original 1958 Cadence Sessions''