Chris Ethridge, bass player with The Flying Burrito Brothers, has died at the age of 65, from complications from pancreatic cancer according to the Los Angeles Times.
Ethridge also played with the Willie Nelson Family Band, and it was Nelson who confirmed news of his bandmate's death, via Twitter, writing:
WN&F are sad to hear of the passing of Family member & friend Chris Ethridge he was a talented musician & we were honored to call him Family
Bob Dylan has paid tribute to Levon Helm, the former drummer with The Band, who passed away on Thursday April 19, aged 71.
Dylan collaborated with The Band over the course of their career, first on Dylan's 1965 American tour. They worked together on the 1967 sessions that were eventually released as The Basement Tapes, and also a joint 1974 tour.
Writing on bobdylan.com, Dylan said:
"He was my bosom buddy friend to the end, one of the last true great spirits of my or any other generation.
This is just so sad to talk about.
Spiritualized have announced a six-date UK tour for November.
The band - whose new album, Sweet Heart Sweet Light, entered the UK Album Charts yesterday at No 11 - will play the following dates:
Thu 1 November Gateshead, The Sage Gateshead
Fri 2 November Cambridge, The Junction
Sat 3 November Leeds, Metropolitan University
Sun 4 November Coventry, Warwick Arts Centre
Mon 5 November London, Roundhouse
Tue 6 November Brighton, Corn Exchange
A couple of years ago when I was in Woodstock to interview Simone Felice and his band, The Duke & The King, Simone drove me around the mountains where he’d grown up, pointing out places of local and historical interest. These included Big Pink, the house on Parnassus Lane in West Saugerties, where Dylan and The Band recorded The Basement Tapes.
Paul McCartney has paid tribute to Bert Weedon, who died on Friday [April 20] aged 91.
Known as Mr Guitar, Weedon was a huge influence on some of the biggest names in music.
Eric Clapton has said that he had "never met a player of any consequence" who had not learned from Weedon's 'Play In A Day' books.
Paul McCartney, George Harrison and John Lennon all admitted to using Weeden's manuals to help them learn guitar.
In a message on his website, paulmccartney.com, the former Beatle wrote:
Flaming Lips' frontman Wayne Coyne has confirmed that Heady Fewnds, the Lips' vinyl-only collaboration with Bon Iver, Nick Cave, Yoko Ono, Ke$ha, Neon Indian and others is due for a future digital release.
Coyne confirmed in a Twitter conversation with Ke$ha that the album, released for Record Store Day, will be released via iTunes in "about a month".
The full tracklisting for Heady Fewnds is:
1. '2012 (You Must Be Upgraded)' (featuring Ke$ha and Biz Markie)
2. 'Ashes in the Air' (featuring Bon Iver)
Bright Eyes mainman Conor Oberst is to open his own bar in his home state of Omaha.
The singer, who released his latest album The People's Key in early 2011, is planning the venture with friend and fellow Omaha musician, Phil Schaffart.
The bar, which will not host live music, is set to be named The Pageturners Lounge after the bookshop which previously inhabited the space. Oberst and Schaffert bought the premises in February.
Radiohead's Thom Yorke joined Modeselektor on stage at the final night of Coachella last night [April 22].
The singer performed at the end of the German electro duo's set to perform "Shipwreck", from their latest album Monkeytown, contributing vocals to "This" and "Shipwreck".
